Wednesday, May 20
Sioux Falls, S.D.
2 p.m.
North Dakota State
vs
Oral Roberts
Photo by: Jim Trewin
NDSU Baseball Opens Play in Fifth Consecutive Summit League Tournament Wednesday
5/19/2015 4:46:00 PM | Baseball
Complete Tournament Notes (PDF)
Championship Web Site
SCENE SETTER: The North Dakota State University baseball team will open play in the 2015 Summit League Baseball Championship presented by First PREMIER Bank/PREMIER Bankcard at Sioux Falls Stadium in Sioux Falls, S.D., Wednesday, May 20, at 2 p.m. against Oral Roberts. The Bison enter the double elimination tournament as the four seed for the second straight year, while the Golden Eagles are the one seed. NDSU is the defending tournament champion.
MEDIA COVERAGE: The first, semifinal and elimination rounds of the tournament will be streamed live at www.TheSummitLeague.org, courtesy of South Dakota State University. The championship game(s) Saturday will be broadcast and streamed live by Midco Sports Network. All tournament contests will feature live statistics at www.TheSummitLeague.org. Live updates can also be accessed via Twitter by following the official #NDSUBison baseball account, @NDSUbaseball.
2015 SUMMIT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT TEAMS: No. 1 seed Oral Roberts Golden Eagles - Overall Record: 38-14 ... Summit League Record: 25-5 ... 2014 Summit League tournament finish: N/A ... Head Coach: Ryan Folmar (3rd season, 93-72 record at ORU) ... No. 2 seed South Dakota State Jackrabbits - Overall Record: 32-21 ... Summit League Record: 18-11 ... 2014 Summit League tournament finish: 3rd-place ... Head Coach: Dave Schrage (4th season, 112-106-1 record at SDSU) ... No. 3 seed Fort Wayne Mastodons - Overall Record: 26-23 ... Summit League Record: 13-15 ... 2014 Summit League tournament finish: 4th-place ... Head Coach: Bobby Pierce (7th season, 130-241 record at IPFW) ... No. 4 seed North Dakota State Bison - Overall Record: 20-29 ... Summit League Record: 11-19 ... 2014 Summit League tournament finish: 1st ... Head Coach: Tod Brown (8th season, 186-222 record at NDSU).
NDSU IN THE SUMMIT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: The Bison have an all-time record of 8-6 in Summit League tournament competition dating back to their first appearance in the 2011 season. This is the fifth consecutive season NDSU has advanced to the tournament. Last season, the Bison claimed their first-ever Summit League tournament championship after defeating top-seeded South Dakota State in the first round, 4-3, before beating No. 2 seed Western Illinois in the semifinals, 6-1, and championship round, 9-0.
CATCHING UP WITH THE BISON: The Bison are 20-29 overall heading into Wednesday's Summit League tournament opener against Oral Roberts. NDSU finished fifth in The Summit League at 11-19 and has won 11 of its last 14 games entering the tournament. Through 49 contests, Taylor Sanders (.347, 42 H, 8 2B, 1 HR, 19 RBI), Ben Petersen (.347, 61 H, 8 2B, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 15 BB, 6 SB), John Skrbec (40 H, 11 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 29 RBI, 29 BB) and Juan Gamez (37 H, 3 2B, 7 HR, 24 RBI) lead NDSU in the batter's box. Starters Trent Keefer (4-6, 4.80 ERA, 2 CG, 69.1 IP, 90 H, 57 R, 37 ER, 17 BB, 53 SO) and David Ernst (2-9, 4,82 ERA, 2 CG, 84.0 IP, 105 H, 66 R, 45 ER, 38 BB, 47 SO) and reliever Brian VanderWoude (4-2, 2.56 ERA, 52.2 IP, 53 H, 30 R, 15 ER, 23 BB, 49 SO) lead NDSU on the mound. As a team, the Bison are hitting .267 and have a fielding percentage of .952 to go along with a team ERA of 4.75.
WEEKLY HONORS: Three North Dakota State baseball student-athletes took home Summit League Athlete of the Week honors during the 2015 regular season. Bison RHP David Ernst was named Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 27-May 3 after a complete game victory to conclude North Dakota State's series sweep of Fort Wayne. In the 2-1 win on Sunday, May 3, he yielded just three hits, two walks, and one earned run while fanning a season-high six batters. NDSU first baseman Mason Pierzchalski and LHP Trent Keefer were named the league's Player and Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 11-17. Pierzchalski recorded his first career Player of the Week accolade after helping North Dakota State earn the final spot in the upcoming league tournament with a series win over Omaha. The freshman first baseman had a pair of hits, including a bases-clearing triple in the eighth inning, in the second game of Friday's doubleheader. He added three hits and two RBI in Saturday's 5-4 extra inning win. For the week Pierzchalski batted .500 (5-for-10) with a .545 slugging percentage and .700 on-base percentage. He totaled five RBI and two runs scored with a triple and walk during the week. Keefer collects his first career Pitcher of the Week award after earning the win in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against Omaha. The senior southpaw went the distance surrendering just one earned run and six hits while striking out three and walking one. The complete game was Keefer's second of the season and helped the Bison secure the final spot in the upcoming Summit League Championship.
GOING THE DISTANCE: NDSU Bison starting pitchers Trent Keefer and David Ernst pitched a combined 18 innings in last weekend's three-game series against Omaha. Keefer tossed his second complete game of the season in game two of a doubleheader on May 15 and allowed only one earned run on six hits while striking out three and walking one. A day later, Ernst threw nine innings in NDSU's 5-4 12-inning walk-off win over Omaha. The Fargo native scattered eight hits and gave up just two earned runs while striking out three and walking two.
CLOSING THE DOOR: Bison closer Trevor Jaunich is a perfect 3-0 with two saves and a 1.84 ERA in his last six relief appearances. The Delano, Minn., native has struck out nine batters and allowed no walks and just three earned runs during that span.
CLUTCH HITTING: The Bison have five walk-off victories this season. NDSU's first walk-off triumph occurred in game two of a doubleheader against Oral Roberts on April 18 when David Ernst hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give NDSU a 7-6 win. The Bison claimed their second walk-off victory against Fort Wayne on May 2, when Danny Regan worked a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the 12th inning, securing the 13-12 win. Walk-off win number three occurred when Brayden Resch hit a RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Bison a 5-4 victory over Minnesota on May 6. The Bison tallied another walk-off win May 9 in the second game of a doubleheader with South Dakota State when Resch hit the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 11th to seal a 3-2 NDSU victory. NDSU's most recent walk-off win was Saturday, May 16, when Andy Wicklund drove in the game-winning run on a RBI single to give the Bison a 5-4 triumph over Omaha in game two of a doubleheader. The win helped the Bison secure a spot in The Summit League tournament.
NDSU IN THE NCAA STATISTICS: In the latest NCAA national statistics, the Bison rank sixth out of 301 Division I baseball programs in double plays turned per game with 1.08 and 27th in total double plays with 53. Individually, David Ernst is second in the nation in games started with 15, and Paul Funk is 43rd in sacrifice bunts per game (0.24) and 47th in total sacrifice bunts (11).
BISON IN THE SUMMIT LEAGUE STATS: Entering tournament play, Taylor Sanders (.347) ranks seventh and Ben Petersen (.347) ranks eighth in The Summit League individual batting statistics ... RHP Brian VanderWoude leads the league in individual pitching with a 2.56 ERA in 16 games ... Juan Gamez is third in home runs with seven in 44 games played ... Danny Regan is fifth in triples with two in 44 games played ... John Skrbec is sixth in walks with 29 in 49 games ... RHP David Ernst ranks sixth in innings pitched at 84.0 ... Ernst leads the league in starts with 15 and is tied for first in complete game with two. ... LHP Trent Keefer is tied for first in complete games with two ... VanderWoude is eighth in opponent batting average at .261 in 16 games.
TURNING TWO: The Bison have turned 16 double plays in their last eight games. North Dakota State tallied three double plays in its 3-2 extra-inning win over South Dakota State May 9. It marked the fifth time in 2015 the Bison have turned three double plays in a game. Through 49 games, the Bison lead The Summit League in double plays with 53.
WORKING THE COUNT: John Skrbec leads the Bison and is sixth in The Summit League in walks with 29 in 49 games. The Grand Rapids, Minn., native has 81 career free passes, ranking him second in the NDSU career record books. He is one walk away from tying Chris Olson (1989-92) for the most walks in NDSU program history.
55 AND COUNTING: John Skrbec has started 55 consecutive games at third base dating back to last season. The Grand Rapids, Minn., native has manned the hot corner in all 49 of NDSU's games this season. Skrbec is seventh in NDSU career games played with 177 and eighth in career games started with 161.
POWER SURGE: Juan Gamez leads the Bison and is third in The Summit League lead in home runs through 49 games with seven. Two of Gamez's homers have been grand slams.
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. Entering the week, Ernst has 52 career starts.
SWINGING FOR THE FENCES: NDSU and its opponents have hit a combined 12 home runs at Newman Outdoor Field this season. The Bison have three round-trippers at home, while their adversaries have nine. That's a stark comparison to last season, when only one ball was hit out of the park.
SIX CONSECUTIVE 20-WIN SEASONS: North Dakota State has reached the 20-win mark six straight seasons. The Bison have qualified for five 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.
THE COACH: North Dakota State head coach Tod Brown (Arizona, 1994) is in his eighth season with a 186-222 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:
Championship Web Site
SCENE SETTER: The North Dakota State University baseball team will open play in the 2015 Summit League Baseball Championship presented by First PREMIER Bank/PREMIER Bankcard at Sioux Falls Stadium in Sioux Falls, S.D., Wednesday, May 20, at 2 p.m. against Oral Roberts. The Bison enter the double elimination tournament as the four seed for the second straight year, while the Golden Eagles are the one seed. NDSU is the defending tournament champion.
MEDIA COVERAGE: The first, semifinal and elimination rounds of the tournament will be streamed live at www.TheSummitLeague.org, courtesy of South Dakota State University. The championship game(s) Saturday will be broadcast and streamed live by Midco Sports Network. All tournament contests will feature live statistics at www.TheSummitLeague.org. Live updates can also be accessed via Twitter by following the official #NDSUBison baseball account, @NDSUbaseball.
2015 SUMMIT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT TEAMS: No. 1 seed Oral Roberts Golden Eagles - Overall Record: 38-14 ... Summit League Record: 25-5 ... 2014 Summit League tournament finish: N/A ... Head Coach: Ryan Folmar (3rd season, 93-72 record at ORU) ... No. 2 seed South Dakota State Jackrabbits - Overall Record: 32-21 ... Summit League Record: 18-11 ... 2014 Summit League tournament finish: 3rd-place ... Head Coach: Dave Schrage (4th season, 112-106-1 record at SDSU) ... No. 3 seed Fort Wayne Mastodons - Overall Record: 26-23 ... Summit League Record: 13-15 ... 2014 Summit League tournament finish: 4th-place ... Head Coach: Bobby Pierce (7th season, 130-241 record at IPFW) ... No. 4 seed North Dakota State Bison - Overall Record: 20-29 ... Summit League Record: 11-19 ... 2014 Summit League tournament finish: 1st ... Head Coach: Tod Brown (8th season, 186-222 record at NDSU).
NDSU IN THE SUMMIT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: The Bison have an all-time record of 8-6 in Summit League tournament competition dating back to their first appearance in the 2011 season. This is the fifth consecutive season NDSU has advanced to the tournament. Last season, the Bison claimed their first-ever Summit League tournament championship after defeating top-seeded South Dakota State in the first round, 4-3, before beating No. 2 seed Western Illinois in the semifinals, 6-1, and championship round, 9-0.
CATCHING UP WITH THE BISON: The Bison are 20-29 overall heading into Wednesday's Summit League tournament opener against Oral Roberts. NDSU finished fifth in The Summit League at 11-19 and has won 11 of its last 14 games entering the tournament. Through 49 contests, Taylor Sanders (.347, 42 H, 8 2B, 1 HR, 19 RBI), Ben Petersen (.347, 61 H, 8 2B, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 15 BB, 6 SB), John Skrbec (40 H, 11 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 29 RBI, 29 BB) and Juan Gamez (37 H, 3 2B, 7 HR, 24 RBI) lead NDSU in the batter's box. Starters Trent Keefer (4-6, 4.80 ERA, 2 CG, 69.1 IP, 90 H, 57 R, 37 ER, 17 BB, 53 SO) and David Ernst (2-9, 4,82 ERA, 2 CG, 84.0 IP, 105 H, 66 R, 45 ER, 38 BB, 47 SO) and reliever Brian VanderWoude (4-2, 2.56 ERA, 52.2 IP, 53 H, 30 R, 15 ER, 23 BB, 49 SO) lead NDSU on the mound. As a team, the Bison are hitting .267 and have a fielding percentage of .952 to go along with a team ERA of 4.75.
WEEKLY HONORS: Three North Dakota State baseball student-athletes took home Summit League Athlete of the Week honors during the 2015 regular season. Bison RHP David Ernst was named Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 27-May 3 after a complete game victory to conclude North Dakota State's series sweep of Fort Wayne. In the 2-1 win on Sunday, May 3, he yielded just three hits, two walks, and one earned run while fanning a season-high six batters. NDSU first baseman Mason Pierzchalski and LHP Trent Keefer were named the league's Player and Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 11-17. Pierzchalski recorded his first career Player of the Week accolade after helping North Dakota State earn the final spot in the upcoming league tournament with a series win over Omaha. The freshman first baseman had a pair of hits, including a bases-clearing triple in the eighth inning, in the second game of Friday's doubleheader. He added three hits and two RBI in Saturday's 5-4 extra inning win. For the week Pierzchalski batted .500 (5-for-10) with a .545 slugging percentage and .700 on-base percentage. He totaled five RBI and two runs scored with a triple and walk during the week. Keefer collects his first career Pitcher of the Week award after earning the win in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against Omaha. The senior southpaw went the distance surrendering just one earned run and six hits while striking out three and walking one. The complete game was Keefer's second of the season and helped the Bison secure the final spot in the upcoming Summit League Championship.
GOING THE DISTANCE: NDSU Bison starting pitchers Trent Keefer and David Ernst pitched a combined 18 innings in last weekend's three-game series against Omaha. Keefer tossed his second complete game of the season in game two of a doubleheader on May 15 and allowed only one earned run on six hits while striking out three and walking one. A day later, Ernst threw nine innings in NDSU's 5-4 12-inning walk-off win over Omaha. The Fargo native scattered eight hits and gave up just two earned runs while striking out three and walking two.
CLOSING THE DOOR: Bison closer Trevor Jaunich is a perfect 3-0 with two saves and a 1.84 ERA in his last six relief appearances. The Delano, Minn., native has struck out nine batters and allowed no walks and just three earned runs during that span.
CLUTCH HITTING: The Bison have five walk-off victories this season. NDSU's first walk-off triumph occurred in game two of a doubleheader against Oral Roberts on April 18 when David Ernst hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give NDSU a 7-6 win. The Bison claimed their second walk-off victory against Fort Wayne on May 2, when Danny Regan worked a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the 12th inning, securing the 13-12 win. Walk-off win number three occurred when Brayden Resch hit a RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Bison a 5-4 victory over Minnesota on May 6. The Bison tallied another walk-off win May 9 in the second game of a doubleheader with South Dakota State when Resch hit the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 11th to seal a 3-2 NDSU victory. NDSU's most recent walk-off win was Saturday, May 16, when Andy Wicklund drove in the game-winning run on a RBI single to give the Bison a 5-4 triumph over Omaha in game two of a doubleheader. The win helped the Bison secure a spot in The Summit League tournament.
NDSU IN THE NCAA STATISTICS: In the latest NCAA national statistics, the Bison rank sixth out of 301 Division I baseball programs in double plays turned per game with 1.08 and 27th in total double plays with 53. Individually, David Ernst is second in the nation in games started with 15, and Paul Funk is 43rd in sacrifice bunts per game (0.24) and 47th in total sacrifice bunts (11).
BISON IN THE SUMMIT LEAGUE STATS: Entering tournament play, Taylor Sanders (.347) ranks seventh and Ben Petersen (.347) ranks eighth in The Summit League individual batting statistics ... RHP Brian VanderWoude leads the league in individual pitching with a 2.56 ERA in 16 games ... Juan Gamez is third in home runs with seven in 44 games played ... Danny Regan is fifth in triples with two in 44 games played ... John Skrbec is sixth in walks with 29 in 49 games ... RHP David Ernst ranks sixth in innings pitched at 84.0 ... Ernst leads the league in starts with 15 and is tied for first in complete game with two. ... LHP Trent Keefer is tied for first in complete games with two ... VanderWoude is eighth in opponent batting average at .261 in 16 games.
TURNING TWO: The Bison have turned 16 double plays in their last eight games. North Dakota State tallied three double plays in its 3-2 extra-inning win over South Dakota State May 9. It marked the fifth time in 2015 the Bison have turned three double plays in a game. Through 49 games, the Bison lead The Summit League in double plays with 53.
WORKING THE COUNT: John Skrbec leads the Bison and is sixth in The Summit League in walks with 29 in 49 games. The Grand Rapids, Minn., native has 81 career free passes, ranking him second in the NDSU career record books. He is one walk away from tying Chris Olson (1989-92) for the most walks in NDSU program history.
55 AND COUNTING: John Skrbec has started 55 consecutive games at third base dating back to last season. The Grand Rapids, Minn., native has manned the hot corner in all 49 of NDSU's games this season. Skrbec is seventh in NDSU career games played with 177 and eighth in career games started with 161.
POWER SURGE: Juan Gamez leads the Bison and is third in The Summit League lead in home runs through 49 games with seven. Two of Gamez's homers have been grand slams.
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. Entering the week, Ernst has 52 career starts.
SWINGING FOR THE FENCES: NDSU and its opponents have hit a combined 12 home runs at Newman Outdoor Field this season. The Bison have three round-trippers at home, while their adversaries have nine. That's a stark comparison to last season, when only one ball was hit out of the park.
SIX CONSECUTIVE 20-WIN SEASONS: North Dakota State has reached the 20-win mark six straight seasons. The Bison have qualified for five 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.
THE COACH: North Dakota State head coach Tod Brown (Arizona, 1994) is in his eighth season with a 186-222 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
- Five 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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/ BaseballWednesday, March 11
Sunday, June 01
Sunday, June 01
Friday, May 30
