Thursday, May 27
Omaha, Neb.
6 p.m.
North Dakota State Athletics
at
(3) Omaha
Photo by: Zachary Lucy
NDSU Baseball Opens Summit League Tournament Against Omaha
5/26/2021 5:13:00 PM | Baseball
Scene Setter
The North Dakota State baseball team travels to Omaha this week for the 2021 Summit League Baseball Championship presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare. NDSU enters the four team double elimination tournament as the number two seed and will face the host, third-seeded Omaha, in the opening round on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Tal Anderson Field. Top-seeded Oral Roberts faces fourth-seeded South Dakota State in the other game at 1 p.m. The two winners will face each other at 3 p.m. Friday, while the two losers will play at 11 a.m.
Media Coverage
Bison 1660 will have live coverage of all NDSU games during the tournament. The entire tournament will be broadcast on MidcoSN. Links for live video and live stats for all games can be found at GoBison.com.
Series History
The Bison are 48-43 all-time against Omaha, while NDSU is 76-123 against South Dakota State and 17-44 against Oral Roberts. NDSU is 11-12 all-time in the Summit League Championship. Thursday will be the first meeting between the Bison and the Mavericks in the tournament. The Bison are 2-6 against the Jackrabbits and 1-5 against the Golden Eagles.
Hostetler Named Summit League Player of the Year
Bennett Hostetler is the second Bison to earn the Summit League Player of the Year award, as Tim Colwell picked up the honor in 2014. In league games, Hostetler led the Summit League in on base percentage (.500), RBI (31), total bases (67), hit by pitch (10) and sacrifice flies (3). He also ranked second in the league in batting average (.387), hits (41), and home runs (7). Hostetler ranked third in the league in slugging percentage (.632), fifth in walks (17) and third in total plate appearances (137). He had 14 multiple-hit games in 31 league games, including a stretch of seven straight from April 24-May 14.
Eight Bison Earn All-Summit League Honors
Shortstop Bennett Hostetler, outfielder Jake Malec, starting pitcher Cade Feeney and relief pitcher Parker Harm were all named to the All-Summit League First Team. Third baseman Tucker Rohde, outfielder Jack Simonsen and starting pitchers Max Loven and Evan Sankey were named to the second team.
Record-Setting Bullpen
The Bison bullpen has a school-record 23 saves this season, breaking the previous school record of 17 saves during the 2016 season. Eight different Bison have recorded a save this season, led by senior Parker Harm with nine and freshman Wyatt Nelson's seven saves. NDSU is the only school in the country to have multiple players with seven saves or more each. NDSU leads the nation in saves and is one of three schools in the country with eight or more players to record a save.
He's Simply The Best
At the NDSU Green & Gold Gala, senior shortstop Bennett Hostetler was named the Male Athlete of the Year. Hostetler took home the prize in a loaded category that featured football's James Kaczor, basketball's Rocky Kreuser, track and field's Alex Talley and wrestling's Luke Weber.
We've Been Everywhere, Man
North Dakota State leads all NCAA schools in road victories with 24 on the year. Of the 903 teams playing across all levels, Cal Baptist (D1-20) and Minnesota State (D2-22) are the only other teams with 20 or more road wins. The Bison have won a game in nine different states on the road (Kentucky, Missouri, Colorado, Ohio, Illinois, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas), traveling over 12,000 miles on a bus this season. With a win on Thursday against Omaha, NDSU would become the fifth NCAA Division I school in the last 10 years to win 25 or more road wins in a season.
Flaa Makes MLB Debut
Former Bison Jay Flaa made his Major League Baseball debut April 27 with the Baltimore Orioles against the New York Yankees. Flaa tossed 1.1 innings of scoreless relief in the eighth and ninth, while striking out two-time MLB All-Star Aaron Judge for his first MLB strikeout. Flaa was placed on waivers the next day, but was picked up by the Atlanta Braves.
Safe at First
In 218 career games, senior Bennett Hostetler has reached base safely in 179 games. His percentage of reaching base safely in 82.1 percent of his games is the highest total of any player in the country that has appeared in 150 games or more.
Elite Company for Hostetler and Malec
There are 903 NCAA teams playing baseball at the division I, II and III levels this year. Of those teams, only 11 have multiple players on the roster with 70 or more hits on the season. Bennett Hostetler has 74 hits, while Jake Malec has 70. They both rank in the top 45 of NCAA Division I hit leaders this season.
Hot Through 30 Games
For just the fourth time in program history, NDSU was at least 22-8 through 30 games played. The Bison join the 2012 (23-7), 1998 (22-8) and 1996 (23-7) teams to have hit at least 22 wins in 30 games. The 2012 team finished the year 40-20, while the 1996 team was 37-11, the top two win totals in program history.
Breaking Records and Taking Names
Senior Bennett Hostetler broke a pair of career records during the home series opener against Western Illinois. Hostetler broke school records with his 92nd career walk (now has 101) and 13th career sacrifice fly (now has 15).
Summit League Honors
North Dakota State has earned five Summit League Player of the Week awards and three Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors. Senior Bennett Hostetler has earned the honor four times, while fellow senior Jake Malec earned the honor once. Senior Parker Harm was named the Summit League Pitcher of the Week twice, while freshman Cade Feeney won the award once.
Get on and Steal it
Senior Bennett Hostetler ranks 12th in the nation with a .515 on-base percentage. He also ranks 57th in stolen bases with 18.
Top Hitters in The Summit League
North Dakota State has a .276 batting average as a team, ranking 100th in the nation and second in the Summit League. Senior Bennett Hostetler has the top average in the league at .394 and ranks 28th in the nation.
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 played 26-straight road games before hosting Western Illinois April 9. With 26 road games to start the year, the Bison played the most games on the road before having a home game of any team in the country.
Turnin' Two
The Bison have turned 42 double plays in 54 games this season, ranking 21st in the country in double plays. The .78 double plays per game ranks 60th in the nation.
Leave The Guy Alone
Senior Bennett Hostetler has been hit by a pitch 19 times this season, ranking 10th in the country. He ranks 11th among active NCAA Division I players with 49 career hit by pitches.
Three Bags at Once
With four triples this season, senior Jake Malec leads the Summit League and ranks 28th in the nation.
Making the Sacrifice
Bennett Hostetler has 15 career sacrifice flies, the most in school history and the 12th most among active NCAA Division I players. Calen Schwabe ranks 36th in the nation with eight sacrifice bunts, while Zach Solano ranks 54th with seven.
Get On and Drive Them In
Leadoff hitter Jake Malec ranks 17th in the nation in runs scored with 56, while Bennett Hostetler, hitting in the three spot, ranks 37th in the country with 53 runs batted in. Malec leads the Summit League in runs scored, while Hostetler leads the league in RBI.
Harm Not Allowing Hits
Senior Parker Harm has allowed just 6.28 hits per nine innings over the course of his career. That ranks 26th among active NCAA Division I players.
How Low Can You Go
Sophomore Max Loven ranks eighth among active NCAA Division I players with 1.64 walks allowed per nine innings. That total is 20th lowest among all active NCAA players across all divisions.
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. Omaha won both the 2019 Summit League titles.
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. In the series win over South Dakota State to end the league slate, Brown moved into second in Summit League history with 170 career league wins. 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 337 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.
Up Next
The winner of the Summit League Championship will advance to the NCAA Regionals next week.
The North Dakota State baseball team travels to Omaha this week for the 2021 Summit League Baseball Championship presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare. NDSU enters the four team double elimination tournament as the number two seed and will face the host, third-seeded Omaha, in the opening round on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Tal Anderson Field. Top-seeded Oral Roberts faces fourth-seeded South Dakota State in the other game at 1 p.m. The two winners will face each other at 3 p.m. Friday, while the two losers will play at 11 a.m.
Media Coverage
Bison 1660 will have live coverage of all NDSU games during the tournament. The entire tournament will be broadcast on MidcoSN. Links for live video and live stats for all games can be found at GoBison.com.
Series History
The Bison are 48-43 all-time against Omaha, while NDSU is 76-123 against South Dakota State and 17-44 against Oral Roberts. NDSU is 11-12 all-time in the Summit League Championship. Thursday will be the first meeting between the Bison and the Mavericks in the tournament. The Bison are 2-6 against the Jackrabbits and 1-5 against the Golden Eagles.
Hostetler Named Summit League Player of the Year
Bennett Hostetler is the second Bison to earn the Summit League Player of the Year award, as Tim Colwell picked up the honor in 2014. In league games, Hostetler led the Summit League in on base percentage (.500), RBI (31), total bases (67), hit by pitch (10) and sacrifice flies (3). He also ranked second in the league in batting average (.387), hits (41), and home runs (7). Hostetler ranked third in the league in slugging percentage (.632), fifth in walks (17) and third in total plate appearances (137). He had 14 multiple-hit games in 31 league games, including a stretch of seven straight from April 24-May 14.
Eight Bison Earn All-Summit League Honors
Shortstop Bennett Hostetler, outfielder Jake Malec, starting pitcher Cade Feeney and relief pitcher Parker Harm were all named to the All-Summit League First Team. Third baseman Tucker Rohde, outfielder Jack Simonsen and starting pitchers Max Loven and Evan Sankey were named to the second team.
Record-Setting Bullpen
The Bison bullpen has a school-record 23 saves this season, breaking the previous school record of 17 saves during the 2016 season. Eight different Bison have recorded a save this season, led by senior Parker Harm with nine and freshman Wyatt Nelson's seven saves. NDSU is the only school in the country to have multiple players with seven saves or more each. NDSU leads the nation in saves and is one of three schools in the country with eight or more players to record a save.
He's Simply The Best
At the NDSU Green & Gold Gala, senior shortstop Bennett Hostetler was named the Male Athlete of the Year. Hostetler took home the prize in a loaded category that featured football's James Kaczor, basketball's Rocky Kreuser, track and field's Alex Talley and wrestling's Luke Weber.
We've Been Everywhere, Man
North Dakota State leads all NCAA schools in road victories with 24 on the year. Of the 903 teams playing across all levels, Cal Baptist (D1-20) and Minnesota State (D2-22) are the only other teams with 20 or more road wins. The Bison have won a game in nine different states on the road (Kentucky, Missouri, Colorado, Ohio, Illinois, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas), traveling over 12,000 miles on a bus this season. With a win on Thursday against Omaha, NDSU would become the fifth NCAA Division I school in the last 10 years to win 25 or more road wins in a season.
Flaa Makes MLB Debut
Former Bison Jay Flaa made his Major League Baseball debut April 27 with the Baltimore Orioles against the New York Yankees. Flaa tossed 1.1 innings of scoreless relief in the eighth and ninth, while striking out two-time MLB All-Star Aaron Judge for his first MLB strikeout. Flaa was placed on waivers the next day, but was picked up by the Atlanta Braves.
Safe at First
In 218 career games, senior Bennett Hostetler has reached base safely in 179 games. His percentage of reaching base safely in 82.1 percent of his games is the highest total of any player in the country that has appeared in 150 games or more.
Elite Company for Hostetler and Malec
There are 903 NCAA teams playing baseball at the division I, II and III levels this year. Of those teams, only 11 have multiple players on the roster with 70 or more hits on the season. Bennett Hostetler has 74 hits, while Jake Malec has 70. They both rank in the top 45 of NCAA Division I hit leaders this season.
Hot Through 30 Games
For just the fourth time in program history, NDSU was at least 22-8 through 30 games played. The Bison join the 2012 (23-7), 1998 (22-8) and 1996 (23-7) teams to have hit at least 22 wins in 30 games. The 2012 team finished the year 40-20, while the 1996 team was 37-11, the top two win totals in program history.
Breaking Records and Taking Names
Senior Bennett Hostetler broke a pair of career records during the home series opener against Western Illinois. Hostetler broke school records with his 92nd career walk (now has 101) and 13th career sacrifice fly (now has 15).
Summit League Honors
North Dakota State has earned five Summit League Player of the Week awards and three Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors. Senior Bennett Hostetler has earned the honor four times, while fellow senior Jake Malec earned the honor once. Senior Parker Harm was named the Summit League Pitcher of the Week twice, while freshman Cade Feeney won the award once.
Get on and Steal it
Senior Bennett Hostetler ranks 12th in the nation with a .515 on-base percentage. He also ranks 57th in stolen bases with 18.
Top Hitters in The Summit League
North Dakota State has a .276 batting average as a team, ranking 100th in the nation and second in the Summit League. Senior Bennett Hostetler has the top average in the league at .394 and ranks 28th in the nation.
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 played 26-straight road games before hosting Western Illinois April 9. With 26 road games to start the year, the Bison played the most games on the road before having a home game of any team in the country.
Turnin' Two
The Bison have turned 42 double plays in 54 games this season, ranking 21st in the country in double plays. The .78 double plays per game ranks 60th in the nation.
Leave The Guy Alone
Senior Bennett Hostetler has been hit by a pitch 19 times this season, ranking 10th in the country. He ranks 11th among active NCAA Division I players with 49 career hit by pitches.
Three Bags at Once
With four triples this season, senior Jake Malec leads the Summit League and ranks 28th in the nation.
Making the Sacrifice
Bennett Hostetler has 15 career sacrifice flies, the most in school history and the 12th most among active NCAA Division I players. Calen Schwabe ranks 36th in the nation with eight sacrifice bunts, while Zach Solano ranks 54th with seven.
Get On and Drive Them In
Leadoff hitter Jake Malec ranks 17th in the nation in runs scored with 56, while Bennett Hostetler, hitting in the three spot, ranks 37th in the country with 53 runs batted in. Malec leads the Summit League in runs scored, while Hostetler leads the league in RBI.
Harm Not Allowing Hits
Senior Parker Harm has allowed just 6.28 hits per nine innings over the course of his career. That ranks 26th among active NCAA Division I players.
How Low Can You Go
Sophomore Max Loven ranks eighth among active NCAA Division I players with 1.64 walks allowed per nine innings. That total is 20th lowest among all active NCAA players across all divisions.
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. Omaha won both the 2019 Summit League titles.
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. In the series win over South Dakota State to end the league slate, Brown moved into second in Summit League history with 170 career league wins. 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 337 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.
Up Next
The winner of the Summit League Championship will advance to the NCAA Regionals next week.
Players Mentioned
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