SD Sports Lounge: FCS analyst Sam Herder, USD softball coach Robert Wagner, Vikings writer Thor Nystrom & the story of Augustana's NSIC baseball & softball titles (Zach Borg)

No, things are not entering the "sleepy summer" phase in our South Dakota sports scene.  These days, there really isn't one. The Stampede are playing for the Clark Cup (USHL title). USD softball and both Augustana softball and baseball won league tournaments last weekend and are dancing in the NCAA Tournament this week. The Sioux Falls Canaries open their 2026 "run it back to the championship series" campaign in Lincoln this weekend and start their home slate with a week-long homestand at The Birdcage on Monday. And in the exciting yet turbulent — and uncertain, to put it lightly — world of modern college football, FCS football is becoming a year-round conversation. The foremost full-time FCS national analyst Sam Herder of HERO Sports joined "Hot Mic with Dom Izzo" in Fargo this week with news and views about FCS schedules as teams look for new ways to beef up their playoff resumes. That chat is part of this week's "South Dakota Sports Lounge," a weekly show that features the most compelling stories from three daily shows in our region that focus on sports stories affecting South Dakotans. Also featured this week: Happy Hour with John Gaskins — South Dakota Coyotes softball coach Robert Wagner on his program's first NSIC tournament title and trip to the NCAA Tournament and how his program has steadily grown over his decade at the helm. The Nate Brown Show (Rapid City) — Minnesota Vikings writer and podcaster Thor Nystrom (SKOR North) on that club's Draft, their salary cap situation and the overall state of the roster. Feature story on Augustana baseball & softball NSIC titles from Midwest Sports Plus reporter Zach Borg. Both Vikings had dramatic championship games, but one title was more surprising than the other. These shows, and Zach Borg's features on local teams and athletes, can all be seen on your television set via the Midwest Sports Plus app. To subscribe and download the app, go here.