NSAA Softball Coaches Preseason Poll Announced

In this year’s NSAA Softball Coaches Preseason Poll, the Dakota State softball team was picked to finish fourth.

The Trojans, under the direction of fourth-year head coach Rachel Fricke, are coming off their first-ever North Star conference winning record last season with a 13-10 record since the league was formed in 2013-14. The 2022 squad also posted its most home wins and home field winning record for more than 10 years.

Bellevue was the league’s head coaches pick to win the conference title, collecting seven first place votes and 63 points. Valley City State picked up the final first place vote and 55 points to finish second in the preseason poll. Dickinson State was third with 47 points.

The North Star conference softball season gets underway on the weekend of March 25-26, where the Trojans are slated to play a four-game series at Waldorf.  All eight members are scheduled to play a total of 28 conference contests in the spring.

The NSAA Softball conference tournament is set to be held in Dickinson, ND on May 4-7. There is an automatic bid to the NAIA Softball National Tournament Opening Round on May 15-17 for the league postseason tournament’s winner. The NAIA opening round winners will move on to the NAIA Softball World Series on May 25-31 in Columbus, GA.

Dakota State begins their 2023 softball season in the Dordt Tournament on February 17-18, facing Northwestern, Dordt, York, and Mount Marty.

Below is the complete 2023 NSAA Softball Coaches’ Preseason Poll: