NSAA Release Preseason Coaches Poll

BISMARK, N.D. – The North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) released their 2023 Softball Preseason Coaches Poll on Monday, and Viterbo University has been picked to finish eighth with 13 points. Bellevue University (Neb.), who won the 2022 regular season title, was picked as the favorite with seven out of eight first place votes and 63 points.

Viterbo will look to improve on a 9-39 (5-23 NSAA) record from 2022 that ended with a 13-5 loss to Dickinson State (N.D.) in the NSAA Conference Tournament. The V-Hawks return Second-Team All-Conference Catcher Morgan James.

Valley City State (N.D.), who defeated Bellevue in the NSAA softball postseason tournament's second championship game last season in Watertown, S.D., picked up the final first-place vote in the preseason poll with 55 points.

Dickinson State (N.D.) placed third in the preseason poll with 47 points, followed by Dakota State (S.D.) fourth with 41 points. Mayville State (N.D.) finished fifth with 31 points, while Waldorf (Iowa) was sixth after collecting 23 points. Presentation (S.D.) edged out Viterbo 15-13 for seventh place in the poll.

Points were awarded on an 8-1 basis in the conference coaches' preseason poll.

The North Star conference softball season gets underway on the weekend of March 25-26. All eight members are scheduled to play a total of 28 conference contests in the spring.

The NSAA Softball conference tournament will be held in Dickinson, N.D. on May 4-7. There is one automatic bid to the NAIA Softball National Tournament Opening round on May 15-17. The winner of the postseason conference tournament will earn an automatic bid to the national tournament.

The NAIA Softball World Series takes place in Columbus, Ga. on May 25-31.

The V-Hawks being their season with a double-header against Clarke University (Iowa) on Saturday, February 25 at the Packer Dome in Austin, Minn.