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 20^th 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.
 
#SummitBSB Preseason Notes

• Oral Roberts won its 20^th Summit League Tournament title a season ago as the No. 2 seed, defeating No. 4 seed Omaha 21-2 in the championship game. The three-year gap between postseason titles for the Golden Eagles was the program's longest since becoming a Summit League member in 1997-98.
• North Dakota State won the program's first regular season title in 2022 and will host the 2023 Baseball Championship at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo from May 24-27.
• There are 13 All-Summit League selections from 2022 returning for the upcoming campaign. Four first-team honorees are joined by nine from the second team.
• Oral Roberts' first baseman Jake McMurray is the lone returner among a convocation of seven Golden Eagles that earned All-League first team honors a season ago. McMurray batted .299 a season ago with four home runs and 32 RBI.
• The Golden Eagles do return a pair of All-League second team performers in third baseman Holden Breeze, who earned 2022 Championship MVP honors, and relief pitcher Cade Denton, who posted a 0.43 ERA after allowing two earned runs in 43.2 innings of work.
• Omaha is the lone team with a pair of All-League first teamers back as Player of the Year Mike Boeve returns along with Newcomer of the Year Caleb Riedel. Boeve hit .393 with three home runs and 13 RBI in Summit League play, while Riedel went 3-1 with a 1.23 ERA against League foes.
• Three All-League second teamers return from the 2022 regular season champions. The NDSU trio includes catcher Will Busch, second baseman Druw Sackett and shortstop Peter Brookshaw.
• Brookshaw has started all 167 games he has appeared for NDSU since 2019 and has amassed a .269 batting average with 14 home runs and 125 RBI in his career.
• SDSU boasts the most All-League returns with relief pitcher Ryan Bourassa leading that quartet after earning first-team honors in 2022. Bourassa posted a 2.13 ERA in 42.1 innings of work to finish with a 2-3 record and five saves.
• Fellow pitcher Nic McCay went 4-1 with a 4.50 ERA in Summit League play to ear a second-team nod, while mashers Dawson Parry and Ryan McDonald each hit 10 home runs and added six a piece in League play. SDSU led the Summit League 62 home runs overall and 41 against conference foes.
• Western Illinois centerfield Nick Mitchell earned All-League honors as a freshman for the Leathernecks after leading the Summit League in steals with 30 and ranking fourth in batting average at .342. In League play, he batted .363 and had 17 steals.
• The Leathernecks and Northern Colorado both have new head coaches for the 2023 season. WIU's Taylor Sheriff takes the helm after spending his first year with the program as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. The Bears will be led by one of their most-storied alums in Mike Anderson.
• Anderson played for the Bears from 1983-86 and was taken in the eighth round of the 1986 Major League Baseball Draft by the then-California Angels. He amassed 337 wins in nine seasons as the head coach at Nebraska and led the Cornhuskers to the 2005 College World Series.

#SummitBSB Schedule Notes

• The 2023 season begins Feb. 18 with all seven league teams slated for action. League play starts four weeks later on March 18 when Western Illinois visits Northern Colorado for a three-game set.
• The rematch of the 2022 championship game between Oral Roberts and Omaha takes place in at the Mavericks' home park from April 6-8.
• The top four teams in the regular-season standings will qualify for The Summit League Baseball Championship scheduled for J.L. Johnson Stadium in Tulsa, Okla., May 25-28.

 

2023 Summit League Baseball Preseason Poll
Place	Team	Points (1st)	2022 Record
1.	Oral Roberts	42 (6)	38-20 (17-7)
2.	North Dakota State	36 (1)	31-19 (17-5)
3.	Omaha	30	26-31 (12-12)
4.	South Dakota State	24	22-23 (13-9)
5.	St. Thomas	17	16-29 (10-14)
6.	Northern Colorado	12	12-39 (8-16)
7.	Western Illinois	7	8-44 (5-19

 
2023 Summit League Players and Pitchers to Watch
Peter Brookshaw | North Dakota State | Sr. | SS
- Earned All-League second team honors after registering career-highs in batting average (.275), home runs (8) and RBI (46)
- Started 167 consecutive games for the Bison since his true freshman season of 2019

Cade Feeney | North Dakota State | Jr. | RHP
- Owns a 15-4 career record with a 3.93 ERA in two seasons at NDSU
- Posted a 7-4 record and led the Bison with 62 strikeouts and 79.1 innings worked in 2022
- Earned All-League first team honors as a freshman in 2021

Trey Cruz | Northern Colorado | Gr. | LHP
- Spent first four collegiate seasons at Belmont-Abbey where he made 41 appearances in relief
- Logged a 4.66 ERA in 36.2 career innings for the Division II program

Jake King | Northern Colorado | So. | OF
- Started 48 of 49 games as a freshman for the Bears, batting .285 with four home runs and 19 RBI
- Registered 51 hits and totaled 38 runs to go with nine doubles

Mike Boeve | Omaha | Jr. | 3B
- Reigning Summit League Player of the Year and two-time All-League first team selection
- Led the Summit League with a .364 overall batting average and ranked second against conference foes, posting a .393 clip
- Belted 23 doubles in 2022 and has 39 for his career

Caleb Riedel | Omaha | Jr. | LHP 
- Reigning Summit League Newcomer of the Year and All-League first team selection
- Posted a 4-2 record with a 1.49 ERA, while fanning 65 in 60.1 innings of work
- Selected to the NCBWA Preseason All-America Third Team

Cade Denton | Oral Roberts | Jr. | RHP
- Surrendered two earned runs in 43.2 innings of work to post a microscopic 0.41 ERA
- Posted a 4-0 record with six saves in 24 appearances
- Named to the Summit League All-Second Team and the NCBWA All-America Third Team
- Selected to the NCBWA Preseason All-America First Team

Mac McCroskey | Oral Roberts | RSr. | 2B
- Belted two home runs and drove in a career-high seven during ORU's Summit League Championship game victory over Omaha
- Named to the 2022 Summit League All-Tournament Team
- Batted .322 with five home runs and 40 RBI in his first season as a Golden Eagle

Nolan Kemp | St. Thomas | Fr. | RHP
- Minnesota Class AAAA All-State first team pick after posting a 0.60 ERA and striking out 90 in 46 innings of work
- First Team All-Metro and two-time All-Metro West Conference honoree

Dylan O'Connell | St. Thomas | Fr. | 3B
- Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association All-State first team selection after batting .376 with three home runs, four doubles and 18 RBI, while posting a 1.43 ERA and striking out 57 in 48.2 inningsI
- Named Big Rivers Conference Co-Player of the Year and Leader-Telegram's All-Area Player of the Year

Luke Ira | South Dakota State | Sr. | SS
- Posted career-highs in home runs (10), RBI (32) and batting average (.290) during 45 starts in 2022
- Combined for 20 extra-base hits and slugged a career-best .508
- Has started 155 of 158 career games for the Jackrabbits since true freshman season in 2018

Ryan Bourassa | South Dakota State | Sr. | RHP
- Earned All-League first team honors after posting a 2.13 ERA to go with five saves out of the bullpen
- Limited opponents to a .145 batting average, while surrendering just 10 earned runs and striking out 64 in 42.1 innings of work
 
Mitchel Sampson | Western Illinois | Jr. | RHP
- Posted a 1.57 ERA in 10 relief appearances as a sophomore at Heartland Community College
- Went 2-0 with four saves and struck out 44 batters in 28.2 innings of work

Nick Mitchell | Western Illinois | So. | OF
- Lone freshman to earn All-Summit League honors in 2022, landing spot on second team
- Led the League with 30 steals and ranked fourth with a .342 batting average

Note: Players to Watch selected by league's head coaches

#SUMMITBSB