Friday, April 17
Fargo, N.D.
6:30 p.m.
North Dakota State
vs
Oral Roberts
Photo by: Jim Trewin
NDSU Baseball Begins Eight-Game Homestand Friday Against Oral Roberts
4/16/2015 12:22:00 PM | Baseball
Complete Weekend Release (PDF)
Live Stats: Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Live Video
THIS WEEKEND: The North Dakota State University baseball team (8-22, 3-12 Summit League) will host Summit League-leading Oral Roberts (25-10, 13-2 Summit League) in a three-game series at Newman Outdoor Field April 17-19. The series opener is scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m., while Saturday's games is scheduled for 1 p.m. and Sunday's series finale is slated for noon. Nineteen of the Bison's 20 remaining regular season games will be played in the friendly confines of Newman Outdoor Field.
THE SERIES: The three-game series against the Golden Eagles will mark meetings 25-27 in the all-time series. ORU leads the series, 7-17, after defeating the Bison in two of three games earlier in the season March 14-15 in Tulsa. Oral Roberts won the opener, 6-0, and series finale, 4-3, while the Bison claimed the middle game of the series, 4-3. NDSU hasn't played ORU in Fargo since 2011, when the Golden Eagles and Bison split a four-game series.
SCOUTING ORAL ROBERTS: The Golden Eagles are 25-10 overall and 13-2 in Summit League play entering Friday's game after claiming a 15-5 win over 10th-ranked Oklahoma State on Wednesday in Stillwater, Okla. Audie Afenir (.356, 47 H, 10 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 32 RBI), Derrian James (.352, 38 H, 12 2B, 3 HR, 31 RBI, .546 SLG%) and Anthony Sequeira (.341, 44 H, 10 2B, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 24 BB) lead the Golden Eagles offensively through 35 games. As a team, ORU is batting a Summit League-best .317 while holding its opponents to .246 batting. The Golden Eagles are slated to start RHP Guillermo Trujillo (5-2, 4.34 ERA, 47.2 IP, 43 H, 27 R, 23 ER, 16 BB, 40 SO) in the series opener Friday, RHP Xavier Altamirano (4-1, 2.77 ERA, 52.0 IP, 47 H, 22 R, 16 ER, 7 BB, 51 SO) Saturday and RHP Bryce Howe (2-1, 3.04 ERA, 23.2 IP, 21 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 7 BB, 20 SO) Sunday in the series finale. ORU has a Summit League-leading 3.22 ERA. Oral Roberts is under the leadership of third season head coach Ryan Folmar (Oklahoma State, 1997).
CATCHING UP WITH THE BISON: The Bison enter Friday's game with an overall record of 8-22 and a Summit League tally of 3-12 after falling at Minnesota on Tuesday, April 14, 13-5. NDSU has last its past four games. Through 30 contests, Ben Petersen (.364, 36 H, 5 2B, 3 HR, 15 RBI, .505 SLG%), Taylor Sanders (.333, 29 H, 7 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBI) and John Skrbec (.275, 28 H, 8 2B, 4 HR, 23 RBI, 17 BB) lead the Bison offensively. Bison reliever Jay Flaa (0-1, 2.84 ERA, 3 SV, 31.2 IP, 17 H, 12 R, 10 ER, 16 BB, 50 SO) leads the Bison on the mound.
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 made his first-ever collegiate start and first appearance on the mound since last season Tuesday at Minnesota. After being injured the first-half of 2015, the Cold Spring, Minn., native pitched two scoreless innings, allowing no hits with two walks and a strikeout.
CONSISTENCY AT THE PLATE: Ben Petersen is riding a team-best six-game hitting streak entering Friday's game against Oral Roberts. The Lino Lakes, Minn., native has five extra base hits in his last four games.
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 five of his last six contests. Petersen drove in a season-best four runs at Minnesota on Tuesday. He ranks third on the team in total RBI with 15 through 30 games.
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 174-216 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: Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Live Video
THIS WEEKEND: The North Dakota State University baseball team (8-22, 3-12 Summit League) will host Summit League-leading Oral Roberts (25-10, 13-2 Summit League) in a three-game series at Newman Outdoor Field April 17-19. The series opener is scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m., while Saturday's games is scheduled for 1 p.m. and Sunday's series finale is slated for noon. Nineteen of the Bison's 20 remaining regular season games will be played in the friendly confines of Newman Outdoor Field.
THE SERIES: The three-game series against the Golden Eagles will mark meetings 25-27 in the all-time series. ORU leads the series, 7-17, after defeating the Bison in two of three games earlier in the season March 14-15 in Tulsa. Oral Roberts won the opener, 6-0, and series finale, 4-3, while the Bison claimed the middle game of the series, 4-3. NDSU hasn't played ORU in Fargo since 2011, when the Golden Eagles and Bison split a four-game series.
SCOUTING ORAL ROBERTS: The Golden Eagles are 25-10 overall and 13-2 in Summit League play entering Friday's game after claiming a 15-5 win over 10th-ranked Oklahoma State on Wednesday in Stillwater, Okla. Audie Afenir (.356, 47 H, 10 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 32 RBI), Derrian James (.352, 38 H, 12 2B, 3 HR, 31 RBI, .546 SLG%) and Anthony Sequeira (.341, 44 H, 10 2B, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 24 BB) lead the Golden Eagles offensively through 35 games. As a team, ORU is batting a Summit League-best .317 while holding its opponents to .246 batting. The Golden Eagles are slated to start RHP Guillermo Trujillo (5-2, 4.34 ERA, 47.2 IP, 43 H, 27 R, 23 ER, 16 BB, 40 SO) in the series opener Friday, RHP Xavier Altamirano (4-1, 2.77 ERA, 52.0 IP, 47 H, 22 R, 16 ER, 7 BB, 51 SO) Saturday and RHP Bryce Howe (2-1, 3.04 ERA, 23.2 IP, 21 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 7 BB, 20 SO) Sunday in the series finale. ORU has a Summit League-leading 3.22 ERA. Oral Roberts is under the leadership of third season head coach Ryan Folmar (Oklahoma State, 1997).
CATCHING UP WITH THE BISON: The Bison enter Friday's game with an overall record of 8-22 and a Summit League tally of 3-12 after falling at Minnesota on Tuesday, April 14, 13-5. NDSU has last its past four games. Through 30 contests, Ben Petersen (.364, 36 H, 5 2B, 3 HR, 15 RBI, .505 SLG%), Taylor Sanders (.333, 29 H, 7 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBI) and John Skrbec (.275, 28 H, 8 2B, 4 HR, 23 RBI, 17 BB) lead the Bison offensively. Bison reliever Jay Flaa (0-1, 2.84 ERA, 3 SV, 31.2 IP, 17 H, 12 R, 10 ER, 16 BB, 50 SO) leads the Bison on the mound.
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 made his first-ever collegiate start and first appearance on the mound since last season Tuesday at Minnesota. After being injured the first-half of 2015, the Cold Spring, Minn., native pitched two scoreless innings, allowing no hits with two walks and a strikeout.
CONSISTENCY AT THE PLATE: Ben Petersen is riding a team-best six-game hitting streak entering Friday's game against Oral Roberts. The Lino Lakes, Minn., native has five extra base hits in his last four games.
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 five of his last six contests. Petersen drove in a season-best four runs at Minnesota on Tuesday. He ranks third on the team in total RBI with 15 through 30 games.
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 174-216 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)
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