MINOT, N.D. – The Beaver baseball team is anxiously awaiting first pitch on its new season, and despite a delay, Minot State is scheduled to hit the diamond this weekend in Kansas.
A new season starts under the new leadership of first-year head coach Sam Boisner when Minot State plays Friday at 2 p.m. at Emporia State, the opener of a four-game series and start of a 9-game visit to Kansas.
"We're very excited to go down and play, be outside and play on a baseball field and really just see all the work that we've done from the fall until now," Boisner said.
And the nine-game road swing will provide plenty of chances for everyone on the roster to have an impact.
"A lot of guys will play and lot of guys will be put in situations to compete during a game," Minot State's new head coach added.
Boisner takes over a Minot State team that finished fourth last spring in the NSIC regular season and tournament, and a program that won the NSIC title in 2018 and is
looking to return to that pinnacle.
"For us, I think we really have a chance to compete against anybody," said Boisner, who brings plenty of NSIC experience with him to Minot State as he spent the past five seasons as an assistant coach at league rival Northern State.
"Winning another conference championship; when I asked the team in the fall, that's the first thing they say."
The key to winning another NSIC title, according to Boisner, is pretty boring stuff.
"Picking it up and throwing it across the diamond and throwing strikes, it's really kind of our focus," he said.
"If we could put it in play and throw strikes and make plays on defense we think we've got a chance against anybody, and I know that's the boring answer but I think we're talented enough if we do the boring things really, really well, we're going to be in good shape."
The Beavers are talented enough that Boisner had trouble picking many standout returners, or star newcomers, so he defaulted to the NSIC Player and Pitcher to Watch, returning seniors
Matt Malone and
Dominick Parkhurst.
Malone, a catcher in his third season with the Beavers, is a .307 career hitter at Minot State with 3 home runs and 45 RBIs while Parkhurst, in his sixth season with the program, is a right-handed pitcher with a 9-2 career record, 100 career Ks, and a 3.33 ERA.
Joining them and expected to be impact newcomers are junior-college transfers
Brent Riddle, a junior outfielder from Saddleback College,
Javier Gutierrez, a junior outfielder from Chandler-Gilbert CC, and
Shane Kary, a junior infielder from Irvine Valley CC, along with NCAA Division II transfer
Derrick Winn, a junior infielder who played in 14 games at Angelo State last season.
And then…
"Just a number of other guys," Boisner said. "All 20 of our hitters and all 17 of our pitchers have chances to compete. As we make lineups and practices and different things, it feels like we can use a lot of players.
"The other guys that maybe didn't play as much in the past are just going to get bigger and bigger roles," Minot State's coach added.
Giving Minot State the depth, experience, and talent to go far this season and potential achieve those goals of another NSIC title.
