Friday, March 23
Fort Wayne, Ind.
2 p.m.
North Dakota State
at
Fort Wayne
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
P
/ Baseball
Photo by: Zachary Lucy
Summit League Play Rolls On for NDSU Baseball with Series at Fort Wayne
3/22/2018 12:02:00 PM | Baseball
Game 1: North Dakota State at Fort Wayne
Friday, March 23 | 3 p.m. ET | Fort Wayne, Ind. (Mastodon Field)
Game 2: North Dakota State at Fort Wayne
Saturday, March 24 | 2 p.m. ET | Fort Wayne, Ind. (Mastodon Field)
Game 3: North Dakota State at Fort Wayne
Sunday, March 25 | 1 p.m. ET | Fort Wayne, Ind. (Mastodon Field)
Live Stats | Live Video (weather permitting) | NDSU Game Notes (PDF) | NDSU Baseball on Twitter
SCENE SETTER: North Dakota State (8-11, 1-2 Summit League) is scheduled to continue Summit League action with a three-game series at Fort Wayne (4-12, 0-3 Summit League) March 23-25 at Mastodon Field in Fort Wayne, Ind. The series opener is slated for 3 p.m. ET Friday, March 23, with game two scheduled for Saturday, March 24, at 2 p.m. ET. The series finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET Sunday, March 25.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Live statistics and live video (weather permitting) will be available for all games. For links, please visit www.GoBison.com.
SERIES HISTORY: The three-game series at Fort Wayne will be meetings 52-54 in the all-time series that dates back to 2006. The Bison lead the series, 28-23. Last season, North Dakota State posted a 5-1 record against the Mastodons, sweeping a three-game series in Fargo before taking two of three games in Fort Wayne, Ind.
BISON NOTES: North Dakota State enters the weekend with an overall record of 8-11 and a Summit League record of 1-2 after winning just one of three games at Western Illinois March 17-18 ... Through 19 games, NDSU is led at the plate by senior infielders Mason Pierzchalski (.343 avg., 8 R, 24 H, 7 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 16 RBI, .586 SLG%, 10 BB, .425 OB%, 1 SB) and Drew Fearing (.290 avg., 9 R, 20 H, 3 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 9 BB, 2 HBP, 1 SB) ... On the mound, the Bison are paced by senior left-handed starter Blake Stockert (1-1, 3.60 ERA, 15 IP, 13 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 8 BB, 15 SO) and senior closer Kevin Folman (1-0, 0.79 ERA, 2 SV, 11.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 13 SO) ... As a team, NDSU is hitting .229 and has a 5.08 team ERA ... North Dakota State was picked to finish third in The Summit League preseason poll.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: The Fort Wayne Mastodons enter the weekend with an overall record of 4-12 and a Summit League mark of 0-3 after being swept in a three-game series at Omaha March 17-18 ... Through 16 contests, the Mastodons are let offensively by sophomore infielder Travis Upp (.320 avg., 10 R, 16 H, 2 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 9 BB, 2 SB) and redshirt senior infielder Shannon Baker (.273 avg., 3 R, 12 H, 3 2B, 11 RBI, 10 BB) ... On the mound, Fort Wayne is paced by redshirt senior right-handed starter Brandon Phelps (2-1, 6.26 ERA, 23 IP, 32 H, 22 R, 16 ER, 11 BB, 24 SO) and redshirt freshman closer Dalton O'Boyle (0-0, 4.91 ERA, 2 SV, 7.1 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 8 BB, 6 SO) ... The Mastodons are hitting .236 as a team and rank last in The Summit League with a 7.40 team ERA ... Fort Wayne was picked to finish sixth out of six teams in The Summit League preseason poll ... The Mastodons are under the direction of 10th season head coach Bobby Pierce.
SUMMIT LEAGUE WEEKLY HONORS: Player of the Week: IF Mason Pierzchalski (March 4), OF Logan Busch (Feb. 26); Pitcher of the Week: RHP Riley Johnson (Feb. 26)
TURNING TWO: The Bison rank sixth in NCAA Division I baseball in double plays turned through 19 games this season with 24. NDSU is fifth in double plays per game with 1.26 turned per game. North Dakota State set a new single-season record with 53 double plays in 2017.
PIERZCHALSKI POWER: Mason Pierzchalski is hitting .459 with six runs scored, 17 hits, five doubles, two triples, one homer, 10 RBI, eight walks and a .784 slugging percentage in his last 11 games. Through 19 games, he leads The Summit League in doubles (7), ranks second in hits (24), third in RBI (16) and fourth in batting average (.343).
GETTING ON BASE ... THE PAINFUL WAY: A Summit League-high 19 NDSU batters have reached base via hit by pitch through 19 games this season. Individually, senior Matt Elsenpeter is tied for second in the league with five hit by pitches while sophomore Bennett Hostetler is tied for eighth with three hit by pitches.
FEARING FINDING THE GAPS: Drew Fearing is tied for ninth in The Summit League with 20 hits through 19 games.
TRIPLE LEADERS: Through 19 games, NDSU leads The Summit League and ranks 18th nationally with eight triples. Tucker Rohde, Jayse McLean and Mason Pierzchalski lead the team with two triples each, while Bennett Hostetler and Alec Abercrombie have both hit one triple.
NOTABLE HITTING STREAKS: Drew Fearing has hit safely in his last three games.
NOTABLE REACHED BASE STREAKS: Drew Fearing and Logan Busch has both reached base in their last six games.
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.
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 is in his 11th season as the head coach for the Bison and has a 255-284 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, March 23 | 3 p.m. ET | Fort Wayne, Ind. (Mastodon Field)
Game 2: North Dakota State at Fort Wayne
Saturday, March 24 | 2 p.m. ET | Fort Wayne, Ind. (Mastodon Field)
Game 3: North Dakota State at Fort Wayne
Sunday, March 25 | 1 p.m. ET | Fort Wayne, Ind. (Mastodon Field)
Live Stats | Live Video (weather permitting) | NDSU Game Notes (PDF) | NDSU Baseball on Twitter
SCENE SETTER: North Dakota State (8-11, 1-2 Summit League) is scheduled to continue Summit League action with a three-game series at Fort Wayne (4-12, 0-3 Summit League) March 23-25 at Mastodon Field in Fort Wayne, Ind. The series opener is slated for 3 p.m. ET Friday, March 23, with game two scheduled for Saturday, March 24, at 2 p.m. ET. The series finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET Sunday, March 25.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Live statistics and live video (weather permitting) will be available for all games. For links, please visit www.GoBison.com.
SERIES HISTORY: The three-game series at Fort Wayne will be meetings 52-54 in the all-time series that dates back to 2006. The Bison lead the series, 28-23. Last season, North Dakota State posted a 5-1 record against the Mastodons, sweeping a three-game series in Fargo before taking two of three games in Fort Wayne, Ind.
BISON NOTES: North Dakota State enters the weekend with an overall record of 8-11 and a Summit League record of 1-2 after winning just one of three games at Western Illinois March 17-18 ... Through 19 games, NDSU is led at the plate by senior infielders Mason Pierzchalski (.343 avg., 8 R, 24 H, 7 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 16 RBI, .586 SLG%, 10 BB, .425 OB%, 1 SB) and Drew Fearing (.290 avg., 9 R, 20 H, 3 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 9 BB, 2 HBP, 1 SB) ... On the mound, the Bison are paced by senior left-handed starter Blake Stockert (1-1, 3.60 ERA, 15 IP, 13 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 8 BB, 15 SO) and senior closer Kevin Folman (1-0, 0.79 ERA, 2 SV, 11.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 13 SO) ... As a team, NDSU is hitting .229 and has a 5.08 team ERA ... North Dakota State was picked to finish third in The Summit League preseason poll.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: The Fort Wayne Mastodons enter the weekend with an overall record of 4-12 and a Summit League mark of 0-3 after being swept in a three-game series at Omaha March 17-18 ... Through 16 contests, the Mastodons are let offensively by sophomore infielder Travis Upp (.320 avg., 10 R, 16 H, 2 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 9 BB, 2 SB) and redshirt senior infielder Shannon Baker (.273 avg., 3 R, 12 H, 3 2B, 11 RBI, 10 BB) ... On the mound, Fort Wayne is paced by redshirt senior right-handed starter Brandon Phelps (2-1, 6.26 ERA, 23 IP, 32 H, 22 R, 16 ER, 11 BB, 24 SO) and redshirt freshman closer Dalton O'Boyle (0-0, 4.91 ERA, 2 SV, 7.1 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 8 BB, 6 SO) ... The Mastodons are hitting .236 as a team and rank last in The Summit League with a 7.40 team ERA ... Fort Wayne was picked to finish sixth out of six teams in The Summit League preseason poll ... The Mastodons are under the direction of 10th season head coach Bobby Pierce.
SUMMIT LEAGUE WEEKLY HONORS: Player of the Week: IF Mason Pierzchalski (March 4), OF Logan Busch (Feb. 26); Pitcher of the Week: RHP Riley Johnson (Feb. 26)
TURNING TWO: The Bison rank sixth in NCAA Division I baseball in double plays turned through 19 games this season with 24. NDSU is fifth in double plays per game with 1.26 turned per game. North Dakota State set a new single-season record with 53 double plays in 2017.
PIERZCHALSKI POWER: Mason Pierzchalski is hitting .459 with six runs scored, 17 hits, five doubles, two triples, one homer, 10 RBI, eight walks and a .784 slugging percentage in his last 11 games. Through 19 games, he leads The Summit League in doubles (7), ranks second in hits (24), third in RBI (16) and fourth in batting average (.343).
GETTING ON BASE ... THE PAINFUL WAY: A Summit League-high 19 NDSU batters have reached base via hit by pitch through 19 games this season. Individually, senior Matt Elsenpeter is tied for second in the league with five hit by pitches while sophomore Bennett Hostetler is tied for eighth with three hit by pitches.
FEARING FINDING THE GAPS: Drew Fearing is tied for ninth in The Summit League with 20 hits through 19 games.
TRIPLE LEADERS: Through 19 games, NDSU leads The Summit League and ranks 18th nationally with eight triples. Tucker Rohde, Jayse McLean and Mason Pierzchalski lead the team with two triples each, while Bennett Hostetler and Alec Abercrombie have both hit one triple.
NOTABLE HITTING STREAKS: Drew Fearing has hit safely in his last three games.
NOTABLE REACHED BASE STREAKS: Drew Fearing and Logan Busch has both reached base in their last six games.
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.
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 is in his 11th season as the head coach for the Bison and has a 255-284 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)
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