College Baseball 2024

[laker]

2024 NSIC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll - Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference

Augie picked 1, then MSU............but check out where Crookston is picked. And the Player of the Year.

[crixus]

laker I follow D1 baseball (San Jose State and West Virginia), but I don't really follow D2 baseball because Western New Mexico doesn't have a team. I like the city of Sioux Falls, so I hope the Cougars win the NSIC. That's a good enough reason as any. ;) Thanks for sharing the poll.

[vikingfaithful]

Crookston has carved a nice niche for D2 baseball in NW MN. Getting recruits from ND as well.

[Randy]

No surprise atop the MIAA poll as CentalMO is again selected as the team to beat. However, there was one coach (other than Crookes who had no choice) to vote someone else atop the league as the Mules received 10 firsts and a second by the other 11 coaches.
https://themiaa.com/news/2024/1/19/2...announced.aspx

[vikingfaithful]

Looks to be a competitive season in the NSIC. Little ol' Crookston Golden Eagles look to shake-up the establishment, St Cloud is always good. MN St. Mavs and Augustana will resume their hot rivalry in baseball as they are in most sports, one of the two will win the All-Sports title again. I'm sure one or more teams will meet up with the red Mules again, their like another rival to the Vikings.

Augie returns every position starter and a deep pitching staff according to Coach Huber. Have not seen any D1 transfers so far. Usually there is a pitcher or two.

[Randy]

The 2024 Houston Winter Invitational starts this morning at Minute Maid Park. The field includes 4 of the top 9 teams in D2 as the #5 Mules play #7 Millersville (Fri), #9 So New Hampshire (Sat) and #3 Tampa (Sun). Arkansas Tech & St Cloud round out the field. All 6 teams made the NCAA tournament last season with So New Hampshire & Millersville making it to Cary.

https://ucmathletics.com/sports/2024...itational.aspx

[vikingfaithful]

No surprise atop the MIAA poll as CentalMO is again selected as the team to beat. However, there was one coach (other than Crookes who had no choice) to vote someone else atop the league as the Mules received 10 firsts and a second by the other 11 coaches.
https://themiaa.com/news/2024/1/19/2...announced.aspx

Here we are again 52 weeks later. Once again the Mules are a well deserved #1 seed, with a gaudy 47-8 record and a strong schedule. The Mules lead the country with 115 HR. Mule pitching had a 5.41 ERA, Augustana at 45-8 is the #4 seed while Minnesota St U at 37-18 is an 8 seed. Augie batted 3.30 with 96 HR. AU pitching staff ERA is at 3.83. It's my opinion that the NSIC got slighted. 1: 3rd place MN. Crookston should have made the regional 2: Augustana should have hosted over Mo Southern.

[Randy]

Here we are again 52 weeks later. Once again the Mules are a well deserved #1 seed, with a gaudy 47-8 record and a strong schedule. The Mules lead the country with 115 HR. Mule pitching had a 5.41 ERA, Augustana at 45-8 is the #4 seed while Minnesota St U at 37-18 is an 8 seed. Augie batted 3.30 with 96 HR. AU pitching staff ERA is at 3.83. It's my opinion that the NSIC got slighted. 1: 3rd place MN. Crookston should have made the regional 2: Augustana should have hosted over Mo Southern.

I expected Southern to be #2. They had a much better SOS (according to the pdf the NCAA published with the regional rankings) and they beat the, without question, #1 team in the region last week. I did, however, expect Augie to move up to #3 after ArkTech lost in the GAC tourney final and Augie rolled through the NSIC tourney undefeated. I definitely wanted Augie in Joplin since they have won the last 2 Warrensburg sub-regionals.

[SW_Mustang]

Kinda neat - SMSU was supposed to play on the road against Minot State, but the games had to be moved. They picked beautiful Yankee Field in Milroy, MN as the spot to play instead.

Milroy is a town of 259 people and has two baseball stadiums (though one is technically outside of town, in a cornfield). There's 100 people combined between players and coaches on the two rosters 38.6% of the town's population (if they lived there, obviously).

[laker]

Kinda neat - SMSU was supposed to play on the road against Minot State, but the games had to be moved. They picked beautiful Yankee Field in Milroy, MN as the spot to play instead.]

The other one is called Irish Field. It is the newer one- there was some controversy which caused the split not many years ago.

[SW_Mustang]

The other one is called Irish Field. It is the newer one- there was some controversy which caused the split not many years ago.

Irish Yard freakin' rules. Everything from the leg room to the jalapeño brats - it's just perfect. It's a must see for anyone willing to venture out there. Seriously.

The split was pretty hardcore - if a guy lives in Milroy, he's either an Irish fan or a Yankees fan, and he never visits the other team's ballpark. The two teams have never played each other and likely never will. Dave St. Peter was vocal about getting them up to Target Field, and both sides agreed to play each other if it could be arranged, but it never materialized.

SMSU last played at Yankee Field in 1996 against Augustana. They need to do it once a year and make a fundraiser out of it. Kinda tough given the weather, but it would be a blast.

[laker]

Mavs clinched the NSIC title at Augustana with a win today.

[Purple Mav Man]

Kinda neat - SMSU was supposed to play on the road against Minot State, but the games had to be moved. They picked beautiful Yankee Field in Milroy, MN as the spot to play instead.

Milroy is a town of 259 people and has two baseball stadiums (though one is technically outside of town, in a cornfield). There's 100 people combined between players and coaches on the two rosters 38.6% of the town's population (if they lived there, obviously).

Late to the party, but as a former ball player, that is what a small town baseball field in MN is all about. So freaking cool, and a beautiful field.

[SW_Mustang]

Late to the party, but as a former ball player, that is what a small town baseball field in MN is all about. So freaking cool, and a beautiful field.

Never too late to talk about townhall parks! I've been outside of Yankee Field but I haven't seen a game there (yet). It's in "downtown" Milroy - so it's featured right in the middle of town. Very nice place.

I'd love to do a tour of southern MN parks - too many to name, but they are all so cool. I try to at least visit them when I pass through a town with one.

[SW_Mustang]

I went down a couple weeks ago to watch the SF Stampede - and there was noise across the parking lot at the Birdcage so I walled over and saw the last two innings of USF hosting Mary. That was fun.

NSIC Tournament will be hosted at both Ronken and the Birdcage next week - I plan to catch some if work allows. I know SF gets a lot of flak for the Birdcage but I really enjoy it for what it is - I'll be bummed to see it go.

But before that - I'll be at MSU for their Saturday matchup against SMSU. First time seeing a Maverick home game.