ELMHURST, Ill. - The North Dakota State baseball team was picked to finish fourth in The Summit League according to a preseason poll of the league's seven head coaches released Friday, Feb. 10.
Fourteen-time defending tournament champion Oral Roberts was the unanimous pick to win the league again with 36 points, Western Illinois was second (27), South Dakota State third (25) and NDSU fourth (21).
Southern Utah (19), Oakland (11) and IPFW (8) rounded out the fifth through seventh spots in order.
NDSU was 22-32 overall and placed third in The Summit League with a 15-12 record last year under head coach Tod Brown, who is beginning his fifth season.
The Bison return seven position starters and six pitchers who threw at least 20 innings last year. The top returning hitters are sophomore designated hitter Blake Turbak (.349) and sophomore center fielder Tim Colwell (.333).
NDSU is scheduled to open the season Feb. 17-19 with a three-game series at Arizona. The home openers are scheduled for April 10-11 against Valley City State and Mayville State, and the Summit League schedule begins April 13-15 with a four-game series at Western Illinois.
The top four teams in the regular-season standings will advance to the Summit League tournament May 24-26 at J.L. Johnson Stadium in Tulsa, Okla., with the winner of the double-elimination bracket earning the league's automatic berth in the NCAA playoffs.
2012 Summit League Baseball Preseason Poll
Team (First-Place Votes) Points
1. Oral Roberts (6) 36
2. Western Illinois 27
3. South Dakota State 25
4. North Dakota State 21
5. Southern Utah (1) 19
6. Oakland 11
7. IPFW 8
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