Feb. 23, 2005

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Bemidji State University softball team, which finished last year 2-29 overall and eighth in the league standings at 1-15, was picked to finish eighth in the 2005 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Softball Coaches Poll announced today by the league office.

The Beavers garnered 28 points to land in eighth place just six points behind the University of Minnesota-Crookston in seventh.

Concordia-St. Paul, winners of the NSIC Tournament a year ago and in a three-way tie for second with an NSIC record of 11-5, received five first-place votes and 68 points to take the top spot. Southwest Minnesota State University headlines a three-way tie for second place in the preseason poll with 58 points. The Mustangs won the regular season conference crown in 2004 posting an league record of 14-2 while Winona State University and Minnesota State University, which also tied for second place in the poll, wrapped up the 2004 campaigned knotted with CSP for second in the final conference standings.

Wayne State College (Neb.) and Northern State University were picked fifth and sixth with 48 and 40 points respectively.

Also released by the NSIC today, junior outfielder Katie Gardas (Arden Hills, Minn.) was selected as a 2005 NSIC Player to Watch by the league's coaches.

Gardas who returns as BSU's most experience player, was named as a captain for the 2005 season. Starting 25 games for the Beavers a year ago, the outfielder posted a .913 fielding percentage to finish first among the team's outfielders. At the plate she recorded a .127 batting average while collecting a trio of runs batted in.

BSU lifts the lid on its 2005 campaign March 14th, kicking off a 12-game spring break trip through Missouri and Kansas, versus Missouri-Rolla. The team is slated to play the first of four home dates April 5th when the Beavers host Minnesota State-Moorhead in the 2005 conference opener.