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S.D. (NSAA) – Dickinson State (N.D.) is the coaches’ pick to win the 2016 North Star Athletic Association Softball conference title, the preseason coaches’ poll was announced Monday.

The Blue Hawks, 2015 NSAA Softball Postseason Conference Tournament champions and won the NAIA Softball National Tournament Opening Round in California for a spot in the NAIA Softball World Series, earned all nine first-place votes to score 81 points in the poll.  DiSU finished the 2015 season with an overall record of 44-13.

Newcomer Belleuve (Neb.) edged Jamestown (N.D.) by three points to finish second in the preseason poll.  The Bruins tallied 69 points, while the Jimmies were picked to finish third with 66 points.  UJ was the 2015 NSAA Softball Regular-Season conference title last season.

Valley City State (N.D.) predicted to finish fourth with 50 points, followed by Waldorf (Iowa) fifth with 40 points and Presentation (S.D.) sixth with 39 points.  Mayville State (N.D.) is picked to finish seventh (24 points), while Viterbo (Wis.) was tabbed eighth (18 points) and Dakota State (S.D.) at ninth place (10 points).

The NSAA Softball conference season gets underway during the weekend of March 25-26 with Jamestown at Viterbo; Valley City State at Presentation and Mayville State at Waldorf.  Dakota State will be hosting a NSAA triangular with Dickinson State and Bellevue with each team playing each other twice.

There is one automatic bid to the NAIA Softball National Tournament Opening round, with 10 different sites with four teams each competing in a double-elimination tournament on May 16-18.  The winner of the postseason conference tournament, which will be hosted by Presentation (S.D.) in Aberdeen, will earn the automatic bid to the national tournament.