Tuesday, February 17
Tucson, Ariz.
7 p.m.
North Dakota State
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Arizona
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Photo by: Mike Janes
Bison Trek to Arizona for Pair of Road Games Tuesday and Wednesday
2/16/2015 3:57:00 PM | Baseball
Game 4: North Dakota State (0-3) at Arizona (3-0)
Tuesday, Feb. 17 | 6 p.m. MT (7 p.m. CT)
Hi Corbett Field | Tucson, Ariz.
Live Stats | Live Video
Game 5: North Dakota State at Arizona
Wednesday, Feb. 18 | 6 p.m. MT (7 p.m. CT)
Hi Corbett Field | Tucson, Ariz.
Live Stats | Live Video
NDSU Notes (PDF)
NDSU baseball on Twitter: @NDSUbaseball
THIS WEEK: North Dakota State (0-3) will finish its season-opening road trip in Arizona with a pair of games at the University of Arizona (3-0) on Tuesday, Feb. 17, and Wednesday, Feb. 18, at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson. Both contests will begin at 6 p.m. MT (7 p.m. CT).
MEDIA COVERAGE: Live stats and live video will be available for both games at ArizonaWildcats.com.
THE SERIES: The two games at Arizona Tuesday and Wednesday will mark the seventh and eighth meetings all-time between the Bison and Wildcats. NDSU trails Arizona in the series, 1-5. The Bison's lone win in the series was an 8-2 triumph at Arizona during the 2012 season. That win was the first victory over a ranked Division I baseball opponent in North Dakota State program history. The Bison are 1-6 all-time against Pac-12 teams.
ABOUT ARIZONA: The Wildcats are off to a 3-0 start after sweeping a three-game series against Eastern Michigan in Tucson to begin the 2015 season. Arizona won game one, 7-3, before rolling to a 16-3 victory in the second game and taking the third contest, 6-2. The Wildcats were picked seventh out of 11 teams in the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches' Poll. Arizona returns six starting position players and two starting pitchers from last season's team that went 22-33 overall and finished 10th in the Pac-12 with a record of 9-21. Scott Kingery has hit safely in three games and leads the Wildcats with a .538 batting average. Kingery, a D1Baseball.com, Baseball America and Louisville Slugger Collegiate Baseball preseason All-American, is 7-for-13 with two triples, one home run, five RBI and a 1.077 slugging percentage. He went an impressive 5-for-6 with a triple and homer in the Wildcats' 16-3 win over Eastern Michigan Feb. 14. Head coach Andy Lopez has a 462-300-1 record in his 14th season at Arizona and has a career record of 1,149-718-7 in 33 years as a head coach.
BROWN'S ARIZONA CONNECTION: North Dakota State head coach Tod Brown graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor's degree in regional development in 1994. Brown began his collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant for the Wildcats in 1999. He was a LHP for Arizona under Hall of Fame coach Jerry Kindall and a member of the 1992 Pac-10 championship team.
PFANNENSTEIN, ERNST SLATED TO PITCH AT ARIZONA: North Dakota State right-handers Reed Pfannenstein and David Ernst are slated to pitch at Arizona on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Pfannenstein, a 6-4 sophomore from Cold Spring, Minn., is scheduled to make his 2015 season debut under the lights at Hi Corbett Field on Tuesday, before Ernst, a 6-3 senior from Fargo, gets the ball on Wednesday night to close out the two game set in Tucson. Pfannenstein, the 2014 Summit League tournament MVP, posted a 4-1 record in 13 appearances and six starts for the Bison last season. He compiled an ERA of 2.86 in 44 innings of work with 28 strikeouts and 17 walks while giving up just 14 earned runs on 39 hits. Ernst (0-1) went five innings in his first start of 2015 at Grand Canyon Friday, Feb. 13, in Phoenix. He took the loss on the mound after giving up two earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and a pair of walks. Last season, Ernst posted a 5-5 record with a 3.60 ERA in 15 appearances and starts. He pitched a team-high 95 innings with three complete games and tallied 43 strikeouts and 30 walks. The Fargo native surrendered 38 earned runs and limited opposing batters to a .292 average.
CATCHING UP WITH THE BISON: NDSU enters the two road contests at Arizona Tuesday and Wednesday with an overall record of 0-3 after dropping three contests in the Grand Canyon Classic Feb. 13-15. The Bison fell in the season-opener against Grand Canyon, 6-3, on Friday, Feb. 13, before dropping an 8-3 decision to Bradley in 10 innings Saturday, Feb. 14. North Dakota State dropped the GCU Classic finale to Omaha Sunday, Feb. 15, 5-4.
POSITION DEPTH TO BE TESTED: The Bison have key spots to fill in the lineup after the departure of Summit League Player of the Year Tim Colwell and fellow All-Summit League performers Michael Leach, Kyle Kleinendorst and Wes Satzinger. Senior third baseman John Skrbec (.200), junior shortstop Aiden Hook (.286) and junior left fielder Jon Hechtner (.000) are the lone returning position starters for the Bison.
NEW FACES: Seven freshmen and seven transfers make up the 14 total newcomers joining the Bison this season. New freshmen include Brayden Resch (C/UTIL), Drew Fearing (INF), Mason Pierzchalski (INF), Jayse McLean (OF), Joe Vacinek (RHP), Colin Baumgard (RHP) and Blake Stockert (RHP). The new transfers are Danny Regan (INF/OF), Juan Gamez (C/UTIL), JT Core (C/UTIL), JD Larimer (INF), Taylor Sanders (C/OF), Riley Horn (LHP) and Nick Salentine (RHP/INF).
FIVE CONSECUTIVE 20-WIN SEASONS: North Dakota State has reached the 20-win mark five straight seasons. The Bison have qualified for four straight Summit League tournaments, winning the tournament championship last season and reaching the championship game each of the past three seasons. This is NDSU's eighth season in The Summit League after three seasons as a Division I independent.
PRESEASON PICKS: Defending Summit League tournament champion North Dakota State was picked to finish fourth in The Summit League in a preseason poll of the league's six head coaches. For the second consecutive season, Omaha was tabbed to claim its third straight Summit League regular season baseball title. The Mavs received three of six first-place votes and a total of 23 points. Oral Roberts placed second with the other three first-place votes and 21 points. South Dakota State came in third with 17 points followed by the Bison with 15 points. Western Illinois (8 points) and Fort Wayne (6 points) rounded out the poll.
THE SUMMIT LEAGUE: This is North Dakota State's eighth year in The Summit League, which has six baseball teams for 2015 – NDSU, Fort Wayne, Omaha, Oral Roberts, South Dakota State and Western Illinois – after losing Oakland to the Horizon League. Denver, IUPUI and South Dakota do not have baseball. Oral Roberts, which won 15 straight league championships from 1998-2012, returns to the league this season after competing in the Southland Conference the past two years.
THE COACH: North Dakota State head coach Tod Brown (Arizona, 1994) is in his eighth season with a 166-196 record. Brown previously was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for eight seasons at Bowling Green, where he was part of two division titles and a regular-season title in the Mid-American Conference. Brown began his collegiate coaching career in 1999 as a volunteer assistant at Arizona. He was a left-handed pitcher for the Wildcats under Hall of Fame coach Jerry Kindall and a member of the 1992 Pac-10 champs.
THE TOD BROWN FILE:
Tuesday, Feb. 17 | 6 p.m. MT (7 p.m. CT)
Hi Corbett Field | Tucson, Ariz.
Live Stats | Live Video
Game 5: North Dakota State at Arizona
Wednesday, Feb. 18 | 6 p.m. MT (7 p.m. CT)
Hi Corbett Field | Tucson, Ariz.
Live Stats | Live Video
NDSU Notes (PDF)
NDSU baseball on Twitter: @NDSUbaseball
THIS WEEK: North Dakota State (0-3) will finish its season-opening road trip in Arizona with a pair of games at the University of Arizona (3-0) on Tuesday, Feb. 17, and Wednesday, Feb. 18, at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson. Both contests will begin at 6 p.m. MT (7 p.m. CT).
MEDIA COVERAGE: Live stats and live video will be available for both games at ArizonaWildcats.com.
THE SERIES: The two games at Arizona Tuesday and Wednesday will mark the seventh and eighth meetings all-time between the Bison and Wildcats. NDSU trails Arizona in the series, 1-5. The Bison's lone win in the series was an 8-2 triumph at Arizona during the 2012 season. That win was the first victory over a ranked Division I baseball opponent in North Dakota State program history. The Bison are 1-6 all-time against Pac-12 teams.
ABOUT ARIZONA: The Wildcats are off to a 3-0 start after sweeping a three-game series against Eastern Michigan in Tucson to begin the 2015 season. Arizona won game one, 7-3, before rolling to a 16-3 victory in the second game and taking the third contest, 6-2. The Wildcats were picked seventh out of 11 teams in the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches' Poll. Arizona returns six starting position players and two starting pitchers from last season's team that went 22-33 overall and finished 10th in the Pac-12 with a record of 9-21. Scott Kingery has hit safely in three games and leads the Wildcats with a .538 batting average. Kingery, a D1Baseball.com, Baseball America and Louisville Slugger Collegiate Baseball preseason All-American, is 7-for-13 with two triples, one home run, five RBI and a 1.077 slugging percentage. He went an impressive 5-for-6 with a triple and homer in the Wildcats' 16-3 win over Eastern Michigan Feb. 14. Head coach Andy Lopez has a 462-300-1 record in his 14th season at Arizona and has a career record of 1,149-718-7 in 33 years as a head coach.
BROWN'S ARIZONA CONNECTION: North Dakota State head coach Tod Brown graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor's degree in regional development in 1994. Brown began his collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant for the Wildcats in 1999. He was a LHP for Arizona under Hall of Fame coach Jerry Kindall and a member of the 1992 Pac-10 championship team.
PFANNENSTEIN, ERNST SLATED TO PITCH AT ARIZONA: North Dakota State right-handers Reed Pfannenstein and David Ernst are slated to pitch at Arizona on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Pfannenstein, a 6-4 sophomore from Cold Spring, Minn., is scheduled to make his 2015 season debut under the lights at Hi Corbett Field on Tuesday, before Ernst, a 6-3 senior from Fargo, gets the ball on Wednesday night to close out the two game set in Tucson. Pfannenstein, the 2014 Summit League tournament MVP, posted a 4-1 record in 13 appearances and six starts for the Bison last season. He compiled an ERA of 2.86 in 44 innings of work with 28 strikeouts and 17 walks while giving up just 14 earned runs on 39 hits. Ernst (0-1) went five innings in his first start of 2015 at Grand Canyon Friday, Feb. 13, in Phoenix. He took the loss on the mound after giving up two earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and a pair of walks. Last season, Ernst posted a 5-5 record with a 3.60 ERA in 15 appearances and starts. He pitched a team-high 95 innings with three complete games and tallied 43 strikeouts and 30 walks. The Fargo native surrendered 38 earned runs and limited opposing batters to a .292 average.
CATCHING UP WITH THE BISON: NDSU enters the two road contests at Arizona Tuesday and Wednesday with an overall record of 0-3 after dropping three contests in the Grand Canyon Classic Feb. 13-15. The Bison fell in the season-opener against Grand Canyon, 6-3, on Friday, Feb. 13, before dropping an 8-3 decision to Bradley in 10 innings Saturday, Feb. 14. North Dakota State dropped the GCU Classic finale to Omaha Sunday, Feb. 15, 5-4.
POSITION DEPTH TO BE TESTED: The Bison have key spots to fill in the lineup after the departure of Summit League Player of the Year Tim Colwell and fellow All-Summit League performers Michael Leach, Kyle Kleinendorst and Wes Satzinger. Senior third baseman John Skrbec (.200), junior shortstop Aiden Hook (.286) and junior left fielder Jon Hechtner (.000) are the lone returning position starters for the Bison.
NEW FACES: Seven freshmen and seven transfers make up the 14 total newcomers joining the Bison this season. New freshmen include Brayden Resch (C/UTIL), Drew Fearing (INF), Mason Pierzchalski (INF), Jayse McLean (OF), Joe Vacinek (RHP), Colin Baumgard (RHP) and Blake Stockert (RHP). The new transfers are Danny Regan (INF/OF), Juan Gamez (C/UTIL), JT Core (C/UTIL), JD Larimer (INF), Taylor Sanders (C/OF), Riley Horn (LHP) and Nick Salentine (RHP/INF).
FIVE CONSECUTIVE 20-WIN SEASONS: North Dakota State has reached the 20-win mark five straight seasons. The Bison have qualified for four straight Summit League tournaments, winning the tournament championship last season and reaching the championship game each of the past three seasons. This is NDSU's eighth season in The Summit League after three seasons as a Division I independent.
PRESEASON PICKS: Defending Summit League tournament champion North Dakota State was picked to finish fourth in The Summit League in a preseason poll of the league's six head coaches. For the second consecutive season, Omaha was tabbed to claim its third straight Summit League regular season baseball title. The Mavs received three of six first-place votes and a total of 23 points. Oral Roberts placed second with the other three first-place votes and 21 points. South Dakota State came in third with 17 points followed by the Bison with 15 points. Western Illinois (8 points) and Fort Wayne (6 points) rounded out the poll.
THE SUMMIT LEAGUE: This is North Dakota State's eighth year in The Summit League, which has six baseball teams for 2015 – NDSU, Fort Wayne, Omaha, Oral Roberts, South Dakota State and Western Illinois – after losing Oakland to the Horizon League. Denver, IUPUI and South Dakota do not have baseball. Oral Roberts, which won 15 straight league championships from 1998-2012, returns to the league this season after competing in the Southland Conference the past two years.
THE COACH: North Dakota State head coach Tod Brown (Arizona, 1994) is in his eighth season with a 166-196 record. Brown previously was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for eight seasons at Bowling Green, where he was part of two division titles and a regular-season title in the Mid-American Conference. Brown began his collegiate coaching career in 1999 as a volunteer assistant at Arizona. He was a left-handed pitcher for the Wildcats under Hall of Fame coach Jerry Kindall and a member of the 1992 Pac-10 champs.
THE TOD BROWN FILE:
- 2014 Summit League tournament champions
- 2014 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament Corvallis Regional qualifiers
- Won school-record 40 games in 2012
- Three straight Summit League championship game appearances
- Four consecutive Summit League tournament appearances
- Winning percentage of .518 the past four seasons
- 16 All-Summit League honorees, six first team selections
- 14 players who signed professional contracts
- Coached three NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients: Wes Satzinger (2014), John Straka (2013) and Kole Zimmerman (2008)
Wednesday, March 11
Sunday, June 01
Sunday, June 01
Friday, May 30
