Completed Event: Baseball at Omaha on May 22, 2025 , Loss , 6, to, 7 , 10 inn.
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South Dakota State University Athletics
Jacks host rival Bison for three
4/9/2015 5:35:00 PM | Baseball
The South Dakota State University baseball team will attempt to create some more separation from teams in the bottom half of the Summit League standings as it hosts North Dakota State in a three-game weekend series at Erv Huether Field.
The series opener is scheduled for a 3 p.m. first pitch Friday. Games Saturday and Sunday are slated to begin at 1 p.m. The three-game series marks the halfway point of conference play for both squads.
The Jackrabbits enter the weekend with a 17-13 overall record and stand in third place in the Summit League standings with a 6-6 mark in league play. SDSU won one of three games against league-leading Oral Roberts last weekend, before sweeping an April 8 non-conference doubleheader versus Winnipeg. Overall, SDSU has won 10 of its last 13 games.
NDSU, the defending Summit League postseason tournament champion, enters the week in last place in the six-team standings with a 3-9 conference mark after dropping two of three games last weekend at Fort Wayne. Overall, the Bison have an 8-18 record following a 9-1 victory over Dakota State in their home opener on April 8.
All three games will be broadcast locally on KJJQ 910 AM, with free audio streaming available via the Jackrabbit Extra media portal at GoJacks.com. Tyler Merriam returns to call the play-by-play, with the pre-game show starting 15 minutes prior to scheduled first pitch each day.
Live statistics for all three games can be viewed at GoJacksLive.com.
THE SERIES: Friday's game will mark the 161st meeting between South Dakota State and North Dakota State on the baseball diamond — a series that dates back to a 17-8 Bison victory on May 25, 1956. Overall, SDSU holds a 102-58 series advantage.
The series has been more competitive during the Division I era, which began for both teams during the 2005 season. The Jackrabbits hold a 31-25 edge in the D-I era, although NDSU won last year's season series, 3-2. The Bison clinched the 2014 series win by defeating the Jackrabbits, 4-3, in the opening round of the league tournament in Sioux Falls.
SDSU and NDSU are scheduled to play a second three-game series May 8-10 at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo.
PRESEASON POLL: The South Dakota State University baseball team has been picked to finish third in The Summit League during the upcoming 2015 season, according to a poll of league coaches released Feb. 5.
The Jackrabbits, who finished the 2014 season with a 28-29 overall record, including an 11-11 mark in league play, tallied 17 points in the poll. SDSU, which returns six position starters and nearly its entire pitching staff from a year ago, has been the top seed at the Summit League Baseball Championship each of the past two seasons, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2013.
Two-time defending regular-season champion Omaha was picked as the league favorite with 23 points, including three first-place votes. Perennial champion Oral Roberts, which has rejoined The Summit League after a two-year hiatus, received the other three first-place votes and finished second with 21 points.
Rounding out the poll were defending league tournament champion North Dakota State with 15 points, followed by Western Illinois with eight points and Fort Wayne with six points.
The Jackrabbits will again host the Summit League Baseball Championship, May 20-23 in Sioux Falls.
PRESEASON RECOGNITION: Three members of the South Dakota State University baseball team received preseason honors from Baseball America in the publication's Summit League preview released Feb. 11.
Senior right-hander Adam Bray was selected as Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Bray compiled a 5-7 record and 2.80 earned run average during the 2014 season, but led the league with 95 strikeouts — against only 17 walks – in 103 innings.
Infielder Tony Kjolsing was named Preseason Freshman of the Year. The Chaska, Minnesota, native opened the season as the Jackrabbits' starting third baseman and has hit a team-best two home runs in 2015.
In addition, junior center fielder Zach Coppola was tabbed as the fifth-best draft prospect among Summit League players. Coppola is the team's top returning hitter after batting .288 last season, while also recording a team-best 14 stolen bases.
POWER OUTAGE ENDS: Sophomore Matt Johnson ended a long home run drought by the Jackrabbits when he connected on a three-run homer in the first inning of the second game of an April 1 doubleheader against Dakota Wesleyan.
SDSU had gone 14 full games between home runs, dating back to when freshman Luke Ringhofer hit a two-run shot in the second game of a March 7 twinbill at Southern (La.).
The Jackrabbits also have received home runs from Paul Jacobson (April 3) and Al Robbins (April 5) during their current homestand.
IN THE BIG INNING: For the second consecutive season, the Jackrabbit baseball team put together a 10-run inning. SDSU scored 10 times in the second inning of the second game of an April 1 doubleheader against Dakota Wesleyan.
SDSU also scored 10 times in the seventh inning of a Feb. 21, 2014, matchup at Alabama A&M. That onslaught was highlighted by a grand slam by Jake Ratz.
100 AND COUNTING: Four Jackrabbits have reached career milestones in recent weeks by recording their 100th career hit.
Junior outfielder Paul Jacobson became the first Jackrabbit to achieve the feat this season, when he tallied his 100th career hit March 11 in a game against Mississippi Valley State. A three-year starter, Jacobson enters the weekend with 115 career hits.
Junior center fielder Zach Coppola joined the 100-hit club March 14 at Omaha and enters the weekend with a team-best 122 career hits. Coppola is the midst of a nine-game hitting streak, during which he has batted .563 (18-for-32). Coppola has reached base safely in 22 consecutive games and currently leads the Jackrabbits with a .394 batting average, .489 on-base percentage, 43 hits, 25 runs scored and 22 stolen bases this season.
Senior infielder Al Robbins became the third member of the team to record his 100th career hit, reaching the milestone March 21 at Western Illinois. Robbins enters the weekend with 113 career hits. He also has been on a hot streak of late, batting .400 (12-of-30) with 11 RBI over his last eight games
Senior outfielder Eric Danforth became the fourth member of the 100-hit club this year, notching hit No. 100 April 4 against Oral Roberts. A Watertown native, Danforth has reached base safely in 18 straight games and has a six-game hitting streak, during which he is batting .563 (9-for-16), Danforth has tallied 106 career hits.
COPPOLA COLLECTING STEALS: South Dakota State center fielder Zach Coppola is well on his way to breaking one of the Jackrabbits' longest-standing single-season records. A junior from Windsor Heights, Iowa, Coppola is a perfect 22-for-22 on stolen-base attempts this season, tying him with Dave Wilner (22 steals in 1988) for fifth place on the Jackrabbit single-season charts. The Jackrabbit record for steals in a single season is 26 by Darrell Bren in 1988.
With 45 career stolen bases, Coppola has moved into fifth place on the Jackrabbit career charts, passing both Bren (44 steals from 1988-89) and Jon Crow (44 steals from 1989-92) with three stolen bases in the April 8 doubleheader against Winnipeg. Dave Lane holds the Jackrabbit career record of 75 stolen bases from 1983-86.
BRAY RECORD WATCH: South Dakota State right-hander Adam Bray, who is the scheduled starter for Friday's series opener, is in striking distance of the Jackrabbit career record for strikeouts.
A senior from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Bray enters the weekend with 223 career strikeouts — four away from passing SDSU all-time leader Trevor Schulte (226 strikeouts from 1991-94). Bray has struck out 39 batters in 44 1/3 innings so far this season, after fanning 95 batters in 103 innings in 2014.
With a start on Friday, Bray will break a tie with major-leaguer Caleb Thielbar (44 starts from 2006-09) for second place on the SDSU career starts list. Bray passed Thielbar (274 IP) for second place in career innings pitched in his last start and has totaled 279.2 innings. Stephen Bougher, who pitched from 2010-13, holds the Jackrabbit career mark with 299.1 innings pitched.
A two-time all-Summit League honoree, Bray also moved into a tie for ninth place in career victories at SDSU by recording his 18th career win March 27 against Fort Wayne. Bray's career record stands at 18-15, matching Timm Gronseth's win total from 1985-89.
MOORE NEARS SAVES MARK: Senior closer J.D. Moore moved one step closer to a Summit League record as he recorded his 28th career save in the Jackrabbits' 3-0 victory Southern (La.) on March 6.
A native of Mississauga, Ontario, Moore has served as the team's primary closer since midway through his freshman season, when he led the team with five saves. Moore set a Jackrabbit single-season record with 13 saves during his sophomore season in 2013 and added eight more saves as a junior, when he did not allow a run — earned or unearned — in Summit League play en route to setting the SDSU career saves mark.
The current Summit League career record of 30 saves was set by Brett Davis of Illinois-Chicago from 1988-91.
Moore also has moved into sole possession of second place in career appearances at SDSU with 76 as he broke a tie with Gary Olechoski, (71 appearances from 2003-06) in a March 17 game at Creighton. All-American Trever Vermeulen holds the career appearances record with 89 from 2008-11.
HEEMSTRA ON THE HILL: After playing a key role on three Jackrabbit postseason-qualifying basketball teams, pitcher Marcus Heemstra is playing his first full season of baseball at South Dakota State.
A senior right-hander from Rock Valley, Iowa, Heemstra made a combined 21 pitching appearances between the 2011 and 2012 seasons before redshirting in 2013 as the Jackrabbit basketball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row. Heemstra returned to the Jackrabbit baseball team in 2014, posting a 1.64 earned run average in seven appearances covering 11 innings.
Thus far in 2015, Heemstra has made nine appearances — all in relief — and posted an 0-1 record with a 3.63 ERA. He has not allowed a run in his last five appearances, covering 7 2/3 innings. Heemstra pitched three scoreless innings in an April 3 matchup with Oral Roberts. For the season, Heemstra has struck out 13 and walked five in 17 1/3 innings.
Heemstra played in 118 career basketball games — with eight starts. He posted career-high averages of 5.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game as a senior.
JUMPER HONORED: South Dakota State University relief pitcher Talon Jumper was honored March 23 as the Summit League Pitcher of the Week, after helping lead the Jackrabbits to a series victory at Western Illinois.
A senior from Brighton, Colorado, Jumper earned saves in both SDSU victories in the three-game series. The right-hander opened the weekend by pitching the final three innings of an 8-5 Jackrabbit victory in the series opener on March 20, allowing two hits and striking out three batters. Jumper also pitched a scoreless ninth inning two days later in the series finale to close out a 9-7 Jackrabbit win.
Combined, Jumper did not allow a run over four innings in his two appearances. He struck out four and did not walk a batter in lowering his season earned run average to 0.73.
MORE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: South Dakota State University catcher Reid Clary and outfielder Zach Coppola earned Summit League Player of the Week honors in successive weeks.
Clary received the honor March 2 after helping lead the Jackrabbits to a split of its four-game slate against MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) and Stephen F. Austin (Texas).
A senior from Princeton, Illinois, Clary recorded two hits — including a double — in each of the Jackrabbits' games versus MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) and Stephen F. Austin (Texas). He batted .571 (8-of-14) with four runs scored, four doubles, two runs batted in and two stolen bases. He recorded a .588 on-base percentage and .857 slugging percentage in the four games.
In addition, Clary tied a career high with three runs scored in the Jackrabbits' 12-0 victory over Stephen F. Austin in the first game of a doubleheader on Feb. 28. He also threw out three-of-four would-be basestealers during the week.
Coppola was tabbed as Summit League Player of the Week on March 9 after a successful four-game series at Southern (La.).
A junior from Windsor Heights, Iowa, Coppola batted .625 (10-for-16) with a triple, four runs batted in and three runs scored as the Jackrabbits won three of four games. He tallied two three-hit games before finishing the series with a four-hit game. Coppola raised his season batting average 124 points during the week from .276 to .400.
COACH SCHRAGE: Veteran baseball coach Dave Schrage (pronounced Schrag) is in his 27th season as a collegiate head coach — and fourth at South Dakota State University — during the 2015 season. Schrage was hired to take over the reins of the Jackrabbit baseball program on Aug. 8, 2011.
After posting an 18-33-1 record in his first season at South Dakota State, including a 7-14 mark in The Summit League, Schrage directed a big turnaround in 2013, leading SDSU its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament at the Division I level. The Jackrabbits, who ended the season with a 35-24 overall record, won four consecutive games to claim their inaugural Summit League postseason tournament title and advance to the Eugene Regional of the NCAA Tournament, where they were edged in a pair of one-run games.
SDSU again earned the top seed for the Summit League Baseball Championship during the 2014 season, finishing with an 11-11 mark in a tightly contested league race. Overall, the Jackrabbits finished with a 28-29 overall record. Six Jackrabbit players earned all-Summit League accolades.
Schrage enters the weekend with a 694-761-2 career mark, including a 98-99-1 record at SDSU. He recorded his 600th career victory on March 19, 2012, when the Jackrabbits posted an 11-8 victory at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. In 26-plus seasons as a collegiate head coach, he has averaged more than 25 victories per season, including six campaigns with 32 or more wins. He has coached players who have earned all-conference honors 69 times and 40 of his former student-athletes have gone on to play professionally, including Layne Somsen and Stephen Bougher from the Jackrabbits' 2013 squad.
Prior to South Dakota State, Schrage was head coach at Notre Dame for four seasons, leading the Fighting Irish to a 119-104-1 record from 2007-10. After posting a .500 record (28-28) his first season in South Bend, Schrage put Notre Dame back in contention for postseason play with a 33-21-1 record in 2008 and a 36-23 mark in 2009. The Fighting Irish led the BIG EAST Conference in fielding in both 2008 and 2009, while consistently ranking at or near the top in batting, on-base percentage and earned run average.
THE ROSTER: The 2015 SDSU baseball roster features 37 players from eight different states plus two Canadian provinces. Of the 37 players, 10 are from South Dakota, eight are from Minnesota and Iowa, and five are from Illinois, while Colorado, Indiana, Missouri and Vermont are represented by one player each. In addition, two players are from Canada — one each from Alberta and Ontario.
By class, 12 are seniors, 11 are juniors, seven are sophomores and seven are true freshmen.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits continue their long April homestand by hosting mid-week games against the University of North Dakota on April 14 and Dakota State on April 15. Both matinees are slated for 3 p.m. starts.
SDSU closes out its homestand with a three-game series against Omaha April 17-19.
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