BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Winona State University Baseball team was selected tenth in the 2026 NSIC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Dylan Harer and
Nathan Vela were named the Preseason Player and Pitcher to Watch for the Warriors.
WSU garnered 89 points in the 2025 NSIC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll, locking them in tenth behind Southwest Minnesota State (90), and ahead of Concordia-St. Paul (76). The defending NSIC Regular Season and Tournament Champions of Minnesota State University, Mankato were the top pick in the 2026 NSIC Preseason Baseball Coaches' Poll. The Mavericks amassed 190 points after receiving eight first place votes (coaches cannot vote for their own team).
Winona State finished tenth in the NSIC in 2025. Entering his fourth season as head coach with the Warriors, head coach
Seth Wing noted, "We have a young, energetic, and competitive group that is ready to compete in a very strong baseball league."
Harer, a sophomore from Kildeer, Ill., appeared in 37 games while starting in 26. During the 2025 season, he helped lead the team to a 22-28 record while recording a .373 batting average, OB% of .444, OPS% of 1.088, eight home runs, 27 RBIs, and going six-of-seven on stolen bases for the season.
Coach Wing on Harer: "Dylan has a great combination of speed & power, and leads by example on and off the field. He has a professional approach to the game by his daily actions and preparation. I'm excited to see what he can do for our program over the next 3 years."
Vela, a sophomore from Greenville, Wis., was a key pitcher for the Warriors as a freshman, appeared in nine games and started four. During the 2025 season, he recorded a W/L record of 1-2, pitched 25.0 innings, recorded an ERA of 3.24, struck out 28 batters, recorded a WHIP of 1.20, and a B/AVG of .198.
Coach Wing on Vela: "Nate emerged last year as a front-line starter in the NSIC after coming off an injury. He got better as the year went on as he worked himself back to a full workload late in the season. He couples excellent stuff with frontline competitiveness, and we look forward to him leading our pitching staff over the next three years!"
The Warriors will open the 2026 season in Liberty, Mo. on February 20 against William Jewell College (Mo.).
