Jackrabbits head back to Minnesota

Tuesday, May 7

Minneapolis, Minn.

6 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Minnesota

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia Sports Media

5/6/2019 4:03:00 PM | Baseball

Game 42: South Dakota State (24-17) at Minnesota (21-23)

When	Tuesday, May 7 \| 6 p.m.
Where	Siebert Field \| Minneapolis, Minn.
TV	BTN2Go.com \| FloLive.TV (subscriptions required)
Radio	GoJacks.com/Watch
Live Stats	GopherSports.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Minnesota \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #RAB5

The South Dakota State University baseball team closes out the nonconference portion of its schedule Tuesday night, traveling to Minnesota for a second matchup against the Golden Gophers this season.

First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Siebert Field on the U of M campus in Minneapolis. An online-only broadcast of the game can be heard via GoJacks.com/Watch, with video coverage available through BTN2Go.com or FloLive.tv (subscriptions required).

By matching their season-best winning streak of five games, the Jackrabbits enter Tuesday's game with a 24-17 overall record. SDSU stands second in the Summit League standings with a 16-8 mark after sweeping a three-game home series from Purdue Fort Wayne.

SDSU also won five games in a row March 23-31, winning the final two games of a three-game series at Oral Roberts, followed by a three-game sweep at Purdue Fort Wayne. The Jackrabbits have won seven of eight Summit League series this season.

Minnesota is coming off its own weekend home sweep as it improved to 21-23 overall. The Golden Gophers outlasted Ohio State, 5-4 in 18 innings, in their May 4 series opener, then swept a doubleheader by scores of 11-2 and 3-2 a day later. Minnesota is 11-7 in Big Ten play to rank in a tie for third with Iowa.

THE SERIES: Tuesday's game against Minnesota will mark the 48th time the Jackrabbits and Golden Gophers have met on the baseball diamond. Minnesota leads the all-time series, which dates back to 1947, by a 35-12 count, winning each of the last five matchups.

SDSU's last win in the series was a 7-6, 10-inning victory at Erv Huether Field on May 17, 2016.

FIRST MEETING: Minnesota scored the go-ahead run in a three-run fifth inning and four Golden Gopher pitchers combined on a two-hitter en route to a 5-1 victory over South Dakota State in the first meeting between the two squads April 16 at Siebert Field.

Ryan McDonald provided what would be the only Jackrabbit run of the night by leading off the top of the second inning with his third home run of the season.

SDSU had several chances to add to their run total, but couldn't come up with a clutch hit after being issued eight free passes – seven walks and one hit batter – by Minnesota hurlers. The Jackrabbits loaded the bases on three walks following McDonald's home run in the second and also stranded two runners in the first, fifth and seventh innings. In all, SDSU stranded 10 men on the night.

Minnesota tied the game when a run scored on a double-play grounder in the fourth inning, then took the lead on only one hit in the three-run fifth. Jordan Kozicky and Eli Wilson drew back-to-back walks to open the inning against SDSU reliever Brady Stover, which were followed by Cole McDevitt's third hit of the game, a single to left that plated Kozicky with the go-ahead run. Wilson and McDevitt later scored on a passed ball and wild pitch, respectively, after each moved up a base following a sacrifice bunt by Andrew Wilhite.

Kozicky provided the final tally with his seventh home run of the season to lead off the bottom of the seventh.

McDevitt was the lone player on either squad with more than one hit as he went 3-for-4 to lead Minnesota's nine-hit attack.

Golden Gopher reliever Jeff Fasching held SDSU in check over three shutout innings to earn the win in relief of J.P. Massey. Fasching struck out four and walked two, while Nolan Burchill and Bubba Watson finished up on the mound for Minnesota with a shutout inning each.

Korey Kuhlmann pitched three shutout innings in earning the start for the Jackrabbits. The senior southpaw struck out four, hit one batter and scattered five hits. Brett Mogen added a shutout frame, striking out the side in order in the bottom of the eighth.

LAST WEEK: Following are some notes from the Jackrabbits' series sweep over Purdue Fort Wayne:

The Jackrabbits limited Purdue Fort Wayne to six runs, 11 hits and a .129 batting average in the three-game series;
SDSU played its first true home Summit League games of the season and improved to 4-0 at Erv Huether Field;
Tyler Olmstead pitched the second complete-game shutout by a Jackrabbit this season, tossing a four-hitter in the May 3 series opener;
Freshman Nic McCay posted his second complete game of the year in the series finale as the Jackrabbits won 12-2 in seven innings;
Landon Badger led the Jackrabbits at the plate with a .545 batting average (6-for-11) with a home run, two doubles and five runs scored;
Gus Steiger (6-for-12, 6 RBIs) and Josh Falk (5-for-10, 7 RBIs) each hit .500 in the weekend series;
The Jackrabbits used only four pitchers in the entire three-game series;
SDSU improved to 8-1 in games played on Sundays this season.

FRESHMEN AT THE CORNERS: Two first-year freshmen have held the corner infield positions throughout Summit League play and have been key contributors to the Jackrabbit offense this season.

Drew Beazley, who was named Summit League Player of the Week on March 25, shares the second spot on the squad with four home runs while batting .271 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 recent playing time at first base. He is hitting .303 in Summit League play, going 3-for-76 with eight doubles, all four of his home runs and 14 runs batted in, while posting a .566 slugging percentage.

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 38 of 41 games this season, mostly at third base. He is tied for second on the team with 14 multi-hit games while batting .245 overall and ranking in a tie for third 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 .330 average, 15 stolen bases and 39 runs batted in. He has reached base safely in 36 games in a row, which ranks in a time for the fourth-longest streak in the program's Division I history (since 2005).

With hits in 31 games during his current streak, Steiger is batting .348 (56-for-161) with 13 doubles, four home runs and 36 runs batted in. He has 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 129 assists in compiling a .950 fielding percentage.

FALK HEATING UP: Junior Josh Falk has been on a tear at the plate as he has racked up 12 extra-base hits over the last 16 games.

Since April 1, Falk has batted .383 (23-for-60) and posted a .750 slugging percentage with five home runs and seven doubles while splitting time between first base and designated hitter. Falk has recorded seven multi-hit games and drove in 21 runs in that span, highlighted by a four-RBI performance in Game 1 of the April 20 doubleheader versus 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 week with 183 career hits, 17 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 20 hits (20-for-52) over the last 14 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 184 plate appearances.

A CALL TO ARMS: South Dakota State starting pitchers have thrown at least five innings in 30 of the team's 41 games so far this season, including 21 of 24 Summit League contests.

Junior Tyler Olmstead has taken over the No. 1 starter's role in recent weeks and has tallied a team-best 75 strikeouts in 77 innings. Olmstead's 75 strikeouts rank as the ninth-most in a single season by a Jackrabbit pitcher and he is one strikeout outside the SDSU career top 10 with 156.

A second-team all-Summit League selection in 2018, Olmstead has pitched into at least the seventh inning in all eight 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 nine eight outings, 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 1.67 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 five saves, Barnett has struck out 33 batters — in 27 innings — and has limited the opposition to a .143 batting average (13-for-93).

In his last outing, May 3 against Purdue Fort Wayne, Barnett notched strikeouts on six of the eight outs he recorded en route to the victory.

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 12 starts this season to enter the week tied for the team lead with five wins against three losses. He has notched 42 strikeouts in 62 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 46 games started and is fourth with 255 2/3 innings pitched, while moving into sole possession of seventh place in career strikeouts with 168.

GOING DEEP: Through the first 41 games of the 2019 season, the Jackrabbits have hit 30 home runs, starting with a three-homer performance 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 homers, hitting five over his last 13 games.

Gus Steiger, Drew Beazley and Logan Holtz have each hit four, while freshman backup catcher Ryan McDonald and Logan Holtz 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 has made four appearances out of the bullpen, starting April 14 versus North Dakota State.

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 68-73 record at SDSU, including a 45-30 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 617-395-1 record (.610 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 return to Brookings to close out the home portion of their schedule by hosting Oral Roberts in a three-game series May 10-12 at Erv Huether Field. The senior class will be honored prior to Saturday's game.

-GoJacks.com-