Tuesday, April 19
Minneapolis, Minn.
6 p.m.
North Dakota State
at
Minnesota
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Photo by: Richard Svaleson
NDSU Baseball Treks to Minnesota Tuesday, Hosts Valley City State Wednesday
4/18/2016 4:17:00 PM | Baseball
North Dakota State at Minnesota
Tuesday, April 19 | 6 p.m.
Siebert Field | Minneapolis, Minn.
Live Stats | Live Video (PPV)
North Dakota State vs. Valley City State
Wednesday, April 20 | 6:30 p.m.
Newman Outdoor Field | Fargo, N.D.
Live Stats | Live Video (PPV)
NDSU Notes (PDF)
NDSU baseball on Twitter: @NDSUbaseball
SCENE SETTER: The North Dakota State University baseball team (17-16) treks to Minneapolis on Tuesday, April 19, for a non-league contest against the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers (21-11) at 6 p.m. at Siebert Field before returning home to Newman Outdoor Field for a midweek non-league tilt against Valley City State (16-24) on Wednesday, April 20, at 6:30 p.m.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Live statistics and live video will be available for Tuesday's game at Minnesota and Wednesday's home contest against Valley City State. Please visit www.GoBison.com for links.
SERIES RECORDS: Minnesota - Tuesday's game at Minnesota will mark the 34th meeting in the all-time series ... The Golden Gophers lead the series, 25-8 ... NDSU and Minnesota were supposed to meet in Minneapolis earlier this season on April 5, but the contest was canceled due to inclement weather ... Last season, the Bison split two games with Minnesota, winning in Fargo on May 5 and losing in Minneapolis April 14 ... Valley City State - Wednesday's contest against Valley City State will be the 73rd meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1909 ... The Bison hold a 52-20 advantage in the series ... NDSU and VCSU last met in 2012, with the Bison claiming a 14-4 victory over the Vikings in Fargo.
CATCHING UP WITH THE BISON: North Dakota State enters the week at 17-16 overall after dropping three games at South Dakota State April 15-17 ... Through 33 games, North Dakota State is led offensively by infielders Drew Fearing (.352, 43 H, 30 R, 8 2B, 23 RBI, 16 BB, 10 SB) and Brayden Resch (.296, 34 H, 21 R, 7 2B, 1 HR, 20 RBI, 24 BB), designated hitter Taylor Sanders (.293, 22 H, 4 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 7 BB), and outfielder Ben Petersen (.278, 32 H, 20 R, 6 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 14 BB, 7 SB) ... On the mound through 33 contests, NDSU is paced by right-handed starter Reed Pfannenstein (3.82 ERA, 2-1, 37.2 IP, 44 H, 19 R, 16 ER, 21 SO, 18 BB) and right-handed reliever Brian VanderWoude (3.37 ERA, 6-1, 34.2 IP, 38 H, 15 R, 13 ER, 43 SO, 14 BB) ... NDSU is hitting .252 and has a 4.68 team ERA.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Minnesota - The Golden Gophers enter Tuesday's contest against the Bison at 21-11 overall after winning two of three games at home against Maryland April 15-17 ... Minnesota is ranked 25th in the latest D1Baseball.com Top-25 poll and has won seven of its last eight games ... Through 32 games, Minnesota is led offensively by junior pitcher/outfielder Matt Fiedler (.414, 53 H, 30 R, 10 2B, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 9 BB, 10 SB) and junior catcher Austin Athmann (.381, 37 H, 22 R, 12 2B, 6 HR, 23 RBI, 10 BB) ... On the mound, the Golden Gophers are paced by Fiedler (3.38 ERA, 5-2, 1 CG, 53.1 IP, 49 H, 21 R, 20 ER, 40 SO, 23 BB) and senior left-handed pitcher Dalton Sawyer (3.96 ERA, 4-4, 50.0 IP, 42 H, 23 R, 22 ER, 58 SO, 23 BB) ... Minnesota is hitting .327 and has a team ERA of 4.24 ... The Golden Gophers are under the direction of 34th season head coach John Anderson ... Valley City State - The VCSU Vikings enter the week at 16-24 overall after dropping a pair of games against Bellevue (Neb.) April 17 ... Valley City State is scheduled to host Bellevue in a doubleheader Monday before taking on the Bison Wednesday ... Through 40 contests, VCSU is paced at the plate by junior infielder Joe Demers (.389, 56 H, 34 R, 9 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 25 RBI, 20 BB, 6 SB) and senior utility player Brady Anderson (.321, 35 H, 22 R, 10 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 11 BB) ... On the mound, Valley City State is led by senior right-hander David Whitaker (4.50 ERA, 4-4, 1 CG, 56.0 IP, 61 H, 31 R, 28 ER, 43 SO, 14 BB) ... The Vikings are hitting .280 and have a 6.32 team ERA ... VCSU is under the leadership of ninth season head coach Casey Olney.
BROWN REACHES MILESTONE: North Dakota State head coach Tod Brown earned his 200th career win after the Bison swept a doubleheader against IPFW on Saturday, April 9. His career record in nine seasons as the Bison skipper is now 203-240.
GOING YARD: Junior outfielder Ben Petersen homered in back-to-back games last weekend at South Dakota State. Petersen hit a three-run shot on April 15 before tallying a solo homer April 16. The Lino Lakes, Minn., native has a team-high three round trippers on the season.
LEAGUE LEADERS: Ben Petersen has three triples through 33 contests this season, tying him for most triples in The Summit League ... RHP Brian VanderWoude is currently tied for the league lead in wins (6) and is third in ERA (3.38) and tied for fourth in strikeouts (43) ... Drew Fearing is tied for third in batting average (.352) ... Brayden Resch is tied for fifth in walks (24) ... LHP Zach Mayo is tied for fourth in total strikeouts (43).
POWER SURGE: The Bison have scored 75 runs in their last nine games, including four games with at least 10 runs, while holding opponents to just 53 runs.
FEARING EXCELLING IN LEAGUE PLAY: Sophomore infielder Drew Fearing leads the Bison in batting average (.421), hits (24), runs scored (18), on base percentage (.522) and stolen bases (4) through 15 Summit League games.
SOPHOMORE SLUGGERS: Sophomores Drew Fearing (.352, 43 H) and Brayden Resch (.296, 34 H) lead the Bison in batting average and hits through 33 games.
PATROLLING THE BASE PATHS: NDSU catcher Juan Gamez has thrown out a team-high 12 opposing base runners in 34 stolen base attempts against this season.
SHUTTING THE DOOR: Five different North Dakota State relievers have tallied at least one save through 33 contests. Sean Terres leads the Bison and The Summit League with five saves, while Brian VanderWoude has two, and Blake Stockert, Jordan Harms and Dalton England each have one save.
MAKING A COMEBACK: Bison left-handed pitcher Zach Mayo is tied for the team lead with 43 strikeouts and just 20 walks in nine appearances, including eight starts, and 37.2 innings pitched this season after sitting out all of last season due to injury.
NOTABLE HITTING AND ON-BASE STREAKS: Hitting - Ben Petersen: 10 games, Drew Fearing: 8 games; On-Base - Ben Petersen: 10 games, Paul Funk: 9 games, Drew Fearing: 8 games
MIDCO SPORTS NETWORK TO AIR NDSU HOME GAME AGAINST MINNESOTA: North Dakota State's home baseball game against Minnesota scheduled for Tuesday, April 26, at 6:35 p.m. at Newman Outdoor Field will be televised live throughout the Upper Midwest on Midco Sports Network. For more information on MidcoSN, please visit www.MidcoSN.com.
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.).
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 in 2014 and reaching the championship game in three of the last four seasons. This is NDSU's ninth 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 ninth season with a 203-240 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:
UP NEXT: The Bison host the Western Illinois Leathernecks in a key three-game Summit League series at Newman Outdoor Field April 22-24.
Tuesday, April 19 | 6 p.m.
Siebert Field | Minneapolis, Minn.
Live Stats | Live Video (PPV)
North Dakota State vs. Valley City State
Wednesday, April 20 | 6:30 p.m.
Newman Outdoor Field | Fargo, N.D.
Live Stats | Live Video (PPV)
NDSU Notes (PDF)
NDSU baseball on Twitter: @NDSUbaseball
SCENE SETTER: The North Dakota State University baseball team (17-16) treks to Minneapolis on Tuesday, April 19, for a non-league contest against the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers (21-11) at 6 p.m. at Siebert Field before returning home to Newman Outdoor Field for a midweek non-league tilt against Valley City State (16-24) on Wednesday, April 20, at 6:30 p.m.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Live statistics and live video will be available for Tuesday's game at Minnesota and Wednesday's home contest against Valley City State. Please visit www.GoBison.com for links.
SERIES RECORDS: Minnesota - Tuesday's game at Minnesota will mark the 34th meeting in the all-time series ... The Golden Gophers lead the series, 25-8 ... NDSU and Minnesota were supposed to meet in Minneapolis earlier this season on April 5, but the contest was canceled due to inclement weather ... Last season, the Bison split two games with Minnesota, winning in Fargo on May 5 and losing in Minneapolis April 14 ... Valley City State - Wednesday's contest against Valley City State will be the 73rd meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1909 ... The Bison hold a 52-20 advantage in the series ... NDSU and VCSU last met in 2012, with the Bison claiming a 14-4 victory over the Vikings in Fargo.
CATCHING UP WITH THE BISON: North Dakota State enters the week at 17-16 overall after dropping three games at South Dakota State April 15-17 ... Through 33 games, North Dakota State is led offensively by infielders Drew Fearing (.352, 43 H, 30 R, 8 2B, 23 RBI, 16 BB, 10 SB) and Brayden Resch (.296, 34 H, 21 R, 7 2B, 1 HR, 20 RBI, 24 BB), designated hitter Taylor Sanders (.293, 22 H, 4 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 7 BB), and outfielder Ben Petersen (.278, 32 H, 20 R, 6 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 14 BB, 7 SB) ... On the mound through 33 contests, NDSU is paced by right-handed starter Reed Pfannenstein (3.82 ERA, 2-1, 37.2 IP, 44 H, 19 R, 16 ER, 21 SO, 18 BB) and right-handed reliever Brian VanderWoude (3.37 ERA, 6-1, 34.2 IP, 38 H, 15 R, 13 ER, 43 SO, 14 BB) ... NDSU is hitting .252 and has a 4.68 team ERA.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Minnesota - The Golden Gophers enter Tuesday's contest against the Bison at 21-11 overall after winning two of three games at home against Maryland April 15-17 ... Minnesota is ranked 25th in the latest D1Baseball.com Top-25 poll and has won seven of its last eight games ... Through 32 games, Minnesota is led offensively by junior pitcher/outfielder Matt Fiedler (.414, 53 H, 30 R, 10 2B, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 9 BB, 10 SB) and junior catcher Austin Athmann (.381, 37 H, 22 R, 12 2B, 6 HR, 23 RBI, 10 BB) ... On the mound, the Golden Gophers are paced by Fiedler (3.38 ERA, 5-2, 1 CG, 53.1 IP, 49 H, 21 R, 20 ER, 40 SO, 23 BB) and senior left-handed pitcher Dalton Sawyer (3.96 ERA, 4-4, 50.0 IP, 42 H, 23 R, 22 ER, 58 SO, 23 BB) ... Minnesota is hitting .327 and has a team ERA of 4.24 ... The Golden Gophers are under the direction of 34th season head coach John Anderson ... Valley City State - The VCSU Vikings enter the week at 16-24 overall after dropping a pair of games against Bellevue (Neb.) April 17 ... Valley City State is scheduled to host Bellevue in a doubleheader Monday before taking on the Bison Wednesday ... Through 40 contests, VCSU is paced at the plate by junior infielder Joe Demers (.389, 56 H, 34 R, 9 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 25 RBI, 20 BB, 6 SB) and senior utility player Brady Anderson (.321, 35 H, 22 R, 10 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 11 BB) ... On the mound, Valley City State is led by senior right-hander David Whitaker (4.50 ERA, 4-4, 1 CG, 56.0 IP, 61 H, 31 R, 28 ER, 43 SO, 14 BB) ... The Vikings are hitting .280 and have a 6.32 team ERA ... VCSU is under the leadership of ninth season head coach Casey Olney.
BROWN REACHES MILESTONE: North Dakota State head coach Tod Brown earned his 200th career win after the Bison swept a doubleheader against IPFW on Saturday, April 9. His career record in nine seasons as the Bison skipper is now 203-240.
GOING YARD: Junior outfielder Ben Petersen homered in back-to-back games last weekend at South Dakota State. Petersen hit a three-run shot on April 15 before tallying a solo homer April 16. The Lino Lakes, Minn., native has a team-high three round trippers on the season.
LEAGUE LEADERS: Ben Petersen has three triples through 33 contests this season, tying him for most triples in The Summit League ... RHP Brian VanderWoude is currently tied for the league lead in wins (6) and is third in ERA (3.38) and tied for fourth in strikeouts (43) ... Drew Fearing is tied for third in batting average (.352) ... Brayden Resch is tied for fifth in walks (24) ... LHP Zach Mayo is tied for fourth in total strikeouts (43).
POWER SURGE: The Bison have scored 75 runs in their last nine games, including four games with at least 10 runs, while holding opponents to just 53 runs.
FEARING EXCELLING IN LEAGUE PLAY: Sophomore infielder Drew Fearing leads the Bison in batting average (.421), hits (24), runs scored (18), on base percentage (.522) and stolen bases (4) through 15 Summit League games.
SOPHOMORE SLUGGERS: Sophomores Drew Fearing (.352, 43 H) and Brayden Resch (.296, 34 H) lead the Bison in batting average and hits through 33 games.
PATROLLING THE BASE PATHS: NDSU catcher Juan Gamez has thrown out a team-high 12 opposing base runners in 34 stolen base attempts against this season.
SHUTTING THE DOOR: Five different North Dakota State relievers have tallied at least one save through 33 contests. Sean Terres leads the Bison and The Summit League with five saves, while Brian VanderWoude has two, and Blake Stockert, Jordan Harms and Dalton England each have one save.
MAKING A COMEBACK: Bison left-handed pitcher Zach Mayo is tied for the team lead with 43 strikeouts and just 20 walks in nine appearances, including eight starts, and 37.2 innings pitched this season after sitting out all of last season due to injury.
NOTABLE HITTING AND ON-BASE STREAKS: Hitting - Ben Petersen: 10 games, Drew Fearing: 8 games; On-Base - Ben Petersen: 10 games, Paul Funk: 9 games, Drew Fearing: 8 games
MIDCO SPORTS NETWORK TO AIR NDSU HOME GAME AGAINST MINNESOTA: North Dakota State's home baseball game against Minnesota scheduled for Tuesday, April 26, at 6:35 p.m. at Newman Outdoor Field will be televised live throughout the Upper Midwest on Midco Sports Network. For more information on MidcoSN, please visit www.MidcoSN.com.
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.).
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 in 2014 and reaching the championship game in three of the last four seasons. This is NDSU's ninth 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 ninth season with a 203-240 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 Summit League championship game appearances in the past four seasons
- Five consecutive Summit League tournament appearances
- Winning percentage of .516 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)
UP NEXT: The Bison host the Western Illinois Leathernecks in a key three-game Summit League series at Newman Outdoor Field April 22-24.
Wednesday, March 11
Sunday, June 01
Sunday, June 01
Friday, May 30
