Jacks close regular season at rival NDSU

Thursday, May 16

Fargo, N.D.

6:30 p.m.

South Dakota State University

North Dakota State

Photo by: Mike Janes/Four Seam Images

5/15/2019 12:47:00 PM | Baseball

Games 45-47: South Dakota State (25-19, 17-9 Summit) at North Dakota State (18-22, 14-13)

When	Thursday, May 16 • 6:30 p.m. \| Friday, May 17 • 6:30 p.m. \| Saturday, May 18 • 1 p.m.
Where	Newman Outdoor Field \| Fargo, North Dakota
TV	GoBison.com/Watch (subscription)
Radio	GoJacks.com/Watch
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| N orth Dakota State \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #RAB5

With a berth locked up in next week's Summit League Baseball Championship, the South Dakota State University baseball team will attempt to secure a top-two seed when it closes the regular season with a three-game series at league rival North Dakota State.

The series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, North Dakota. Game 2 also is slated for 6:30 p.m. start on Friday, with the series finale scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday. All three games can be heard online at GoJacks.com/Watch, with live statistics available at GoJacksLive.com.

The Jackrabbits enter the week second in the Summit League standings with a 17-9 league mark and a 25-19 overall mark. SDSU is in second place, a game and a half behind league-leader Omaha, meaning the Jackrabbits will have to sweep NDSU and Omaha will have to drop all three games at home to Oral Roberts for SDSU to win the regular season title.

SDSU and Oral Roberts split a rain-shortened two-game series last weekend at Erv Huether Field. The Jackrabbits have won or split eight of the nine league series thus far.

North Dakota State remains in contention for a Summit tournament berth as it comes into the final week of the regular season tied for fourth place in the league standings with Western Illinois at 14-13. The Bison, who are 18-22 overall, hold the tiebreaker over WIU by virtue of winning four of the six regular season matchups between the two teams. The Leathernecks travel to last-place Purdue Fort Wayne this weekend.

THE SERIES: Thursday's game will mark the 190th meeting on the baseball diamond between SDSU and North Dakota State. In the series that dates back to 1956, the Jackrabbits hold a 119-70 lead.

Since the two programs joined The Summit League at the start of the 2008 season, the Jackrabbits hold a 29-27 edge in league regular season games. SDSU won two of the three games the squads played in Omaha, Nebraska, April 13-14, in a series that was moved from Brookings due to a winter storm.

In the first meeting of the season, SDSU and NDSU split an April 13 doubleheader. The Jackrabbits won the opener, 5-2, behind seven strong innings from Tyler Olmstead. SDSU grabbed the lead for good with two runs in the bottom of the third inning as Logan Holtz singled and scored on a double by Derek Hackman. Gus Steiger later drove in Hackman with a two-out single. Holtz put the game out of reach with a two-run single in the fourth inning.

The Bison earned a split of the twinbill with a 6-2 victory in the middle game of the series as NDSU starter Max Loven took a shutout into the seventh inning.

SDSU claimed the series with 10-9, 10-inning victory on April 14 at J.J. Isaacson Field. The Jackrabbits forced extra innings on a two-run home run by Josh Falk in the bottom of the ninth, then put together a three-run 10th to pull out the win in dramatic fashion.

Braeden Brown's fourth hit of the game, a single through a drawn-in infield, plated the winning run. SDSU matched a season high with 16 hits.

SUMMIT LEAGUE SUCCESS: South Dakota State has been a consistent winner in The Summit League since it became a league member a decade ago. In 11-plus seasons as a member of The Summit League, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 178-136 (.567 winning percentage) in regular season conference games. SDSU has posted a .500 or better record in league play nine times and now has qualified for the four-team postseason tournament 10 out of the 11 years it has been eligible.

The Jackrabbits shared a Summit League regular season title in 2010 and won the Summit postseason tournament in 2013.

LAST WEEK: Following are some notes from the Jackrabbits' series split against Oral Roberts:

The Jackrabbits won the season series against Oral Roberts, 3-2;
Four of the five games between SDSU and ORU this season were decided by one run;
SDSU ended its abbreviated home schedule with a 5-1 record at Erv Huether Field;
Brady Moxham was credited with the win in the May 10 series opener in only his second appearance of the season;
Moxham's victory was his first since April 29, 2018, at Purdue Fort Wayne;
Logan Holtz posted his fourth three-hit game of the season with a 3-for-3 effort in the May 10 series opener.

FRESHMEN AT THE CORNERS: Two first-year freshmen have held the corner infield positions throughout Summit League play for the Jackrabbits.

Drew Beazley, who was named Summit League Player of the Week on March 25 after the first series of the season against Oral Roberts, shares the third spot on the squad in both home runs (4) and doubles (10) while batting .283 with 17 runs batted in. The Johnston, Iowa, native has seen action both in the field and on the mound for the Jackrabbits, seeing most of his recent playing time at first base. He is hitting .321 in Summit League play, going 26-for-81 with eight doubles, all four of his home runs and 14 runs batted in, while slugging .568.

Beazley also has made 10 appearances out of the bullpen this season and ranks second on the team with three saves.

Fellow freshman Luke Ira has started 41 games this season, mostly at third base. He is tied for second on the team with 14 multi-hit games while batting .243 overall and ranking fourth on the squad with 24 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 .321 average, 13 doubles, 15 stolen bases and 41 runs batted in. He had a streak of reaching base safely end at 36 games May 7 at Minnesota. That streak ranked in a tie for the fourth-longest streak in the program's Division I history (since 2005) with Eric Danforth (2015).

With hits in 31 games during his streak, Steiger batted .348 (56-for-161) with 13 doubles, four home runs and 36 runs batted in. He collected two or more hits in 18 of the 36 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 135 assists in compiling a .948 fielding percentage in more than 200 defensive chances.

FALK HEATING UP: Junior Josh Falk has been a consistent hitter in the middle of the Jackrabbit lineup as he has racked up 12 extra-base hits over the last 19 games.

Since April 1, Falk has batted .333 (23-for-69) and has posted a .652 slugging percentage with five home runs and seven doubles while serving primarily as the team's designated hitter. Falk has recorded seven multi-hit games and has driven in a team-best 21 runs in that span, highlighted by a four-RBI performance in Game 1 of an April 20 doubleheader with Western Illinois.

The Minnetonka, Minnesota, native had his season-best seven-game hitting streak snapped in the April 28 series finale at Omaha. He hit home runs in three of the games during the streak, including a three-run shot for his team-leading eighth round-tripper of the season that was part of a five-run first inning April 23 against Sioux Falls.

COUNTDOWN TO 200: Senior outfielder Nick Smith is making a late run to join a select group of Jackrabbits who have compiled 200 career hits.

The Chanhassen, Minnesota, native enters the weekend with 187 career hits, 13 away from becoming the 19th player in program history to reach the milestone, and the first since Matt Johnson (209 career hits) in 2017. Smith has picked up the pace recently, recording 22 hits (22-for-56) over the last 15 games and highlighted by a four-hit, five-RBI performance in the April 19 series opener against Western Illinois.

Smith also has possessed a discerning eye at the plate as he ranks fifth all-time at SDSU with 104 career bases on balls. This season, Smith has drawn a team-best 39 walks while striking out only 16 times in 197 plate appearances.

A CALL TO ARMS: South Dakota State starting pitchers have thrown at least five innings in 31 of the team's 44 games so far this season, including 22 of 26 Summit League contests.

Junior Tyler Olmstead has taken over the No. 1 starter's role and has tallied a team-best 81 strikeouts in 83 innings. Olmstead's 81 strikeouts rank as the eighth-most in a single season by a Jackrabbit pitcher and he also has moved into the SDSU career top 10 with 162.

A second-team all-Summit League selection in 2018, Olmstead has pitched at least six innings in all nine of his Summit League starts, including a four-hit, complete-game shutout against Purdue Fort Wayne on May 3.

Freshman Nic McCay has hurled at least six innings in seven of his last nine outings with two complete games, highlighted by a nine-inning, 11-strikeout shutout performance in the March 31 series finale against Purdue Fort Wayne. He matched his 11-strikeout performance in seven one-hit innings at Omaha on April 28. McCay currently shares the team lead with five wins and ranks second with 74 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings. His strikeout total is the 10th-most in a season by a Jackrabbit hurler.

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 5-1 record with a 1.55 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 six saves, Barnett has struck out 38 batters — in 29 innings — and has limited the opposition to a .150 batting average (15-for-10).

In his last two outings, May 3 against Purdue Fort Wayne and May 10 versus Oral Roberts, Barnett notched a combined 11 strikeouts on the 14 outs he recorded en route to a win and save, respectively.

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 nine of his 13 starts this season to enter the week tied for the team lead with five wins. He has notched 43 strikeouts in 63 innings.

The Crystal, Minnesota, native became a mainstay in the Jackrabbit rotation starting with his sophomore season in 2015. He currently ranks in third place in program history with 47 games started and is fourth with 256 2/3 innings pitched, while moving into sole possession of seventh place in career strikeouts with 169.

GOING DEEP: Through the first 44 games of the 2019 season, the Jackrabbits have hit 31 home runs, starting with a three-homer game in the Feb. 15 season opener against UT Martin.

Ten different players have accounted for the Jackrabbit home runs, with Nick Smith joining the group April 19 versus Western Illinois. Josh Falk leads the team with eight home runs, followed by Gus Steiger with five. Drew Beazley and Logan Holtz have each hit four, while freshman backup catcher Ryan McDonald has hit three.

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. Beazley notched his first career home run, while Steiger and Falk each hit their second round-trippers of the season.

In all, the Jackrabbits have hit two or more home runs in a game 10 times this 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 missed six weeks due to injury after a March 1 start at Central Arkansas and since his return made four appearances out of the bullpen before returning to a starting role May 7 at Minnesota.

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 69-75 record at SDSU, including a 49-34 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 618-397-1 record (.609 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 make their way to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the 2019 Summit League Baseball Championship May 22-25. Game times and pairings for the four-team, double-elimination tournament at J.L. Johnson Stadium are to be determined.

-GoJacks.com-