SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Reigning tournament champion Oral Roberts was selected to finish first in the Summit League Preseason Baseball Coaches’ poll released Wednesday by League officials. The Golden Eagles won their 20th Summit League postseason title in 2022.
The Golden Eagles earned 42 points and received all six first-place votes they could, while North Dakota State secured the remaining one and was pegged to finish second with 36 points in the poll voted on by the league’s seven head coaches. Oral Roberts led all Summit League teams with 38 wins a season ago and finished second in the conference standings with a 17-7 mark. The program received votes in the National College Baseball Writers Association’s preseason top 35 poll.
The Bison won the #SummitBSB regular season title for the first time in program history under the direction of first-year head coach Tyler Oakes. NDSU finished with a 17-5 mark in Summit League play and 31-19 overall record.
Omaha (30) took third in the poll and was followed by South Dakota State (24) as the same four teams qualified for the postseason tournament for the second year in a row. The Mavericks went 12-12 in conference play a year ago to finish fourth, while the Jackrabbits went 13-9 to finish third in 2022 standings.
St. Thomas was picked to finish fifth, which is where they finished during the program’s first season as a Summit League member a season ago. The Tommies, who garnered 17 points, went 10-14 in Summit League play in 2022.
Northern Colorado and Western Illinois round out the poll in sixth (12) and seventh-place (7), respectively and both programs will have new head coaches leading the way in 2023. Veteran Division I head coach and Bear alum Mike Anderson takes over at Northern Colorado, while Tayler Sheriff will serve as the interim head coach for the Leathernecks after being named to that post in June. He spent his first season with the program in 2022 as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator.
The 2023 Summit League slate will feature eight three-game series. Each team will play the remaining six teams once and two of those opponents twice to make up a 24-game regular season. League play starts the weekend of March 17-19 with St. Thomas playing at Oral Roberts.