JACKRABBITS TO HOST OMAHA IN THREE-GAME SERIES

Friday, April 14

Brookings, S.D.

1 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Omaha

Baseball HR Celebration 2023-03 vs Dakota Wesleyan

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

4/13/2023 9:11:00 PM | Baseball

GAMES 28-30: Omaha (12-14, 4-5 Summit) at South Dakota State (10-17, 4-5 Summit)

When	Friday-Sunday, April 14-16 1 p.m. each day
Where	Bob Shelden Field \| Brookings, South Dakota (note location change)
TV	Jackrabbits All-Access
Radio	KJJQ 910 AM (Friday only) Jackrabbits All-Access
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Omaha \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #RAB5

The South Dakota State baseball team reaches the midway point of the Summit League season, hosting Omaha in a key three-game weekend series.

Plans are to play the three-game series in Brookings, starting with a 1 p.m. matchup Friday at Bob Shelden Field near Brookings High School. Games Saturday and Sunday also are slated for 1 p.m. start times, with the location(s) for those games to be determined. SDSU has yet to play on home soil this season.

The Jackrabbits enter the weekend on a season-best three-game winning streak, checking in with a 10-17 overall record and a 4-5 mark in league play. After claiming the decisive game of a three-game series at Western Illinois on April 9, SDSU posted lopsided victories over a pair of NAIA opponents in mid-week action, winning 18-5 at Briar Cliff on Tuesday and 20-1 over Dakota Wesleyan on Wednesday in a game played at the new Sanford Diamonds in Sioux Falls.

Omaha also holds a 4-5 record against Summit League foes and has compiled a 12-14 overall record thus far in 2023. The Mavericks were swept in a three-game home series last weekend by league-leading Oral Roberts to fall to 4-5 against Summit foes, but came back Tuesday night to notch their second win of the season over in-state rival Nebraska, 6-5.

Video streaming of all three games of the series will be available through Jackrabbits All-Access at GoJacks.com/watch (subscription required). Radio coverage of Friday's series opener will be carried locally on KJJQ 910 AM.

Updates of Jackrabbit baseball also are available throughout the season via Twitter (@GoJacksBaseball) and through GoJacks.com.

THE SERIES: South Dakota State and Omaha will play for the 180th time when the two squads meet in Friday's series opener. The Mavericks hold a 92-86-1 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 Jackrabbits claimed the season series a year ago, winning two of the three games in a series played May 6-8, 2022, at Tal Anderson Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

SDSU won the opener, 5-2, behind the hitting of Ryan McDonald and a strong combined pitching perfornance by Nic McCay and Ryan Bourassa.

McDonald plated the go-ahead run with a single in the top of the seventh inning and added a solo home run in the eighth. McCay (7 K's) and Bourassa (8 K's) combined to strike out 15 batters as the Jackrabbits posted their 11th win in 14 games.

Omaha evened the series with an 8-3 victory, highlighted by a three-run homer by Noah Greise in the third inning. The Mavericks put together another three-run frame in the fifth to put the game out of reach.

SDSU claimed the rubber match of the series with an 8-3 victory of their own on Mother's Day. Luke Ira gave the Jackrabbits a 1-0 lead with a solo home run to lead off the the fourth inning, then padded their lead with two runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings, with the runs in the latter inning scoring on a two-run single by Henry George. Thatcher Kozal added a solo homer as part of a three-run eighth that sealed the series-clinching win.

SHORT HOPS: Following are some quick notes about the Jackrabbit baseball team heading into this weekend's games against Omaha:

Luke Ira has been on a tear in the past week, driving in 15 runs over the last five games. He began the hot streak by hitting a grand slam in the top of the 10th inning of the April 7 series opener at Western Illinois, then added a three-run homer the next day. His final RBI of the series came on a single in the seventh inning of the series-clinching victory on April 9.
Ira picked up where he left off in two games earlier this week, becoming the first Jackrabbit to hit for the cycle in 15 years with a 5-for-5, four-RBI performance April 11 at Briar Cliff, followed by another three-RBI outing versus Dakota Wesleyan on April 12. Over the last five games, Ira is batting .478 (11-for-23) with a .957 slugging percentage.
The Jackrabbits to previously hit for the cycle in the Division I era (since 2005) were Jake Rogers (April 11, 2006, vs. Dakota Wesleyan) and Craig Parry (March 28, 2008, at Northern Colorado).
Ryan McDonald compiled a .733 on-base percentage after recording three hits and walking eight times in the weekend series at Western Illinois. McDonald became the first Jackrabbit to draw four bases on balls in a game since Zach Rhodes in 2012 in the series opener and added three more free passes in the final game of the series.
Drew Beazley opened the scoring in the April 9 series finale at Western Illinois with a two-run homer, then ended the game with a diving catch in the right-center gap with the bases loaded.
Brady Hawkins was credited with his first career save in the April 9 series finale at Western Illinois. Hawkins entered the game with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth and proceeded to retire the two batters he faced via a strikeout and lineout to preserve the Jackrabbits' 8-6 victory.
Jordan Sagedahl also recorded his first career save by pitching the final three innings with five strikeouts in the April 11 game at Briar Cliff. A junior from Olivia, Minnesota, Sagedahl was making only his second appearance on the mound this season — and fourth of his career — after previously playing in 13 games as an infielder. He returned to the field the next day against Dakota Wesleyan and delivered a two-run double with a walk in a reserve role.
Freshman Dylan Driessen picked up his team-leading third win of the season in the April 9 series finale at Western Illinois. Driessen also leads the team with 11 appearances.
Dane Toman and Will Kent each earned their first collegiate victories in mid-week action at Briar Ciff and versus Dakota Wesleyan, respectively. The only runs both pitchers allowed came in the first innings of their starts.
The Jackrabbits won an extra-inning game for the first time since posting a 10-3, 10-inning victory at Western Illinois in the first game of a doubleheader on March 26, 2021.
SDSU has scored first in 19 of its 27 games this season, but is only 7-12 in those contests.

PRESEASON POLL: South Dakota State has been picked to finish fourth in the 2023 Summit League baseball race, according to a poll among the league's seven head coaches that was released in mid-February.

The Jackrabbits, coached by Rob Bishop, are coming off a 2022 campaign in which they finished 22-23 overall and placed third in the Summit League standings at 13-9.

Reigning tournament champion Oral Roberts was tabbed as the favorite this season, earning six first-place votes for a total of 42 points. Defending regular season champion North Dakota State was picked second with 36 points and the remaining first-place vote, followed by Omaha with 30 points and SDSU with 24.

Rounding out the poll were St. Thomas (17), Northern Colorado (12) and Western Illinois (7).

League play for the Jackrabbits began March 24 at Northern Colorado, with the four-team Summit League Baseball Championship slated for May 24-27 in Fargo, North Dakota.

In addition, SDSU seniors Luke Ira and Ryan Bourassa were included on the list of Summit League Players and Pitchers to Watch. A shortstop from Iowa City, Iowa, Ira shared the team lead in home runs last season with 10, while batting .290 and driving in 32 runs. He also tallied a career-best .508 slugging percentage while starting all 45 of the team's games.

Bourassa was a first-team all-Summit League selection as a relief pitcher in 2022, when he posted a 2.13 earned run average and was credited with five saves. The native of West Fargo, North Dakota, logged 42 1/3 innings in 17 appearances last season, striking out 64 batters and limiting opposing hitters to a .145 batting average.

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 205-168 (.550 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 12 out of the 13 years it has been eligible.

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

POWER SURGE: South Dakota State finished the 2022 season with a league-leading 62 home runs. It marked the most hit by a Jackrabbit team since posting a school-record 84 round-trippers in 2010.

The Jackrabbits have picked up where they left off, starting the 2023 season with 40 home runs in their first 27 games, including a season-best seven homers April 11 at Briar Cliff. SDSU hit at least one home run in each of its first nine games this season and 21 of 27 contests this season.

During the 2022 season, SDSU homered in 26 of its last 28 games. Included in that stretch was a school-record of 18 consecutive games with a home run from March 19-May 6, 2022.

All three of SDSU's players who shared the team lead with 10 home runs a year ago — Luke Ira, Ryan McDonald and Dawson Parry — return to the lineup in 2023. In all, the Jackrabbits return 47 of 62 home runs — 75.8 percent. Eleven different players connected on at least one home run a season ago.

Five of the Jackrabbits' home runs last season were grand slams. McDonald and Parry each connected on a pair of grand slams, with Drew Beazley adding one.

Nic Nelson hit a grand slam in the 2023 season opener at Little Rock, which was the first of his Jackrabbit career. McDonald (March 31 vs. North Dakota State) and Ira (April 6 at Western Illinois) also have hit grand slams this season.

McDonald leads active Jackrabbit players with 30 career home runs in taking over ninth place on the SDSU career charts. McDonald has hit five of his 12 home runs this season in Summit League games.

Ira ranks second among active players with 22 career home runs and Beazley has tallied 15. All three of the active career leaders connected on a long ball in the first series of the season.

McDONALD STREAK ENDS: South Dakota State's Ryan McDonald had his streak of reaching base safely end at 43 games in the March 12 series finale at Western Kentucky. — a streak that lasted more than a calendar year.

McDonald's streak of reaching base by either hit, walk or hit by pitch began when he drew a walk in the second game of a March 5, 2022, doubleheader at Central Arkansas.

Since his streak ended in a March 12 game in which the Jackrabbits were no-hit by Western Kentucky's Devyn Terbrak, McDonald started a new streak and has reached base in each of his last 15 games.

A senior from Prior Lake, Minnesota, McDonald closed the 2022 season with a 33-game streak, then extended that mark by reaching base safely in the first 10 games of 2023. His 43-game string represents the third-longest streak by a Jackrabbit player in the Division I era (since 2005), trailing a 45-game streak by Zach Coppola in 2015 and a 52-game stretch by Luke Ringhofer between the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

In earning second-team all-Summit League honors as a utility player last season, McDonald recorded team highs for batting average (.329), doubles (12), slugging percentage (.630) and on-base percentage (.446). He also shared the team lead with 10 home runs.

After splitting time at catcher, right field and designated hitter a year ago, McDonald is making more of a full-time return behind the plate in 2023.

IRA THE IRON MAN: Senior shortstop Luke Ira has started 141 games in a row for the Jackrabbits, a streak that dates back to late in the 2019 season.

A native of Iowa City, Iowa, Ira has made 120 consecutive starts and a total of 122 starts at shortstop during his current streak. He also has made 17 starts at second base and two at third base.

Ira shared the team lead with 10 home runs and led the squad with 53 hits in 2022. He finished the year with a .290 batting average and 32 runs batted in.

In addition, Ira has vaulted from seventh to second in career assists at SDSU during the 2023 season, and has upped his career total to 414.

KEY PLAYERS RETURN: Three players who missed all or most of the 2022 season due to injury are expected to return to the Jackrabbit lineup and could play key roles throughout the upcoming season. All three were granted redshirts or injury hardships and did not lose a year of eligibility.

Sophomore outfielder Jess Bellows was limited to six games before being lost for the remainder of the 2022 campaign due to a shoulder injury. Bellows got off to a hot start at the plate with a .300 batting average (6-for-20) with three doubles in the season-opening three-game series at Little Rock, then added a .400 batting average (4-for-10) with two RBIs and two runs scored in a series March 17-19 against Iowa.

As a freshman in 2021, Bellows batted .250 with a home run and 16 runs batted in while making 44 starts as he saw action both in the outfield and at second base.

Junior infielder Cade Stuff appeared in five games with a pair of starts before being shut down for the remainder of the 2022 season. Stuff currently ranks second on the team with a .347 batting average and shares the team lead with 10 doubles. He posted his first career four-hit game March 14 at Lindenwood, in which he hit his first home run.

On the mound, junior right-hander Eli Sundquist will be asked to play a prominent role out of the Jackrabbit bullpen this season as either a setup man or closer. A native of Chisholm, Minnesota, Sundquist missed the entire 2022 campaign after making a combined 22 appearances, including two starts, during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He holds a 6-4 career record and has struck out 74 batters in 49 1/3/3 career innings.

BOURASSA CONTINUES RECORD PACE: Senior right-hander Ryan Bourassa entered 2023 as the Jackrabbits' all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings pitched and has exceeded that pace in the first months of the season.

Bourassa entered the Feb. 18 game at Little Rock with the bases loaded and one out as the Jackrabbits were clinging to a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. He proceeded to strike out the first two batters he faced and added five more strikeouts over the next three innings to complete the save.

In his next outing, in the second game of a March 4 doubleheader at Utah Tech, Bourassa successfully completed his second save opportunity of the season by striking out eight over three shutout innings in a 7-2 Jackrabbit victory.

In 108 1/3 career innings over two-plus seasons, Bourassa has struck out 164 batters for an average of 13.62 K's per nine innings. That rate is nearly two strikeouts per complete game better than the nearest Jackrabbit pitcher — former teammate Bret Barnett with a ratio of 11.88 K's per nine innings.

The right-hander moved into the SDSU top 10 for career strikeouts in his last outing, April 7 at Western Illinois. Bourassa, who recorded seven strikeouts over the final 3 2/3 innings, passed Steve Mousel (163 strikeouts from 1971-75) for the 10th spot.

Bourassa also holds two of the top three single-season ratios in program history. He began his Jackrabbit career in the starting rotation in 2021 and fanned 65 batters in only 42 1/3 innings that year to set an SDSU single-season record with an average of 13.82 K's per nine innings pitched. His rate so far this season is 14.88 K's per nine frames.

The native of West Fargo, North Dakota, made a full-time transition to the bullpen in 2022 and nearly equaled his previous totals with 64 strikeouts in another 42 1/3 innings for a ratio of 13.61 strikeouts per nine innings, which stands third in program history.

In addition, Bourassa has moved into a tie for seventh place with Chad Coley (1990-93) on the SDSU charts with 10 career saves.

Bourassa turned in the best performance of his SDSU career March 25, 2022, at Oral Roberts as he tossed six shutout innings of relief, 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.

KUNZ EARNS OPENING DAY START: Senior right-hander Blake Kunz was tabbed as the Jackrabbits' Opening Day starter, bringing further attention to a meteoric rise on the mound for the former SDSU football player.

A native of Germantown, Wisconsin, Kunz made only one appearance last season after being a late addition to the baseball roster. His lone outing, April 17, 2022, at Northern Colorado, lasted two-thirds of an inning and resulted in him allowing one run while giving up two walks and one hit with a strikeout.

In his first career start, Feb. 17 at Little Rock, Kunz pitched only an inning-plus and was saddled with the loss. All three of the outs he recorded were via the strikeout, but he was charged with seven runs — the first three via a three-run home run by Skyler Trevino — after giving up two hits, walking two batters and hitting four.

Kunz tossed four shutout, no-hit innings in his second start of the season March 5 in the series finale at Utah Tech, then added 4 2/3 innings of two-run baseball March 12 at Western Kentucky.

Kunz previously played tight end for three seasons (2018-2020) for the Jackrabbit football team, seeing action in 34 games. He tallied 32 receptions for 528 yards (16.5 ypr) with six touchdowns, the last of which was a 14-yarder against Delaware in the Football Championship Subdivision national semifinals against Delaware in the spring of 2021 as SDSU advanced to the FCS title game for the first time in program history.

SOPHOMORES TAKE NEXT STEP: Four sophomore members of the Jackrabbit pitching staff are expected to be key contributors during the 2023 season.

Jake Goble, who was sidelined by illness in the middle of his freshman season, made eight relief appearances as a true freshman in 2022. The Rapid City native turned in a
1-2 record while tossing 18 innings.

Goble made four relief appearances before making four starts since moving into the rotation in mid-March and has gone on to post a 2-1 record. He has held opponents to a .271 batting average in 22 2/3 innings so far this season.

Brady Hawkins returned from injury midway through the season to make a pair of midweek starts and appear in two more games in relief. The Mitchell native ended the 2022 season with a 2-0 record and 2.00 earned run average while striking out nine in as many innings of work.

Hawkins has made four starts so far among his eight appearances this season, pitching a total of 17 2/3 innings.

Alex Clemons was a mainstay in the bullpen last season and has been in line for a more prominent role in 2023. The right-hander from Bettendorf, Iowa, shared the team lead with 17 appearances and fanned 24 batters in 22 2/3 innings while limiting opponents to a .222 batting average. He picked up his first career victory in the March 5 series finale at Utah Tech.

Clemons made his first career start in the March 17 series opener against Iowa and also made a relief appearance two days later in the series finale. He recorded seven strikeouts over a combined 3 1/3 scoreless innings and allowed only one hit.

Left-hander Reece Arbogast also is in the mix for an expanded role this season, highlighted by starts in each of the past two weekend series. The Sioux Falls native posted a 1-1 record in 16 relief appearances during his freshman campaign and averaged a strikeout in each of his 21 innings pitched.

Arbogast turned in an impressive season debut Feb. 17, allowing only one run over 4 1/3 innings of relief against Little Rock He set a career high with seven strikeouts, then added four more K's in 2 2/3 scoreless innings March 17 versus Iowa, followed by four more shutout innings in a relief appearance in the first game of a March 24 twinbill against Northern Colorado.

FAIX JOINS COACHING STAFF: Connor Faix (pronounced Fay) was hired as the Jackrabbits' pitching coach in August 2022.

Faix spent the previous two seasons as the pitching coach at Akron, which reinstated its baseball program in 2020. He began his collegiate coaching run at Oberlin College in the fall of 2017, followed by a stint at North Iowa Area Community College in the spring of 2018. The following summer he served as an associate scout with the Colorado Rockies organization.

In 2019, Faix moved on to Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he helped guide the Lakers to an Atlantic Super Regional title and a berth in the NCAA
Division II College World Series. Mercyhurst went 2-2 in the national championship tournament, finishing the year with a 36-16 overall record. The Mercyhurst pitching staff struck out 536 batters over 409.1 innings, good for an 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings pitched average, which ranked second nationally.

Faix accepted his first Division I coaching position in the fall of 2019 at Campbell University, where his stint lasted only 16 games as the bulk of the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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 six-plus seasons with the Jackrabbits, Bishop holds a 124-162 record at SDSU, including a 77-68 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.

SDSU used a powerful offense to return to the Summit League tournament in 2022 after posting a 13-9 record in league play. The Jackrabbits, who doubled up the opposition in home runs by a 62-30 count, played only 12 home games in posting a 22-23 overall mark.

Overall, Bishop holds a 673-484-1 record (.582 winning percentage) as a collegiate head coach. He earned his 600th career victory in the Jackrabbits' 8-6 victory at Little Rock on March 10, 2019.

Individually, Jackrabbit players have been honored as all-Summit League performers 25 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. 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 2022 SDSU baseball roster features 37 players from nine different states and one Canadian province. Of the 37 players, 12 are from Minnesota, six are from both South Dakota and Iowa, and five hail from Nebraska. Two players are from Montana and North Dakota, while Colorado, Utah, Wisconsin and Ontario are represented by one player each.

By class, eight are seniors and even are juniors, while the sophomore and freshman classes are each made up of 11 players.

UP NEXT: The Jackrabbits are scheduled to continue their homestand with five more games next week. SDSU is slated to play mid-week games against Northwestern (Iowa) and Waldorf on April 18 and 19, respectively, followed by a three-game Summit League series versus St. Thomas April 21-23. The first three games are set for 3 p.m. starts, with weekend games slated for 1 p.m. first pitches.

-GoJacks.com-