Jacks fly off to Air Force for three

Friday, March 6

USAF Academy, Colo.

2 p.m. MT/3 p.m. CT

South Dakota State University

Air Force

Photo by: SDSU Sports Information

3/5/2020 4:42:00 PM | Baseball

Games 13-15: South Dakota State (3-9) at Air Force (3-11)

When	Friday, March 6 (2 p.m. MT) \| Saturday, March 7 (1 p.m. MT) \| Sunday, March 8 (noon MT)
Where	Falcon Field \| U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
TV	TheMW.com [Game 1 \| Game 2 \| Game 3]
Radio	None
Live Stats	G oJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Air Force \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #RAB5

BROOKINGS, S.D. — The South Dakota State University baseball team continues a grueling stretch of nine road games in a 12-day span by traveling to the Air Force Academy for a three-game weekend series.

Friday's series opener is slated for a 2 p.m. Mountain Time (3 p.m. Central) first pitch Friday afternoon at Falcon Field. Games Saturday and Sunday are set for respective start times of 1 p.m. MT (2 p.m. CT) and noon MT (1 p.m. CT).

Video coverage of all three games will be available through the Mountain West Digital Network at TheMW.com.

The Jackrabbits, who are in the midst of playing their first 23 games away from home, come into the weekend series with a 3-9 overall record. SDSU opened its Spring Break trip with a 10-8 victory at Minnesota on March 4 — a game that was played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Air Force, which will play its home opener Friday, has turned in a 3-11 record thus far in 2020. The Falcons were swept in a two-game series at Wichita State earlier in the week, falling by scores of 15-4 and 2-0.

THE SERIES: Friday's game against Air Force will mark the 18th time SDSU and Air Force have met on the baseball diamond. Air Force leads the all-time series, which dates back to 1959, by an 11-6 count, winning each of the last three matchups.

SDSU's last win in the series was a 2-1 victory at Erv Huether Field on April 12, 2014.

When the teams last met, Air Force swept a two-game midweek series, March 6-7, 2018, on its home field. The Falcons recorded come-from-behind victories in both games, overcoming a six-run deficit for an 8-7 victory in the opener, followed by an 11-7 victory that was highlighted by a seven-run fifth inning.

LAST TIME OUT: South Dakota State took the lead for good with a three-run seventh inning and added three more runs in the ninth en route to defeating Minnesota, 10-8, in nonconference baseball action Wednesday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Jackrabbits' seventh-inning rally came after Minnesota had taken a 5-4 lead with a four-run bottom of the sixth. The first two SDSU batters of the inning reached on free passes as Derek Hackman walked and Colton Cox was hit by a pitch. After the next two batters were retired, Gus Steiger was intentionally walked to load the bases. Ryan McDonald drew a walk to force in the tying run and Josh Falk delivered the go-ahead hit with a single through the right side that plated both Cox and Steiger.

In the three-run ninth, Falk was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run before Luke Ira dropped down a squeeze bunt with Steiger scoring on the play. The final Jackrabbit run scored on a wild pitch.

Minnesota cut the deficit in half on a two-run single by Drew Hmielewski in the bottom of the ninth, but Brett Mogen closed out a three-inning save on a groundout to shortstop. The senior right-hander from Dell Rapids struck out five and walked one in recording his first save of the season.

The Golden Gophers scored the first run of the game on an RBI double by Sam Ireland, who paced Minnesota's 12-hit attack by going 3-for-4.

SDSU grabbed its first lead of the night in the top of the third on a two-run home run by Matt Krambeck. It was Krambeck's second homer of the season.

The Jackrabbits built their lead to 4-1 in the top of the sixth on RBI singles by Steiger and Drew Beazley. Steiger was the lone Jackrabbit with more than one hit as he went 2-for-4 and scored three times.

SDSU ended the night with seven hits.

Minnesota regained the lead with four runs on five hits in the home half of the sixth. Jack Kelly and Max Meyer delivered run-scoring singles before Andrew Wilhite drove in two runs with a single up the middle.

Freshman right-hander Eli Sundquist picked up the win. Nate Steenblock, the third of six Jackrabbit pitchers on the night, tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings, recording a pair of strikeouts.

SHORT HOPS: Following are some notes regarding the South Dakota State baseball team entering its three-game series at Air Force:

The Jackrabbits hold a 1-4 record in one-run games and are 0-2 in extra-inning contests this season;
SDSU did not score first in any of its three wins so far this season;
Shortstop Gus Steiger had his streak of consecutive games started end at 75, when he sat out the second game of the Feb. 29 doubleheader, but marked his return to the lineup with a two-hit performance March 4 at Minnesota;
Over the last five games, SDSU has hit six home runs and has not allowed a long ball;
Eight different players have hit home runs for the Jackrabbits this season, with Josh Falk, Luke Ira and Carson Max each hitting their first home runs of the year in last weekend's four-game series at UT Rio Grande Valley;
Of SDSU's 11 home runs so far this season, only four have been of the solo variety — six have been two-run shots and one a three-run blast;
Max matched an individual team high this season with three runs batted in during a 2-for-4 effort in Game 1 of the Feb. 29 doubleheader;
Ryan McDonald has drawn three walks in each of the past two games;
The Jackrabbits were 7-of-8 in stolen-base attempts in last weekend's series at UTRGV, including two by Steiger in the Feb. 28 series opener;
SDSU pitchers have combined to record double figures in strikeouts six times this season, including in five of the last six games;
Bret Barnett, who was an all-Summit League closer last season, made his first career start March 4 at Minnesota;
The Jackrabbits have outscored the opposition by a 12-1 margin in the seventh innings of games so far this season.

FALK HEATING UP: Senior Josh Falk has put together a strong week at the plate, taking his place among the team leaders in a number of offensive categories.

The first baseman/designated hitter from Minnetonka, Minnesota, has hit safely in each of the last six games, batting at a .429 clip (9-of-21) and recording all of his eight runs batted in to share the team lead. He recorded an extra-base hit in four contests en route to an .857 slugging percentage, starting with a double in the Feb. 26 game at Minnesota.

In the four-game series at UTRGV, Falk recorded two doubles, two home runs and five runs batted in. His first home run of the season was a game-tying solo shot in the top of the seventh of the Feb. 28 series opener. He connected again and also doubled in the second game of the Feb. 29 twinbill.

Falk enters the weekend with 16 career home runs, which ranks as the most among active Jackrabbit players.

BEAZLEY, TOO: Also supplying consistent offense in the four-game series at UTRGV was sophomore Drew Beazley. In splitting time with Josh Falk at either first base or designated hitter, Beazley batted .429 (6-for-14) with a double, triple and home run. He has reached base safely in eight consecutive games after tallying a run-scoring single in the March 3 win at Minnesota.

For the season, Beazley shares the team lead in home runs with Falk and Matt Krambeck with two.

POWER SURGE: South Dakota State has hit a home run in each of the five games. The last time the Jackrabbits hit home runs in five consecutive games was between May 18 and 22, 2010, in games against North Dakota (1) and Western Illinois (4).

SDSU also had a streak of seven consecutive games with a home run earlier in the 2010 campaign en route to a single-season record 84 round-trippers.

BACK-TO-BACK JACKS: When Matt Krambeck and Drew Beazley hit back-to-back home runs in the Feb. 15 game at Dallas Baptist, it marked the first time the Jackrabbits connected on consecutive circuit clouts in nearly a full calendar year.

The last time SDSU accomplished the feat was Feb. 16, 2019, versus UT Martin, when Logan Holtz and Ryan McDonald went back-to-back in the fifth inning. That also was the second game of the season.

YOUNG GUNS: With returning starters Tyler Olmstead and Nic McCay sidelined by injury, the Jackrabbits have relied heavily on freshman pitchers in the first few weeks of the 2020 season.

Leading the freshman contingent is right-hander Adam Mazur, who has been the Friday-night starter in each of the first three weekend series. The Woodbury, Minnesota, native has turned in back-to-back starts in which he allowed only one run, earning his first collegiate victory after a five-inning outing Feb. 21 at Pacific and finishing with a no-decision despite a nine-strikeout performance over seven innings Feb. 28 at UT Rio Grande Valley.

Mazur currently leads the team in strikeouts (16) and ranks second in innings pitched (16.1).

Of the 41 innings recorded over five games by Jackrabbit hurlers last week, 25 were logged among five first-year pitchers. The five pitchers — Mazur, Eli Sundquist, Jack Sullivan, Rick Atkins and Nate Steenblock — combined for 37 strikeouts in those 25 innings, with Sundquist leading the way with 13 K's in only six innings.

Four of the five struck out the side in at least one inning last week:

Adam Mazur – first inning at UTRGV (2-28);
Rick Atkins – third inning at Minnesota (2-26) and fourth inning at UTRGV (Game 1, 2-29);
Eli Sundquist – fifth inning at Minnesota (2-26) and fourth inning at UTRGV?(Game 2, 2-29);
Nate Steenblock – eighth inning at UTRGV (Game 2, 2-29).

MOGEN SETS UP AGAIN: Senior relief pitcher Brett Mogen has picked up where he left off from the 2019 season. Starting with four shutout innings in his first appearance of the 2020 campaign Feb. 15 versus Dallas Baptist, Mogen has gone on to post a 1-0 record with a save and a 1.59 earned run average, allowing only three runs in six appearances, covering a team-high 17 innings. He is limiting the opposition to a .183 batting average and has not allowed an extra-base hit this season.

The Dell Rapids native picked up the win in the Feb. 28 series opener at UT Rio Grande Valley, recording two shutout innings that included striking out the side in the ninth inning. He added 2 1/3 more scoreless innings in the March 1 series finale.

Dating back to last season, Mogen ran his scoreless innings streak to 16 — over seven appearances — before allowing a run in the Feb. 23 series finale at Pacific. He opened that series with three shutout innings in helping lead the Jackrabbits to a 2-1 win in the Feb. 21 series opener.

Mogen finished 2019 with a 1.67 earned run average in sharing the team lead with 20 appearances. His 2019 ERA ranks as the sixth-best in a season by a Jackrabbit who pitched more than 30 innings.

IRONMAN BEHIND THE PLATE: Jackrabbit catcher Derek Hackman has been behind the plate for 85 of the 98 innings SDSU has been in the field so far this season.

The junior from Johnston, Iowa, leads the team with 76 putouts.

CARLSON REJOINS TEAM: Left-hander Cody Carlson has been added to the roster, marking a return to the Jackrabbit pitching staff.

A senior from Rapid City, Carlson made 10 relief appearances for the Jackrabbits in 2019, posting a 0-3 record with one save. He struck out 19 batters in 21 1/3 innings.

Carlson previously attended Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado, before transferring to SDSU.

PRESEASON POLL: South Dakota State has been picked to finish third in the upcoming Summit League baseball race, according to a poll conducted among conference coaches that was announced Feb. 6 by league officials.

The Jackrabbits received two of the six first-place votes, finishing with 18 points. Oral Roberts received three first-place votes and topped the poll with 23 points, followed by defending league champion Omaha with one first-place vote and 19 points.

Rounding out the poll were: North Dakota State, 16 points; Western Illinois, 9 points, and Purdue Fort Wayne, 5 points.

Among the Jackrabbit returners, juniors Gus Steiger and Bret Barnett were recognized among the Summit League's top players to watch.

A two-time all-Summit League honoree, Steiger paced the Jackrabbits offensively in 2019 with team highs in batting average (.324), hits (73) runs scored (45), runs batted in (43), doubles (13) and stolen bases (18). He also ranked second on the squad with five home runs in starting all 50 games.

Steiger, a native of Minnetonka, Minnesota, was a first-team all-Summit selection at shortstop in 2019, after earning second-team recognition as a second baseman his freshman year.

Barnett emerged as the top relief pitcher in the Summit League during the 2019 season, earning first-team honors after posting a 5-1 record with seven saves. The left-hander from Indianola, Iowa, registered a 1.31 earned run average, struck out 47 batters in 34 1/3 innings and limited opposing hitters to a .138 batting average.

Summit League play is slated to begin March 13, when SDSU opens a three-game set at Oral Roberts. League teams will play a pair of three-game series (home and home) for a total of 30 regular season contests.

The top four teams during the regular season will advance to the 2020 Summit League Baseball Championship, which is scheduled for May 20-23 in Omaha, Nebraska.

COACH BISHOP: Rob Bishop, who has guided college baseball teams to more than 600 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 of Jackrabbit baseball.

Now in his fourth season with the Jackrabbits, Bishop holds a 75-87 record at SDSU.

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.

SDSU bounced back in 2019, posting a 28-22 overall record that included a second-place mark of 19-10 in Summit League play. The Jackrabbits won or split nine of the 10 league series in regular season play en route to making an appearance in the four-team Summit League Baseball Championship for the 10th time in 11 years.

Overall, Bishop has compiled a 624-409-1 record (.604 winning percentage) as a collegiate head coach. He earned his 600th career victory in the Jackrabbits' 8-6 victory at UA Little Rock on March 10, 2019.

Individually, Jackrabbit players have been honored as all-Summit League performers 18 times during his brief tenure, including eight all-league selections in 2019. Utility player Nick Smith was honored for the third consecutive season, while shortstop Gus Steiger and starting pitcher Tyler Olmstead were repeat selections in 2019.

In addition, catcher Luke Ringhofer was selected in the 22nd round of the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft by the Baltimore Orioles and relief pitcher Chris Halbur was offered a free agent contract by the Los Angeles Dodgers after Bishop's first season in Brookings. In 2019, left-handed pitcher Brady Stover was a 31st-round pick of the Washington Nationals, but opted to return to the Jackrabbits for his senior season.

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 the past 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 the last five years of his tenure 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 32 players from four different states. Of the 32 players, 14 are from Iowa, nine are from South Dakota, seven hail from Minnesota and two are Nebraska natives.

By class, eight are seniors, three are juniors, eight are sophomores and 13 are incoming freshmen.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits work their way back to the Central Time Zone, playing a two-game midweek series March 10-11 at Kansas State. Both games are set for 6 p.m. starts at Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas, with coverage of both games available through the ESPN+ streaming platform.

SDSU closes out its long road trip by opening Summit League play with a three-game series March 13-15 at Oral Roberts.

-GoJacks.com-