By: Madie Brink
January 19, 2023
BURNSVILLE – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference released their annual Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll yesterday with USF Baseball ranked 8th going into the 2023 season. Infielder Noah Christenson and pitcher Caleb Ditmarson were named to this year's NSIC player and pitcher watch lists.
"We lost some key players from last year's team, but I am very excited about our younger guys getting an opportunity to step in and contribute," stated Coach Hieb. "We have more depth on the mound this year than we have in year's past which should help our bullpen overall. After making back-to-back postseason appearances the past two years, our guys are eager to get back in the conference tournament and try to win some ballgames."
The USF Baseball team is coming off a 25-27 season while going 17-18 in the NSIC with a 7th place finish last season. The Cougars saw 1,637 at bats last season while bringing in 296 runs against their opponents. Sioux Falls was seventh in the NSIC with an overall batting average of .283 in 53 games played while tallying 26 homeruns, six triples and 65 doubles. The team maintained a .370 on base percentage while stealing 89 bases on 115 attempts.
"Noah is great competitor that brings a consistent approach to the game," stated Coach Hieb. "He's developed into one of our leaders with his great work ethic and attitude and I'm excited to watch him build off his solid freshman campaign."
Christenson led the Cougars last season with a .358 batting average along with 43 RBIs in just over 190 at bats. Christenson was sixth in the NSIC in hits with 69 and eighth in at bats. On the field he produced 30 putouts while maintaining a .944 fielding percentage. Christenson made a huge impact for the Coo last season starting all 52 games as a freshman.
"Caleb's one of the leaders on our pitching staff and sets the tone with his hard work," said Coach Hieb. "He emerged last spring as our top starting pitcher and I'm excited to see him lead our staff again this year."
Ditmarson paved the way for the Coo as their leading pitcher last season while maintaining a 3.70 ERA and a record of 4-3. He pitched just over 58 innings while producing 52 strikeouts and only giving up 19 walks. Throughout his career, Ditmarson has made 17 appearances while pitching 88 innings and maintaining a 5.11 ERA. He's struck out 76 batters while only giving up 35 walks for the Cougars as he looks to continue his success into his senior campaign.
Sioux Falls will start their season February 17th as they hit the road to take on Metropolitan State – Denver and Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, Kansas. For all things Cougar Baseball, be sure to follow along on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
