Jacks host Omaha in three-game set

The South Dakota State University baseball team will carry a five-game winning streak into its first Summit League home series of the season, hosting a three-game weekend set against Omaha.
Friday's series opener is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Erv Huether Field. Games Saturday and Sunday are both slated for first pitch at 1 p.m.
The Jackrabbits enter the weekend series with an 8-16 overall record, including a 5-4 record in Summit League play. The Jackrabbits have bookended non-conference home wins against Dakota Wesleyan and North Dakota around a three-game road sweep of Fort Wayne last weekend.
Omaha, meanwhile, has posted a 15-14 overall record so far this season, including a 6-3 mark in league play. The Mavericks dropped into a tie for second place in the league standings after dropping two of three games at home to Western Illinois last weekend.
All three games of the weekend series can be heard locally on KJJQ 910 AM or online at through the Jacks All-Access media portal at the new GoJacks.com. Tyler Merriam returns to call the play-by-play. The pre-game show begins 15 minutes prior to scheduled first pitch each day.

THE SERIES: This weekend's matchups will mark the 143rd, 144th and 145th meetings between SDSU and Omaha on the baseball diamond. The Mavericks hold a 76-65-1 edge in the series, which dates back to 1949.
Omaha won the season series, 4-2, in 2015, sweeping a three-game series on its home field to open Summit League play. The Jackrabbits came back to win two of three games at Erv Huether Field a month later.
Since the series resumed in 2013, when Omaha joined The Summit League, the Mavericks hold an 11-5 series advantage.

SHORT HOPS: Following are a few notes heading into this weekend's series against Omaha:
• The Jackrabbits outscored Fort Wayne, 37-14, in their three-game series last weekend, which was played in Kokomo, Indiana.
• Luke Ringhofer had his season-best 13-game hitting streak end in the April 3 series finale against Fort Wayne. Ringhofer posted a 17-game hitting streak — the second-longest streak in the program's Division I era — during his freshman season in 2015. Ringhofer has reached base safely in 19 consecutive games.
• Sophomore outfielder Phil Velez is riding a current nine-game hitting streak to lead the team.
• Jesse Munsterman and Cody Sharrow each have active seven-game hitting streaks. Munsterman's streak began with a five-hit effort at Western Illinois on March 26 and he is hitting .517 (15-for-29) with 10 of his 11 runs batted in for the season during that span. Sharrow, meanwhile, is batting .360 (9-for-25) during his streak.
• Ringhofer and Newt Johnson hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning of the March 19 game at Oral Roberts, becoming the first Jackrabbit tandem to hit consecutive round-trippers since Matt Johnson and Newt Johnson in a home game against North Dakota State on April 12, 2015.
• Paul Jacobson tied a career high for the second time this season with three stolen bases in the series finale against Fort Wayne on April 3. Jacobson is a perfect 12-for-12 on stolen-base attempts this season.
• As a team, the Jackrabbits have been successful on 31-of-34 stolen-base attempts in 2016. SDSU has swiped a base on each of its last 16 attempts dating back to a March 13 game at Northern Colorado.

PRESEASON POLL: The South Dakota State University baseball team has been picked to finish third in the Summit League standings during the upcoming 2016 season, according to a poll among the league's six head coaches that was released Feb. 11.
The Jackrabbits received one first-place vote and tallied a total of 17 points for their third-place showing in the preseason poll. Defending regular season and tournament champion Oral Roberts received the other five first-place votes to be tabbed as the favorite with 25 points. Tournament runner-up Fort Wayne was second with 19 points.
Rounding out the poll were Omaha (15), North Dakota State (8) and Western Illinois (6).

A CHANGE AT THE TOP: A change at the top of the Jackrabbit lineup in recent weeks has paid dividends. Freshman Nick Smith took over leadoff duties seven games ago and has batted .300 (9-for-30) with three doubles and nine runs batted in over that span.
Meanwhile, Paul Jacobson dropped to the second spot in the lineup and is batting .344 (11-for-32) over the last seven games. Jacobson has four doubles to his credit during that time and has stolen seven bases in as many tries, including matching a career high with three steals in the series finale at Fort Wayne.

CLEMEN CLIMBS THE CHARTS: Although he has moved into a starting role this season, Jackrabbit pitcher Andrew Clemen could move into the SDSU career top 10 for appearances this season.
A senior from Des Moines, Iowa, Clemen has made 58 appearances — 50 of which have been out of the bullpen — in his Jackrabbit career. He needs to pitch in six more games during the 2016 campaign to move into the top 10.
Clemen also stands eighth on the SDSU career charts for strikeouts per nine innings at 9.17, striking out 123 batters in 120 2/3 career innings. Clemen recorded a career-high eight strikeouts in his March 25 start at Western Illinois and has fanned at least five batters in each of his last six starts.
The SDSU record, with a minimum of 60 innings pitched, is 11.40 by Pete Torgerson during his lone season in a Jackrabbit uniform in 1989. Dick Barnes ranks second with an average of 9.99 strikeouts per nine innings from 1964-66, with Bob Ehrke (1952-54) third at 9.70 K's per nine innings.
During the 2015 season, Clemen posted the fifth-highest single-season ratio in school history with an average of 10.76 strikeouts per nine innings, fanning 47 batters in 39 1/3 innings.

BUSCH BLANKING OPPONENTS: Since moving to the bullpen at the beginning of March, Landon Busch has been lights out against the opposition.
A junior left-hander, Busch has earned the win in relief in each of his last four outings, during which he has combined to post a 1.62 ERA (three earned runs in 16 2/3 innings) with 19 strikeouts. Busch had a string of 14 consecutive innings in which he did not give up a run snapped in his last outing, when he allowed three runs over 4 2/3 innings against Fort Wayne in the first game of an April 3 doubleheader.
A Brookings native, Busch is in his first season pitching for the Jackrabbits. He spent his first two seasons (2013-14) at Kansas State before transferring to SDSU in the fall of 2014. He sat out the 2015 campaign due to NCAA transfer rules.

JACOBSON NEARS TOP 10: Senior outfielder Paul Jacobson is in line to move into the SDSU career top 10 for games played midway through the 2016 season.
Jacobson, who has been the team's primary leadoff hitter since early in the 2015 season, enters the weekend having played in 185 career games, including 166 starts, putting him five games away from sliding into the 10th spot. Jacobson, who has moved to right field this season after serving as the team's primary left fielder the previous three seasons, is the lone Jackrabbit to start all 27 games this season.
Jacobson's uncle, Pat Schmidt, ranks in a tie for seventh in games played by a Jackrabbits with 193 from 1992-95. Eric Cain holds the Jackrabbit record of 218 games played from 2009-12.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: South Dakota State has had a player honored as a Summit League player of the week two times during the 2016 season.
Catcher Luke Ringhofer was honored March 14 as co-Summit League Player of the Week in helping lead the Jackrabbits to a pair of victories at Northern Colorado.
A sophomore from Cottage Grove, Minnesota, Ringhofer hit safely in four of the five games in which he had an official at-bat, including a pair of multi-hit games against Northern Colorado as the Jackrabbits claimed the three-game series. For the week, he batted .412 (7-for-17) with a home run, four runs batted in and six runs scored. He also walked six times.
Junior pitcher Landon Busch was named Summit League Pitcher of the Week on March 21 for his efforts in the Jackrabbits' series-opening win at Oral Roberts.
A junior from Brookings, Busch earned the win after tossing three shutout innings March 18 as the Jackrabbits rallied for a 3-2, 12-inning victory. Busch finished his outing with five strikeouts, including striking out the side in the bottom of the 12th to preserve the win.

COACH SCHRAGE: Veteran baseball coach Dave Schrage (pronounced Schrag) enters his 28th season as a collegiate head coach — and fifth at South Dakota State University — during the 2016 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.
The Jackrabbits again contended for a Summit League title during the 2015 season, posting an overall record of 33-23 and a second-place mark of 18-11 in league play. SDSU put together win streaks of six and eight games midway through the season to move into the upper division of The Summit League.
Under Schrage's leadership, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 123-127-1 record and qualified for the Summit League postseason tournament each of the last three seasons.
Schrage enters the weekend with a 719-791-2 career mark. He recorded his 600th career victory in his first season at SDSU, and tallied career win No. 700, when the Jackrabbits defeated Omaha, 5-1, on April 17, 2015, at Erv Huether Field. Schrage's 100th win at the helm of the SDSU program came on April 11, 2015, in a 5-4 home win over North Dakota State.
In 27-plus seasons as a collegiate head coach, he has averaged more than 25 victories per season, including seven campaigns with 32 or more wins. He has coached players who have earned all-conference honors 75 times and 42 of his former student-athletes have gone on to play professionally, including 2015 draft picks Zach Coppola (Philadelphia Phllies) and Adam Bray (Los Angeles Dodgers).
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.
His other coaching stops include Waldorf (Iowa), Northern Iowa, Northern Illinois and Evansville (Ind.).
As a collegiate player, Schrage was an all-conference outfielder at Creighton, batting .400 as a junior and .433 his senior season. He also was an Academic All-America honoree during his senior campaign in 1983, and graduated that spring with a bachelor of science degree in finance. Schrage was honored on the MVC's Centennial Celebration baseball team and is the only person in league history to earn all-conference honors and be named MVC Coach of the Year in baseball.

JACKS IN THE PROS: Several former Jackrabbit players are playing professionally this spring.
Right-handed pitcher Blake Treinen is currently the lone Jackrabbit in the Major Leagues. A member of Jackrabbit teams in 2010 and 2011, Treinen has pitched for the Washington Nationals for three seasons (2014-16) and earned an Opening Day victory earlier this week. Treinen made 60 appearances for the Nationals during the 2015 season, posting a 2-5 record and 3.86 ERA.
Three other Jackrabbits began the 2016 season in the minor leagues.
Layne Somsen (2009-13) is on the 40-man roster for the Cincinnati Reds. A Yankton native, Somsen was promoted to Triple-A Louisville late midway through the 2015 season, seeing action both as a starter and out of the bullpen. In three professional seasons since being selected in the 22nd round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Reds, Somsen has compiled a 9-5 record and 2.57 ERA while averaging nearly a strikeout per inning pitched.
Adam Bray, who was a 33rd round draft choice by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015, has been assigned to the Class A Great Lakes Loons in Midland, Michigan, to start the 2016 season. Bray made his professional debut with Ogden (Utah) in Rookie ball last summer, going 2-2 with 33 strikeouts and only four walks in eight starts.
Zach Coppola is a Philadelphia Phillies farmhand after being drafted in the 13th round last year. Coppola, who is currently a member of the Class A Lakewood (N.J.) BlueClaws, spent the summer of 2015 at Class A?Williamsport (Pa.), where he batted .271 with 19 stolen bases.
Three other Jackrabbits are slated to pitch in the independent American Association this season. Chris Anderson (2014-15) recently signed with the Winnipeg Goldeyes, while Stephen Bougher (2010-13) is set to return to the Sioux Falls Canaries. Left-hander Caleb Thielbar recently re-signed with the St. Paul Saints. Thielbar pitched for the Minnesota Twins from 2013-15.

THE ROSTER: The 2016 SDSU baseball roster features 36 players from eight different states plus one Canadian province. Of the 37 players, 12 are from South Dakota, 11 are from Minnesota, seven hail from Iowa, while Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Vermont are represented by one player each. In addition, one player is from the Canadian province of British Columbia.
By class, eight are seniors, nine are juniors, 11 are sophomores, three are redshirt freshmen and five are true freshmen.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits are scheduled to play a pair of mid-week road games to start next week, traveling to Minnesota on April 12 and at Creighton on April 13.
Tuesday's game at Siebert Field in Minneapolis is slated for a 3 p.m. start, while Wednesday's contest at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha is set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch.
SDSU returns home to host a three-game weekend series against North Dakota State April 15-17.

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Chris Anderson

Adam Bray

Landon Busch

Andrew Clemen

Zach Coppola

Paul Jacobson

Matt Johnson

Newt Johnson

Jesse Munsterman

Luke Ringhofer

Cody Sharrow

Nick Smith

Phil Velez

Completed Event: Baseball at Omaha on May 22, 2025 , Loss , 6, to, 7 , 10 inn.

Completed Event: Baseball versus Oral Roberts on May 21, 2025 , Loss , 2, to, 11

Completed Event: Baseball versus Oral Roberts on May 17, 2025 , Loss , 2, to, 9

Completed Event: Baseball versus Oral Roberts on May 16, 2025 , Loss , 11, to, 13

Completed Event: Baseball versus Oral Roberts on May 15, 2025 , Loss , 11, to, 14

Completed Event: Baseball versus Oral Roberts on May 15, 2025 , Loss , 4, to, 11

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