MSU Athletics

Bill Triplett enters 2017 for his 10th season as the head coach of the Minot State University softball program.

 

MSU suffered through an injury riddled 2016 after finishing in the top half of the Northern Sun in two of the team's first three seasons. MSU finished with 17 wins overall and were 6-23 in the NSIC to finsih 15th. The Beavers finished ninth in the league in hitting, batting .279 as a team.

Triplett coached the 2015 Beavers to a 32-21 overall record and a 13-17 conference record. The Beavers were in the top five of almost every offensive catagory in the conference, with a .311 average and hitting 49 home runs. The Beavers hit 8 home runs in a game against rival University of Mary making it the second best performance in NCAA DII history.

The 2014 Beavers finshed eighth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with a 29-20 overall record and a 15-13 conference mark. MSU made the NSIC Postseason Tournament for the second straight year, going 1-2 in the tournament.

In 2013, Triplett led the Beavers to arguably their most sucessful season in school history. MSU went 41-11 including a second place finish in the NSIC Tournament and an appearance in the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Following the season, Triplett was named the 2013 CaptainU National Coach of the Year.

He also coached three of his players to Daktronics All-American Honors as Jen Dixon was named First Team, Tiffany Friesen was named Third Team and Mandy Greenberg was named Honorable Mention.

In 2012, the Beavers were in their transition year into the NCAA Division II and coach Triplett led the Beavers to a very impressive 34-12 record.

Prior to joining the NCAA Division II and NSIC, Triplett guided the MSU softball program to five consecutive winning seasons and an overall record of 154 wins and 68 losses.

The final two seasons as a member of the NAIA, 2010 and 2011, Triplett led the Beavers to two DAC tournament championships and trips to the national tournament. Minot State boasted a stellar 34-14 record in 2010 and a 30-12 record in 2011. The Beavers went 2-1 in 2010 and tied for the top spot in pool play at the national tournament, losing to eventual national runner up Oklahoma City.

The Beavers advanced to the NAIA Region III Tournament in Triplett's first season and finished second in the conference regular season and postseason tournament in 2009.

Triplett was the top assistant for four seasons, 2007-11, for the women's basketball team.  During his time with the women’s program, MSU went to the NAIA Division II National Women's Basketball tournament twice. The Beavers advanced to the quarterfinals in 2007-08.

He coached high school basketball in Reed Point, Mont., for 21 years and Starkweather, N.D., for four years. His girls basketball record over 18 seasons in Montana was 408 wins and 49 losses. Triplett guided his teams to nine state tournaments including back-to-back undefeated seasons and state titles in 2005 and 2006 to go along with another state title in 1994 and three second place finishes at state.

Triplett, a Lansford, N.D., native, is a 1980 graduate of Minot State where he was a three-time all-conference baseball player. He was a co-captain of the Minot State baseball team in his junior and senior seasons. Triplett also played for the Thompson Larson club fastpitch team here in Minot.