Friday, February 19
Pine Bluff, Ark.
11 a.m.
North Dakota State
at
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Photo by: Jacob Funk
NDSU Baseball Opens 2016 Season with Three-Game Series at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
2/18/2016 4:41:00 PM | Baseball
Games 1-2: North Dakota State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Friday, Feb. 19 | 11 a.m. (Doubleheader)
Torii Hunter Baseball Complex | Pine Bluff, Ark.
Game 3: North Dakota State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Saturday, Feb. 20 | 1 p.m.
Torii Hunter Baseball Complex | Pine Bluff, Ark.
NDSU Notes (PDF)
NDSU baseball on Twitter: @NDSUbaseball
SCENE SETTER: The North Dakota State University baseball team (0-0) begins its 80th season of baseball this weekend with a three-game series at Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Pine Bluff, Ark. The Bison open the season Friday, Feb. 19, with a doubleheader against the Lions beginning at 11 a.m. before wrapping up the series with a single game at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20.
THE SERIES: The three-game series against Arkansas-Pine Bluff will be meetings 4-6 in the all-time series ... NDSU trails UAPB in the series, 1-2, after dropping two of three games to the Lions back in 2013 in Pine Bluff.
EIGHT POSITION STARTERS RETURN FOR BISON IN 2016: The Bison return eight of nine position starters from last season's team, including All-Summit League second team outfielder Ben Petersen, who hit a team-best .355 with eight doubles, three home runs, one triple and 23 RBI, and catcher Juan Gamez, who hit a team-high nine homers and drove in 26 runs ... The other returning starters include infielders Paul Funk (.252, 7 2B, 1 3B, 16 RBI, 19 BB), Drew Fearing (.276, 5 2B, 10 RBI, 9 SB) and Brayden Resch (.260, 5 2B, 1 HR, 13 RBI), outfielder Danny Regan (.266, 6 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 23 BB), utility player JT Core (.299, 8 2B, 17 RBI, 17 BB) and designated hitter Taylor Sanders (.344, 8 2B, 1 HR, 19 RBI) ... NDSU also welcomes back infielders Andy Wicklund (.258, 17 H, 6 RBI), Mason Pierzchalski (.247, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 15 RBI), JD Larimer (.228, 2 2B, 7 RBI) and Matt Elsenpeter (.200), catcher Danny Palmiscno (.222, 1 2B, 1 RBI), and outfielder Jayse McLean (.118, 1 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI).
PITCHING DEPTH TO BE TESTED: North Dakota State will have key spots to fill in the starting pitching rotation after the departure of veteran starters David Ernst and Trent Keefer ... The Bison will also have to replace key relievers Trevor Jaunich and Jay Flaa in the bullpen ... Senior Parker Trewin, who received an extra year of eligibility after making just four appearances and starts last season due to injury, and junior Reed Pfannenstein are the two returning starters for NDSU. Prior to his injury last season, Trewin compiled an impressive 7-3 record in 14 appearances and 13 starts during the 2014 season. The Ramsey, Minn., native boasted a team-low 2.57 ERA in 77 innings pitched with a team-high 68 strikeouts and only 28 walks. He allowed just 22 earned runs and held opponents to a .225 batting average. Trewin was named to the All-Summit League Second Team ... Pfannenstein will look to return to his 2014 Summit League tournament MVP form after struggling during most of the 2015 season. The Cold Spring, Minn., native posted a 7.42 ERA in 12 appearances and 10 starts last season after tallying a 2.86 ERA in 13 appearances and six starts in 2014 ... In the bullpen, the Bison return senior Brian VanderWoude, who posted a team-low 2.47 ERA with 50 strikeouts and just 23 walks in 54.2 innings of work last year, and sophomore Blake Stockert, who compiled a 4.76 ERA with 28 strikeouts and nine walks in 16 appearances and 28.1 innings pitched.
NDSU WELCOMES EIGHT NEWCOMERS IN 2016: Eight newcomers, including six pitchers and two position players, join the Bison for the 2016 season ... Pitchers include right-handers Dalton England (Gilbert, Ariz.), Alex Rogers (Nanaimo, British Columbia), Logan McShane (Greenfield, Wis.), Nick Salentine (Fargo, N.D.), Jordan Harms (Hitterdal, Minn.) and Blake Tritch (Chaska, Minn.) ... Position players are Alec Abercrombie (Shoreview, Minn.) and Logan Busch (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.).
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Lions finished the 2015 season with an overall record of 26-15 and claimed the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) West Division Title with a record of 17-6 ... UAPB defeated Power 5 conference schools Mississippi State (SEC), Missouri (SEC) and Kansas (Big 12) ... Arkansas-Pine Bluff returns 14 lettermen and five starters from last season's team, including All-SWAC first team pitcher Blake ESTEP and shortstop Roberto Colon, and second team outfielder Jerimiah Figueroa and designated hitter Chris Burns ... The Lions were picked to finish second behind Texas Southern in the 2016 SWAC preseason poll ... UAPB is under the leadership of sixth season head coach Carlos James, who has guided the Lions to a first-place finish in the conference in each of the last two seasons.
PRESEASON PICKS: North Dakota State was picked to finish fifth in The Summit League in a preseason poll of the league's six head coaches. Oral Roberts was picked first after claiming the league's regular season and postseason tournament championships last season. The Golden Eagles received all five of its possible first-place votes. Fort Wayne, last season's tournament runner-up, was picked second. South Dakota State was slotted third with the final first-place tally, followed by Omaha, the Bison and Western Illinois. NDSU welcomes back second team All-Summit League outfielder Ben Petersen.
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 SUMMIT LEAGUE: This is North Dakota State's ninth year in The Summit League, which has six baseball teams for 2016 – NDSU, IPFW, Omaha, Oral Roberts, South Dakota State and Western Illinois. Denver, IUPUI and South Dakota do not have baseball.
THE COACH: North Dakota State head coach Tod Brown (Arizona, 1994) is in his ninth season with a 186-224 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:
Friday, Feb. 19 | 11 a.m. (Doubleheader)
Torii Hunter Baseball Complex | Pine Bluff, Ark.
Game 3: North Dakota State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Saturday, Feb. 20 | 1 p.m.
Torii Hunter Baseball Complex | Pine Bluff, Ark.
NDSU Notes (PDF)
NDSU baseball on Twitter: @NDSUbaseball
SCENE SETTER: The North Dakota State University baseball team (0-0) begins its 80th season of baseball this weekend with a three-game series at Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Pine Bluff, Ark. The Bison open the season Friday, Feb. 19, with a doubleheader against the Lions beginning at 11 a.m. before wrapping up the series with a single game at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20.
THE SERIES: The three-game series against Arkansas-Pine Bluff will be meetings 4-6 in the all-time series ... NDSU trails UAPB in the series, 1-2, after dropping two of three games to the Lions back in 2013 in Pine Bluff.
EIGHT POSITION STARTERS RETURN FOR BISON IN 2016: The Bison return eight of nine position starters from last season's team, including All-Summit League second team outfielder Ben Petersen, who hit a team-best .355 with eight doubles, three home runs, one triple and 23 RBI, and catcher Juan Gamez, who hit a team-high nine homers and drove in 26 runs ... The other returning starters include infielders Paul Funk (.252, 7 2B, 1 3B, 16 RBI, 19 BB), Drew Fearing (.276, 5 2B, 10 RBI, 9 SB) and Brayden Resch (.260, 5 2B, 1 HR, 13 RBI), outfielder Danny Regan (.266, 6 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 23 BB), utility player JT Core (.299, 8 2B, 17 RBI, 17 BB) and designated hitter Taylor Sanders (.344, 8 2B, 1 HR, 19 RBI) ... NDSU also welcomes back infielders Andy Wicklund (.258, 17 H, 6 RBI), Mason Pierzchalski (.247, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 15 RBI), JD Larimer (.228, 2 2B, 7 RBI) and Matt Elsenpeter (.200), catcher Danny Palmiscno (.222, 1 2B, 1 RBI), and outfielder Jayse McLean (.118, 1 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI).
PITCHING DEPTH TO BE TESTED: North Dakota State will have key spots to fill in the starting pitching rotation after the departure of veteran starters David Ernst and Trent Keefer ... The Bison will also have to replace key relievers Trevor Jaunich and Jay Flaa in the bullpen ... Senior Parker Trewin, who received an extra year of eligibility after making just four appearances and starts last season due to injury, and junior Reed Pfannenstein are the two returning starters for NDSU. Prior to his injury last season, Trewin compiled an impressive 7-3 record in 14 appearances and 13 starts during the 2014 season. The Ramsey, Minn., native boasted a team-low 2.57 ERA in 77 innings pitched with a team-high 68 strikeouts and only 28 walks. He allowed just 22 earned runs and held opponents to a .225 batting average. Trewin was named to the All-Summit League Second Team ... Pfannenstein will look to return to his 2014 Summit League tournament MVP form after struggling during most of the 2015 season. The Cold Spring, Minn., native posted a 7.42 ERA in 12 appearances and 10 starts last season after tallying a 2.86 ERA in 13 appearances and six starts in 2014 ... In the bullpen, the Bison return senior Brian VanderWoude, who posted a team-low 2.47 ERA with 50 strikeouts and just 23 walks in 54.2 innings of work last year, and sophomore Blake Stockert, who compiled a 4.76 ERA with 28 strikeouts and nine walks in 16 appearances and 28.1 innings pitched.
NDSU WELCOMES EIGHT NEWCOMERS IN 2016: Eight newcomers, including six pitchers and two position players, join the Bison for the 2016 season ... Pitchers include right-handers Dalton England (Gilbert, Ariz.), Alex Rogers (Nanaimo, British Columbia), Logan McShane (Greenfield, Wis.), Nick Salentine (Fargo, N.D.), Jordan Harms (Hitterdal, Minn.) and Blake Tritch (Chaska, Minn.) ... Position players are Alec Abercrombie (Shoreview, Minn.) and Logan Busch (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.).
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Lions finished the 2015 season with an overall record of 26-15 and claimed the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) West Division Title with a record of 17-6 ... UAPB defeated Power 5 conference schools Mississippi State (SEC), Missouri (SEC) and Kansas (Big 12) ... Arkansas-Pine Bluff returns 14 lettermen and five starters from last season's team, including All-SWAC first team pitcher Blake ESTEP and shortstop Roberto Colon, and second team outfielder Jerimiah Figueroa and designated hitter Chris Burns ... The Lions were picked to finish second behind Texas Southern in the 2016 SWAC preseason poll ... UAPB is under the leadership of sixth season head coach Carlos James, who has guided the Lions to a first-place finish in the conference in each of the last two seasons.
PRESEASON PICKS: North Dakota State was picked to finish fifth in The Summit League in a preseason poll of the league's six head coaches. Oral Roberts was picked first after claiming the league's regular season and postseason tournament championships last season. The Golden Eagles received all five of its possible first-place votes. Fort Wayne, last season's tournament runner-up, was picked second. South Dakota State was slotted third with the final first-place tally, followed by Omaha, the Bison and Western Illinois. NDSU welcomes back second team All-Summit League outfielder Ben Petersen.
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 SUMMIT LEAGUE: This is North Dakota State's ninth year in The Summit League, which has six baseball teams for 2016 – NDSU, IPFW, Omaha, Oral Roberts, South Dakota State and Western Illinois. Denver, IUPUI and South Dakota do not have baseball.
THE COACH: North Dakota State head coach Tod Brown (Arizona, 1994) is in his ninth season with a 186-224 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
- 18 All-Summit League honorees, six first team selections
- 18 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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