Bruins unanimous pick for NSAA repeat
All seven first place votes went to the Bellevue University baseball team as the North Star Athletic Association picked the Bruins to repeat as conference champions, as announced by the NSAA office on Wednesday afternoon.
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BISMARCK, N.D. -- All seven first place votes went to the Bellevue University baseball team as the North Star Athletic Association picked the Bruins to repeat as conference champions, as announced by the NSAA office on Wednesday afternoon.
Bellevue, with those seven first place votes, collected 49 points in the annual poll. Dakota State was chosen second on all seven ballots as the Trojans collected 42 points. BU closed out the 2023 season by winning three-straight over DSU to edge out out the regular season title by a single game. Waldorf was chosen third with 32 points.
Sharing fourth place in the poll with 21 points apiece are Valley City and Dickinson State, just a point ahead of Mayville (20 points) in sixth. Viterbo rounded out the poll, collecting 11 points.
The 2024 NSAA Tournament will against be hosted by Dickinson State at Dakota Community Bank & Trust Ballpark in Dickinson, N.D. The Tournament Champion will secure the NSAA's automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round to be played on campus sites from May 13-16. The Avista NAIA World Series is slated for Lewiston, Idaho from May 24-31 at Harris Field on the campus of Lewis-Clark State College.
The Bruins posted a 48-10 mark a season ago, going 25-3 in North Star play en route to winning their fourth-straight NSAA regular season title. BU swept their way to another NSAA Tournament title before doing likewise to win the Opening Round Bellevue Bracket and advance to the Avista NAIA World Series for the fourth time in coach Duane Monlux's tenure.
Bellevue returns three of four rotation arms from last year, six of nine starting position players, and several key components of their bullpen. BU brought in another strong recruiting class and has perhaps as much depth as ever on the hill and all over the diamond.
Since 1995, the Bruins have qualified for 25 NAIA National Tournaments, 16 Avista NAIA World Series, and won 37 conference championships.
Since joining the North Star for the 2015-16 season, the Bruins have won a conference regular season or tournament title in every season, double-dipping each of the four seasons in which they reached the Avista NAIA World Series (2016, 2019, 2022, 2023).
Bellevue will see 15 of their first 20 games come against teams either ranked in the Top 25 or receiving votes.
The Bruins open their season with four games at the NAIA Ball East/West Challenge from Wednesday, Jan. 31-Saturday, Feb. 3. First up is a 7 p.m. first pitch at (RV) Arizona Christian University. BU will also face #17 Vanguard (Feb. 1, 3 p.m.), #3 Lewis-Clark State (Feb. 2, 4 p.m.), and #19 Benedictine Mesa (Feb. 3, 10 a.m.) at the Challenge.