JACKS END RUN OF ROAD GAMES AT OKLAHOMA STATE

Tuesday, March 17

Stillwater, Okla.

6 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Oklahoma State

South Dakota State baseball players, led by third baseman Nolan Grawe, tap gloves and bump fists during starting lineup introductions prior to a March 6, 2026, game against Northwestern.

Photo by: Ricky Bassman

3/16/2026 4:45:00 PM | Baseball

South Dakota State (5-14) at Oklahoma State (12-7)

When	Tuesday-Wednesday, March 17-18 • 6 p.m. Tuesday \| 4 p.m. Wednesday
Where	O'Brate Stadium \| Stillwater, Oklahoma
TV	ESPN+ Tuesday's Broadcast \| Wednesday's Broadcast
Radio	Oklahoma State Radio
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Oklahoma State \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram

The South Dakota State University baseball team wraps up a stretch of 21 games away from home to start the 2026 season with a two-game mid-week series at Oklahoma State.

Tuesday's series opener is slated for a 6 p.m. start at O'Brate Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma, followed by a 4 p.m. contest Wednesday. Both games are scheduled to be broadcast through the ESPN+ streaming platform (subscription required).

The Jackrabbits enter the week with a 5-14 overall record and looking to put an end to a six-game losing streak. SDSU is 0-4 on its current Spring Break road trip, having lost 9-0 at Kansas State on March 11, followed by a three-game sweep at the hands of Oral Roberts over the weekend to open Summit League play.

Oklahoma State, meanwhile, holds a 12-7 overall record and has dropped three games in a row after being swept at UCF over the weekend in its first Big 12 series of the season. However, the Cowboys are 8-1 on their home field thus far in 2026.

Updates of Jackrabbit baseball will be available throughout the week via X/Twitter (@GoJacksBaseball) and through GoJacks.com.

THE SERIES: Tuesday's series opener between South Dakota State and Oklahoma State will mark the 16th all-time meeting between the two programs on the baseball diamond. OSU has held the upper hand in the series, which dates back to 1982, by a 14-1 count.

The Cowboys won the first 12 matchups, recording four-game sweeps in 1982, 1985 and 1987. Oklahoma State went on to play in the College World Series each of those years under National College Baseball Hall of Fame coach Gary Ward and featured the likes of National College Baseball Hall of Fame players Pete Incaviglia and Robin Ventura in its lineup.

SDSU posted its lone victory in the all-time series on March 10, 2017, opening a three-game weekend set with a 2-1 win over the No. 18 Cowboys. Brady Stover held OSU to a run on two hits over five innings while striking out six to earn the victory. Jackrabbit relievers Derek Feige, Quinn Reimers and Chris Halbur limited the Cowboys to only one more hit over four scoreless frames to close out the victory.

Luke Ringhofer plated Phil Velez with the first run of the game in the third inning and the Jackrabbits scored the final run of the contest in the fifth, when Nick Smith singled, stole second and later came across on a wild pitch.

OSU closed the series by sweeping a doubleheader by scores of 6-3 and 8-3.

SHORT HOPS: Following are some more quick notes regarding the South Dakota State baseball team heading into this week's series at Oklahoma State:

Five of the Jackrabbits' last eight games have been decided by one run, including all three of their games March 6-8 at the Cambria Classic played inside U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Overall, SDSU is 1-5 in one-run games this season.
SDSU has scored a total of 12 runs during its current six-game losing streak.
The Jackrabbits were outscored by a combined 8-0 in the eighth inning of the three games this past weekend at Oral Roberts. ORU scored twice in the eighth inning of each of the first two games to break ties.
SDSU set a program single-game record by scoring 17 runs in the fourth inning of its 19-11, series-opening win at Incarnate Word. Each of the first 12 batters of the inning reached base safely and a total of 21 men went to the plate in the frame.
After allowing double figures in runs in each of their first five games, the Jacks have given up a total of 76 runs over the last 14 games. Starters Sam Schlecht and Sam Novotny have led the way; Schlecht is 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA (4 ER in 23.1 IP) with 22 strikeouts and eight walks over his last four starts, while Novotny has compiled a 3.38 ERA (9 ER in 24 IP) with 13 strikeouts and only four walks in that same span.
Left-handed reliever Tristan Augedahl has registered 19 strikeouts in only 12 1/3 innings of work so far this season. Augedahl factored in the decision in each of the first two games of the Cambria Classic and has appeared in game games. He struck out four batters in three of those outings, including in the Feb. 28 win at Central Arkansas.
Newcomer Austin Henry has allowed only one run in his nine relief appearances so far this season. The Dell Rapids native has stifled a number of would-be rallies by allowing only three of 17 inherited runners (18 percent) to score. In addition, Henry has given up only two hits this season, holding opponents to a .077 batting average.
Freshman Logan Campbell leads the Jackrabbit bullpen with 10 appearances so far this season. Campbell worked twice in the Oral Roberts series, logging a total of 1 1/3 innings in games March 13 and 15.
Ty Madison has made two appearances in each of the last two weekends. In each case, Madison served as the opener for the Jackrabbits' Friday game, then came back to pitch in relief on Sunday. In all, he pitched a total of eight innings, with his longest outing a four-inning start against Northwestern on March 6 at the Cambria Classic.
SDSU turned three double plays in its March 11 game at Kansas State, marking the first time since a Feb. 24, 2024, game at New Mexico that the Jackrabbits accomplished the feat. The Jacks have 13 double plays to their credit so far this season and are fielding at a .977 clip.
Sophomore center fielder Owen Siegert had his seven-game hitting streak and a streak of reaching base safely in 16 consecutive games both end in the March 13 series opener at Oral Roberts. Siegert recently moved into the cleanup spot in the batting order and was 9-for-26 (.346 batting average) with a pair of doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored during his recent hitting streak.
Nic Werk has provided a boost to the Jackrabbit offense over the last 11 games. After missing the season-opening eight-game road trip through Texas due to injury, Werk has hit safely in eight games, including recording a career-best six-game hitting streak from Feb. 28-March 8. Four of his 10 hits have been doubles and he has a pair of two-hit games to his credit.
A utility player, Werk has made six starts at second base, three in left field and two at shortstop since his return to the lineup.
Sophomore third baseman Nolan Grawe had his streak of reaching base safely end at 26 games in the March 1 series finale at Central Arkansas. Grawe ended the 2025 season by reaching base in the final 18 games of the year and reached base in the first eight games he played in 2026, including hitting his first home run of the season Feb. 27 to open the UCA series.
Long streaks are nothing new for Grawe, who has had separate hitting streaks of 19 games (2025) and 14 games (last 12 games or 2025 and first two games of 2026) en route to setting an SDSU freshman record with 69 hits in 2025. Grawe currently leads the team with six doubles after collecting three in the Cambria Classic last weekend.
Freshman Jaren Vogt hit the first Jackrabbit home run of the season in Game 2 of the series against UTSA, which also was his first career start. Vogt is a two-way player who has made three appearances on the mound, including starts in two mid-week games. Vogt is again scheduled to start Wednesday's series finale at Oklahoma State.
Sophomore Dayton Franke hit the first Jackrabbit grand slam of the season Feb. 18 at Incarnate Word. It was Franke's second career grand slam.
Franke hit his 11th career home run in his 128th collegiate at-bat at Oral Roberts on March 15, giving the Jackrabbits a momentary 2-1 lead in the series finale. As a freshman in 2025, Franke hit eight home runs in 65 at-bats, including three in one game against Oral Roberts, and has a team-high three home runs in 64 trips to the plate so far this season. Franke also currently leads the team with 14 runs batted in.
Both Franke and Brady Brown were hit by pitches three times in a game last month. Franke was plunked three times in the Feb. 17 series opener at Incarnate Word, while Brown was hit three times in the Feb. 22 series finale at Tarleton State.
In all, Jackrabbit players have been hit by pitches a total of 34 times so far this season. Luke Luskey and Franke lead the team with seven, followed by Carter Taylor with six.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: South Dakota State has had two players selected as Kwik Star Summit League Baseball Peak Performers of the Week so far this season.

Most recently, right-hander Sam Schlecht was honored as the Kwik Star Summit League Peak Pitcher of the Week for his performance in a Feb. 28 victory at Central Arkansas.

A senior from Maple Grove, Minnesota, Schlecht carried a shutout into the sixth inning, stretching his scoreless innings streak to 10 before giving up a two-run home run. He struck out a season-high seven batters, walked only one and scattered four hits in improving to 2-1 on the season as the Jackrabbits held on for an 8-5 victory.

The previous week, outfielder Carter Taylor was named the Kwik Star Summit League Baseball Peak Performer of the Week after helping lead the Jackrabbits to three wins.

A freshman from Missoula, Montana, Taylor batted .522 (12-for-22) over five games and notched multiple hits in four of those contests. In his first career start, Feb. 17 at Incarnate Word, he went 4-for-6, including hitting his first collegiate home, driving in two runs and scoring twice in a 19-11 Jackrabbit victory. The following day he closed the series with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate that included three RBIs. Taylor, who hit safely in all five games last week to extend his overall hitting streak to six games, tallied two hits in both the Feb. 20 series opener and Feb. 22 finale at Tarleton State.

For the week, his totals included four runs scored, five RBIs, a .696 slugging percentage and a .577 on-base percentage.

PRESEASON POLL: South Dakota State has been picked to finish fourth in the upcoming Summit League baseball race, according to a preseason poll conducted among the league's six head coaches and announced Feb. 11.

The Jackrabbits totaled 12 points in the poll and are coming off a 2025 campaign in which they compiled a 16-36 overall record, including a 12-18 mark in The Summit League. SDSU returned to the four-team Summit League Baseball Championship, marking the 14th time in 16 years of Division I eligibility that the Jackrabbits qualified for the double-elimination tournament.

Oral Roberts earned the top spot in the preseason poll with 24 points and four first-place votes. Omaha received the other two first-place votes and tied with defending regular season champion St. Thomas for second place in the survey with 19 points.

North Dakota State (11 points) and Northern Colorado (6 points) rounded out the poll.

The top four teams in league play will advance to the Summit League Baseball Championship May 20-23 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In addition to the preseason poll, Jackrabbit first baseman Luke Luskey was named a Summit League Player to Watch and Ty Madison was selected as a Summit League Pitcher to Watch.

Luskey, a junior from Green Isle, Minnesota, has earned second-team all-Summit League honors each of the last two seasons. In 2025, he led the league with 14 home runs despite missing the final 12 games of the season due to injury. Luskey also paced the Jackrabbits with 52 runs batted in and a .691 slugging percentage while batting .336.

A senior from Omaha, Madison began the 2025 season in the starting rotation before moving to the bullpen. He made a team-high 22 appearances, striking out 26 batters in 30 innings and posting a 2-2 record.

SUMMIT LEAGUE SUCCESS: South Dakota State has been a consistent winner in The Summit League since it became a league member in 2008. Now in its 19th season as a member of The Summit League, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 239-213 (.529 winning percentage) record in regular season conference games.

SDSU has posted a .500 or better record in league play 10 times and has qualified for the four-team postseason tournament 14 out of the 16 years it has been eligible (no tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic).

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

COACH BISHOP: Rob Bishop, who has guided college baseball teams to more than 700 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 nine-plus seasons with the Jackrabbits, Bishop holds a 179-252 record at SDSU, including a 109-112 mark in Summit League regular season games. He also has led the Jackrabbits to the four-team Summit League Baseball Championship seven times, highlighted by finals appearances on two occasions — in 2018 and 2023.

The 2023 squad set a school record with 89 home runs in 52 games. SDSU played only one true home game but managed a 24-28 overall record and a winning season in Summit League play with a 13-11 mark. That momentum carried over to the four-team league postseason tournament, where the Jackrabbits made a run to the title game.

SDSU hit a Summit League-best 80 home runs in 2024 and also led the circuit with a .492 slugging percentage.

Overall, Bishop holds a 728-574-1 record (.559 winning percentage) as a collegiate head coach. He earned his 700th career victory in the Jackrabbits' 11-7 win at North Dakota State on April 6, 2024.

Individually, Jackrabbit players have been honored as all-Summit League performers 48 times during Bishop's tenure, including seven all-league selections in 2025.

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 2025 SDSU baseball roster features 34 players from 10 different states and one foreign country (Australia). Of the 34 players, 13 are from Minnesota, five are from Nebraska and South Dakota, three are Iowa natives and two hail from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Washington. Arizona and Wyoming are represented by one player each.

By class, one is a graduate transfer, three are seniors and nine are juniors. The sophomore class consists of 10 players and there is one redshirt freshmen, while 10 are incoming freshmen.

ON DECK: The Jackrabbits are scheduled to play their first home games of the season this weekend, hosting North Dakota State in a three-game series at Erv Huether Field. Friday's home opener is set for a 3 p.m. first pitch, followed by games at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

All three games will be available for viewing through the Summit League Network streaming platform powered by Midco Sports Plus.

-GoJacks.com-