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 starting in the 2022 season. The program has appeared in 2 NCAA Tournaments. It has won 5 conference tournament championships and 1 regular season conference titles. As of the start of the 2018 Major League Baseball season, 1 former Bison has appeared in Major League Baseball.
| North Dakota State Bison | |
|---|---|
 2022 North Dakota State Bison baseball team | |
 | |
| Founded | 1909 |
| Conference history | North Central Conference (1958–2004) Independent (2005–2007) Summit League (2008-Present) |
| University | North Dakota State University |
| Athletic director | Matt Larsen |
| Head coach | Tyler Oakes (1st season) |
| Conference | Summit League |
| Location | Fargo, North Dakota |
| Home stadium | Newman Outdoor Field (Capacity: 4513) |
| Nickname | Bison |
| Colors | Green and yellow[1] |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 1969, 2014, 2021 | |
| Conference tournament champions | |
| 1969, 1973, 2004, 2014, 2021 | |
| Regular season conference champions | |
| 2000 | |
History
Early history
The program's first season of play was 1909.
Conference affiliations
- North Central Conference (1958–2004)
- Independent (2005–2007)
- Summit League (2008–present)
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]
Head coaches
North Dakota State's longest tenured head coach was Mitch McLeod, who coached the team from 1993–2007. 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 | 1909-13 | 36-16-1 |
| 2 | Bert Haskins | 1914 | 11-2 |
| 3 | Howard Wood | 1915 | 8-7 |
| 4 | Stan Borleske | 1920-21, 1923-24 | 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 | 1952-54, 1957-61 | 35-53 |
| 9 | Cliff Rothrock | 1955-56 | 19-12 |
| 10 | Ross Fortier | 1962 | 5-10 |
| 11 | Roger Shelstad | 1963 | 4-9 |
| 12 | Vern McKee | 1964-65 | 21-27 |
| 13 | Ev Kjelbertson | 1966-68 | 24-41 |
| 14 | Ron Bodine | 1969-70 | 26-15 |
| 15 | Arlo Brunsberg | 1971-73 | 45-30 |
| 16 | Bucky Burgau | 1974-77 | 41-73 |
| 17 | Rolf Kopperud | 1978-79 | 15-39 |
| 18 | George Ellis | 1980-84 | 62-138 |
| 19 | Jim Pettersen | 1985-92 | 131-203-3 |
| 20 | Mitch McLeod | 1993-07 | 347-322-4 |
| 21 | Tod Brown | 2008-21 | 341-350 |
| Overall | 1909-2021 (119 years) | 1203-1376-9 |
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.
- Neil Wagner (2003–2005)
- Jay Flaa (2013-2015) Played for the Baltimore Orioles in 2021, currently a free agent
- Bennett Hostetler (2017-2021) Currently Plays on High-A Beloit for the Miami Marlins
- Parker Harm (2017-2021) Currently Plays in the Kansas City Royals Minor League System
Division I Awards and Honors
All-Summit League
- First Team
- 2012
- Tim Colwell
- John Straka
- 2013
- Wes Satzinger
- Tim Colwell
- Kyle Kleinendorst
- Joe Hechtner
- 2014
- Michael Leach
- 2016
- Drew Fearing
- 2017
- Logan Busch
- 2019
- Max Loven
- 2021
- Bennett Hostetler
- Jake Malec
- Cade Feeney
- Parker Harm
- 2012
Summit League Player of the Year
- Tim Colwell (2014)
Summit League Newcomer of the Year
- Max Loven (2019)
References
- NDSU Bison Graphic Standards (PDF). May 23, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- 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.
- "Bison Beat Nevada 6-1 to Advance at NCAA Baseball Regional". North Dakota State Athletics. Retrieved December 2, 2021.