JACKRABBITS MOVE ON TO UNC FOR FOUR

Friday, February 26

Greeley, Colo.

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

South Dakota State University

Northern Colorado

Photo by: SDSU Sports Information

2/24/2021 6:47:00 PM | Baseball

Games 4-7: South Dakota State (1-2) at Northern Colorado (2-1)

When	Friday, Feb. 26 \| 2 p.m. Mountain (3 p.m. Central) Saturday, Feb. 27 [DH, 7/9 innings] \| noon MT (1 p.m. Central) Sunday, Feb. 28 \| noon MT (1 p.m. Central)
Where	Jackson Field \| Greeley, Colo.
TV	WACDigitalNetwork.com
Radio	None
Live Stats	UNCBears.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Northern Colorado \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #RAB5

The South Dakota State University baseball team is scheduled to play its lone regular season series outside the Central Time Zone this year, traveling to once and future conference rival Northern Colorado for a four-game weekend set.

The series opener is slated for a 2 p.m. Mountain Time (3 p.m. Central) first pitch Friday afternoon at Jackson Field on the UNC campus in Greeley, Colorado. A doubleheader is set for a noon MT (1 p.m. CT) start Saturday, with the series finale scheduled for noon MT (1 p.m. CT) Sunday.

All four games can be viewed online through WACDigitalNetwork.com.

SDSU enters the second weekend of the 2021 season with a 1-2 record. The Jackrabbits traveled to Minneapolis last weekend for a three-game set against Kansas at U.S. Bank Stadium and came away with an 8-5 victory in the middle game of the series. Kansas took the series by winning the opener, 7-3, and the finale, 13-1.

Northern Colorado, meanwhile, opened the season by winning two of three games against Colorado Christian in games played in Lakewood, Colorado Feb. 20-21. After dropping a 9-8, 15-inning decision in the opener, the Bears came back to claim the series with 5-1 and 17-10 victories.

THE SERIES: Friday's game between SDSU and Northern Colorado will mark the 56th meeting in a series that dates back to 1973. The Jackrabbits lead the all-time series, 31-24.

Since both teams moved from NCAA Division II and the North Central Conference to Division I in the mid-2000s, SDSU has held the upper hand in the series by a 21-13 count, although Northern Colorado has won the last five matchups.

The two programs last met March 9-11, 2018, in Greeley, with the Bears sweeping a four-game series. UNC claimed the first two games of the series with one-run victories — 3-2 in 11 innings and 5-4 — before notching wins of 8-2 and 11-7 to close out the series.

Each of the last 24 games between the two programs have been played on the Bears' home field. The last time SDSU and UNC met on South Dakota soil was in 2007, when the Jackrabbits swept a three-game series in Rapid City. The Bears' last visit to Brookings for baseball was in 2001, in what were the final games played at the original Erv Huether Field.

That will likely change next year, when UNC is scheduled to join The Summit League as an affiliate member. With the addition of the University of St. Thomas (Minn.), the league roster of baseball teams will grow to seven.

SHORT HOPS: Following are a few quick notes about the Jackrabbits from their season-opening series against Kansas:

SDSU scored nine of its 12 runs in the series in the fifth inning, tallying at least one run in that frame in each of the three games;
The Jackrabbits turned three double plays in their 8-5 victory over Kansas on Feb. 20 — their most in a game since turning four at Omaha on March 17, 2017;
Freshman second baseman Avery Mellman's first career hit was a two-run home run in the fifth inning of the season opener;
Luke Ira drove in a career-high four runs in the Jackrabbit victory on Feb. 20, marking the most RBIs in a game by an SDSU player since Josh Falk knocked in four runs in the first game of a doubleheader against Western Illinois on April 20, 2019;
Cody Carlson picked up his first victory in a Jackrabbit uniform in Game 2 of the series;
Carlson started a game for the first time as a Jackrabbit after making a combined 11 relief appearances in 2019 and 2020;
Carlson's 5 1/3 innings and six strikeouts were both career highs;
Jackrabbit pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts in each of the first two games of the series;
Freshman infielder Jordan Sagedahl reached base four times (single, walk and two hit by pitches) in his collegiate debut on Feb. 20;
Freshman outfielder Jess Bellows led the team with two hits in his first collegiate game on Feb. 21;
Wyatt Andersen doubled in each of the two games in which he played.
Jamie Berg was the team's leading hitter in the series with a .429 average (3-for-7).

PRESEASON POLL: South Dakota State has been picked to finish fourth in the 2021 Summit League baseball race, according to a preseason poll conducted among the league's five coaches.

Defending champion Omaha grabbed the top spot in the poll with three first-place votes and 15 points, edging Oral Roberts with two first-place votes and 14 points. North Dakota State was third with 10 points, followed by the Jackrabbits with seven. Western Illinois rounded out the poll with four points.

The top four teams will advance to the Summit League Baseball Championship May 26-29 in Omaha, Nebraska. SDSU has qualified for the league tournament in 10 of 11 seasons it has been eligible for postseason play.

The Jackrabbits finished the COVID-shortened 2020 season with a 5-12 overall record. The season was canceled just before the start of Summit League play.

In addition, Drew Beazley was named as a Summit League Player to Watch and right-hander Adam Mazur was tabbed as a Summit League Pitcher to Watch.

A sophomore from Johnston, Iowa, Beazley hit .239, drove in nine runs and shared the team lead with two home runs during an abbreviated 2020 season. He earned Freshman All-America recognition from Collegiate Baseball in 2019 and was a second-team all-Summit League selection after batting .275 with four home runs and 21 runs batted in.

Besides playing first base, Beazley is expected to see an expanded role on the Jackrabbit pitching staff in 2021.

Mazur rose to the top of the SDSU starting rotation as a true freshman in 2020. The Woodbury, Minnesota, native made four starts, compiling a 1-2 record. He struck out 18 batters in 20 1/3 innings.

LAST WEEK: The Jackrabbits opened the 2021 season by winning one of three games in a series against Kansas that was relocated to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Game 1: Kansas 5, SDSU 3 | Recap | Box Score
Game 2: SDSU 8, Kansas 5 | Recap | Box Score
Game 3: Kansas 13, SDSU 1 | Recap | Box Score

BARNETT MOVES UP SAVES CHART: Junior relief pitcher Bret Barnett recorded the 10th save of his career in the Jackrabbits' win over Kansas on Feb. 20. Barnett notched the final four outs, including the first two of the ninth inning on a double play, to close out the win.

With his save, Barnett moved into a tie with Chad Coley (10 saves from 1990-93) for sixth place in program history. The Indianola, Iowa, native earned seven saves en route to first-team all-Summit League honors in 2019, and tallied two saves during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

MOGEN NEARS TOP 10: When he next heads to the mound, senior right-hander Brett Mogen will move into the SDSU career top 10 for appearances. The Dell Rapids native made his 63rd career appearance in the Feb. 19 season opener against Kansas, working three innings.

Mogen put together his best season in a Jackrabbit uniform in 2019 with a 1-1 record and 1.67 ERA in 20 appearances. His ERA ranked as the sixth lowest in a season by an SDSU pitcher with more than 30 innings pitched.

When Mogen makes his next appearance, he will move into a tie with current Minnesota Twins pitcher Caleb Thielbar (64 appearances from 2006-09) and Mike Robinson (64 appearances from 2007-10) for the 10th spot.

SUNDQUIST RACKS UP THE K'S: Returning freshman right-hander Eli Sundquist picked up where he left off from an abbreviated 2020 season in his first appearance this year.

The Chisholm, Minnesota, product struck out three batters among the five outs he recorded in a Feb. 20 relief appearance against Kansas. In 2020, Sundquist fanned a team-high 19 batters in only 13 2/3 innings, giving him 22 career strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings over nine appearances. That equates to a ratio of 12.92 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.

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.

Through four seasons with the Jackrabbits, Bishop holds a 78-92 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.

The 2020 season was canceled just before the start of Summit League play, with SDSU posting a 5-12 record in the first month of the season. The Jackrabbits recorded wins at Minnesota, Air Force and Kansas State the final week of the pandemic-shortened campaign.

Overall, Bishop holds a 627-414-1 record (.602 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, Bishop has mentored a handful of Jackrabbit players who have pursued professional careers. 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. Shortstop Gus Steiger signed with the Cincinnati Reds following an abbreviated 2020 MLB Draft. 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.

CLARK JOINS STAFF: Kirk Clark joined the Jackrabbit baseball program in January 2021 and will fill the role of pitching coach.

Clark previously spent six years as an assistant coach at Wayne State College (Neb.), where he served as the Wildcats' pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. During his time at WSC, the Wildcats posted four winning seasons, including a breakthrough 32-18 campaign in 2019.

Clark's pitching staffs consistently ranked in the upper half of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference for earned run average and saves, including posting a 4.17 ERA in 2019 to rank fourth. In his first season, 2015, WSC led the league in strikeouts per game (8.14) and ranked third in ERA (4.58).

Wayne State relievers combined to lead the NSIC with 14 saves in 2017 and ranked second with 12 saves in 2015.

Clark arrived at Wayne State after a professional playing career. He was signed as a free agent following the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft and went on to set a single-season record with 29 saves for Class A Lexington in his first full professional season in 2010, earning South Atlantic League All-Star recognition. During three-plus seasons in the Astros organization, which included two seasons with Lancaster of the Class A California League, he compiled a 14-11 record with 56 saves in 150 appearances.

He also played in various independent leagues, including pitching for the Sioux Falls Canaries (two seasons) and the Schaumburg Bombers in the American Association, as well as 2014 stint with the Quebec City Capitals.

A native of Moline, Illinois, Clark began his collegiate playing career at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs before moving across the Missouri River to pitch for Creighton. He set the Iowa Western career record for wins with 17, helping lead the Reivers to the Junior College World Series in 2007. He was a first-team all-region selection after going 8-3 with a 3.66 ERA in 2007.

THE ROSTER: The 2021 SDSU baseball roster features 36 players from seven different states. Of the 36 players, 13 are from Iowa, 10 are from South Dakota and seven hail from Minnesota. Two players are from Nebraska and North Dakota, while Montana and Washington are represented by one player each.

By class, four are seniors, two are juniors, nine are sophomores and 21 are freshmen (11 returning, 10 incoming).

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits are scheduled to continue their road swing across six states to open the season by playing a three-game series at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. The March 5 series opener is set for a 3 p.m. first pitch at Simmons Complex on the SIUE campus, while the other two games of the series are slated for 1 p.m. starts.

-GoJacks.com-