Team: Minot State University Beavers
Conference: NSIC
College Level: NCAA D2
2021 Overall Record: 24-17
Location: Minot, ND
Head Coach: Scott Eul
Assistant Coaches: Jesse Katz and Tanner Wickham
Key Returning Position Players
Declan Buckle- Returning SS. Health has been an issue, but if he is healthy he has a chance to impact every game on both sides of the ball.
Drew Behling- The bat has game changing abilities. Needs to dial in some consistency. His on base skills with his power are a really tough combo if he is locked in.
Matt Malone- Was really good at the plate last year. Hit leadoff out of necessity and has a chance to be top catcher in league.
Key Returning Pitchers
RJ Martinez- Been around for a while and has a legit 4 pitch mix. Ultra competitor, who has been a leader for our staff and still hasn’t put together his best yet.
Noah Myhre- Pitched in big games for us including a no hitter in COVID shortened season. Has the stuff to be a #1. Need to hone in on consistency for him to take that next step for us, but we are looking for a big year from him.
Craig Schmich- Had a phenomenal season last year after his bad first two outings. Will be the closer this spring. Older kid with experience.
Trevyn Badger- Had a nice freshman season. Has the stuff to be dominant in back end of pen. Competitor.
Cameron Bagshaw- Has pro ball stuff. Battled consistency last year but has the chance to be one of the best arms it the league.
Impact Freshman/Transfers
Ricky Apodaca (LHP/OF) -Transfer from Howard CC in TX. Will be an impact 2-way for us. Will be #1 or 2 in our rotation and hit towards the top of the lineup.
Derek Kay (UTL)-Transfer from IA Central. Will play both infield and CF this spring. Has legit thump in the bat, to go along with his big time speed.
What things did you see from the team in the fall?
I think we have a team that is athletic, strong and experienced. If we can really focus on being good at what we are good at, I think we have a chance to compete for a championship this year. On the mound I think is where we will separate ourselves. I think we are positioned to have our best staff yet. We set up our world series a bit different this fall and put an emphasis on every game for it which really raised the bar for intensity.
What was the focus during the fall for the team?
We really went back to the basics this fall. We put more focus on developing the small things that happen more often in games and we saw a lot of positive results with it. We have developed a home base with each guy for who they are as a player and I think we are able to develop the consistency needed within that to be a good team. Our scrimmages were clean and competitive.
What are the expectations and goals for the team entering the season?
We have some older guys who could have moved on, but all wanted to use the COVID extra year to come back and prove how good we can be. I am extremely excited about the potential of this team. We only lost 2 series all year last year but didn’t finish as many as we could have. I think we have a team that is hungry for the next step. If we can play the defense we are capable of, and score some runs, I think we have a chance to make a run at some things this year. We are going to go series by series this year spring and see what we can make happen!