JACKRABBITS START HOME STRETCH WITH ST. THOMAS

Saturday, April 2

St. Paul, Minn.

2:30 p.m.

South Dakota State University

St. Thomas

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

5/11/2022 4:00:00 PM | Baseball

GAMES 38-40: St. Thomas (13-26, 7-11 Summit) at South Dakota State (18-19, 9-7)

When	Friday-Sunday, May 13-15 3 p.m. Friday \| 1 p.m. Saturday \| 1 p.m. Sunday
Where	Erv Huether Field \| Brookings, South Dakota
TV	GoJacks.com/Watch
Radio	KJJQ 910 AM \| GoJacks.com/Watch (Sunday only)
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| St. Thomas \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #RAB5

The South Dakota State baseball team hits the home stretch of the 2022 regular season this weekend, hosting Summit League newcomer St. Thomas in a three-game series at Erv Huether Field.

Friday's series opener is slated for a 3 p.m. first pitch, with games Saturday and Sunday set for 1 p.m. The five-member Jackrabbit senior class will be honored prior to Saturday's game, with Sunday's contest designated as Retro Day.

The Jackrabbits enter the series having won 12 of their last 16 games to improve to 18-19 overall and 9-7 in The Summit League. SDSU claimed two of three games last weekend at Omaha to solidify its hold on fourth place in the league standings. With six games to play, the Jackrabbits can lock up a spot in the four-team Summit League Baseball Championship with a combination of two of their own wins or losses by Northern Colorado.

St. Thomas comes into the weekend 13-26 overall and 7-11 in The Summit League after winning one game at Oral Roberts last weekend. As a new conference member and in the early stages of their transition to NCAA Division I, the Tommies are ineligible for postseason play this year.?

THE SERIES: Friday's series opener will mark only the fourth meeting between South Dakota State and St. Thomas on the baseball diamond. All three previous matchups were played earlier this season as the Jackrabbits swept a series played April 2-3 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The Jackrabbits claimed the April 2 opener, 5-3, behind 6 1/3 strong innings from starter Nic McCay and two-RBI performances at the plate by Derek Hackman and Owen Bishop. Bishop's two RBIs came on a first-inning home run.

SDSU earned sweeps of a doubleheader and the series on April 3, winning by scores of 2-1 and 6-1. Jordan Sagedahl accounted for the first run of the opener with a home run, while the Jackrabbits' second run scored on an error. Cody Carlson pitched into the seventh inning before the bullpen tandem of Alex Clemons and Bret Barnett closed out the one-run victory.

In the finale, Bishop carried a shutout into the ninth inning and the Jackrabbits came alive at the plate with three home runs. Bishop struck out six and walked only one over 8 1/3 innings. Hackman hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning to open the scoring, followed by a solo homer from Dawson Parry later in the frame and a two-run shot by Luke Ira in the eighth.

SHORT HOPS: Following are some quick Jackrabbit notes entering this week's slate of games:

The Jackrabbits had their school-record streak of 18 games with a home run come to an end in their May 7 game at Omaha. Ryan McDonald pushed the streak to 18 with a homer in the May 6 series opener.
SDSU's 43 home runs so far this season are the most by a Jackrabbit team since the 2010 squad hit a school-record 84 round-trippers.
The Jackrabbits stole a season-high five bases in the May 6 series opener at Omaha. Reece Anderson and Henry George each stole two bases, with Drew Beazley recording the other steal. Anderson is 14-for-14 on stolen-base attempts this season, while George is 12-for-13.
Beazley hit safely in all three games of the Omaha series to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. It is the longest hitting streak by the Jackrabbits since Nick Smith recorded a hit in 14 straight games during the 2018 season.
Beazley connected on SDSU's fifth grand slam of the season in the April 26 victory at Minnesota. Dawson Parry and Ryan McDonald have each hit two grand slams this season.
Luke Ira has extended his streak of consecutive games started to 106, which dates back to late in the 2019 season. Ira has made 85 straight starts and a total of 87 starts at shortstop during his current streak, while also starting 17 games at second base and two at third base.
Ira hit his team-leading 10th home run in the May 8 series finale at Omaha, becoming the first Jackrabbit to hit double digits for round-trippers in a season since Matt Johnson hit 12 homers in 2017.
The Jackrabbits registered double figures for hits in each of the three games of the Omaha series and have done so in six of their last seven contests.
Cody Carlson has factored into the decision in each of his 10 starts this season, posting a team-best five wins against five losses.
The Jackrabbits tallied 15 strikeouts in the May 6 game at Omaha, which ranks as the most by their pitching staff in a nine-inning game this season. Nic McCay struck out seven in six innings and Ryan Bourassa tallied eight strikeouts over the final three innings.

PRESEASON POLL: South Dakota State has been picked to finish fourth in the 2022 Summit League baseball race, according to a poll conducted among the league's seven coaches that was announced in February.

Defending regular season champion Oral Roberts grabbed the top spot in the poll with six first-place votes and 36 points, followed by 2021 tournament champion North Dakota State with 31 points and one first-place vote.

Omaha edged the Jackrabbits for third place by one point, 24-23, while new affiliate member Northern Colorado placed fifth with 13 points. Western Illinois (12 points) and Summit League newcomer St. Thomas (8 points) rounded out the poll.

The top four teams will advance to the Summit League Baseball Championship May 25-28 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. SDSU has qualified for the league tournament in 11 of 12 seasons it has been eligible for postseason play.

In addition, infielder Luke Ira was named as a Summit League Player to Watch and redshirt sophomore Nic McCay was tabbed as a Summit League Pitcher to Watch.

A junior from Iowa City, Iowa, Ira took over starting duties at shortstop last season and led the team with 48 hits and 11 doubles while starting all 47 games. Ira contributed three home runs and also ranked second on the squad with a .268 batting average and 23 RBIs.

McCay makes a return to the Jackrabbits' starting rotation after sitting out the past two seasons due to injury. A?native of Carlisle, Iowa, McCay was a Freshman All-America selection by Collegiate Baseball in 2019 after compiling a 6-1 record with a 4.08 earned run average in 14 starts. He struck out 83 batters in 79 1/3 innings that season.

SUMMIT LEAGUE SUCCESS: South Dakota State has been a consistent winner in The Summit League since it became a league member more than a decade ago. Now in its 14th season as a member of The Summit League, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 198-163 (.548 winning percentage) record in regular season conference games. SDSU has posted a .500 or better record in league play nine times and has qualified for the four-team postseason tournament 11 out of the 12 years it has been eligible.

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

TOP CATCHING TANDEM: South Dakota State's Derek Hackman and Ryan McDonald have provided plenty of offensive pop and solid defense from the catching position during the 2022 campaign.

The team's regular starting catcher, the left-handed hitting Hackman has been a consistent offensive performer for the Jackrabbits each of the past two seasons.

A senior from Johnston, Iowa, Hackman has reached base safely in 31 of 37 games this season and ranks second on the team with 29 runs scored, 38 hits, nine doubles and a .410 on-base percentage. He also stands third in batting average (.297) and fourth in runs batted in (25) and slugging percentage (.484).

In 2021, Hackman was a second-team all-Summit League selection after posting team highs with a .319 batting average, eight home runs and 31 runs scored.

Hackman has moved into the Jackrabbit career top 10 in a pair of categories during his senior season. His 105 career walks and 937 career putouts both rank sixth.

When not catching, McDonald has been the Jackrabbits' primary right fielder in 2022. He was honored as Summit League Baseball Player of the Week March 14 after hitting .600 (6-for-10) during a weekend series at Wichita State.

McDonald has continued his hitting prowess since the Wichita State series by reaching base safely in 25 consecutive games, including a March 17 game at Northwestern State (La.) in which he went 3-for-5 with a triple, grand slam and career-high seven RBIs.

A junior from Prior Lake, Minnesota, McDonald currently leads the team with a .318 batting average, 11 doubles, .638 slugging percentage, .440 on-base percentage and 30 RBIs. He also ranks second on the squad with eight home runs.

BOURASSA CONTINUES RECORD PACE: Junior right-hander Ryan Bourassa has picked up right where he left off in the strikeout department during the first half of the 2022 season.

Thus far during the 2022 season, Bourassa has tallied 55 strikeouts in only 34 2/3 innings over 14 appearances, which translates to 14.28 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. He was dominant in both of his appearances last weekend at Omaha en route to being named Summit League Pitcher of the Week.

A junior from West Fargo, North Dakota, Bourassa struck out 11 batters in only four innings of work in closing out both Jackrabbit victories. In the May 6 series opener, he earned the save by pitching three shutout innings with eight strikeouts. Bourassa again struck out the side in the ninth inning of the May 8 series finale to preserve an 8-3 Jackrabbit victory. Over his two appearances, Bourassa allowed one hit and one walk.

Bourassa turned in the best performance of his Jackrabbit career March 25 at Oral Roberts as he tossed six shutout innings of relief in a no-decision, notching a career-high 12 strikeouts. He fanned the side in order in both the eighth and 11th innings, and allowed only one hit and one walk for a Jackrabbit squad that eventually dropped a 5-4 decision in 14 innings.

A native of West Fargo, North Dakota, Bourassa began the 2021 campaign in the starting rotation, but made a seamless transition to the bullpen midway through the year and responded by striking out 65 batters in only 42 1/3 innings to set an SDSU single-season record with an average of 13.82 K's per nine innings pitched.

Bourassa also now holds the SDSU career mark for strikeouts per nine innings after passing the 60-inning threshold in his March 25 appearance. His 120 strikeouts in 77 innings equate to 14.03 K's per full game, which also would stand as an SDSU record.

BARNETT, TOO: Senior left-hander Bret Barnett also has displayed big-time strikeout ability during his Jackrabbit career, recording an average of well over a K per inning.

After striking out 37 batters and walking only 11 in a combined 24 innings of relief over 12 appearances so far this season, the native of Indianola, Iowa, has notched 138 strikeouts in 104 1/3 career innings for a ratio of 11.79 strikeouts per nine innings that currently ranks as the second-highest in program history.

He struck out six batters over three innings in the first game of a March 19 doubleheader at Northwestern State, notching his first three K's of the outing in succession after entering the game in the bottom of the fifth inning with the bases loaded and nobody out. Barnett matched that total in another three-inning save April 16 at Northern Colorado.

With saves in four of his last five appearances, including in the April 26 victory at Minnesota, Barnett has solidified his hold on third place on the Jackrabbits career charts with 18. He also has moved into a tie for fourth place in career appearances at SDSU with 71, matching Gary Olechoski (71 appearances from 2003-06).

Barnett is currently replicating the dominance he displayed during an all-league 2019 season in which he posted a 5-1 record and seven saves, while turning in a 1.31 ERA over 20 relief appearances. Last season, Barnett tallied a pair of saves and struck out 36 batters in 24 1/3 innings en route to a 1-2 mark.

BIG INNINGS: South Dakota State has hung some large crooked numbers on the scoreboard in recent weeks.

The Jackrabbits struck for seven runs in both the second and third innings of their April 19 home game against Dakota Wesleyan, then put up five runs in the second inning the next day against Briar Cliff.

SDSU matched its biggest inning of the season, scoring eight times in the third inning of their April 26 matchup at Minnesota. The Jackrabbits sent 13 batters to the plate in the frame as they tied an eight-run outburst in the second inning of a March 17 game at Northwestern State (La.).

Big innings are nothing new for the Jackrabbits this season, who also scored five runs in the first innings of road wins at Minnesota (March 2) and Central Arkansas (March 5).

TAKING ONE (OR EIGHT) FOR THE TEAM: South Dakota State set a new program record in the Division I era when Jackrabbit hitters were hit by pitches a total of eight times in the March 17 series opener at Northwestern State.

Nic Nelson and Derek Hackman were each plunked twice in the 16-2 Jackrabbit victory, while Reece Anderson, Henry George, Adam Benes and Ryan McDonald were each awarded one free pass. SDSU batters have been hit by a pitch a total of 51 times so far this season.

The previous single-game record of six hit batters was set on three occasions, the most recent being Feb. 28, 2021, at Northern Colorado.

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 five-plus seasons with the Jackrabbits, Bishop holds a 110-141 record at SDSU, including a 69-61 mark in Summit League regular season games. He recorded his 100th win with the Jackrabbits on April 3, 2022, as SDSU posted a 2-1 victory at St. Thomas.

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.

When play resumed in the spring of 2021, the Jackrabbits posted a 15-32 overall record and suffered their first losing season in league play since 2016, but managed to earn the fourth and final spot in the Summit League Baseball Championship. In the conference tournament, the Jacks staved off elimination with a shutout victory over host Omaha before falling in 11 innings to regular season champion Oral Roberts.

Overall, Bishop holds a 659-463-1 record (.587 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 20 times during Bishop's 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.

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 in all 10 seasons, including four with 40 wins. 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 year 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 2021 SDSU baseball roster features 36 players from 10 different states. Of the 36 players, 10 are from Iowa, nine are from South Dakota and seven hail from Minnesota. Two players are from Montana, Nebraska and North Dakota, while Colorado, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin are represented by one player each.

By class, two are graduate students, three are seniors, 10 are juniors, 10 are sophomores and 11 are freshmen (three returning, eight incoming).

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits are scheduled to wrap up the regular season by hosting Oral Roberts in a three-game series May 19-21 at Erv Huether Field.

-GoJacks.com-