Tuesday, April 14
Minneapolis, Minn.
3 p.m.
North Dakota State
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Minnesota
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Photo by: Richard Svaleson
NDSU Baseball Faces Big Ten Foe Minnesota Tuesday Afternoon in Minneapolis
4/13/2015 1:29:00 PM | Baseball
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
Live Stats | Live Video (PPV)
TV: BTN Plus
THE GAME: The North Dakota State University baseball team (8-21) will look to end a three-game losing skid when it travels to Minneapolis on Tuesday, April 14, for a non-league game against the Minnesota Gophers (12-19) at 3:05 p.m. at Siebert Field.
THE SERIES: Tuesday's game at Minnesota will be the 32nd meeting all-time. The Gophers lead the series 24-7 and have won the last four meetings. The Bison's last victory in the series was a 6-5 win in Minneapolis during the 2012 season.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA: The Gophers enter Tuesday's game with a 12-19 overall record after dropping two of three games at Nebraska April 10-12. Matt Fiedler (.333, 40 H, 4 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 13 BB, 11 SB), Tony Skjefte (.239, 27 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 20 RBI) and Dan Motl (.340, 34 H, 8 2B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 10 SB) lead the Gophers at the plate through 31 games. Right-hander Reggie Meyer (0-1, 10.29 ERA, 7.0 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 5 BB, 4 SO) is scheduled to start on the mound for Minnesota Tuesday afternoon. The Gophers are led by 34th season head coach John Anderson (Minnesota, 1977).
CATCHING UP WITH THE BISON: The Bison enter Tuesday's tilt at Minnesota with an 8-21 overall record after dropping a three-game Summit League series at South Dakota State April 10-12. John Skrbec (.273, 27 H, 8 2B, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 17 BB), Ben Petersen (.347, 33 H, 5 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI), Taylor Sanders (.345, 29 H, 7 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBI) and Juan Gamez (.230, 20 H, 3 2B, 5 HR, 21 RBI) lead the Bison offensively through 29 games. Right-hander Sean Terres is scheduled to make his 2015 debut on the mound for NDSU after sitting out the first-half of the season due to injury.
RECORD SETTER: Right-hander David Ernst became the career leader in starts at North Dakota State with 46 after starting on the mound at South Dakota State Friday, April 10. The Fargo native passed former Bison great Jake Laber, who made 45 starts from 2005-08.
RETURN TO THE MOUND: Bison redshirt sophomore right-hander Sean Terres is slated to appear on the mound for the first time since last season. Terres spent the first-half of the 2015 campaign injured. Last season, he compiled a 5.23 ERA in 10 relief appearances, allowing 12 earned runs on 22 hits while striking out 18 and walking 10 in 20.2 innings pitched.
CONSISTENCY AT THE PLATE: Ben Petersen and Taylor Sanders have hit safely in six of the last eight games. Petersen is riding a five-game hitting streak and leads NDSU in batting average (.347) and hits (33), while Sanders is second on the team in batting average (.345) and hits (29).
POWER SURGE: NDSU junior catcher Juan Gamez has hit two grand slams so far this season. The Tucson, Ariz., native recorded his first grand slam against Kansas on Feb. 27, before delivering what proved to be the game-winning grand slam at Northern Colorado on March 7. Gamez leads NDSU in round-trippers this season with five and ranks second on the team in RBI with 21.
PLATE PRODUCTIVITY: Ben Petersen has driven in at least one run in four of his last five contests. He is currently tied for third on the team with Taylor Sanders and Paul Funk in total RBI with 11.
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, junior shortstop Aiden Hook and junior left fielder Jon Hechtner 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 174-215 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:
Live Stats | Live Video (PPV)
TV: BTN Plus
THE GAME: The North Dakota State University baseball team (8-21) will look to end a three-game losing skid when it travels to Minneapolis on Tuesday, April 14, for a non-league game against the Minnesota Gophers (12-19) at 3:05 p.m. at Siebert Field.
THE SERIES: Tuesday's game at Minnesota will be the 32nd meeting all-time. The Gophers lead the series 24-7 and have won the last four meetings. The Bison's last victory in the series was a 6-5 win in Minneapolis during the 2012 season.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA: The Gophers enter Tuesday's game with a 12-19 overall record after dropping two of three games at Nebraska April 10-12. Matt Fiedler (.333, 40 H, 4 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 13 BB, 11 SB), Tony Skjefte (.239, 27 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 20 RBI) and Dan Motl (.340, 34 H, 8 2B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 10 SB) lead the Gophers at the plate through 31 games. Right-hander Reggie Meyer (0-1, 10.29 ERA, 7.0 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 5 BB, 4 SO) is scheduled to start on the mound for Minnesota Tuesday afternoon. The Gophers are led by 34th season head coach John Anderson (Minnesota, 1977).
CATCHING UP WITH THE BISON: The Bison enter Tuesday's tilt at Minnesota with an 8-21 overall record after dropping a three-game Summit League series at South Dakota State April 10-12. John Skrbec (.273, 27 H, 8 2B, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 17 BB), Ben Petersen (.347, 33 H, 5 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI), Taylor Sanders (.345, 29 H, 7 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBI) and Juan Gamez (.230, 20 H, 3 2B, 5 HR, 21 RBI) lead the Bison offensively through 29 games. Right-hander Sean Terres is scheduled to make his 2015 debut on the mound for NDSU after sitting out the first-half of the season due to injury.
RECORD SETTER: Right-hander David Ernst became the career leader in starts at North Dakota State with 46 after starting on the mound at South Dakota State Friday, April 10. The Fargo native passed former Bison great Jake Laber, who made 45 starts from 2005-08.
RETURN TO THE MOUND: Bison redshirt sophomore right-hander Sean Terres is slated to appear on the mound for the first time since last season. Terres spent the first-half of the 2015 campaign injured. Last season, he compiled a 5.23 ERA in 10 relief appearances, allowing 12 earned runs on 22 hits while striking out 18 and walking 10 in 20.2 innings pitched.
CONSISTENCY AT THE PLATE: Ben Petersen and Taylor Sanders have hit safely in six of the last eight games. Petersen is riding a five-game hitting streak and leads NDSU in batting average (.347) and hits (33), while Sanders is second on the team in batting average (.345) and hits (29).
POWER SURGE: NDSU junior catcher Juan Gamez has hit two grand slams so far this season. The Tucson, Ariz., native recorded his first grand slam against Kansas on Feb. 27, before delivering what proved to be the game-winning grand slam at Northern Colorado on March 7. Gamez leads NDSU in round-trippers this season with five and ranks second on the team in RBI with 21.
PLATE PRODUCTIVITY: Ben Petersen has driven in at least one run in four of his last five contests. He is currently tied for third on the team with Taylor Sanders and Paul Funk in total RBI with 11.
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, junior shortstop Aiden Hook and junior left fielder Jon Hechtner 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 174-215 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
