NDSU Baseball Picked Second in Summit League Preseason Poll
2/13/2024 8:15:00 PM | Baseball
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The North Dakota State baseball team has been picked second in the Summit League Preseason Poll, the league office announced on Wednesday afternoon.
The Bison earned the second spot after picking up 21 total points and one first place vote. Oral Roberts earned 25 points and five first place votes to take the top spot and South Dakota State closed out the top three in third place with 16 points.
Will Busch and Parker Puetz were also named to the Summit League Players to Watch list. Busch has appeared in 106 games with 93 starts over three seasons. Last season, Busch posted a .252 batting average with 32 hits, 11 doubles and two home runs.
Puetz made 16 appearances with 10 starts on the mound last season. He led the Summit League with a 2.51 ERA in his freshman season and totaled 47 strikeouts over 61.0 innings. The Volga, S.D., native earned a spot on the All-Summit League Second Team and the D1Baseball Freshman All-America Second Team.
NDSU is set to begin the 2024 season on Friday night at UC Irvine. First pitch is set for 8:00 p.m. CT
2024 Summit League Baseball Preseason Poll
2024 Summit League Players and Pitchers to Watch
Will Busch | North Dakota State | Sr. | C
Parker Puetz | North Dakota State | So. | RHP
Dylan Smith | Northern Colorado | So. | RHP
Caden Wagner | Northern Colorado | Sr. | 1B
Haiden Hunt | Omaha | Sr. | OF
Caleb Riedel | Omaha | Sr. | LHP
Holden Breeze | Oral Roberts | Sr. | 3B
Jakob Hall | Oral Roberts | Jr. | RHP
Ben Vujovich | St. Thomas | Jr. | OF
Evan Esch | St. Thomas | Jr. | LHP
Dawson Parry | South Dakota State | Sr. | 1B
Alex Clemons | South Dakota State | Jr. | RHP
Note: Players to Watch selected by league's head coaches
The Bison earned the second spot after picking up 21 total points and one first place vote. Oral Roberts earned 25 points and five first place votes to take the top spot and South Dakota State closed out the top three in third place with 16 points.
Will Busch and Parker Puetz were also named to the Summit League Players to Watch list. Busch has appeared in 106 games with 93 starts over three seasons. Last season, Busch posted a .252 batting average with 32 hits, 11 doubles and two home runs.
Puetz made 16 appearances with 10 starts on the mound last season. He led the Summit League with a 2.51 ERA in his freshman season and totaled 47 strikeouts over 61.0 innings. The Volga, S.D., native earned a spot on the All-Summit League Second Team and the D1Baseball Freshman All-America Second Team.
NDSU is set to begin the 2024 season on Friday night at UC Irvine. First pitch is set for 8:00 p.m. CT
2024 Summit League Baseball Preseason Poll
| Place | Team | Points (1st) | 2023 Record |
| 1. | Oral Roberts | 25 (5) | 52-14 (23-1) |
| 2. | North Dakota State | 21 (1) | 23-30 (16-7) |
| 3. | South Dakota State | 16 | 24-28 (13-11) |
| 4. | Omaha | 13 | 21-28 (9-14) |
| 5. | Northern Colorado | 9 | 11-34 (8-16) |
| 6. | St. Thomas | 6 | 10-34 (6-18) |
2024 Summit League Players and Pitchers to Watch
Will Busch | North Dakota State | Sr. | C
Parker Puetz | North Dakota State | So. | RHP
Dylan Smith | Northern Colorado | So. | RHP
Caden Wagner | Northern Colorado | Sr. | 1B
Haiden Hunt | Omaha | Sr. | OF
Caleb Riedel | Omaha | Sr. | LHP
Holden Breeze | Oral Roberts | Sr. | 3B
Jakob Hall | Oral Roberts | Jr. | RHP
Ben Vujovich | St. Thomas | Jr. | OF
Evan Esch | St. Thomas | Jr. | LHP
Dawson Parry | South Dakota State | Sr. | 1B
Alex Clemons | South Dakota State | Jr. | RHP
Note: Players to Watch selected by league's head coaches
Players Mentioned
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