Tuesday, April 4
Minneapolis, Minn. (Siebert Field)
4:30 p.m.
North Dakota State
at
Minnesota
Photo by: Eric Miller
Bison Head to Minnesota Tuesday, Host Minot State in Home Opener Wednesday
4/3/2017 11:48:00 AM | Baseball
North Dakota State at Minnesota
Tuesday, April 4 | 4:30 p.m.
Minneapolis (Siebert Field)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app (Jeff Culhane, play-by-play, Keith Brake, color)
Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video
North Dakota State vs. Minot State
Wednesday, April 5 | 5 p.m.
Fargo, N.D. (Newman Outdoor Field)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app (Jeff Culhane, play-by-play, Keith Brake, color)
Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video
NDSU Game Notes (PDF)
NDSU baseball on Twitter: @NDSUbaseball
SCENE SETTER: The North Dakota State University baseball team is scheduled to travel to Minneapolis to take on the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Tuesday, April 4, at 4:30 p.m. at Siebert Field before returning to Fargo to host Minot State in the 2017 home opener Wednesday, April 5, at 5 p.m. at Newman Outdoor Field.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Tuesday and Wednesday's games will both air live on Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com and the Bison 1660 app with Jeff Culhane calling the action and Keith Brake providing color commentary. Airtime Tuesday at Minnesota is slated for 4 p.m. while Wednesday's home opener is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. airtime. In addition to radio, live stats and live video will be available for both games. Please visit GoBison.com for links.
SERIES RECORDS: Minnesota: Tuesday's contest at Minnesota will mark the 37th meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1964. Minnesota leads the series, 26-10. The Bison claimed a 3-1 win over the Golden Gophers earlier this season on Feb. 28 at U.S. Bank Stadium. It was NDSU's first victory in Minneapolis since 2012 ... Minot State: Wednesday's home opener against the Minot State Beavers will be the 41st meeting in the all-time series. NDSU leads the series, 23-17. Last season, the Bison claimed a 13-7 win over Minot State at Newman Outdoor Field.
BISON NOTES: The North Dakota State University baseball team enters the week at 11-15 overall and 4-5 in Summit League play after winning two of three games at Omaha March 31 - April 2 ... The Bison have won four of their last six games ... Through 26 contests, NDSU is led at the plate by juniors Mason Pierzchalski (.310 avg., 16 R, 31 H, 7 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 7 BB) and Logan Busch (.293 avg., 13 R, 24 H, 7 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 20 BB), and senior Ben Petersen (.266 avg., 19 R, 25 H, 4 2B, 6 HR, 18 RBI, 14 BB, 4 SB) ... On the mound, North Dakota State is paced by sophomore RHP Jordan Harms (4.13 ERA, 1-4, 28.1 IP, 25 H, 18 R, 13 ER, 11 BB, 25 SO), and junior left-handed reliever Chris Choles (2.74 ERA, 2-1, 1 SV, 23.0 IP, 22 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 8 BB, 17 SO) ... The Bison have a .229 team batting average, .971 team fielding percentage and a 4.73 team ERA ... NDSU ranks second in The Summit League in fielding percentage and third in team ERA.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Minnesota: The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers enter the week at 18-8 overall and 6-0 in Big Ten Conference play after winning three games at Michigan State April 1-2 ... Through 26 contests, the Golden Gophers are led at the plate by junior infielder Luke Pettersen (.389 avg., 11 R, 35 H, 1 2B, 13 RBI, 8 BB) and redshirt senior outfielder Jordan Smith (.315 avg., 17 R, 29 H, 6 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 15 BB, 3 SB) ... Freshman RHP Nolan Burchill (4.85 ERA, 1-2, 13.0 IP, 15 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 4 BB, 9 SO) is scheduled to start for Minnesota Tuesday ... The Golden Gophers have a .281 team batting average, .980 fielding percentage and a 3.98 team ERA ... Minnesota is under the direction of 36th season head coach John Anderson ... Minot State: The Minot State University Beavers enter the week at 14-7 overall after winning three of four games against Winona State April 1-2 ... Through 21 games, the Beavers are led in the batter's box by sophomore utility player Michael Borst (.393 avg., 15 R, 33 H, 6 2B, 4 HR, 32 RBI) and senior outfielder Jordan Schulz (.464 avg., 19 R, 32 H, 9 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 11 BB, 6 SB) ... On the mound, Minot State is led by senior pitcher Tanner Alexander (3.34 ERA, 3-1, 2 CG, 32.1 IP, 27 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 8 BB, 32 SO) ... The Beavers have a .318 team batting average, .965 team fielding percentage and a 3.91 team ERA ... Minot State is under the leadership of first season head coach Scott Eul.
HARMS SHUTTING DOWN OPPONENTS: In his last two starts, RHP Jordan Harms have allowed just one earned run on six hits with 11 strikeouts and three walks in 13 innings of work. At Western Illinois March 26, he tossed six scoreless innings before allowing only one run in seven innings at Omaha April 2
BUSCH SURGING AT THE PLATE IN LEAGUE ACTION: Logan Busch is hitting a team-best .310 through nine Summit League games. He has nine hits, two doubles, one homer, seven RBIs and seven walks entering Tuesday's game at Minnesota. In the most recent Summit League overall statistics, Busch is third in RBIs with 20.
PETERSEN POWER: Ben Petersen leads North Dakota State and is tied for The Summit League lead with six home runs this season. The senior from Lino Lakes, Minn., ranks second on the team and fifth in the league in RBIs with 18.
PIERZCHALSKI SIZZLING AT THE PLATE: Mason Pierzchalski leads the Bison and is tied for fifth in The Summit League in hits with 31. He also leads NDSU with a .310 batting average.
WALK THIS WAY: In the latest Summit League statistics, the Bison have three players ranked in the top 10 in walks. Logan Busch is third in the league with 20 free passes, while Drew Fearing and Ben Petersen are tied for eighth with 14 walks. As a team, North Dakota State leads The Summit League with 109 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, tying him for second. Fearing ranks 18th in hit by pitch in the most recent NCAA Division I national statistics.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE WELCOMES 14 NEWCOMERS IN 2017: Fourteen newcomers, including eight position players and six pitchers, join the Bison for the 2017 season. Position players include infielders Bennett Hostetler (Bozeman, Mont.), Charley Hesse (Mendota Heights, Minn.) and Tucker Rohde (Scottsdale, Ariz.); outfielder Carter Thompson (Fargo, N.D.); catchers Nick Emanuel (Esko, Minn.), Jake Malec (Proctor, Minn.) and Calvin Kalthoff (Cold Spring, Minn.); and infielder/outfielder Axel Twenge (Minnetonka, Minn.). ... Pitchers include left-hander Mitch O'Connor (Bloomington, Minn.), and right-handers Ryan Olson (Halstad, Minn.), Riley Johnson (Apple Valley, Minn.), Devin Foster (Broomfield, Colo.), Austin Truso (Prior Lake, Minn.) and Kyle Ferderer (Savage, Minn.).
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.
BISON 1660 TO BROADCAST MINIMUM OF 24 NDSU BASEBALL GAMES IN 2017: A minimum of 24 North Dakota State University baseball games will air live on Bison 1660 AM during the 2017 season, NDSU athletics and Radio FM Media announced Monday, Feb. 20. Bison 1660 will broadcast 24 regular season contests and all postseason games over the air, online at Bison1660.com, and on the Bison 1660 app. The "Voice of the Bison" Jeff Culhane will call the action, with Bison 1660 on-air personality Keith Brake providing color commentary. All broadcasts will feature a 30-minute pregame show. For a complete broadcast schedule, please visit www.GoBison.com.
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 226-264 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:
Tuesday, April 4 | 4:30 p.m.
Minneapolis (Siebert Field)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app (Jeff Culhane, play-by-play, Keith Brake, color)
Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video
North Dakota State vs. Minot State
Wednesday, April 5 | 5 p.m.
Fargo, N.D. (Newman Outdoor Field)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app (Jeff Culhane, play-by-play, Keith Brake, color)
Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video
NDSU Game Notes (PDF)
NDSU baseball on Twitter: @NDSUbaseball
SCENE SETTER: The North Dakota State University baseball team is scheduled to travel to Minneapolis to take on the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Tuesday, April 4, at 4:30 p.m. at Siebert Field before returning to Fargo to host Minot State in the 2017 home opener Wednesday, April 5, at 5 p.m. at Newman Outdoor Field.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Tuesday and Wednesday's games will both air live on Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com and the Bison 1660 app with Jeff Culhane calling the action and Keith Brake providing color commentary. Airtime Tuesday at Minnesota is slated for 4 p.m. while Wednesday's home opener is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. airtime. In addition to radio, live stats and live video will be available for both games. Please visit GoBison.com for links.
SERIES RECORDS: Minnesota: Tuesday's contest at Minnesota will mark the 37th meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1964. Minnesota leads the series, 26-10. The Bison claimed a 3-1 win over the Golden Gophers earlier this season on Feb. 28 at U.S. Bank Stadium. It was NDSU's first victory in Minneapolis since 2012 ... Minot State: Wednesday's home opener against the Minot State Beavers will be the 41st meeting in the all-time series. NDSU leads the series, 23-17. Last season, the Bison claimed a 13-7 win over Minot State at Newman Outdoor Field.
BISON NOTES: The North Dakota State University baseball team enters the week at 11-15 overall and 4-5 in Summit League play after winning two of three games at Omaha March 31 - April 2 ... The Bison have won four of their last six games ... Through 26 contests, NDSU is led at the plate by juniors Mason Pierzchalski (.310 avg., 16 R, 31 H, 7 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 7 BB) and Logan Busch (.293 avg., 13 R, 24 H, 7 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 20 BB), and senior Ben Petersen (.266 avg., 19 R, 25 H, 4 2B, 6 HR, 18 RBI, 14 BB, 4 SB) ... On the mound, North Dakota State is paced by sophomore RHP Jordan Harms (4.13 ERA, 1-4, 28.1 IP, 25 H, 18 R, 13 ER, 11 BB, 25 SO), and junior left-handed reliever Chris Choles (2.74 ERA, 2-1, 1 SV, 23.0 IP, 22 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 8 BB, 17 SO) ... The Bison have a .229 team batting average, .971 team fielding percentage and a 4.73 team ERA ... NDSU ranks second in The Summit League in fielding percentage and third in team ERA.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Minnesota: The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers enter the week at 18-8 overall and 6-0 in Big Ten Conference play after winning three games at Michigan State April 1-2 ... Through 26 contests, the Golden Gophers are led at the plate by junior infielder Luke Pettersen (.389 avg., 11 R, 35 H, 1 2B, 13 RBI, 8 BB) and redshirt senior outfielder Jordan Smith (.315 avg., 17 R, 29 H, 6 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 15 BB, 3 SB) ... Freshman RHP Nolan Burchill (4.85 ERA, 1-2, 13.0 IP, 15 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 4 BB, 9 SO) is scheduled to start for Minnesota Tuesday ... The Golden Gophers have a .281 team batting average, .980 fielding percentage and a 3.98 team ERA ... Minnesota is under the direction of 36th season head coach John Anderson ... Minot State: The Minot State University Beavers enter the week at 14-7 overall after winning three of four games against Winona State April 1-2 ... Through 21 games, the Beavers are led in the batter's box by sophomore utility player Michael Borst (.393 avg., 15 R, 33 H, 6 2B, 4 HR, 32 RBI) and senior outfielder Jordan Schulz (.464 avg., 19 R, 32 H, 9 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 11 BB, 6 SB) ... On the mound, Minot State is led by senior pitcher Tanner Alexander (3.34 ERA, 3-1, 2 CG, 32.1 IP, 27 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 8 BB, 32 SO) ... The Beavers have a .318 team batting average, .965 team fielding percentage and a 3.91 team ERA ... Minot State is under the leadership of first season head coach Scott Eul.
HARMS SHUTTING DOWN OPPONENTS: In his last two starts, RHP Jordan Harms have allowed just one earned run on six hits with 11 strikeouts and three walks in 13 innings of work. At Western Illinois March 26, he tossed six scoreless innings before allowing only one run in seven innings at Omaha April 2
BUSCH SURGING AT THE PLATE IN LEAGUE ACTION: Logan Busch is hitting a team-best .310 through nine Summit League games. He has nine hits, two doubles, one homer, seven RBIs and seven walks entering Tuesday's game at Minnesota. In the most recent Summit League overall statistics, Busch is third in RBIs with 20.
PETERSEN POWER: Ben Petersen leads North Dakota State and is tied for The Summit League lead with six home runs this season. The senior from Lino Lakes, Minn., ranks second on the team and fifth in the league in RBIs with 18.
PIERZCHALSKI SIZZLING AT THE PLATE: Mason Pierzchalski leads the Bison and is tied for fifth in The Summit League in hits with 31. He also leads NDSU with a .310 batting average.
WALK THIS WAY: In the latest Summit League statistics, the Bison have three players ranked in the top 10 in walks. Logan Busch is third in the league with 20 free passes, while Drew Fearing and Ben Petersen are tied for eighth with 14 walks. As a team, North Dakota State leads The Summit League with 109 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, tying him for second. Fearing ranks 18th in hit by pitch in the most recent NCAA Division I national statistics.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE WELCOMES 14 NEWCOMERS IN 2017: Fourteen newcomers, including eight position players and six pitchers, join the Bison for the 2017 season. Position players include infielders Bennett Hostetler (Bozeman, Mont.), Charley Hesse (Mendota Heights, Minn.) and Tucker Rohde (Scottsdale, Ariz.); outfielder Carter Thompson (Fargo, N.D.); catchers Nick Emanuel (Esko, Minn.), Jake Malec (Proctor, Minn.) and Calvin Kalthoff (Cold Spring, Minn.); and infielder/outfielder Axel Twenge (Minnetonka, Minn.). ... Pitchers include left-hander Mitch O'Connor (Bloomington, Minn.), and right-handers Ryan Olson (Halstad, Minn.), Riley Johnson (Apple Valley, Minn.), Devin Foster (Broomfield, Colo.), Austin Truso (Prior Lake, Minn.) and Kyle Ferderer (Savage, Minn.).
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.
BISON 1660 TO BROADCAST MINIMUM OF 24 NDSU BASEBALL GAMES IN 2017: A minimum of 24 North Dakota State University baseball games will air live on Bison 1660 AM during the 2017 season, NDSU athletics and Radio FM Media announced Monday, Feb. 20. Bison 1660 will broadcast 24 regular season contests and all postseason games over the air, online at Bison1660.com, and on the Bison 1660 app. The "Voice of the Bison" Jeff Culhane will call the action, with Bison 1660 on-air personality Keith Brake providing color commentary. All broadcasts will feature a 30-minute pregame show. For a complete broadcast schedule, please visit www.GoBison.com.
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 226-264 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)
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