Friday, April 21
Fargo, N.D.
6:30 p.m.
North Dakota State Athletics
vs
Omaha
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
1B
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
Photo by: Carrie Snyder
Bison Host Omaha April 21-23 to Open Second Half of Summit League Schedule
4/20/2017 2:42:00 PM | Baseball
Game 1: North Dakota State vs. Omaha
Friday, April 21 | 6:30 p.m.
Fargo, N.D. (Newman Outdoor Field)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app
TV: BEK Prime
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio
Game 2: North Dakota State vs. Omaha
Saturday, April 22 | 1 p.m.
Fargo, N.D. (Newman Outdoor Field)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app (Join in progress after NDSU football spring game)
TV: BEK Prime
Live Stats | Live Video
Game 3: North Dakota State vs. Omaha
Sunday, April 23 | 1 p.m.
Fargo, N.D. (Newman Outdoor Field)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app
TV: BEK Prime
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio
NDSU Game Notes (PDF)
NDSU baseball on Twitter: @NDSUbaseball
SCENE SETTER: The North Dakota State University baseball team is scheduled to open the second half of its Summit League schedule with a three-game series against the Omaha Mavericks April 21-23 at Newman Outdoor Field. The series opener is slated for 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 21, with games two and three scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23.
MEDIA COVERAGE: The three-game series against Omaha will air live on Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com and the Bison 1660 app beginning 30 minutes prior to first pitch of each game. Jeff Culhane will call the action with Keith Brake providing color commentary. Saturday's game will be joined in progress after the conclusion of the NDSU football spring game. The series will also be televised live on BEK Prime. In addition, a pay-per-view video webcast and free live stats will be available for each contest at GoBison.com.
SERIES RECORD: The three-game series against Omaha will mark meetings 70-72 in the all-time series that dates back to 1978. NDSU leads the series, 36-33, after winning two of three games at Omaha earlier this season.
BISON NOTES: North Dakota State enters the weekend at 18-18 overall and 9-6 in Summit League play after claiming a 3-2 victory over Dakota Wesleyan Tuesday at Newman Outdoor Field ... NDSU has won four consecutive league series entering Friday ... Through 36 games, infielder Mason Pierzchalski (.309 avg., 21 R, 43 H, 10 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 11 BB), and outfielders Logan Busch (.289 avg., 18 R, 33 H, 8 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 27 BB) and Ben Petersen (.295 avg., 29 R, 39 H, 6 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 21 RBI, 18 BB, 5 SB) lead the Bison at the plate ... On the mound, NDSU is led by senior right-handers Reed Pfannenstein (4.01 ERA, 3-4, 1 SHO, 51.2 IP, 64 H, 27 R, 23 ER, 11 BB, 34 SO) and Luke Lind (5.23 ERA, 3-3, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 51.2 IP, 47 H, 31 R, 30 ER, 13 BB, 52 SO), and junior right-hander Jordan Harms (3.72 ERA, 2-5, 1 SHO, 38.2 IP, 34 H, 21 R, 16 ER, 19 BB, 34 SO) ... Redshirt junior reliever Kevin Folman has a team and Summit League-high six saves in 15 appearances and 20 innings pitched ... North Dakota State has a .239 team batting average, .972 team fielding percentage and 4.09 team ERA.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: The Omaha Mavericks enter the weekend at 8-28 overall and 5-10 in Summit League action after splitting a two-game set at Air Force Tuesday and Wednesday ... Through 36 contests, the Mavs are led in the batter's box by sophomore infielder Parker Smejkal (.264 avg., 13 R, 28 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 9 BB) and junior utility player/RHP Ryan Cate (.243 avg., 13 R, 27 H, 10 2B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 12 BB) ... On the mound, the Mavericks are led by junior RHP Corey Binger (5.40 ERA, 3-6, 3 CG, 1 SHO, 50.0 IP, 62 H, 39 R, 30 ER, 10 BB, 38 SO) and senior LHP Sam Murphy (6.12 ERA, 2-5, 1 CG, 42.2 IP, 65 H, 41 R, 29 ER, 21 BB, 45 SO) ... The Mavs have a .234 team batting average, .952 team fielding percentage and a 7.29 team ERA ... Omaha is under the leadership of first season head coach Evan Porter.
GETTING ON BASE: Junior outfielder Logan Busch has reached base safely in 12 straight games entering Friday's opener with Omaha.
DOUBLE DIGIT DOUBLES: Junior infielder Mason Pierzchalski has hit a team-best 10 doubles this season. The Sammamish, Wash., native smacked a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday to give the Bison a 3-2 win over Dakota Wesleyan. In the most recent Summit League statistics, Pierzchalski is tied for fourth in doubles.
BISON MAKE HISTORY: With their 2-1 win over Fort Wayne in 11 innings April 15, NDSU clinched its fourth consecutive weekend series win. It's the first time the Bison have won four straight series since joining the NCAA Division I level in 2005.
SIZZLING WEEKEND AT THE PLATE: Senior designated hitter JT Core hit a sizzling .583 with seven hits, two doubles and four RBIs in the Bison's three-game sweep of Fort Wayne April 14-16. He also posted a .750 slugging and .571 on-base percentage in the trio of games.
PETERSEN CLEARS THE FENCE: Senior outfielder Ben Petersen hit his team-high seventh home run of the season in NDSU's 12-2 win over Fort Wayne April 16. The Lino Lakes, Minn., native belted a 2-2 pitch over the right center field fence at Newman Outdoor Field in the third inning. Entering the weekend, Petersen is third in The Summit League in homers.
MAKING THE PLAYS: In NDSU's 15 Summit League games, the Bison have a .973 team fielding percentage -- second-best in the league behind Oral Roberts -- and have turned a league-best 19 double plays. NDSU also leads the league in overall double plays and ranks 40th in the latest NCAA Division I national statistics with 34 double plays in 36 games.
PITCHING CONSISTENCY: Bison RHP Reed Pfannenstein has compiled a 0.77 ERA and is 2-0 in his last three appearances and starts on the mound. In 23.1 innings, he has allowed only two earned runs on 16 hits with 11 strikeouts and four walks.
HARMS SHUTTING DOWN OPPONENTS: In his last three starts, RHP Jordan Harms have allowed just four earned runs on 12 hits with 13 strikeouts in 17.1 innings. Entering Tuesday, he ranks fifth in The Summit League with a 3.72 ERA.
CLOSING THE DOOR: NDSU right-handed closer Kevin Folman leads the team and is tied for The Summit League lead with six saves in 15 relief appearances. The Hermantown, Minn., native has allowed only seven earned runs on 14 hits with 15 strikeouts and six walks in 20 innings.
WALK THIS WAY: In the latest Summit League statistics, the Bison have three players ranked in the top 10 in walks. Logan Busch leads the league with 27 free passes, while Ben Petersen and Drew Fearing are tied for 10th with 18 walks. As a team, North Dakota State leads The Summit League with 145 walks.
TAKE YOUR BASE: Two Bison rank in the top 10 in The Summit League in hit batters. Drew Fearing has been hit a league-high 10 times, while Danny Palmiscno has been hit seven times, ranking him fifth. Fearing ranks 50th in hit by pitch in the most recent NCAA Division I national statistics. The Bison have been hit a league-high 39 times through 36 games.
DITCH AND KEEFER JOIN NDSU COACHING STAFF: In addition to 14 new student-athletes, the Bison also have two new coaches for 2017. Jeff Ditch, who has coached college baseball for over 24 years, is the new hitting coach for North Dakota State, while former Bison left-handed pitcher Trent Keefer is a volunteer assistant coach. Ditch joined the Bison after serving as head coach for 11 seasons at Indiana University-Pennsylvania, where he was the all-time winningest coach in program history, recording 253 wins. He also spent time at West Virginia, Cincinnati and Penn State as an assistant.
SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Mason Pierzchalski (Feb. 19), Ben Petersen (March 6) and Luke Lind (March 13) have received Summit League Player of the Week honors this season.
SEVEN CONSECUTIVE 20-WIN SEASONS: North Dakota State has reached the 20-win mark seven straight seasons. The Bison have qualified for five Summit League tournaments, winning the tournament championship in 2014 and reaching the championship game in three of the last five seasons. This is NDSU's 10th season in The Summit League after three seasons as a Division I independent.
PRESEASON PICKS: The North Dakota State University baseball team was picked to finish third in The Summit League Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll released on Thursday, Feb. 9, by the league office. The Bison tallied 17 points in the poll, which was voted on by the league's six head coaches. Defending Summit League regular season and tournament champion Oral Roberts was picked first and tallied 25 points with five first-place votes, while South Dakota State was second with 18 points and received the final first-place vote. NDSU was third, followed by Omaha (13 points), Western Illinois (nine points) and Fort Wayne (eight points).
THE COACH: Tod Brown (Arizona, 1994) enters his 10th season as the head coach for the Bison and has a 233-267 record at NDSU. 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, April 21 | 6:30 p.m.
Fargo, N.D. (Newman Outdoor Field)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app
TV: BEK Prime
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio
Game 2: North Dakota State vs. Omaha
Saturday, April 22 | 1 p.m.
Fargo, N.D. (Newman Outdoor Field)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app (Join in progress after NDSU football spring game)
TV: BEK Prime
Live Stats | Live Video
Game 3: North Dakota State vs. Omaha
Sunday, April 23 | 1 p.m.
Fargo, N.D. (Newman Outdoor Field)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app
TV: BEK Prime
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio
NDSU Game Notes (PDF)
NDSU baseball on Twitter: @NDSUbaseball
SCENE SETTER: The North Dakota State University baseball team is scheduled to open the second half of its Summit League schedule with a three-game series against the Omaha Mavericks April 21-23 at Newman Outdoor Field. The series opener is slated for 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 21, with games two and three scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23.
MEDIA COVERAGE: The three-game series against Omaha will air live on Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com and the Bison 1660 app beginning 30 minutes prior to first pitch of each game. Jeff Culhane will call the action with Keith Brake providing color commentary. Saturday's game will be joined in progress after the conclusion of the NDSU football spring game. The series will also be televised live on BEK Prime. In addition, a pay-per-view video webcast and free live stats will be available for each contest at GoBison.com.
SERIES RECORD: The three-game series against Omaha will mark meetings 70-72 in the all-time series that dates back to 1978. NDSU leads the series, 36-33, after winning two of three games at Omaha earlier this season.
BISON NOTES: North Dakota State enters the weekend at 18-18 overall and 9-6 in Summit League play after claiming a 3-2 victory over Dakota Wesleyan Tuesday at Newman Outdoor Field ... NDSU has won four consecutive league series entering Friday ... Through 36 games, infielder Mason Pierzchalski (.309 avg., 21 R, 43 H, 10 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 11 BB), and outfielders Logan Busch (.289 avg., 18 R, 33 H, 8 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 27 BB) and Ben Petersen (.295 avg., 29 R, 39 H, 6 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 21 RBI, 18 BB, 5 SB) lead the Bison at the plate ... On the mound, NDSU is led by senior right-handers Reed Pfannenstein (4.01 ERA, 3-4, 1 SHO, 51.2 IP, 64 H, 27 R, 23 ER, 11 BB, 34 SO) and Luke Lind (5.23 ERA, 3-3, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 51.2 IP, 47 H, 31 R, 30 ER, 13 BB, 52 SO), and junior right-hander Jordan Harms (3.72 ERA, 2-5, 1 SHO, 38.2 IP, 34 H, 21 R, 16 ER, 19 BB, 34 SO) ... Redshirt junior reliever Kevin Folman has a team and Summit League-high six saves in 15 appearances and 20 innings pitched ... North Dakota State has a .239 team batting average, .972 team fielding percentage and 4.09 team ERA.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: The Omaha Mavericks enter the weekend at 8-28 overall and 5-10 in Summit League action after splitting a two-game set at Air Force Tuesday and Wednesday ... Through 36 contests, the Mavs are led in the batter's box by sophomore infielder Parker Smejkal (.264 avg., 13 R, 28 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 9 BB) and junior utility player/RHP Ryan Cate (.243 avg., 13 R, 27 H, 10 2B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 12 BB) ... On the mound, the Mavericks are led by junior RHP Corey Binger (5.40 ERA, 3-6, 3 CG, 1 SHO, 50.0 IP, 62 H, 39 R, 30 ER, 10 BB, 38 SO) and senior LHP Sam Murphy (6.12 ERA, 2-5, 1 CG, 42.2 IP, 65 H, 41 R, 29 ER, 21 BB, 45 SO) ... The Mavs have a .234 team batting average, .952 team fielding percentage and a 7.29 team ERA ... Omaha is under the leadership of first season head coach Evan Porter.
GETTING ON BASE: Junior outfielder Logan Busch has reached base safely in 12 straight games entering Friday's opener with Omaha.
DOUBLE DIGIT DOUBLES: Junior infielder Mason Pierzchalski has hit a team-best 10 doubles this season. The Sammamish, Wash., native smacked a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday to give the Bison a 3-2 win over Dakota Wesleyan. In the most recent Summit League statistics, Pierzchalski is tied for fourth in doubles.
BISON MAKE HISTORY: With their 2-1 win over Fort Wayne in 11 innings April 15, NDSU clinched its fourth consecutive weekend series win. It's the first time the Bison have won four straight series since joining the NCAA Division I level in 2005.
SIZZLING WEEKEND AT THE PLATE: Senior designated hitter JT Core hit a sizzling .583 with seven hits, two doubles and four RBIs in the Bison's three-game sweep of Fort Wayne April 14-16. He also posted a .750 slugging and .571 on-base percentage in the trio of games.
PETERSEN CLEARS THE FENCE: Senior outfielder Ben Petersen hit his team-high seventh home run of the season in NDSU's 12-2 win over Fort Wayne April 16. The Lino Lakes, Minn., native belted a 2-2 pitch over the right center field fence at Newman Outdoor Field in the third inning. Entering the weekend, Petersen is third in The Summit League in homers.
MAKING THE PLAYS: In NDSU's 15 Summit League games, the Bison have a .973 team fielding percentage -- second-best in the league behind Oral Roberts -- and have turned a league-best 19 double plays. NDSU also leads the league in overall double plays and ranks 40th in the latest NCAA Division I national statistics with 34 double plays in 36 games.
PITCHING CONSISTENCY: Bison RHP Reed Pfannenstein has compiled a 0.77 ERA and is 2-0 in his last three appearances and starts on the mound. In 23.1 innings, he has allowed only two earned runs on 16 hits with 11 strikeouts and four walks.
HARMS SHUTTING DOWN OPPONENTS: In his last three starts, RHP Jordan Harms have allowed just four earned runs on 12 hits with 13 strikeouts in 17.1 innings. Entering Tuesday, he ranks fifth in The Summit League with a 3.72 ERA.
CLOSING THE DOOR: NDSU right-handed closer Kevin Folman leads the team and is tied for The Summit League lead with six saves in 15 relief appearances. The Hermantown, Minn., native has allowed only seven earned runs on 14 hits with 15 strikeouts and six walks in 20 innings.
WALK THIS WAY: In the latest Summit League statistics, the Bison have three players ranked in the top 10 in walks. Logan Busch leads the league with 27 free passes, while Ben Petersen and Drew Fearing are tied for 10th with 18 walks. As a team, North Dakota State leads The Summit League with 145 walks.
TAKE YOUR BASE: Two Bison rank in the top 10 in The Summit League in hit batters. Drew Fearing has been hit a league-high 10 times, while Danny Palmiscno has been hit seven times, ranking him fifth. Fearing ranks 50th in hit by pitch in the most recent NCAA Division I national statistics. The Bison have been hit a league-high 39 times through 36 games.
DITCH AND KEEFER JOIN NDSU COACHING STAFF: In addition to 14 new student-athletes, the Bison also have two new coaches for 2017. Jeff Ditch, who has coached college baseball for over 24 years, is the new hitting coach for North Dakota State, while former Bison left-handed pitcher Trent Keefer is a volunteer assistant coach. Ditch joined the Bison after serving as head coach for 11 seasons at Indiana University-Pennsylvania, where he was the all-time winningest coach in program history, recording 253 wins. He also spent time at West Virginia, Cincinnati and Penn State as an assistant.
SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Mason Pierzchalski (Feb. 19), Ben Petersen (March 6) and Luke Lind (March 13) have received Summit League Player of the Week honors this season.
SEVEN CONSECUTIVE 20-WIN SEASONS: North Dakota State has reached the 20-win mark seven straight seasons. The Bison have qualified for five Summit League tournaments, winning the tournament championship in 2014 and reaching the championship game in three of the last five seasons. This is NDSU's 10th season in The Summit League after three seasons as a Division I independent.
PRESEASON PICKS: The North Dakota State University baseball team was picked to finish third in The Summit League Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll released on Thursday, Feb. 9, by the league office. The Bison tallied 17 points in the poll, which was voted on by the league's six head coaches. Defending Summit League regular season and tournament champion Oral Roberts was picked first and tallied 25 points with five first-place votes, while South Dakota State was second with 18 points and received the final first-place vote. NDSU was third, followed by Omaha (13 points), Western Illinois (nine points) and Fort Wayne (eight points).
THE COACH: Tod Brown (Arizona, 1994) enters his 10th season as the head coach for the Bison and has a 233-267 record at NDSU. 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 five seasons
- Five Summit League tournament appearances in the last six years
- Winning percentage of .520 the past five seasons
- 20 All-Summit League honorees, including seven first team selections
- 19 players who signed professional contracts
- Coached three NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients: Wes Satzinger (2014), John Straka (2013) and Kole Zimmerman (2008)
Vanderbilt vs. NDSU Baseball Highlights - March 8, 2026
Wednesday, March 11
NDSU Baseball Postgame Press Conference (NCAA Regional vs Creighton) - June 1, 2025
Sunday, June 01
NDSU Baseball Postgame Press Conference (NCAA Regional vs Kansas) - May 31, 2025
Sunday, June 01
NDSU Baseball Postgame Press Conference - NCAA Regional vs No. 3 Arkansas - May 30, 2025
Friday, May 30
