Upcoming Event: Softball versus SMSU on September 14, 2025 at 1 p.m.
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1 p.m.
Softball
vs SMSU
South Dakota State University Athletics
Thursday, May 11
Brookings, S.D.
Noon
South Dakota State University
vs
South Dakota
Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia
JACKRABBITS READY TO MAKE SUMMIT TOURNEY DEBUT
5/10/2023 6:50:00 PM | Softball
| Summit League Tournament: South Dakota State vs. South Dakota | |
| Tournament Game 3 | Thursday, May 11 - Noon CT |
| Location | Brookings, South Dakota (Jackrabbit Softball Stadium) |
| Television | Midco Sports |
| Stream / Listen | TheSummitLeague.org/Watch |
| Live Stats | GoJacksLive.com |
| South Dakota State | Game Notes |
*Thursday's start time has been moved from 11 a.m. to noon due to restarting play for game two Thursday morning*Â
BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State begins its pursuit for a third straight Summit League Tournament title on Thursday when the Jackrabbits make their debut in the championship event on their home field. SDSU is scheduled to open the double-elimination portion of the tournament at noon against No. 4 South Dakota at Jackrabbit Softball Stadium.
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The Jackrabbits wrapped up a perfect 17-0 mark in conference play by completing a series sweep over South Dakota in Brookings from May 5-6. The unbeaten league record is the first for the Jackrabbit program. It is just the seventh time a Summit League team has completed an undefeated campaign and first since NDSU accomplished the feat in 2016.
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SDSU has won the last two Summit League titles, but had different routes to each championship. In 2021, SDSU lost its opening game to No. 4 Kansas City (4-2) before recording four straight wins, including two straight in the championship against Omaha. In 2022, the Mavericks forced an 'if necessary' game in the championship versus the Jacks, but SDSU was able to claim a 5-0 victory to clinch another tournament title.
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SDSU heads into the conference tournament as one of just two teams in Division I softball that went undefeated through their conference schedules. The Jacks joined No. 1 Oklahoma (18-0) as the lone teams to accomplish the feat. SDSU also ranks second in the country having won 27 straight games in Brookings, only trailing the Sooners who have won 56 consecutive games in Norman.
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Tori Kniesche was honored Tuesday as The Summit League Pitcher of the Year. It's the second time she's been selected for the award. Kniesche allowed just one run, which was unearned, over the course of 76 2/3 innings in conference play. She currently is on a stretch of 82 1/3 innning without giving up an earned run. Kniesche leads the nation in shutouts (13), ranks 11th in strikeouts (215) and 13th in wins (21).
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Jocelyn Carrillo finished the Summit League slate by sharing the batting champion title with a .420 average. She finished second in the conference in on-base percentage (.508) and doubles (7) as well as sixth in RBIs (16) despite playing only 17 conference games. She's also in the midst of a 21-game on base streak which is one behind her career high. A 2023 All-Summit League First Team selection, Carrillo hit .312 during the season, a remarkable jump from her .111 average through the first 10 games of 2023.
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Joining Kniesche and Carrillo on The Summit League's First Team were Mia Jarecki and Rozelyn Carrillo. Jarecki hit a team-best .354 and led SDSU in home runs (7), hits (57) and runs (43) in 50 regular season games. She finished among the top four players in The Summit League in all four categories. Rozelyn Carrillo was a .407 hitter in conference action to go along with 17 runs and seven extra-base hits.
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The Jackrabbits enter the conference tournament having hit .313 against league opposition while holding foes to a .135 average. Other hitters that finished over .300 in the 17 league contests were Lindsey Culver (.321) and Allison Yoder (.308). In the circle, Kniesche was joined by Shanon Lasey who had a strong stretch in league action. She was 6-0 in eight appearances while Lasey accumulated a 2.37 ERA.
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SDSU didn't shy away from tough competition this season and it shows as the Jacks are 50th in the NCAA RPI. SDSU holds five top-55 RPI wins over Baylor, Central Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska and Texas State. SDSU's non-conference strenghth of schedule ranks 38th in the country.
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In the latest 'Mid-Major Top 10' completed by Justin McLeod of Extra Innings Softball, SDSU ranks eighth among teams in DI excluding the ACC, American, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC.
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How to Keep up
Every game of The Summit League Championship will be broadcast on Midco Sports. The tournament will also stream for free on TheSummitLeague.com/watch. Live stats for every contest will also be available via GoJacksLive.com.
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Players Mentioned
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C/IF
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