North Dakota State Bison baseball

North Dakota State Bison baseball
Founded1909 (1909)
Conference historyNorth Central Conference (1958–2004, Division II)

Independent (2005–2007)

Summit League (2008–Present)
UniversityNorth Dakota State University
Athletic directorMatt Larsen
Head coachTyler Oakes (3rd season)
ConferenceSummit League
LocationFargo, North Dakota
Home stadiumNewman Outdoor Field
(Capacity: 4,513)
NicknameBison
ColorsGreen 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

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 2024 Major League Baseball season, 2 former Bison have appeared in Major League Baseball and 4 are currently in Minor League Baseball.

History

Early history

The program's first season of play was 1909.

Conference affiliations

Newman Outdoor Field

Main article: Newman Outdoor Field

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

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 74–81–1
Overall 1909–2024 (122 years) 1276–1455–10

Postseason history

NCAA Division I Tournament results

The Bison have appeared in two NCAA Division I Tournaments. Their combined record is 1–4.

Year Regional Regional Seed Opponent Result
2014 Corvallis #4 #1 Oregon State
#2 UNLV		 L 1–2
L 1–2
2021 Stanford #4 #1 Stanford
#3 Nevada
#2 UC Irvine		 L 1–9
W 6–1
L 3–18

Notable former players

Below is a list of notable former Bison and the seasons in which they played for North Dakota State.

Division I Awards and Honors

All-Summit League

  • 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
    • 2024
      • Jake Schaffner
      • Joey Danielson

Summit League Player of the Year

  • Tim Colwell (2014)

Summit League Coach of the Year

  • Tyler Oakes (2022)

Summit League Newcomer of the Year

  • Max Loven (2019)

See also

References

  1. ^ NDSU Bison Graphic Standards (PDF). May 23, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  2. ^ Sorenson, Eric (5 October 2012). "Distiller's Dozen – The "Hey, Nice Stadium" Edition". CollegeBaseballToday.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  3. ^ "Bison Beat Nevada 6–1 to Advance at NCAA Baseball Regional". North Dakota State Athletics. 5 June 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  4. ^ "Bennett Hostetler Stats, Fantasy & News". milb.com. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  5. ^ "Bennett Hostetler College, Amateur, and Minor League Statistics". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  6. ^ "Parker Harm Statistics". milb.com. Minor League Baseball of America. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  7. ^ "Parker Harm Amateur, College, Minor, and Independent League Statistics". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved October 1, 2024.