Blue Hawks tabbed for fourth place in NSAA Coaches' Preseason Poll

BISMARCK, N.D. – Dickinson State has been tabbed to finish in fourth place by the North Star Athletic Association head coaches, the league announced Wednesday.

The Blue Hawks look to replace a lot of production from a team that finished 22-28 (12-15 NSAA) last season and took fifth place in the NSAA regular season. The Blue Hawks defeated Mayville State and Valley City State in the conference tournament and fell to Mayville State and eventual champion Bellevue to be eliminated from contention.

The North Star Athletic Association baseball head coaches had unanimously picked Bellevue (Neb.) to win the regular-season title. The Bruins were selected as the preseason favorite to win the regular-season title for the ninth consecutive year.

BU, who finished their 2023 season with an overall record of 48-10 and 25-3 record in the league where the title was decided on the final day of NSAA regular-season contest against Dakota State (S.D.), claimed all seven first-place votes and 49 points to secure the top spot in the poll.  The Bruins won the NAIA Baseball National Tournament Opening Round and advanced to the Avista-NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho.

BU is ranked No. 7 in the NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 national poll last November.

Dakota State was picked to finish second in the preseason poll after tallying 32 points.  Waldorf (Iowa) finished third after recording 32 points.  Valley City State (N.D.) and Dickinson State were tied for fourth with 21 points each.

Mayville State (N.D.) was sixth with 20 points, followed by Viterbo (Wis.) seventh with 11 points.

Points are awarded on a 7-1 basis and coaches can vote for their own team.

The North Star Athletic Association baseball conference season officially kicks off on the weekend of March 15-16 (MSU at DaSU, VCSU at BU, and DiSU at VU; WU waits until March 22-23 for their conference opener at MSU).  Each school is slated to play a total of 24 North Star conference baseball games.  All seven teams will compete in the North Star Baseball Conference Postseason Tournament, which is scheduled for May 3-6 in Dickinson, N.D.

There is an automatic bid from the North Star Athletic Association for the NAIA Baseball National Tournament Opening Round, which is held on May 13-16.  The postseason tournament winner will earn a trip to the national tournament’s opening round.  The Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series is slated to be played in Lewiston, Idaho from May 24-31.

Below is the complete 2024 NSAA Baseball Coaches’ Preseason Poll: