MADISON, S.D. – The Bellevue University softball team was picked to finish second in the North Star Athletic Association's Preseason Coaches' Poll released today by the conference office.
The Bruins return 12 letterwinners and nine starters from last season's squad that finished with a 10-10 overall record in a season cut short due to the Covid pandemic. BU did not play a conference game during the 2020 campaign.
Bellevue will open the 2021 season on Feb. 5-7 when they travel to San Antonio, Texas to compete in the Our Lady of the Lake Classic.
Dickinson State (N.D.) is the favorite to win the league title.
The Blue Hawks tallied four first-place votes and 58 points to secure the top spot in the preseason poll. Bellevue picked up a first-place vote with 53 points to finish second. Mayville State (N.D.) was voted to finish third after collecting two first-place votes and 52 points in the poll.
Valley City State (N.D.) earned the final first-place vote with 44 points to finish fourth. Viterbo (Wis.) was fifth with 29 points, followed by Dakota State (S.D.) sixth with 24 points. Waldorf (Iowa) and Presentation (S.D.) were tied for seventh with 14 points each.
Points were awarded on an 8-1 basis in the conference coaches' preseason poll.
The NSAA conference softball season gets underway on March 27-28 (Presentation at Viterbo, Valley City State at Dakota State, Dickinson State at Waldorf, and Mayville State at Bellevue).
Most of the softball conference schedule will be played on the weekend (Saturday-Sunday) with a four-game series. The traveling partners (Bellevue-Dakota State, Viterbo-Waldorf, Dickinson State-Presentation, and Valley City State-Mayville State) will play a doubleheader in the middle of the week during the regular season.
The Bruins will host the conference tournament at the Lied Center from May 6 through May 9.
There is one automatic bid to the NAIA Softball National Tournament Opening round, with 10 different sites consisting of four teams each competing in a double-elimination tournament on May 17-19. The winner of the postseason conference tournament will earn the automatic bid to the national tournament.
The NAIA Softball World Series will take place in Columbus, Ga. from May 27-June 2.
Below is the complete 2021 NSAA Softball Coaches' Preseason Poll:
|
2021 North Star Athletic Association Softball Preseason Poll |
||
|
Rank |
School |
Points |
|
1 |
Dickinson State (N.D.) (4) |
58 |
|
2 |
Bellevue (Neb.) (1) |
53 |
|
3 |
Mayville State (N.D.) (2) |
52 |
|
4 |
Valley City State (N.D.) (1) |
44 |
|
5 |
Viterbo (Wis.) |
29 |
|
6 |
Dakota State (S.D.) |
24 |
|
T7 |
Waldorf (Iowa) |
14 |
|
T7 |
Presentation (S.D.) |
14 |
|
*First-place votes in parenthesis |
||
