Friday, April 3
Fort Wayne, Ind.
10 a.m.
North Dakota State
at
Fort Wayne
Photo by: Jim Trewin
NDSU Goes to Fort Wayne for Three-Game Summit League Series Beginning Friday
4/2/2015 10:27:00 AM | Baseball
Complete Weekly Release (PDF)
Live Stats (all games)
THIS WEEKEND: The NDSU Bison baseball team (6-16, 2-7 Summit League) will continue Summit League play with a three-game series at Fort Wayne (11-13, 2-7 Summit League) Friday, April 3 - Sunday, April 5. Friday's series opener is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT), with Saturday's game slated for a 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT) first pitch. The series is scheduled to conclude with a game at 1 p.m. ET (noon CT) Sunday.
THE SERIES: The three games at Fort Wayne will be meetings 31-33 in the all-time series. NDSU leads the series, 16-14. Last season, the Bison split a four-game series in Fort Wayne, Ind., dropping the first and last games of the series and winning the middle two contests.
SCOUTING THE MASTODONS: The Mastodons enter Friday with an 11-13 overall record and a Summit League tally of 2-7 after falling at Purdue in a non-league contest on Wednesday, 9-1. Through 24 games, Jackson Boyce leads the team and The Summit League in batting with a .415 average. Boyce has 22 hits in 53 at bats with two doubles and 12 RBI. Brandon Soat has a team-high eight doubles and 27 RBI, while Shane Trevino has a team-best five homers to go along with six doubles, four triples and 26 RBI. As a team, IPFW is hitting .293 while holding its opponents to a .284 average. The Mastodons are scheduled to pitch RHP Trevor Storie (2-4, 6.25, 36.0 IP, 46 H, 31 R, 25 ER, 18 BB, 20 SO), RHP Ryan Wells (2-4, 7.36, 29.1 IP, 41 H, 36 R, 24 ER, 19 BB, 33 SO) and RHP Evan Miller (2-1, 5.35, 33.2 IP, 29 H, 25 R, 20 ER, 21 BB, 38 SO) against the Bison this weekend. Fort Wayne has a team ERA of 6.02, while its opponents have a 6.78 ERA. The Mastodons are under the direction of sixth season head coach Bobby Pierce (New Mexico State, 2002).
CATCHING UP WITH THE BISON: Entering the weekend series at Fort Wayne, the Bison have an overall record of 6-16 and a Summit League tally of 2-7. Through 22 games, Taylor Sanders (.377, 23 H, 5 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, .508 SLG%), Ben Petersen (.338, 24 H, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI), John Skrbec (.304, 21 H, 6 2B, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 17 BB) and Juan Gamez (2 2B, 4 HR, 14 RBI) lead the Bison offensively. As a team, the Bison are hitting .248, compared to .300 from their opponents. On the mound, right-hander Jay Flaa leads the Bison with a 2.62 ERA and three saves in 24 innings pitched. Flaa has allowed only seven earned runs on 14 hits while striking out a team-high 39 batters and walking just eight. The Bison have a team ERA of 5.82 in 184 innings pitched, compared to a 3.52 ERA in 197 innings of work for their opponents.
SKRBEC SWINGING FOR THE FENCES: Bison third baseman John Skrbec went a combined 4-for-11 (.364) in NDSU's three-game series at Western Illinois last weekend. The Grand Rapids, Minn., native helped the Bison to a 10-2 win in the series finale Sunday, going 2-for-4 at the plate with two home runs and three RBI. Skrbec posted a slugging percentage of .909 and a .500 on base percentage in the series in Macomb.
SANDERS SURGING: NDSU outfielder Taylor Sanders has hit safely in four of his last six games. The junior leads the Bison and ranks fourth in The Summit League in batting. Sanders went a combined 4-for-12 (.333) with a double and two RBI in the Bison's three-game series at Western Illinois last weekend.
ON A ROLL: Bison outfielder Ben Petersen has hit safely in his last nine games and reached base successfully in his last 10 contests, both team highs. The sophomore hit .429 in the series at Western Illinois last weekend, going 3-for-7.
TREWIN REACHES CAREER MILESTONE: Bison lefty Parker Trewin struck out a career-high 11 batters in NDSU's game against Mount St. Mary's on Saturday, Feb. 28, in Punta Gorda, Fla., marking the second time in his NDSU career he has reached double-digit strikeouts.
GOING, GOING, GAMEZ: 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 four and ranks second on the team in RBI with 14.
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 172-210 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 (all games)
THIS WEEKEND: The NDSU Bison baseball team (6-16, 2-7 Summit League) will continue Summit League play with a three-game series at Fort Wayne (11-13, 2-7 Summit League) Friday, April 3 - Sunday, April 5. Friday's series opener is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT), with Saturday's game slated for a 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT) first pitch. The series is scheduled to conclude with a game at 1 p.m. ET (noon CT) Sunday.
THE SERIES: The three games at Fort Wayne will be meetings 31-33 in the all-time series. NDSU leads the series, 16-14. Last season, the Bison split a four-game series in Fort Wayne, Ind., dropping the first and last games of the series and winning the middle two contests.
SCOUTING THE MASTODONS: The Mastodons enter Friday with an 11-13 overall record and a Summit League tally of 2-7 after falling at Purdue in a non-league contest on Wednesday, 9-1. Through 24 games, Jackson Boyce leads the team and The Summit League in batting with a .415 average. Boyce has 22 hits in 53 at bats with two doubles and 12 RBI. Brandon Soat has a team-high eight doubles and 27 RBI, while Shane Trevino has a team-best five homers to go along with six doubles, four triples and 26 RBI. As a team, IPFW is hitting .293 while holding its opponents to a .284 average. The Mastodons are scheduled to pitch RHP Trevor Storie (2-4, 6.25, 36.0 IP, 46 H, 31 R, 25 ER, 18 BB, 20 SO), RHP Ryan Wells (2-4, 7.36, 29.1 IP, 41 H, 36 R, 24 ER, 19 BB, 33 SO) and RHP Evan Miller (2-1, 5.35, 33.2 IP, 29 H, 25 R, 20 ER, 21 BB, 38 SO) against the Bison this weekend. Fort Wayne has a team ERA of 6.02, while its opponents have a 6.78 ERA. The Mastodons are under the direction of sixth season head coach Bobby Pierce (New Mexico State, 2002).
CATCHING UP WITH THE BISON: Entering the weekend series at Fort Wayne, the Bison have an overall record of 6-16 and a Summit League tally of 2-7. Through 22 games, Taylor Sanders (.377, 23 H, 5 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, .508 SLG%), Ben Petersen (.338, 24 H, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI), John Skrbec (.304, 21 H, 6 2B, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 17 BB) and Juan Gamez (2 2B, 4 HR, 14 RBI) lead the Bison offensively. As a team, the Bison are hitting .248, compared to .300 from their opponents. On the mound, right-hander Jay Flaa leads the Bison with a 2.62 ERA and three saves in 24 innings pitched. Flaa has allowed only seven earned runs on 14 hits while striking out a team-high 39 batters and walking just eight. The Bison have a team ERA of 5.82 in 184 innings pitched, compared to a 3.52 ERA in 197 innings of work for their opponents.
SKRBEC SWINGING FOR THE FENCES: Bison third baseman John Skrbec went a combined 4-for-11 (.364) in NDSU's three-game series at Western Illinois last weekend. The Grand Rapids, Minn., native helped the Bison to a 10-2 win in the series finale Sunday, going 2-for-4 at the plate with two home runs and three RBI. Skrbec posted a slugging percentage of .909 and a .500 on base percentage in the series in Macomb.
SANDERS SURGING: NDSU outfielder Taylor Sanders has hit safely in four of his last six games. The junior leads the Bison and ranks fourth in The Summit League in batting. Sanders went a combined 4-for-12 (.333) with a double and two RBI in the Bison's three-game series at Western Illinois last weekend.
ON A ROLL: Bison outfielder Ben Petersen has hit safely in his last nine games and reached base successfully in his last 10 contests, both team highs. The sophomore hit .429 in the series at Western Illinois last weekend, going 3-for-7.
TREWIN REACHES CAREER MILESTONE: Bison lefty Parker Trewin struck out a career-high 11 batters in NDSU's game against Mount St. Mary's on Saturday, Feb. 28, in Punta Gorda, Fla., marking the second time in his NDSU career he has reached double-digit strikeouts.
GOING, GOING, GAMEZ: 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 four and ranks second on the team in RBI with 14.
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 172-210 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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