JACKRABBITS TRAVEL TO OMAHA FOR KEY SERIES

Friday, May 6

Omaha, Neb.

6 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Omaha

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia Sports Media

5/5/2022 12:10:00 PM | Baseball

GAMES 35-37: South Dakota State (16-18, 7-6 Summit) at Omaha (20-22, 10-5)

When	Friday-Sunday, May 6-8 6 p.m. Friday \| 6 p.m. Saturday \| 1 p.m. Sunday
Where	Tal Anderson Field \| Omaha, Nebraska
TV	OMavs.com/watch
Radio	None
Live Stats	OMavs.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Omaha \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #RAB5

The South Dakota State baseball team closes out the road portion of its regular season schedule with a three-game series this weekend at Omaha.

Friday's series opener is slated for a 6 p.m. first pitch at Tal Anderson Field in Omaha, Nebraska. Start time Saturday also is scheduled for 6 p.m., with Sunday's series finale between the third- and fourth-place teams in the Summit League standings slated for 1 p.m.

The Jackrabbits enter the series having won 10 of their 13 games during the month of April to improve to 16-18 overall and 7-6 in The Summit League. SDSU was limited to two games last week, posting a 12-6 victory at Minnesota on April 26, before dropping an 8-3 home decision to league-leading North Dakota State on April 29. The final two games of the series against NDSU were canceled due to inclement weather.

At 10-5 in league play, Omaha begins the weekend one game behind North Dakota State and Oral Roberts in the loss column in the Summit standings. The Mavericks are 20-22 overall after splitting a mid-week series against Kansas May 3-4.

THE SERIES: South Dakota State and Omaha will play for the 177th time when the two squads meet in Friday's series opener. The Mavericks hold a 91-84-1 lead in the all-time series that dates back to 1949.The two programs were longtime rivals in the North Central Conference before both moved to Division I and The Summit League.

The two squads met nine times during the 2021 season, with Omaha winning five of the matchups. The Mavericks claimed three of the four games played at the new Tal Anderson Field March 19-21, starting with a sweep of the opening doubleheader by scores of 6-1 and 7-1. After SDSU won Game 3 of the series, 7-6, on March 20, Omaha secured the series win with another 7-1 victory on March 21.

SDSU and Omaha split a pair of doubleheaders played April 10-11, 2021, at Erv Huether Field. The Mavericks claimed the first twinbill by scores of 2-1 and 10-5, while the Jackrabbits countered with a sweep of their own o close out the regular season series. Drew Beazley and Ryan Bourassa combined on a a three-hit, seven-inning shutout in the April 11 opener, while Derek Hackman capped a six-run bottom of the ninth inning in Game 2 with a walk-off three-run home run.

Beazley helped spin another shutout victory over Omaha in an elimination game at the Summit League Baseball Championship on May 28, 2021. He struck out five and limited the home-standing Mavericks to three hits over five innings, while Brett Mogen threw four no-hit innings as SDSU advanced with a 7-0 victory.

Reece Anderson led the Jackrabbit offense with three hits, while Ryan McDonald and Avery Mellman each drove in two runs.

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

The Jackrabbits have homered in a program-record 17 straight games, breaking the previous mark of 16 set during the 2009 season (April 20-May 9). SDSU's current streak began in the second game of a March 19 doubleheader at Northwestern State (La.).
Drew Beazley hit the home run to extend SDSU's record streak in the ninth inning of the April 29 game against North Dakota State. Beazley has homered in four of his last six games and has reached base safely in 17 games in a row with a nine-game hit streak. He has driven in 15 runs during his hitting streak.
Beazley hit 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.
SDSU's 40 home runs so far this season are the most by a Jackrabbit team since the 2010 squad hit a school-record 84 round-trippers.
Parry has hit safely in nine games in a row, during which he is batting .421 (16-for-38) with four home runs and 16 runs batted in. Parry has six multi-hit games and four multi-RBI?performances in that span.
Luke Ira recorded his 150th career hit April 26 at Minnesota and also has moved into 10th place in career assists at SDSU with 322.
Ira has extended his streak of consecutive games started to 103, which dates back to late in the 2019 season. Ira has made 82 straight starts and a total of 84 starts at shortstop during his current streak, while also starting 17 games at second base and two at third base.
Henry George put together the first four-hit game by a Jackrabbit this season, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored April 26 at Minnesota. George reached base a total of six times in the game as he also drew a pair of walks.
Reece Anderson stole his team-best 11th base of the season — in 11 attempts — April 26 at Minnesota. Anderson is the first Jackrabbit with double figures in steals since Gus Steiger swiped 18 bases in 2019.
Redshirt freshman right-hander Brady Hawkins has been the winner in each of his first two career starts. Hawkins pitched 3 2/3 innings against Dakota Wesleyan on April 19, then tossed three shutout innings at Minnesota on April 26.
Cody Carlson has factored into the decision in each of his nine starts this season, posting a team-best five wins against four losses.

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 right-hander 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 196-162 (.547 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 29 of 34 games this season and shares the team lead with 27 runs scored while ranking second in batting average (.292) and on-base percentage (.418), while ranking fourth in both home runs (5) and runs batted in (23).

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 currently stand sixth, while his 918 career putouts rank eighth.

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 22 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 .298 batting average, 10 doubles, .615 slugging percentage, .421 on-base percentage and 28 RBIs. He also ranks second on the squad with seven 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 44 strikeouts in only 30 2/3 innings over 12 appearances. Each of his first seven appearances covered at least two frames, including in the first game of a Feb. 25 doubleheader at Incarnate Word, in which he recorded a four-inning save.

Bourassa turned in the most dominant 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 109 strikeouts in 73 innings equate to 13.44 K's per full game.

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 35 batters and walking only eight in a combined 21 innings of relief over 11 appearances so far this season, the native of Indianola, Iowa, has notched 136 strikeouts in 102 1/3 career innings for a ratio of 11.96 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 each of his last four appearances, including in the April 26 victory at Minnesota, Barnett has solidified his hold on third place on the SDSU career charts with 18. He also has moved into a tie for fifth place in career appearances for the Jackrabbits with 70, matching Chad Coley (70 appearances from 1990-93).

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 during its current three-game winning streak.

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 49 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 108-140 record at SDSU, including a 67-60 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 657-462-1 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.

KUNZ JOINS TEAM: Former Jackrabbit football player Blake Kunz recently was added to the SDSU baseball roster.

A junior from Germantown, Wisconsin, Kunz made his first collegiate pitching appearance in the April 17 series finale at Northern Colorado, a game in which he allowed one run in 2/3 of an inning. He struck out one, walked two and allowed a hit.

The right-hander was a standout pitcher and first baseman at Germantown (Wis.) High School during his prep career.

Kunz played tight end in 34 games over three seasons at SDSU, tallying 32 career receptions for 528 yards (16.5 ypr) and six touchdowns.

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 begin a six-game homestand by hosting Summit League newcomer St. Thomas in a three-game series May 13-15 at Erv Huether Field. Friday's series opener is scheduled for 3 p.m.,. with games Saturday and Sunday slated for 1 p.m.

-GoJacks.com-