Friday, April 22
Fargo, N.D.
6:30 p.m.
North Dakota State
vs
Western Illinois
Photo by: Jim Trewin
Bison Welcome Western Illinois to Newman Outdoor Field for Three-Game Series
4/21/2016 3:21:00 PM | Baseball
Game 1: North Dakota State vs. Western Illinois
Friday, April 22 | 6:30 p.m.
Newman Outdoor Field | Fargo, N.D.
Live Stats
Game 2: North Dakota State vs. Western Illinois
Saturday, April 23 | 1 p.m.
Newman Outdoor Field | Fargo, N.D.
Live Stats
Game 3: North Dakota State vs. Western Illinois
Saturday, April 23 | 4 p.m.
Newman Outdoor Field | Fargo, N.D.
Live Stats
NOTE: Game dates and times are subject to change
*Updated 4/22/16
NDSU Notes (PDF) | Live Video (all games)
NDSU baseball on Twitter: @NDSUbaseball
SCENE SETTER: The North Dakota State University baseball team (18-17, 5-10 Summit League) is scheduled to welcome the Western Illinois University Leathernecks (10-23, 7-8 Summit League) to Newman Outdoor Field Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23, for a three-game Summit League series. The series is scheduled to begin on Friday with a single game at 6:30 p.m. before wrapping up Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Live statistics and live video will be available for all three games this weekend at Newman Outdoor Field. For links, please visit www.GoBison.com.
SERIES RECORD: The three-game series against the Leathernecks will be meetings 50-52 in the all-time series ... WIU leads the series, 29-20, after defeating the Bison in two of three contests earlier this season, March 18-20, in Macomb, Ill.
CATCHING UP WITH THE BISON: North Dakota State enters the weekend at 18-17 overall and 5-10 in Summit League play after defeating Valley City State in a non-conference game on Wednesday, 6-5 ... Through 35 games, North Dakota State is led offensively by infielders Drew Fearing (.346, 45 H, 32 R, 8 2B, 1 3B, 23 RBI, 17 BB, 13 SB) and Brayden Resch (.293, 36 H, 22 R, 7 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 23 RBI, 24 BB), designated hitter Taylor Sanders (.305, 25 H, 4 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 7 BB), and outfielder Ben Petersen (.273, 33 H, 21 R, 6 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 16 BB, 9 SB) ... On the mound through 35 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 (3.89 ERA, 6-2, 2 SV, 37.0 IP, 43 H, 18 R, 16 ER, 45 SO, 14 BB) ... NDSU is hitting .251 and has a 4.86 team ERA.
SCOUTING WESTERN ILLINOIS: The Leathernecks are 10-23 overall and 7-8 in Summit League action coming into the three-game series with the Bison this weekend ... Through 33 games, WIU is led offensively by junior infielders Chris Tschida (.289, 37 H, 16 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 21 BB, 2 SF) and Conner Currier (.267, 27 H, 4 2B, 2 3B, 16 RBI, 21 BB, 2 SF) ... On the mound, the Leathernecks are paced by senior right-handed pitcher Joe Mortillaro (5.96 ERA, 2-4, 45.1 IP, 56 H, 34 R, 30 ER, 41 SO, 21 BB) and left-handed closer Nate Westfahl (4.50 ERA, 0-0, 4 SV, 14.0 IP, 17 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 14 SO, 8 BB) ... WIU is hitting .231 and has a 6.06 team ERA ... Western Illinois is under the direction of fourth season head coach Ryan Brownlee.
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 204-241.
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 35 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 sixth in ERA (3.89) and tied for fourth in strikeouts (43) ... Drew Fearing is tied fifth in batting average (.346) ... Brayden Resch is tied for fifth in walks (24) ... LHP Zach Mayo is fourth in total strikeouts (46) ... RHP Reed Pfannenstein is fourth in ERA (3.82).
POWER SURGE: The Bison have scored 81 runs in their last 11 games, including four games with at least 10 runs, while holding opponents to just 68 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 SLUGGER: Sophomore Drew Fearing (.346, 45 H) leads the Bison in batting average and hits through 35 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: Six different North Dakota State relievers have tallied at least one save through 35 contests. Sean Terres leads the Bison and The Summit League with five saves, while Brian VanderWoude has two, and Luke Lind, Blake Stockert, Jordan Harms and Dalton England each have one save.
MAKING A COMEBACK: Bison left-handed pitcher Zach Mayo leads the team with 46 strikeouts and just 20 walks in 10 appearances, including eight starts, and 39.2 innings pitched this season after sitting out all of last season due to injury.
NOTABLE HITTING AND ON-BASE STREAKS: Hitting - Logan Busch: 6 games; On-Base - Ben Petersen: 12 games, Drew Fearing: 10 games, Logan Busch: 6 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 204-241 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: North Dakota State hosts Minnesota in a non-league game at 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26 at Newman Outdoor Field. The game will be televised live on MidcoSN.
Friday, April 22 | 6:30 p.m.
Newman Outdoor Field | Fargo, N.D.
Live Stats
Game 2: North Dakota State vs. Western Illinois
Saturday, April 23 | 1 p.m.
Newman Outdoor Field | Fargo, N.D.
Live Stats
Game 3: North Dakota State vs. Western Illinois
Saturday, April 23 | 4 p.m.
Newman Outdoor Field | Fargo, N.D.
Live Stats
NOTE: Game dates and times are subject to change
*Updated 4/22/16
NDSU Notes (PDF) | Live Video (all games)
NDSU baseball on Twitter: @NDSUbaseball
SCENE SETTER: The North Dakota State University baseball team (18-17, 5-10 Summit League) is scheduled to welcome the Western Illinois University Leathernecks (10-23, 7-8 Summit League) to Newman Outdoor Field Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23, for a three-game Summit League series. The series is scheduled to begin on Friday with a single game at 6:30 p.m. before wrapping up Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Live statistics and live video will be available for all three games this weekend at Newman Outdoor Field. For links, please visit www.GoBison.com.
SERIES RECORD: The three-game series against the Leathernecks will be meetings 50-52 in the all-time series ... WIU leads the series, 29-20, after defeating the Bison in two of three contests earlier this season, March 18-20, in Macomb, Ill.
CATCHING UP WITH THE BISON: North Dakota State enters the weekend at 18-17 overall and 5-10 in Summit League play after defeating Valley City State in a non-conference game on Wednesday, 6-5 ... Through 35 games, North Dakota State is led offensively by infielders Drew Fearing (.346, 45 H, 32 R, 8 2B, 1 3B, 23 RBI, 17 BB, 13 SB) and Brayden Resch (.293, 36 H, 22 R, 7 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 23 RBI, 24 BB), designated hitter Taylor Sanders (.305, 25 H, 4 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 7 BB), and outfielder Ben Petersen (.273, 33 H, 21 R, 6 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 16 BB, 9 SB) ... On the mound through 35 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 (3.89 ERA, 6-2, 2 SV, 37.0 IP, 43 H, 18 R, 16 ER, 45 SO, 14 BB) ... NDSU is hitting .251 and has a 4.86 team ERA.
SCOUTING WESTERN ILLINOIS: The Leathernecks are 10-23 overall and 7-8 in Summit League action coming into the three-game series with the Bison this weekend ... Through 33 games, WIU is led offensively by junior infielders Chris Tschida (.289, 37 H, 16 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 21 BB, 2 SF) and Conner Currier (.267, 27 H, 4 2B, 2 3B, 16 RBI, 21 BB, 2 SF) ... On the mound, the Leathernecks are paced by senior right-handed pitcher Joe Mortillaro (5.96 ERA, 2-4, 45.1 IP, 56 H, 34 R, 30 ER, 41 SO, 21 BB) and left-handed closer Nate Westfahl (4.50 ERA, 0-0, 4 SV, 14.0 IP, 17 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 14 SO, 8 BB) ... WIU is hitting .231 and has a 6.06 team ERA ... Western Illinois is under the direction of fourth season head coach Ryan Brownlee.
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 204-241.
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 35 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 sixth in ERA (3.89) and tied for fourth in strikeouts (43) ... Drew Fearing is tied fifth in batting average (.346) ... Brayden Resch is tied for fifth in walks (24) ... LHP Zach Mayo is fourth in total strikeouts (46) ... RHP Reed Pfannenstein is fourth in ERA (3.82).
POWER SURGE: The Bison have scored 81 runs in their last 11 games, including four games with at least 10 runs, while holding opponents to just 68 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 SLUGGER: Sophomore Drew Fearing (.346, 45 H) leads the Bison in batting average and hits through 35 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: Six different North Dakota State relievers have tallied at least one save through 35 contests. Sean Terres leads the Bison and The Summit League with five saves, while Brian VanderWoude has two, and Luke Lind, Blake Stockert, Jordan Harms and Dalton England each have one save.
MAKING A COMEBACK: Bison left-handed pitcher Zach Mayo leads the team with 46 strikeouts and just 20 walks in 10 appearances, including eight starts, and 39.2 innings pitched this season after sitting out all of last season due to injury.
NOTABLE HITTING AND ON-BASE STREAKS: Hitting - Logan Busch: 6 games; On-Base - Ben Petersen: 12 games, Drew Fearing: 10 games, Logan Busch: 6 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 204-241 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: North Dakota State hosts Minnesota in a non-league game at 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26 at Newman Outdoor Field. The game will be televised live on MidcoSN.
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