North Dakota State Bison baseball
The North Dakota State Bison baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of North Dakota State Bison in Fargo, North Dakota, United States. The program's first season was in 1909, and it has been a member of the NCAA Division I Summit League since the start of the 2008 season. Its home venue is Newman Outdoor Field, located on North Dakota State's campus. Tyler Oakes is the team's head coach in his second season. The program has appeared in 2 NCAA tournaments. It has won 5 conference tournament championships and 2 regular season conference titles. As of the start of the 2023 Major League Baseball season, 2 former Bison have appeared in Major League Baseball and 4 have appeared in Minor League Baseball.
| North Dakota State Bison baseball | |
|---|---|
| 2024 North Dakota State Bison baseball team | |
| Founded | 1909 |
| Conference history | North Central Conference (1958–2004, Division II) Independent (2005–2007) Summit League (2008-Present) |
| University | North Dakota State University |
| Athletic director | Matt Larsen |
| Head coach | Tyler Oakes (3rd season) |
| Conference | Summit League |
| Location | Fargo, North Dakota |
| Home stadium | Newman Outdoor Field (Capacity: 4,513) |
| Nickname | Bison |
| Colors | Green and yellow[1] |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| Division I 2014, 2021 Division II 1969 | |
| Conference tournament champions | |
| Summit League 2014, 2021 North Central Conference 1969, 1973, 2004 | |
| Regular season conference champions | |
| Summit League 2022 North Central Conference 2000 | |
History edit
Early history edit
The program's first season of play was 1909.
Conference affiliations edit
- North Central Conference (1958–2004)
- Independent (2005–2007)
- Summit League (2008–present)
Newman Outdoor Field edit
The stadium contains the Maury Wills Museum in honor of the former Major League Baseball player who worked for the RedHawks as a coach and a radio analyst.
The first number retired at the stadium was the #8 worn by hometown hero Roger Maris when he played for the Fargo-Moorhead Twins in the 1950s. The outfield distances replicate those of Yankee stadium where Maris made history.
In 2012, college baseball writer Eric Sorenson ranked the field the sixth most underrated venue in Division I baseball.[2]
In 2021, the stadium played host to the second NDSU Baseball team to make it to the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball tournament as the Bison went 14–4 at home that season.
In 2023, the stadium hosted the 2023 Summit League baseball tournament after the NDSU Baseball team won their first Summit League regular season title in program history.
Head coaches edit
North Dakota State's longest tenured head coach was Mitch McLeod, who coached the team from 1993 to 2007. North Dakota State's most successful coach in the Division 1 era is Tod Brown who had a record of 341–350 in his 14 seasons at NDSU. He also led the Bison to two NCAA tournament berths in 2014 and 2021, including the Bison's first NCAA tournament win when they defeated Nevada 6–1 at the Stanford Regional in the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.[3]
| # | Name | Year | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Art Rueber | 1909–1913 | 36–16–1 |
| 2 | Bert Haskins | 1914 | 11–2 |
| 3 | Howard Wood | 1915 | 8–7 |
| 4 | Stan Borleske | 1920–1921, 1923–1924 | 21–14–1 |
| 5 | F.H. Watkins | 1922 | 4–4 |
| 6 | Stan Kostka | 1947 | 5–3 |
| 7 | Packy Schaffer | 1951 | 2–8 |
| 8 | B.C. Bentson | 1952–1954, 1957–1961 | 35–53 |
| 9 | Cliff Rothrock | 1955–1956 | 19–12 |
| 10 | Ross Fortier | 1962 | 5–10 |
| 11 | Roger Shelstad | 1963 | 4–9 |
| 12 | Vern McKee | 1964–1965 | 21–27 |
| 13 | Ev Kjelbertson | 1966–1968 | 24–41 |
| 14 | Ron Bodine | 1969–1970 | 26–15 |
| 15 | Arlo Brunsberg | 1971–1973 | 45–30 |
| 16 | Bucky Burgau | 1974–1977 | 41–73 |
| 17 | Rolf Kopperud | 1978–1979 | 15–39 |
| 18 | George Ellis | 1980–1984 | 62–138 |
| 19 | Jim Pettersen | 1985–1992 | 131–203–3 |
| 20 | Mitch McLeod | 1993–2007 | 347–322–4 |
| 21 | Tod Brown | 2008–2021 | 341–350 |
| 22 | Tyler Oakes | 2022–present | 54–51 |
| Overall | 1909–2023 (121 years) | 1256–1425–9 |
Postseason history edit
NCAA Division I Tournament results edit
The Bison have appeared in two NCAA Division I Tournaments. Their combined record is 1–4.
Notable former players edit
Below is a list of notable former Bison and the seasons in which they played for North Dakota State.
- Neil Wagner (2003–2005) Played for Oakland Athletics in 2011 and the Toronto Blue Jays in 2013–14
- Jay Flaa (2013–2015) Played for the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves in 2021
- Bennett Hostetler (2017–2021) Currently Plays on Double-A Pensacola for the Miami Marlins[4]
- Parker Harm (2017–2021) Currently plays on Double-A Northwest Arkansas for the Kansas City Royals. Also played for the Brisbane Bandits of the Australian Baseball League in 2022.[5]
Division I Awards and Honors edit
All-Summit League edit
- First Team
- 2012
- Tim Colwell
- John Straka
- 2013
- Wes Satzinger
- Tim Colwell
- Kyle Kleinendorst
- Jon Hechtner
- 2014
- Michael Leach
- 2016
- Drew Fearing
- 2017
- Logan Busch
- 2019
- Max Loven
- 2021
- Bennett Hostetler
- Jake Malec
- Cade Feeney
- Parker Harm
- 2022
- Calen Schwabe
- Logan Williams
- 2023
- Peter Brookshaw
- Druw Sackett
- Cade Feeney
- Tristen Roehrich
- 2012
Summit League Player of the Year edit
- Tim Colwell (2014)
Summit League Coach of the Year edit
- Tyler Oakes (2022)
Summit League Newcomer of the Year edit
- Max Loven (2019)
See also edit
References edit
- ^ NDSU Bison Graphic Standards (PDF). May 23, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ Sorenson, Eric (5 October 2012). . CollegeBaseballToday.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
- ^ "Bison Beat Nevada 6–1 to Advance at NCAA Baseball Regional". North Dakota State Athletics. 5 June 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ "Bennett Hostetler Stats, Fantasy & News". milb.com. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
- ^ "Parker Harm Statistics". milb.com. Minor League Baseball of America. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
External links edit
- Official website