PITTSBURG, K.S. – The Minot State baseball team begins the 2021 season at Pittsburg State on either Friday or Saturday depending on the weather. Head Coach Scott Eul, senior Nolan Monthei, and junior Zach Newman previewed the new season. 

Watch the full preview video by clicking the play icon in the image above or here.

The Beavers were picked to finish fourth in the NSIC in the preseason coaches' poll that was released on Jan. 21. Sophomore Jackson Pokorney and junior Noah Myhre were selected as players to watch for MSU baseball during the upcoming campaign.

MSU is just a full season removed from its regular season NSIC Championship and is looking to climb to the top of the conference once again in 2021.

The Beavers baseball team started off the 2020 season on good footing as they split a series with No. 3 nationally-ranked Colorado Mesa. The team was 8-6 overall prior to the remainder of the season being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

WEEKEND MATCHUP
The Beavers open the season against Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, Kansas on Friday or Saturday depending on the weather. The Beavers have only played the Gorillas four times in recorded program history. MSU is 1-3 all-time against Pittsburg State and has dropped the last two games. The Beavers only victory against PSU came on Feb. 17, 2018, a 7-4 win which was also the smallest margin of victory in the short series. In the last matchup, Andrew Black, Dustin Wilcox, and Trevaun Smith each recorded a hit, and Kyle Wiliamson and Zack Kunkel drove in the only runs for the Beavers in a 3-2 loss on Feb. 18, 2018. 

PITCHING PROWESS
Noah Myhre was named NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week for his no-hitter against Missouri Western on Feb. 21, 2020. During that outing, he struck out seven over 7.0 innings. This was just one example of the potential that the pitching staff possesses for the Beavers heading into the 2021 season. Junior left-handed pitcher RJ Martinez delivered impressive innings over the summer in the Northwoods League, LHP Zach Newman, who tossed 16.0 innings with 12 strikeouts in an abbreviated season a year ago, returns to add to the depth of front-line rotation hurlers that will look to dominate during the upcoming campaign.
 
BASHING BEAVERS
The lineup will be led by sophomore Jackson Pokorney, who joined MSU out of an athletic powerhouse, Mater Dei High School in Southern California. Pokorney led the team with four home runs and 15 RBI in 14 games and slashed an impressive .352/.667/.429 during the abbreviated season and the switch-hitting outfielder had a hit in 12 out of the 14 games played last year. The Beavers are a full season removed from their 2019 NSIC Regular Season Championship and will continue to build toward another postseason appearance and work to earn a berth into the NCAA Tournament with an experienced roster returning for 2021.

Declan Buckle was on fire for the Beavers during an abbreviated 2020 season hitting .351 (13x37) with seven RBI. Buckle had a hit in seven of 11 games played and two hits in each of his two games played at Colorado Mesa on Feb. 28 and Mar. 1. Drew Behling opened last season with a three-game hitting streak including two hits in his MSU debut at Missouri A&T on Feb. 15. Behling hit .324 (11x34) with two doubles, one triple, and two home runs. 
 
QUOTE FROM THE COACH
"This is the most dynamic offense we have had here with a good balance of speed and power. The lineup should be deep and tough to contain 3-4 times through the order. On the mound, we are the deepest. We have some high-end arms, but our biggest strength relies on our depth of arms 1-14 to get big outs. Our back end of the pen will be a strength again for us this year. Defensively we are going to be much improved in all 4 spots up the middle." -- Head Coach Scott Eul

About Minot State
Minot State University is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Division II offering 14 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletics programs. The NSIC is a premier NCAA DII, 16-member conference featuring teams in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa. The Beavers are the only public NCAA Division II institution in the state of North Dakota.