BISMARCK, N.D. (PlayNorthStar.com) – Bellevue (Neb.) is the coaches’ unanimous favorite to win the North Star Athletic Association baseball regular-season title, the preseason coaches’ poll was announced Tuesday. The Bruins were the league’s favorite to win the league title for the seventh straight year.
Bellevue, which finished their 2021 season with an overall record of 41-15 and won the league title with 15-5 conference record, collected all eight first-place votes with 64 total points to claim the top spot in the preseason poll. The Bruins hosted the NAIA Baseball National Tournament Opening Round last season and fell short in two championship games to Concordia (Neb.), despite opening the tournament with a 3-0 record.
BU is ranked No. 24 in the NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 national poll last November.
Mayville State (N.D.) captured NSAA Baseball Postseason Tournament’s title in 2021 and advanced to the NAIA Baseball National Tournament Opening Round. The Comets, who were 35-18 overall record and 20-8 NSAA conference record last season, finished second in the preseason poll with 53 points.
Valley City State (N.D.) placed third in the poll after tallying 50 points. Waldorf (Iowa) finished fourth with 35 points, followed by Dickinson State (N.D.) fifth with 32 points, and Dakota State (S.D.) sixth with 30 points. Viterbo (Wis.) finished seventh with 16 points, while Presentation (S.D.) placed eighth with eight points.
Points are awarded on an 8-1 basis and coaches can vote for their own team.
The North Star Athletic Association baseball conference season officially kicks off on March 18. Each school is slated to play a total of 28 North Star conference baseball games. All eight teams will compete in the North Star Baseball Conference Postseason Tournament is scheduled for May 6-9 in Forest City, Iowa.
There is an automatic bid from the North Star Athletic Association for the NAIA Baseball National Tournament Opening Round, which is held on May 16-19. The postseason tournament winner will earn a trip to the national tournament’s opening round, at nine different sites announced by the NAIA national office later this spring. The NAIA Baseball World Series is slated to be played in Lewiston, Idaho from May 27-June 3.
Below is the complete 2022 NSAA Baseball Coaches’ Preseason Poll:
| Rank | School | Points |
| 1 | Bellevue (Neb.) (8) | 64 |
| 2 | Mayville State (N.D.) | 53 |
| 3 | Valley City State (N.D.) | 50 |
| 4 | Waldorf (Iowa) | 35 |
| 5 | Dickinson State (N.D.) | 32 |
| 6 | Dakota State (S.D.) | 30 |
| 7 | Viterbo (Wis.) | 16 |
| 8 | Presentation (S.D.) | 8 |
| *First-place votes in parenthesis | ||