Baseball opens 2020 schedule with Friday/Saturday series at US Bank Stadium

The Bemidji State University baseball team opens the 2020 schedule with a three-game series Feb. 21-22 against Rockhurst University at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.

Bemidji State enters the season after being selected to finish 15th overall in the 2020 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Baseball Coaches’ Poll. The Beavers finished 2019 with an 8-38 record overall and 6-26 mark in conference play. BSU ended the season with the sixth fewest strikeouts at the plate and ranked 11th in fielding percentage. From the mound, Bemidji State allowed the second fewest home runs and the sixth fewest walks.

BSU returns 13 position players and eight pitchers as letter winners from last season.

Senior catcher Isaiah Grancorvitz and junior pitcher Jackson Back were selected as BSU’s Players to Watch for the upcoming season.

BSU enters under 15th year head coach Tim Bellew, who is the second winningest coach in Beaver Baseball history with a 218-448-1 record overall. Bellew trails Bob Montebello (1959-87) by 80 wins for the program’s most victories by a head coach.

Three former Beaver Baseball student-athletes join Bellew on the coaching staff, led by head assistant coach Matt Ellinghuysen. 2020 is Ellinghuysen’s fifth season behind Bellew and is joined by Jesse Palafox, Dan Bennett and Doug Jones as assistant coaches.