NDSU Baseball Heads to Northern Colorado for Four Game Series

Friday, March 5

Greeley, Colo.

1 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

Northern Colorado

Photo by: SLU Athletics

NDSU Baseball Heads to Northern Colorado for Four Game Series

3/3/2021 5:43:00 PM | Baseball

NDSU Notes - Northern Colorado Live Streams

Scene Setter
The North Dakota State baseball team returns to action this weekend, with a four-game series scheduled against Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo. The two teams will play the series opener at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 5, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday with a scheduled 1 p.m. start. The series finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Media Coverage
The WAC Digital Network will provide live video for all four games, while live stats for the games will be available at UNCBears.com for all four games.

Series History
Northern Colorado leads the all-time series 20-19, dating back to 13-0 Bears win on April 4, 1962. The two teams have split the last 10 meetings, while also splitting a four-game series last year. The series was the last games of the season for NDSU, as the 2020 season was canceled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Scouting the Bears
Northern Colorado is 2-5 on the year and currently on a four-game losing streak after dropping a four-game series against South Dakota State last weekend. The Bears are set to join the Summit League as an affiliate member for baseball next season. Northern Colorado ranks 21st in the nation in stolen bases with 13, while also ranking 27th with 1.86 stolen bases per game. They also rank 24th in the nation with 17 doubles and 21st with 2.43 doubles per game. Josh Glenn ranks 40th in the country with a .476 batting average, while Jake Glitter ranks 87th with a .440 average. On the mound, Sam Leach is one of 15 players across the country that has thrown a complete game this season.

Brown Joins 300 Club
North Dakota State Head Coach Tod Brown earned his 300th career win on Feb. 22 during the first game of the doubleheader at Western Kentucky. Brown is the third coach in Summit League history to earn 300 career wins. Brown joins Mitch McLeod as the only Bison coaches with over 300 wins, as McLeod has a school record 347.

Opening Day Streak Snapped
With a 10-4 loss in the season opener at Western Kentucky, the Bison had a streak of five-straight wins in season openers snapped. Last season, the Bison beat Hawaii 3-1 to start the 2020 campaign. In 2019, the Bison beat Sacramento State 9-1. NDSU beat Incarnate Word 8-2 in 2018, Mississippi Valley State 10-4 in 2017 and Arkansas-Pine Bluff 2-0 in 2016.

Road Warriors
In 2019, NDSU was the last NCAA Division I baseball team to play a home game. The Bison played 26-straight games away from Newman Outdoor Field to start the season in 2019. In 2020, the Bison were scheduled to play the first 27 games away from home before the season was cut short due to Covid-19. This season, the Bison are slated to play 27-straight road games before opening the home schedule April 9 against Western Illinois. It is currently the latest scheduled home opener for an NCAA Division I baseball team this season.

Get on and Steal it
Senior Bennett Hostetler ranks 14th in the nation with a .643 on-base percentage. He also ranks 23rd in stolen bases with four and 22nd in the country with .67 stolen bases per game.

Double Vision
The Bison have turned six double plays in six games this season, ranking 30th in the country in double plays. The 1.00 double plays per game ranks 17th in the nation.

Best Batting Average in Summit League
North Dakota State has a .314 batting average as a team after the first six games, ranking 17th in the nation. It is also the best in the Summit League. NDSU hit .333 as a team last weekend at Saint Louis. Senior Bennett Hostetler ranks 21st in the nation with .500 average and is tops in the Summit League.

Leave The Guy Alone:
Senior Bennett Hostetler ranked fifth in the nation in hit by pitch last year, having been hit 11 times in 17 games. He has already been hit once this season and ranks 24th among active NCAA Division I players with 31 career hit by pitches.

Making the Sacrifice:
Peter Brookshaw ranked second in the nation with five sacrifice flies last season. Bennett Hostetler has 12 career sacrifice flies, tied for the most in school history and the ninth most among active NCAA Division I players.

Harm Not Allowing Hits
Senior Parker Harm has allowed just 6.44 hits per nine innings over the course of his career. That ranks 22nd overall among active players at all NCAA levels and the 15th best among NCAA Division I players. Harm also ranks 22nd among NCAA Division I active players and 29th overall among all NCAA levels with 88 career walks allowed.

Summit League Preseason Poll
The North Dakota State baseball team has been picked to finish third in the Summit League preseason poll. Omaha was picked first in the poll with 15 points, holding a one point edge over Oral Roberts. The Mavericks received three first place votes, while the Golden Eagles earned the remaining two. NDSU was third in the poll with 10 points, while South Dakota State (seven points) and Western Illinois (four points) rounded out the poll. North Dakota State finished the 2020 season with an 8-9 record that was shortened due to Covid-19. Omaha won the 2019 Summit League regular season and tournament titles. Senior shortstop Bennett Hostetler and senior pitcher Parker Harm were named to the Summit League Players to Watch list. Hostetler started all 17 games last year at shortstop. He finished with a .216 average and led the team with two home runs. Harm made five appearances out of the bullpen, finishing with a 1-0 record and a 3.00 ERA in nine innings of work. He struck out 11, while walking just four.

Brown Making Moves in Summit League Record Books
North Dakota State Head Coach Tod Brown moved up the charts of the Summit League record books last year and looks to do the same this season. Brown ranks third in Summit League history with 304 wins. Brown is one of three coaches in Summit League history to have coached 300 or more league games. Last year, he became the third coach in Summit League history to coach in 600 or more games, joining Valparaiso's Paul Twenge and Illinois-Chicago's Dean Refakes.

Bison Earn ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award:
The North Dakota State University baseball team earned the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Team Academic Excellence Award for the third-straight season last year. NDSU was the only Summit League school to earn the honor. The ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award honors high school and college programs coached by ABCA members that post a GPA over 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the current academic year. The Bison had a 3.522 cumulative GPA for the 2019-20 school year, including a record 3.61 GPA in the spring semester.

Up Next:
The Bison will head to Dayton for a four-game series with the Flyers next weekend. First pitch for the series opener is scheduled for 2 p.m. (Central) on Friday, March 12. The two teams will play games on Saturday, March 13 and Sunday, March 14, with first pitch scheduled for Noon both days. The series finale is set for Tuesday, March 16, with a Noon first pitch.