Jacks open Summit second half with Western

Friday, April 19

Sioux Falls, S.D.

3 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Western Illinois

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

4/18/2019 1:50:00 PM | Baseball

By: Jason Hove

Games 32-34: Western Illinois (14-20, 8-7 Summit) vs. South Dakota State (16-15, 9-6 Summit)

When	Friday, April 19 • 3 p.m. \| Saturday, April 20 • noon (doubleheader) Note schedule and location changes
Where	Sioux Falls Stadium (The Birdcage) \| Sioux Falls, S.D.
TV	None
Radio	GoJacks.com/Watch
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Western Illinois \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #RAB5

The South Dakota State University baseball team opens the second half of the Summit League schedule by hosting Western Illinois in a three-game series to be played in Sioux Falls.

Friday's series opener is slated for a 3 p.m. start at Sioux Falls Stadium. The series concludes with a noon doubleheader. Audio broadcasts of all three games will be aired online through GoJacks.com/watch, with live stats available at GoJacksLive.com.

Admission each day is $5 for adults and $3 for students (grades K-12). SDSU students will be admitted free with a valid ID.

The Jackrabbits, who have yet to play a true home game this season, enter the series in sole possession of second place in the league standings with a 9-6 record after winning two of three games against archrival North Dakota State in a series that was moved to Omaha, Nebraska. Overall, SDSU holds a 16-15 mark after falling 5-1 to Minnesota in midweek action on April 16.

SDSU opened the month by moving its series against league-leading Omaha to Sioux Falls. That three-game set was played Augustana University's Karras Park Home of Ronken Field.

Western Illinois, meanwhile, is tied for third place in The Summit League at 8-7 after winning its last six conference games with home sweeps of Oral Roberts and Purdue Fort Wayne the past two weekends. The Leathernecks dropped to 14-20 overall with a 13-3, seven-inning loss to SIU Edwardsville earlier this week.

THE SERIES: Friday's series opener will mark the 59th meeting on the baseball diamond between South Dakota State and Western Illinois. The Jackrabbits hold a 34-24 advantage in the series that dates back to 2006.

SDSU holds a 2-1 series advantage so far this season after winning the first series between the two squads this season on opening weekend of Summit League play, March 16-17 in Springfield, Illinois.

The two teams split a March 16 doubleheader, with SDSU winning the opener, 7-6, before Western Illinois claimed the nightcap, 10-6, on a walkoff grand slam by C.J. Schaeffer in the bottom of the ninth.

The Jackrabbits' Tyler Olmstead carried a shutout into the ninth inning before SDSU held off a furious rally by Western Illinois. Olmstead struck out six and walked two in earning his first victory of the season. Bret Barnett recorded the final out for the save.

Josh Falk was 2-for-3 with three runs batted in to lead the SDSU offense in the opener.

In Game 2, SDSU led 5-0 following home runs in each of the first three innings by Drew Beazley, Falk and Gus Steiger. The Leathernecks came back to tie the game first at 5-all and again at 6-all before Schaeffer ended the game in the ninth with his grand slam off Cody Carlson.

The Jackrabbits secured the series victory on March 17, winning 7-4 behind a strong pitching performance by Nic McCay. The freshman right-hander struck out 10 batters over seven innings, while Barnett fanned four over the final two frames to earn his second save of the series.

SDSU took advantage of three Western Illinois errors to build a 6-0 lead. The Jackrabbits also were aggressive on the bases, swiping a total of six bases, including three by Nick Smith.

Drue Galassi drove in all four Leatherneck runs with a three-run home run in the fifth and a solo homer in the seventh.

Steiger accounted for the final Jackrabbit run with a solo homer in the top of the ninth.

LAST WEEK: Following are some highlights from last week's series against NDSU:

The Jackrabbits improved to 11-1 this season when leading after six innings.
SDSU evened its record in extra-inning games this season at 1-1 with a 10-9, 10-inning victory in the April 14 series finale.
The Jackrabbits upped their record in one-run games to 6-4 in the series finale and have won four games in a row decided by a single run.
Austin Suhr made his season debut in the March 14 series finale against NDSU and was credited with the win after recording the final out in the top of the 10th inning.
SDSU notched double figures in hits for the 12th time this season in the series finale, tallying a season-best 16 hits for the third time in 2019.
Braeden Brown went 4-for-6 in the series finale to join Gus Steiger as the only Jackrabbits with four-hit games this season.

FRESHMEN MAKE IMPACT: Two first-year freshmen rank among the team's top hitters so far this season.

Drew Beazley, who was named Summit League Player of the Week on March 25, ranks third on the team with a .291 batting average and shares the second spot on the squad with four home runs. The Johnston, Iowa, native has seen action both in the field and on the mound for the Jackrabbits, splitting time at designated hitter and first base in addition to his pitching duties. He is batting a team-best .340 in league play, going 16-for-47 with five doubles, all four of his home runs and 13 runs batted in, while posting a .702 slugging percentage.

Beazley also has made eight appearances out of the bullpen and ranks second on the team with three saves.

Fellow freshman Luke Ira has started all 31 games this season, mostly at third base. He leads the team with 13 multi-hit games while batting .269 overall and ranking fourth on the squad with 19 runs batted in. Ira delivered the game-winning RBI?double in the top of the ninth inning as part of a two-hit performance in the March 24 series finale at Oral Roberts.

STEADY STEIGER: Sophomore Gus Steiger has made a seamless transition to the shortstop position in 2019. A native of Minnetonka, Minnesota, Steiger took over the starting role at second base early in the 2018 campaign and led the team with a .311 batting average. He also was nearly flawless in the field, committing only one error in 195 defensive chances for a .995 fielding percentage.

So far this season, Steiger again leads the team in batting with leads the team with a .309 average, 11 stolen bases and 27 runs batted in, and has reached base safely in 26 games in a row. With hits in 21 games during his current streak, Steiger is batting .330 (38-for-115) with nine doubles, four home runs and 24 runs batted in. He has collected two or more hits in 10 of the 26 games, including four-hit performances March 8 at UA Little Rock and March 24 at Oral Roberts.

Steiger also has handled the move across the diamond defensively, turning in a team-high 101 assists in compiling a .961 fielding percentage.

BROWN BREAKS THROUGH: Rounding out the starting infield is another newcomer, Braeden Brown. A junior college transfer from Burlington, Iowa, Brown moved into second place on the team with a .294 batting average after posting his first four-hit game as a Jackrabbit in the April 15 series finale against North Dakota State. He delivered the game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th to finish with a season-high three runs batted in.

The team's starting second baseman, Brown has hit a pair of home runs and tallied 21 runs batted in. He has notched at least one hit in six of the last eight games, three of which have been multi-hit performances.

BADGER COMING ON STRONG: After a slow start at the plate in league play, center fielder Landon Badger has been one of the Jackrabbits' top hitters in recent weeks.

Badger began the Summit League season mired in an 0-for-22 slump, but has since hit safely in seven of the last nine games, including three three-hit games. His most recent three-hit game was a 3-for-5 effort against North Dakota State in the April 15 series finale.

During his current hot streak, Badger is batting 13-for-33 (.394 batting average) to raise his overall season average from .212 to .273. He has driven in seven runs and also scored eight times.

A CALL TO ARMS: South Dakota State starting pitchers have thrown at least five innings in 21 of the team's 31 games so far this season, including each of the team's first 10 Summit League contests.

Junior Tyler Olmstead has taken over the No. 1 starter's role in recent weeks and has tallied 53 strikeouts in 54 innings. A second-team all-Summit League selection in 2018, Olmstead has pitched five-plus innings in seven of his eight starts, including taking a shutout into the ninth inning of his March 16 outing against Western Illinois.

Freshman Nic McCay has hurled at least seven innings in four of his last six outings,, highlighted by a nine-inning, 11-strikeout shutout performance in the March 31 series finale against Purdue Fort Wayne in which he ran his record to 4-1. McCay's 11 strikeouts are the most by a Jackrabbit pitcher this season. He also fanned 10 Western Illinois batters over seven innings on March 17 and leads the team with 55 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings.

McCay was the starting pitcher in the Jackrabbits' March 6 game at Alabama. He pitched the first two innings of the midweek game before turning the game over to the bullpen. In all, SDSU used 10 pitchers in the 6-5, 14-inning loss to the Crimson Tide, tying the mark for the most pitchers used in a Division I game this season.

Out of the bullpen, sophomore left-hander Bret Barnett has emerged as the top reliever on the staff. The Indianola, Iowa, native holds a 4-1 record with a 1.89 earned run average. He allowed only one run in his first 16 innings of the season over 10 appearances before suffering the loss in the April 5 series opener against Omaha.

In leading the team with four saves, Barnett has struck out 21 batters — in 19 innings — and has limited the opposition to a .152 batting average (10-for-66).

FROOM MAKES COMEBACK: Ryan Froom completed the long road back from injury by making his first appearance in nearly two years in the Feb. 16 game against UT Martin.

A sixth-year senior, Froom struck out five, walked four and surrendered three hits over five innings in finishing with a no-decision. It marked Froom's appearance since March 25, 2017, at Oral Roberts, when he suffered an arm injury. He missed the remainder of the 2017 season and was granted an injury hardship. Froom also sat out the entire 2018 campaign before rejoining the team this past fall.

Froom got back into the win column March 2 as the Jackrabbits knocked off Missouri, 6-3. After giving up a run in the bottom of the first, Froom pitched four consecutive shutout frames before tiring in the sixth. He finished with a season-high six strikeouts, while allowing three runs on four hits with five walks in 5 2/3 innings.

Froom again recorded the victory in the second game of a March 9 doubleheader at UA Little Rock, going seven innings. He allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out five and walking four.

Froom has logged five or more innings in six of his nine starts this season to enter the week with a 3-3 record. He has notched 32 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings.

The Crystal, Minnesota, native became a mainstay in the Jackrabbit rotation starting with his sophomore season in 2015. He currently ranks in fourth place in program history with 43 games started and 238 1/3 innings pitched, while moving into ninth place in career strikeouts with 158.

GOING DEEP: Through the first 31 games of the 2019 season, the Jackrabbits are even in the home run department with their opponents with 24 home runs, starting with a three-homer performance in the Feb. 15 season opener against UT Martin.

Nine different players have accounted for the Jackrabbit home runs, with Josh Falk taking over the team lead with six after hitting a game-tying two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth inning of the April 14 series finale against North Dakota State. It was the lone home run by the Jackrabbits in the three-game series.

Gus Steiger and Drew Beazley have each hit four, while freshman backup catcher Ryan McDonald has hit three. Braeden Brown and Logan Holtz each have a pair of homers.

Holtz and McDonald connected on back-to-back homers in the fifth inning of a Feb. 16 game against UT Martin. It was the first career home run for each and marked the second time in five games dating back to last season that the Jackrabbits hit consecutive home runs. Anthony Schneider and Tony Kjolsing led off a May 24 Summit League Baseball Championship game against Western Illinois with back-to-back homers.

SDSU hit a total of 10 home runs in its first six contests. The Jackrabbits then went 10 full games without a long ball until hitting three in the first three innings of the second game of a March 16 doubleheader against Western Illinois. Freshman Drew Beazley notched his first career home run, while Steiger and Falk each hit their second round-trippers of the season.

PRESEASON POLL: South Dakota State was picked to finish second in the 2019 Summit League baseball race, according to a poll conducted among conference coaches that was announced Feb. 7 by league officials.

The Jackrabbits received one first-place vote, finishing with 21 points. Defending league champion Oral Roberts again paced the six-team race with five first-place votes and 25 points. North Dakota State completed the upper half of the poll with 17 points.

Rounding out the poll were: Western Illinois, 12 points; Omaha, 9 points, and Purdue Fort Wayne, 6 points.

The top four teams during the regular season will advance to the 2019 Summit League Baseball Championship, which is scheduled for May 22-25 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In addition, the Jackrabbits' Nick Smith and Brady Stover were recognized among the Summit League's top players to watch.

A two-time all-Summit League honoree, Smith has posted a batting average of better than .300 each of the past two seasons. Smith, a senior from Chanhassen, Minnesota, hit at a .303 clip with 18 runs batted in en route to first-team honors as a utility player in 2018.

Stover, a junior from Huxley, Iowa, posted a 3-2 record in 2018 with a 4.57 earned run average in 10 appearances, including nine starts. The left-hander struck out 63 batters in only 43.1 innings, setting an SDSU single-season record with an average of 13.09 strikeouts per nine innings. He also limited the opposition to a .203 batting average.

Stover began the year by striking out nine in five innings in the Feb. 15 season opener at UT Martin en route to Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors. He made his first pitching appearance since a March 1 start at Central Arkansas by pitching an inning-plus out of the bullpen in the April 14 series finale against North Dakota State.

SCHEDULE CHANGES GALORE: South Dakota State has yet to play a true home game this season due to adverse weather and field conditions at Erv Huether Field. The Jackrabbits' scheduled home opener April 3 against Dakota State was called off, as well as an April 9 home contest against Dakota Wesleyan. No makeup dates have been determined.

The Jackrabbits also had their March 20 game at Creighton called off.

COACH BISHOP: Rob Bishop, who has guided college baseball teams to more than 600 career victories, was named head baseball coach at South Dakota State University on Aug. 1, 2016. Bishop is the ninth head coach in program history and the fourth in the Division I era.

Now in his third season with the Jackrabbits, Bishop holds a 60-71 record at SDSU, including a 38-28 mark in Summit League play.

In his first season, Bishop's 2017 squad returned to the winning side of the ledger with a 26-24 overall mark, including an 18-12 record for a third-place finish in The Summit League standings. SDSU won its opening-round game in the Summit League Baseball Championship, 6-5, over second-seeded North Dakota State.

In 2018, SDSU overcame a slow start to post a winning record in Summit League play at 14-13 and went on to reach the title game of the Summit League Baseball Championship. The Jackrabbits finished with an 18-32 overall record during a campaign in which they played only six home games.

Overall, Bishop holds a 609-393-1 record (.608 winning percentage) as a collegiate head coach. He recorded career win No. 600 March 10 at UA Little Rock and coached in his 1,000th collegiate game in the April 13 series opener versus North Dakota State.

Individually, Jackrabbit players have been honored as all-Summit League performers 10 times during his brief tenure, including six all-league selections in 2018. Utility player Nick Smith and third baseman Newt Johnson received all-Summit League recognition in both 2017 and 2018.

Prior to becoming head coach at SDSU, Bishop spent six years at NCAA Division II member Montana State University-Billings, where he led the Yellowjackets to back-to-back Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular season titles in 2015 and 2016, attaining the program's first-ever 30-win season with a 30-20 record in 2016. His squads also were honored as the top academic team in the GNAC each of his last three seasons.

Previously, Bishop spent 10 years at Miles City Community College in Montana, where his teams won MonDak conference championships every year. His squads also claimed five consecutive junior college region titles and a Northwest District championship in 2007 to advance to the NJCAA Division II College World Series. Bishop's teams won at least 30 games each of his 10 seasons, including four 40-win seasons. He ended his tenure at Miles City with a 377-151 overall record. He also served as athletic director his last five years at Miles City.

Bishop served as a graduate assistant at SDSU under head coach Mark Ekeland during the 1998 and 1999 seasons. In his first season as a head coach, Bishop led Huron University to the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference title in 2000 with a 38-18 record.

A 1994 graduate of Jamestown College, Bishop earned NAIA All-America honors during the 1992 and 1994 seasons as an infielder.

THE ROSTER: The 2019 SDSU baseball roster features 31 players from seven different states and one Canadian province. Of the 31 players, 11 are from Iowa, eight are from Minnesota and seven hail from South Dakota. Arizona, Nebraska, Washington and Wisconsin are represented by one player each, as is Manitoba.

By class, 10 are seniors, eight are juniors, four are sophomores, two are redshirt freshmen and seven are incoming freshmen.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits will try again to play their first true home game of the season as they are scheduled to host the University of Sioux Falls on April 23. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Erv Huether Field.

SDSU will then travel to league-leading Omaha for a three-game series April 26-28.

-GoJacks.com-