Scene Setter
The North Dakota State baseball team continues its season-opening road trip this weekend, with a four-game series scheduled at Omaha. The two teams will play the series opener at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 2, as part of a doubleheader. First pitch of the game on Saturday is scheduled for 3 p.m., with the series finale set for a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday.
 
Media Coverage
Omaha will provide live video and live stats for all four games. Both can be viewed at OMavs.com.
 
Series History
The Bison own a 43-40 lead in the all-time series that dates back to an 8-0 Omaha win in 1978. During the NCAA Division I era, Omaha holds a 23-22 advantage in the series. The Bison were swept in a three-game series at Omaha in 2019. This will be the first series played at Omaha's new Tal Anderson Field, a new on-campus complex for baseball and softball that Omaha opened this spring.
 
Scouting the Mavericks
Omaha is 8-12 overall and 3-1 in the Summit League, holding the top spot in the league standings through two weekends of league play. The Mavericks opened league play March 19 with South Dakota State, taking three of the four games. With one of their league byes last weekend, Omaha played a three-game series at Wichita State, where the Shockers swept the series and outscored the Mavericks 34-6. Chris Esposito leads the Mavericks at the plate with a .352 batting average, while also leading the team in slugging percentage (.690) and on-base percentage (.425). Esposito also has three doubles, three triples and five home runs, while driving in 22 runs. Joey Machado leads three players with six starts on the mound with a 3.20 ERA. Machado and Richie Holetz have a team-best 31 strikeouts, while Holetz has tossed a team-best 33.0 innings. Jacob Mohler has a pair of saves in five outings with a 1.23 ERA.
 
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 26-straight road games before opening the home schedule April 9 against Western Illinois. With 26 scheduled road games to start the year, the Bison will play the most games on the road before having a home game of any team in the country. NDSU has the most road wins in the nation at 16, while four teams have 10 wins on the road.
 
Get on and Steal it
Senior Bennett Hostetler ranks seventh in the nation with a .592 on-base percentage. He also ranks fourth in stolen bases with 14 and 17th in the country with .64 stolen bases per game. He is the only player in the country to have an on-base percentage over .590 with double digit stolen bases.
 
Turnin' Two
The Bison have turned 18 double plays in 22 games this season, ranking 21st in the country in double plays. The .82 double plays per game ranks 47th in the nation.
 
Best Batting Average in Summit League
North Dakota State has a .278 batting average as a team, ranking 73rd in the nation. It is also the best in the Summit League. Senior Bennett Hostetler has the top average in the league at .447, while also ranking 20th in the country.
 
Leave The Guy Alone:
Senior Bennett Hostetler has been hit by a pitch nine times this season, ranking 17th in the country. He ranks 15th among active NCAA Division I players with 39 career hit by pitches.
 
Making the Sacrifice:
Bennett Hostetler has 12 career sacrifice flies, tied for the most in school history and the 18th most among active NCAA Division I players. Calen Schwabe ranks fourth in the nation with six sacrifices this year and 15th with .27 sacrifices per game. With two sacrifice flies, Tucker Rohde ranks 118th in the nation.
 
Get On and Drive Them In
Leadoff hitter Jake Malec ranks 47th in the nation in runs scored with 24, while Bennett Hostetler, in the three hole, ranks 56th in the nation with 24 runs batted in. Both totals are the best in the Summit League. Peter Brookshaw, hitting in the two spot, ranks 133rd in the nation in RBI with 23.
 
Summit League Honors
Through six weeks of play, North Dakota State has earned four of the six Summit League Player of the Week awards. Senior Bennett Hostetler has earned the honor three times, while fellow senior Jake Malec earned the honor once.
 
Strikeout Sankey
Evan Sankey ranks 86th in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 6.17, while also ranking 98th in strikeouts per nine innings at 12.04.  He ranks 124th in the nation with 37 strikeouts, while ranking 49th in WHIP at .87 and 145th in walks allowed per nine innings at 1.95. His 1.95 ERA ranks 87th in the country.
 
Harm Not Allowing Hits
Senior Parker Harm has allowed just 6.40 hits per nine innings over the course of his career. That ranks 27th overall among active players at all NCAA levels and the 13th 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.
 
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.
 
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. Brown ranks third in Summit League history with 315 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.
 
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.
 
Up Next:
For the first time in 694 days, the Bison will take the field at Newman Outdoor Field for a baseball game next week against Western Illinois. The league will play four-game series at each location this year, which will include a doubleheader over the three days. First pitch for Friday is set for 3 p.m. and is a doubleheader. The two teams will face each other again Saturday and Sunday, with first pitch set for 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.