ELMHURST, Ill. - The North Dakota State baseball team was picked to finish sixth in The Summit League according to a preseason poll of the league's eight head coaches released Friday, Feb. 11.
Thirteen-time defending champion Oral Roberts was the unanimous pick to win the league again with 49 points, South Dakota State was second (43) and got ORU's first-place vote, and Oakland and Southern Utah tied for third with 27 points each.
Western Illinois was fifth (24), North Dakota State sixth (23), Centenary seventh (17) and IPFW eighth (14) to round out the poll.
NDSU was 22-30 overall and tied for sixth in the league with an 11-16 record last year under head coach Tod Brown, who is beginning his fourth season.
The top returner for the Bison is Zach Wentz, a junior first baseman and right-handed pitcher from Bismarck, N.D. Wentz hit .389 with seven home runs and 42 RBIs last year and earned a spot on the All-Summit League second team as a starting pitcher with a 5-2 record and 4.21 ERA.
NDSU is scheduled to open the season Feb. 18-20 with a three-game series at Arizona. The home opener is scheduled for April 2 against North Dakota and the Summit League schedule begins April 7-9 with a four-game series at Southern Utah.
The top four teams in the regular-season standings will advance to the Summit League tournament May 26-28 at Sioux Falls Stadium in Sioux Falls, S.D., with the winner of the double-elimination bracket earning the league's automatic berth in the NCAA playoffs.
2011 Summit League Baseball Preseason Poll
Team (First-Place Votes) Points
1. Oral Roberts (7) 49
2. South Dakota State (1) 43
3. Oakland 27
Southern Utah 27
5. Western Illinois 24
6. North Dakota State 23
7. Centenary 17
8. IPFW 14
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