DULUTH — Minnesota Duluth is picked to finish seventh in the 15-team NSIC baseball coaches’ poll released Wednesday, Jan. 18.
Reigning NSIC tournament champion Minnesota State Mankato was picked to win the league with 188 points and eight first-place votes, with eight first-place votes. Augustana was a close second with 185 points and five first-place votes while St. Cloud State was third with 174 points and two first-place votes.
Mary and Winona State were tied for fourth with 128 points, Winona State sixth with 126 points and UMD rounded out the top seven with 113 points.
The Bulldogs will look to build around a solid offensive core returning from a team that went 25-25 overall and 16-16 in conference play, good for sixth.
Senior outfielder Tim Pokornowski of Cloquet was listed as UMD’s player to watch after leading the Bulldogs with a .349 batting average and 42 runs. Pokornowski, who is also a starting safety for the UMD football team, had a .413 on-base percentage, .538 slugging percentage, six home runs, 37 RBIs and was 12 of 13 on stolen bases.
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Alex Wattermann of Prior Lake, Minnesota, was UMD’s pitcher to watch after notching eight saves with a 3.52 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings.
UMD opens the season against Gannon University March 3 at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational at Lake Myrtle Park in Auburndale, Florida.
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