Tuesday, February 27
Minneapolis, Minn. (U.S. Bank Stadium)
6 p.m.
North Dakota State
at
Minnesota
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
Photo by: Eric Miller
NDSU Baseball Set to Face Minnesota Tuesday Evening at U.S. Bank Stadium
2/26/2018 3:56:00 PM | Baseball
North Dakota State at Minnesota
Tuesday, Feb. 27 | 6 p.m. | Minneapolis, Minn. (U.S. Bank Stadium)
Radio: Bison 1660 & 92.7 FM (Jeff Culhane, pxp; Keith Brake, color)
TV: BTN Plus (Ryan Russell, pxp)
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio | U.S. Bank Stadium Information
NDSU Game Notes (PDF) | NDSU Baseball on Twitter
SCENE SETTER: After winning two of three games against defending Northeast Conference Champion Central Connecticut State in Florida, the North Dakota State baseball team (4-3) is slated to travel to Minneapolis to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-2) Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. inside U.S. Bank Stadium.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Tuesday's contest against Minnesota will air live on Bison 1660 AM & 92.7 FM with Jeff Culhane providing play-by-play and Keith Brake serving as color commentator. The game will also be televised live on BTN Plus. Live audio, video and statistics are also available for the contest. For links, please visit www.GoBison.com.
SERIES RECORD: The Bison and Golden Gophers will meet for the 39th time in the all-time series that dates back to 1964 when they take the diamond Tuesday. Minnesota leads the series 28-10. Last season, NDSU went 1-2 against Minnesota, with the Bison winning at U.S. Bank Stadium, 3-1, before falling at Siebert Field, 7-1, and at home at Newman Outdoor Field, 6-1.
BISON NOTES: NDSU enters the week with an overall record of 4-3 after going 2-1 against 2017 NCAA tournament qualifier Central Connecticut State Feb. 23-25 in the Snowbird Baseball Classic in Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, Fla. ... Through seven games, three Bison are hitting above .300. Senior infielder Drew Fearing leads the team with a .393 batting average and has 11 hits, four runs, one double, one home run, three RBI and a .536 slugging percentage, while redshirt junior outfielder Jayse McLean is hitting .346 with nine hits, six runs, one homer, three RBI and four walks, and senior outfielder Logan Busch is hitting .333 with nine hits, two runs, five doubles, four RBI and a .519 slugging percentage ... On the mound, North Dakota State is led by sophomore right-hander Riley Johnson, who is 2-0 in two starts with a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings pitched. He is holding opponents to a .068 batting average and has allowed just two earned runs on three hits while compiling a team-best 11 strikeouts ... Senior left-hander Chris Choles leads the Bison bullpen with a 0.00 ERA in two appearances and 7 2/3 innings pitched. Choles has allowed just two hits while compiling two strikeouts and one save. He is limiting opponents to a .087 batting average ... As a team, NDSU ranks third in The Summit League with a .231 team batting average and is second in the league in team pitching with a 2.66 team ERA.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA: The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers enter the week with an overall record of 5-2 after winning three games in the Snowbird Baseball Classic Feb. 23-25 against Boston College, Chicago State and Mount St. Mary's ... Through seven games, Minnesota is paced at the plate by junior infielder Terrin Vavra, who is hitting .433 with 13 hits, 10 runs, two triples, 10 RBI, two walks and two stolen bases, and junior catcher Cole McDevitt, who is hitting .348 with eight hits, six runs, one double, two homers, nine RBI, seven walks and one stolen base ... Vavra is the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week ... On the mound, the Golden Gophers are led by junior left-hander Nick Lackney, who is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in 10 innings of work. Lackney has allowed four earned runs on 12 hits with nine strikeouts and two walks in his two starts this season ... In the bullpen, Minnesota is paced by sophomore right-hander Brett Schulze, who is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two appearances and seven innings pitched. Schulze has surrendered no earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and three walks ... As a team, the Gophers are hitting .351 and have a 4.57 team ERA ... Minnesota was picked to finish third in the Big Ten preseason poll ... The Golden Gophers are under the direction of 36th season head coach John Anderson.
JOHNSON THROWS SIXTH NO-HITTER IN PROGRAM HISTORY: Riley Johnson tossed the sixth no-hitter in NDSU program history, and the first no-hitter of the 2018 college baseball season in NDSU's 2-0 win over Central Connecticut State Feb. 23. Johnson was the first Bison to throw a no-no since Jay Mitchell accomplished the feat against Augustana (S.D.) in 2004. During his nine, no-hit innings, Johnson collected a career-high eight strikeouts while tallying only one walk. For his efforts, he was named one of Collegiate Baseball's National Players of the Week and voted The Summit League's Pitcher of the Week.
TURNING TWO: North Dakota State set a new single-season record with 53 double plays in 2017. The Bison have already turned 12 double plays through seven games this season, which ranks fourth out of 276 teams in the latest NCAA national statistics.
BUSCH HONORED BY SUMMIT LEAGUE: Logan Busch was named The Summit League's Player of the Week after leading NDSU offensively in the series win over Central Connecticut State Feb. 23-25. The Inver Grove Heights, Minn., native hit .444 with four hits, two doubles, two walks, one run, one RBI and a .583 on-base and .667 slugging percentage in the three games. Entering Tuesday, Busch leads the Bison and The Summit League in doubles with five.
MCLEAN OFF TO FAST START: After sitting out all of last season due to injury, outfielder Jayse McLean is off to a fast start at the plate, hitting .346 with nine hits, six runs, a homer, three RBI and four walks in seven games.
FEARING FINDING HIS SWING: Infielder Drew Fearing leads the Bison and The Summit League with 11 hits in seven games. He also paces the team and ranks fourth in the league with a .393 batting average.
BROWN ACHIEVES COACHING MILESTONE: Eleventh-season head coach Tod Brown won his 250th career game in the Bison's 2-0 shutout victory over Central Connecticut State Feb. 23. Brown currently has the second-most wins in NDSU baseball history.
ROHDE HEATING UP AT THE PLATE: After struggling at the plate in NDSU's season-opening series at Incarnate Word, Tucker Rohde found his swing in the Bison's series win over Central Connecticut State. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native hit .429 -- second-best on the team -- with three hits, one RBI and four walks.
NOTABLE HITTING STREAKS: Drew Fearing and Jayse McLean have tallied at least one hit in all seven of NDSU's games this season. Logan Busch has posted at least one hit in the Bison's last five contests.
EIGHT CONSECUTIVE 20-WIN SEASONS: North Dakota State has reached the 20-win mark eight straight seasons. The Bison have qualified for six Summit League tournaments, winning the tournament championship in 2014 and reaching the championship game in four of the last six seasons. This is NDSU's 11th season in The Summit League after three seasons as a Division I independent.
PRESEASON PICKS: North Dakota State was picked to finish third in The Summit League Baseball Preseason Poll released Thursday, Feb. 8, by the league office. The Bison tallied 17 points in the poll. Defending Summit League regular season and tournament champion Oral Roberts was named the preseason favorite with 25 points and five first-place votes, while South Dakota State was tabbed second with 20 points and the final first-place vote. NDSU was third, while Western Illinois (14 points), Omaha (nine points) and Fort Wayne (five points) rounded out the poll.
PRESEASON HONORS: North Dakota State senior outfielder Logan Busch was named to The Summit League's Players to Watch List for the 2018 season. Busch, a native of Inver Grove Heights, Minn., was a first team all-league honoree in 2017.
THE COACH: Tod Brown (Arizona, 1994) is in his 11th season as the head coach for the Bison and has a 251-276 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, Feb. 27 | 6 p.m. | Minneapolis, Minn. (U.S. Bank Stadium)
Radio: Bison 1660 & 92.7 FM (Jeff Culhane, pxp; Keith Brake, color)
TV: BTN Plus (Ryan Russell, pxp)
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio | U.S. Bank Stadium Information
NDSU Game Notes (PDF) | NDSU Baseball on Twitter
SCENE SETTER: After winning two of three games against defending Northeast Conference Champion Central Connecticut State in Florida, the North Dakota State baseball team (4-3) is slated to travel to Minneapolis to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-2) Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. inside U.S. Bank Stadium.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Tuesday's contest against Minnesota will air live on Bison 1660 AM & 92.7 FM with Jeff Culhane providing play-by-play and Keith Brake serving as color commentator. The game will also be televised live on BTN Plus. Live audio, video and statistics are also available for the contest. For links, please visit www.GoBison.com.
SERIES RECORD: The Bison and Golden Gophers will meet for the 39th time in the all-time series that dates back to 1964 when they take the diamond Tuesday. Minnesota leads the series 28-10. Last season, NDSU went 1-2 against Minnesota, with the Bison winning at U.S. Bank Stadium, 3-1, before falling at Siebert Field, 7-1, and at home at Newman Outdoor Field, 6-1.
BISON NOTES: NDSU enters the week with an overall record of 4-3 after going 2-1 against 2017 NCAA tournament qualifier Central Connecticut State Feb. 23-25 in the Snowbird Baseball Classic in Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, Fla. ... Through seven games, three Bison are hitting above .300. Senior infielder Drew Fearing leads the team with a .393 batting average and has 11 hits, four runs, one double, one home run, three RBI and a .536 slugging percentage, while redshirt junior outfielder Jayse McLean is hitting .346 with nine hits, six runs, one homer, three RBI and four walks, and senior outfielder Logan Busch is hitting .333 with nine hits, two runs, five doubles, four RBI and a .519 slugging percentage ... On the mound, North Dakota State is led by sophomore right-hander Riley Johnson, who is 2-0 in two starts with a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings pitched. He is holding opponents to a .068 batting average and has allowed just two earned runs on three hits while compiling a team-best 11 strikeouts ... Senior left-hander Chris Choles leads the Bison bullpen with a 0.00 ERA in two appearances and 7 2/3 innings pitched. Choles has allowed just two hits while compiling two strikeouts and one save. He is limiting opponents to a .087 batting average ... As a team, NDSU ranks third in The Summit League with a .231 team batting average and is second in the league in team pitching with a 2.66 team ERA.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA: The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers enter the week with an overall record of 5-2 after winning three games in the Snowbird Baseball Classic Feb. 23-25 against Boston College, Chicago State and Mount St. Mary's ... Through seven games, Minnesota is paced at the plate by junior infielder Terrin Vavra, who is hitting .433 with 13 hits, 10 runs, two triples, 10 RBI, two walks and two stolen bases, and junior catcher Cole McDevitt, who is hitting .348 with eight hits, six runs, one double, two homers, nine RBI, seven walks and one stolen base ... Vavra is the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week ... On the mound, the Golden Gophers are led by junior left-hander Nick Lackney, who is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in 10 innings of work. Lackney has allowed four earned runs on 12 hits with nine strikeouts and two walks in his two starts this season ... In the bullpen, Minnesota is paced by sophomore right-hander Brett Schulze, who is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two appearances and seven innings pitched. Schulze has surrendered no earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and three walks ... As a team, the Gophers are hitting .351 and have a 4.57 team ERA ... Minnesota was picked to finish third in the Big Ten preseason poll ... The Golden Gophers are under the direction of 36th season head coach John Anderson.
JOHNSON THROWS SIXTH NO-HITTER IN PROGRAM HISTORY: Riley Johnson tossed the sixth no-hitter in NDSU program history, and the first no-hitter of the 2018 college baseball season in NDSU's 2-0 win over Central Connecticut State Feb. 23. Johnson was the first Bison to throw a no-no since Jay Mitchell accomplished the feat against Augustana (S.D.) in 2004. During his nine, no-hit innings, Johnson collected a career-high eight strikeouts while tallying only one walk. For his efforts, he was named one of Collegiate Baseball's National Players of the Week and voted The Summit League's Pitcher of the Week.
TURNING TWO: North Dakota State set a new single-season record with 53 double plays in 2017. The Bison have already turned 12 double plays through seven games this season, which ranks fourth out of 276 teams in the latest NCAA national statistics.
BUSCH HONORED BY SUMMIT LEAGUE: Logan Busch was named The Summit League's Player of the Week after leading NDSU offensively in the series win over Central Connecticut State Feb. 23-25. The Inver Grove Heights, Minn., native hit .444 with four hits, two doubles, two walks, one run, one RBI and a .583 on-base and .667 slugging percentage in the three games. Entering Tuesday, Busch leads the Bison and The Summit League in doubles with five.
MCLEAN OFF TO FAST START: After sitting out all of last season due to injury, outfielder Jayse McLean is off to a fast start at the plate, hitting .346 with nine hits, six runs, a homer, three RBI and four walks in seven games.
FEARING FINDING HIS SWING: Infielder Drew Fearing leads the Bison and The Summit League with 11 hits in seven games. He also paces the team and ranks fourth in the league with a .393 batting average.
BROWN ACHIEVES COACHING MILESTONE: Eleventh-season head coach Tod Brown won his 250th career game in the Bison's 2-0 shutout victory over Central Connecticut State Feb. 23. Brown currently has the second-most wins in NDSU baseball history.
ROHDE HEATING UP AT THE PLATE: After struggling at the plate in NDSU's season-opening series at Incarnate Word, Tucker Rohde found his swing in the Bison's series win over Central Connecticut State. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native hit .429 -- second-best on the team -- with three hits, one RBI and four walks.
NOTABLE HITTING STREAKS: Drew Fearing and Jayse McLean have tallied at least one hit in all seven of NDSU's games this season. Logan Busch has posted at least one hit in the Bison's last five contests.
EIGHT CONSECUTIVE 20-WIN SEASONS: North Dakota State has reached the 20-win mark eight straight seasons. The Bison have qualified for six Summit League tournaments, winning the tournament championship in 2014 and reaching the championship game in four of the last six seasons. This is NDSU's 11th season in The Summit League after three seasons as a Division I independent.
PRESEASON PICKS: North Dakota State was picked to finish third in The Summit League Baseball Preseason Poll released Thursday, Feb. 8, by the league office. The Bison tallied 17 points in the poll. Defending Summit League regular season and tournament champion Oral Roberts was named the preseason favorite with 25 points and five first-place votes, while South Dakota State was tabbed second with 20 points and the final first-place vote. NDSU was third, while Western Illinois (14 points), Omaha (nine points) and Fort Wayne (five points) rounded out the poll.
PRESEASON HONORS: North Dakota State senior outfielder Logan Busch was named to The Summit League's Players to Watch List for the 2018 season. Busch, a native of Inver Grove Heights, Minn., was a first team all-league honoree in 2017.
THE COACH: Tod Brown (Arizona, 1994) is in his 11th season as the head coach for the Bison and has a 251-276 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
- Won school-record 19 Summit League games in 2017
- Combined record of 60-50 (.545) over the last two seasons (2016 and 2017)
- 91-47 (.659) record at home since 2010
- .529 winning percentage over the last six seasons
- Four Summit League championship game appearances in the past six seasons
- Six Summit League tournament appearances in the last seven years
- 25 All-Summit League honorees, including eight first team selections
- 21 players who have 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
