BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The Bellevue University baseball team has been picked to win the 2016 North Star Athletic Association, according to the conference coaches' preseason poll which was announced Monday.
The Bruins, who claimed all 10 first place votes with 100 points in the preseason poll, won the MCAC tournament and came within a game of reaching the Avista-NAIA World Series with an overall record of 46-15 last season.
Bellevue was previous ranked 12th nationally in the annual NAIA Baseball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll. Sixth-year head coach Duane Monlux will lead his charges again in 2016 where big things are again expected from the Bruins who lost three players – SP Steve Sarcone, SP Stephan Meyer, and C Osvaldo Gonzalez – to the professional ranks.
The Bruins hope to blend a strong mix of a returning core with an influx of new talent. BU returns eight players who stared at least 20 games a season ago, highlighted by outfielders Gabriel De La Rosa (.363 AVG, 18 XBH, 46 RBI), Trevor Jones (.333 AVG, 13 XBH, 43 Runs), and Colton Nash (.317 AVG, 34 XBH, 54 RBI). All three are potential all-conference players.
On the infield 1B Todd Nicks (.316 AVG, 12 XBH, 16 RBI), 2B Ross Feeley (.302 AVG, 30 RBI, 40 Runs), and shortstops Kevin Rodriguez (.301 AVG, 9 XBH, 30 Runs) and Elijah Dickerson both return (.274 AVG, 361 OBP, 37 Runs).
Bellevue adds several promising new players to this mix as well as welcoming back Joe Mancuso (2014, .348 AVG, 12 XBH, 21 RBI), who missed last season due to injury. Among the newcomers are junior college transfers OF Derik Bontempo (JuCo, .316 AVG, 29 XBH, 65 RBI) and OF Joe Moran (JuCo, .335 AVG, 13 SB, 36 Runs) as well as New Mexico State transfer IF Matt Evans (.191 AVG, 3 RBI, 9 Runs).
On the hill the Bruins return a fair amount of experience with six players who saw action in at least nine games and logging at least 10 innings. Starter Braulio Torres-Perez (6-5, 3.91 ERA, 73.2 IP) is the most experience of the returners while swingman Tony Monroy (3-0, 2.04 ERA, 35.1 IP) saw an uptick in action on the bump as last season wore on. The Bruins also return key relief pieces Leland Tilley (2-2, 5 Saves, 19.2 IP), Aaron Bain (1-0, 18 SO, 14.0 IP), and John Timmins (10.0 IP, 10 SO, 2.70 ERA).
Adding to the stable of arms are a number of junior college transfers. Starter Ben McKendall (JuCo, 9-1, 3.13 ERA, 62 SO) brings over 100 innings of experience on the hill while relievers Anthony Contonio (JuCo, 3-2, 3.86 ERA, 67.2 IP), Teao Buehler (JuCo, 3-2, 2 Saves, 55.0 IP), and Zach Larrison (JuCo, 1.59 ERA, 17.0 IP, 13 SO) provide additional experience and depth.
This is Bellevue's inaugural season in the North Star Athletic Association. They open their season with a double-header on Saturday, Feb. 13 in Oklahoma City. The Bruins take on MidAmerica Nazarene at 12:30 p.m. and following that up with a 3 p.m. first pitch against No. 5 Oklahoma City. Eight of BU's first nine games are against teams that are either nationally ranked or receiving votes, including five of their first six games coming against teams ranked in the top five nationally.
2016 NSAA Baseball Coaches' Preseason Poll:
Rank--School (1st Place Votes)—Points
1—Bellevue (10)—100
2—Jamestown—87
3—Mayville State—83
4—Valley City State—61
5—Dickinson State—59
6—Dakota State—46
7—Viterbo—45
8—Waldorf—32
9—Presentation—24
10—Winnipeg—11
