JACKRABBITS READY FOR KEY SERIES AT ORU

Friday, April 28

Tulsa, Okla.

4 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Oral Roberts

Photo by: SDSU Athletics

4/27/2023 4:17:00 PM | Baseball

GAME 36-38: South Dakota State (18-17, 10-5 Summit) at Oral Roberts (29-11, 14-1 Summit)

When	4 p.m. Friday (note time change) \| 2 p.m. Saturday \| 1 p.m. Sunday
Where	J.L. Johnson Stadium \| Tulsa, Oklahoma
TV	ORUAthletics.com
Radio	None
Live Stats	ORUAthletics.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Oral Roberts \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #RAB5

A red-hot South Dakota State University baseball team will attempt to draw closer in the Summit League regular season race as it travels to league-leading Oral Roberts for a three-game weekend series.

Friday's series opener is set for 4 p.m. first pitch (note time change) at J.L. Johnson Stadium on the ORU campus in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Games Saturday and Sunday are slated for respective start times of 2 p.m. and 1 p.m.

The Jackrabbits, 18-17 overall, are riding an 11-game winning streak that marks the program's longest in the Division I era that began at the start of the 2005 season. SDSU, which extended its current streak with an 8-3 victory at Nebraska Wednesday night, has won its last seven games against Summit League foes, including recording home sweeps versus Omaha and St. Thomas the last two weekends across town at Bob Shelden Field.

The Jackrabbits' longest overall winning streak was a 17-game span in 1977.

ORU enters the weekend atop the league standings with a 14-1 conference mark and 29-11 overall. The Golden Eagles dropped their first league game last weekend against North Dakota State in a series moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa, but ended up with a series win after notching an 8-4, 13-inning victory in the finale.

Updates of Jackrabbit baseball also are available throughout the season via Twitter (@GoJacksBaseball) and through GoJacks.com.

THE SERIES: Thursday's series opener will mark the 90th meeting on the baseball diamond between SDSU and Oral Roberts. In the series that dates back to 1971, the Golden Eagles hold a 69-20 lead.

ORU held a 6-1 advantage in the season series a year ago, including winning all four of the games played on its home field.

The Golden Eagles swept a three-game series at J.L. Johnson Stadium March 25-27 to open the Jackrabbits' portion of their 2022 Summit League schedule. ORU outlasted SDSU in a 14-inning marathon in the series opener, winning the game on an RBI double by Jake McMurray that scored Brody Gibson.

ORU then went on to complete the sweep with 13-1 and 10-7 victories.

The two squads met again May 19-21 at Erv Huether Field in Brookings to close out the 2022 regular season. The Golden Eagles scored 12-11 and 13-5 victories before SDSU salvaged the final game, 7-3, behind five strong innings from Cody Carlson and two hits by Ryan McDonald.

The Jackrabbits and ORU would meet again less than a week later in the opening round of the Summit League Baseball Championship in Tulsa. The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 6-0 lead through two innings en route to a 9-4 victory.

Nic Nelson provided the bulk of the offense for the Jackrabbits with a three-run homer in the fourth inning and a double in the seventh.

SHORT HOPS: Following are some quick notes about the Jackrabbit baseball team heading into this weekend's series at Oral Roberts:

Due to inclement weather and unplayable field conditions, the Jackrabbits have played only one game at their home park — Erv Huether Field — this season.
SDSU has outscored the opposition, 119-48, and has hit 31 home runs during its 11-game winning streak.
The Jackrabbits have hit five grand slams this season, with Nic Nelson hitting his second of the season in an April 18 victory against Northwestern (Iowa).
Ryan McDonald enters the weekend leading all NCAA Division I players with a .943 slugging percentage. McDonald also ranks third in on-base percentage (.569) and 12th with 17 home runs, although he ranks third in home runs per game (.50).
McDonald has taken over sole possession of fourth place on the SDSU career home run chart with 35, and his 17 home runs this season are tied with Terry Van Engelenhoven (1993) for third on the Jackrabbit single-season list.
McDonald has become the first Jackrabbit player in the Division I era to record double figures for home runs (17) and stolen bases (10) in the same same. It had been 31 years since any Jackrabbit player reached those numbers, when Jon Crow (15 homers, 16 steals) and Greg Endres (10 homers, 12 steals) both accomplished the feat in 1992.
Luke Ira had his 13-game hitting streak come to an end in the April 24 series finale against St. Thomas. During that 13-game span, Ira batted .368 (21-for-57), including hitting for the cycle April 11 at Briar Cliff. He also hit five home runs with 20 runs batted in during that span.
Freshman right-hander Will Kent has combined to allow only one run over 13 2/3 innings (0.66 ERA) in three mid-week starts. Kent tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win in Wednesday's record-setting win at Nebraska.

PRESEASON POLL: South Dakota State has been picked to finish fourth in the 2023 Summit League baseball race, according to a poll among the league's seven head coaches that was released in mid-February.

The Jackrabbits, coached by Rob Bishop, are coming off a 2022 campaign in which they finished 22-23 overall and placed third in the Summit League standings at 13-9.

Reigning tournament champion Oral Roberts was tabbed as the favorite this season, earning six first-place votes for a total of 42 points. Defending regular season champion North Dakota State was picked second with 36 points and the remaining first-place vote, followed by Omaha with 30 points and SDSU with 24.

Rounding out the poll were St. Thomas (17), Northern Colorado (12) and Western Illinois (7).

League play for the Jackrabbits began March 24 at Northern Colorado, with the four-team Summit League Baseball Championship slated for May 24-27 in Fargo, North Dakota.

In addition, SDSU seniors Luke Ira and Ryan Bourassa were included on the list of Summit League Players and Pitchers to Watch. A shortstop from Iowa City, Iowa, Ira shared the team lead in home runs last season with 10, while batting .290 and driving in 32 runs. He also tallied a career-best .508 slugging percentage while starting all 45 of the team's games.

Bourassa was a first-team all-Summit League selection as a relief pitcher in 2022, when he posted a 2.13 earned run average and was credited with five saves. The native of West Fargo, North Dakota, logged 42 1/3 innings in 17 appearances last season, striking out 64 batters and limiting opposing hitters to a .145 batting average.

SUMMIT LEAGUE SUCCESS: South Dakota State has been a consistent winner in The Summit League since it became a league member more than a decade ago. Now in its 14th season as a member of The Summit League, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 211-168 (.557 winning percentage) record in regular season conference games. SDSU has posted a .500 or better record in league play nine times and has qualified for the four-team postseason tournament 12 out of the 13 years it has been eligible.

The Jackrabbits shared a Summit League regular season title in 2010 and won the Summit postseason tournament in 2013.

GOBLE NAMED PEAK PITCHER: For the second time this season, South Dakota State right-hander Jake Goble has been honored as TicketSmarter Summit League Peak Pitcher of the Week.

A sophomore from Rapid City, Goble pitched seven shutout innings in an April 23 start against St. Thomas, allowing three hits while striking out five without a walk. He retired 14 consecutive batters in one stretch in improving to 4-1 on the season. His seven innings marked the longest outing by a Jackrabbit pitcher this season.

Goble previously was honored with the weekly award March 20.

POWER SURGE: South Dakota State finished the 2022 season with a league-leading 62 home runs. It marked the most hit by a Jackrabbit team since posting a school-record 84 round-trippers in 2010.

The Jackrabbits have picked up where they left off, hitting 62 home runs in their first 35 games to match their season total from a year ago. SDSU hit at least one home run in each of its first nine games this season and had an 11-game home run streak snapped in the April 23 series opener against St. Thomas. Overall, the Jacks have hit a home run in 26 of 35 contests this season, including a season-best seven homers April 11 at Briar Cliff.

Entering the weekend, SDSU ranks 21st among NCAA Division I teams with an average of 1.77 home runs per game and 29th with a .519 team slugging percentage.

During the 2022 season, SDSU homered in 26 of its last 28 games. Included in that stretch was a school-record of 18 consecutive games with a home run from March 19-May 6, 2022.

All three of SDSU's players who shared the team lead with 10 home runs a year ago — Luke Ira, Ryan McDonald and Dawson Parry — return to the lineup in 2023. McDonald (17) and Ira (10) have again reached double figures in the home runs this season, with Parry tallying five so far in 2023.

Eleven different Jackrabbit players have homered so far this season.

McDONALD STREAKING: South Dakota State's Ryan McDonald had his streak of reaching base safely end at 43 games in the March 12 series finale at Western Kentucky. — a streak that lasted more than a calendar year.

McDonald's streak of reaching base by either hit, walk or hit by pitch began when he drew a walk in the second game of a March 5, 2022, doubleheader at Central Arkansas.

Since his streak ended in a March 12 game in which the Jackrabbits were no-hit by Western Kentucky's Devyn Terbrak, McDonald started a new streak and has reached base in each of his last 23 games, making it 66 of the last 67 games dating back to last season.

A senior from Prior Lake, Minnesota, McDonald closed the 2022 season with a 33-game streak, then extended that mark by reaching base safely in the first 10 games of 2023. His 43-game string represents the third-longest streak by a Jackrabbit player in the Division I era (since 2005), trailing a 45-game streak by Zach Coppola in 2015 and a 52-game stretch by Luke Ringhofer between the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

In earning second-team all-Summit League honors as a utility player last season, McDonald recorded team highs for batting average (.329), doubles (12), slugging percentage (.630) and on-base percentage (.446). He also shared the team lead with 10 home runs.

After splitting time at catcher, right field and designated hitter a year ago, McDonald is making more of a full-time return behind the plate in 2023.

IRA THE IRON MAN: Senior shortstop Luke Ira has started 149 games in a row for the Jackrabbits, a streak that dates back to late in the 2019 season.

A native of Iowa City, Iowa, Ira has made 128 consecutive starts and a total of 130 starts at shortstop during his current streak. He also has made 17 starts at second base and two at third base.

Ira reached another career milestone when he became the 19th player in program history to record 200 career hits on April 23. His 200th hit was a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning f the second game of a doubleheader against St. Thomas.

In addition, Ira has vaulted from seventh to second in career assists at SDSU during the 2023 season, and has upped his career total to 433.

KEY PLAYERS RETURN: Three players who missed all or most of the 2022 season due to injury have returned to the Jackrabbit lineup this season and have filled key roles. All three were granted redshirts or injury hardships and did not lose a year of eligibility.

Sophomore outfielder Jess Bellows was limited to six games before being lost for the remainder of the 2022 campaign due to a shoulder injury. Bellows got off to a hot start at the plate with a .300 batting average (6-for-20) with three doubles in the season-opening three-game series at Little Rock, then added a .400 batting average (4-for-10) with two RBIs and two runs scored in a series March 17-19 against Iowa. He tied a career high with four RBIs in the Jackrabbits' win Wednesday at Nebraska.

As a freshman in 2021, Bellows batted .250 with a home run and 16 runs batted in while making 44 starts as he saw action both in the outfield and at second base.

Junior infielder Cade Stuff appeared in five games with a pair of starts before being shut down for the remainder of the 2022 season. Stuff currently is tied for second on the team with 11 doubles and ranks third with a .313 batting average. He posted his first career four-hit game March 14 at Lindenwood, in which he hit his first home run.

On the mound, junior right-hander Eli Sundquist is playing a prominent role out of the Jackrabbit bullpen this season as a primary setup man or secondary closer. A native of Chisholm, Minnesota, Sundquist missed the entire 2022 campaign after making a combined 22 appearances during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Sundquist has struck out 86 batters in 55 2/3 career innings and is limiting opponents to a .109 batting average in 2023. He pitched the final 2 1/3 innings in SDSU's April 26 win at Nebraska to record his first career save.

BOURASSA CONTINUES RECORD PACE: Senior right-hander Ryan Bourassa entered 2023 as the Jackrabbits' all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings pitched and has exceeded that pace in the first months of the season.

Bourassa entered the Feb. 18 game at Little Rock with the bases loaded and one out as the Jackrabbits were clinging to a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. He proceeded to strike out the first two batters he faced and added five more strikeouts over the next three innings to complete the save.

In his next outing, in the second game of a March 4 doubleheader at Utah Tech, Bourassa successfully completed his second save opportunity of the season by striking out eight over three shutout innings in a 7-2 Jackrabbit victory.

In 114 1/3 career innings over two-plus seasons, Bourassa has struck out 176 batters for an average of 13.85 K's per nine innings. That rate is nearly two strikeouts per complete game better than the nearest Jackrabbit pitcher — former teammate Bret Barnett with a ratio of 11.88 K's per nine innings.

The right-hander moved into the SDSU top 10 for career strikeouts in his April 7 outing at Western Illinois. Bourassa now stands in a tie for seventh place in career strikeouts with Ryan Froom (2014-19) after passing both Blake Treinen (166 strikeouts from 2010-11) and Jon Maras (175 K's from 1989-92) in recent weeks.

Bourassa also holds two of the top three single-season ratios in program history. He began his Jackrabbit career in the starting rotation in 2021 and fanned 65 batters in only 42 1/3 innings that year to set an SDSU single-season record with an average of 13.82 K's per nine innings pitched. His rate so far this season is 14.88 K's per nine frames.

The native of West Fargo, North Dakota, made a full-time transition to the bullpen in 2022 and nearly equaled his previous totals with 64 strikeouts in another 42 1/3 innings for a ratio of 13.61 strikeouts per nine innings, which stands third in program history.

In addition, Bourassa, who earned a win and a save in his two appearances last weekend against St. Thomas, has moved into a tie for fifth place with Chris Halbur (2016-17) on the SDSU charts with 12 career saves.

Bourassa turned in the best performance of his SDSU career March 25, 2022, at Oral Roberts as he tossed six shutout innings of relief, notching a career-high 12 strikeouts. He fanned the side in order in both the eighth and 11th innings, and allowed only one hit and one walk for a Jackrabbit squad that eventually dropped a 5-4 decision in 14 innings.

KUNZ EARNS OPENING DAY START: Senior right-hander Blake Kunz was tabbed as the Jackrabbits' Opening Day starter, bringing further attention to a meteoric rise on the mound for the former SDSU football player.

A native of Germantown, Wisconsin, Kunz made only one appearance last season after being a late addition to the baseball roster. His lone outing, April 17, 2022, at Northern Colorado, lasted two-thirds of an inning and resulted in him allowing one run while giving up two walks and one hit with a strikeout.

In his first career start, Feb. 17 at Little Rock, Kunz pitched only an inning-plus and was saddled with the loss. All three of the outs he recorded were via the strikeout, but he was charged with seven runs — the first three via a three-run home run by Skyler Trevino — after giving up two hits, walking two batters and hitting four.

Kunz tossed four shutout, no-hit innings in his second start of the season March 5 in the series finale at Utah Tech, then added 4 2/3 innings of two-run baseball March 12 at Western Kentucky. He turned in his longest start of the season April 24 against St. Thomas, allowing one run over six innings in which he matched his season high of six strikeouts.

Kunz previously played tight end for three seasons (2018-2020) for the Jackrabbit football team, seeing action in 34 games. He tallied 32 receptions for 528 yards (16.5 ypr) with six touchdowns, the last of which was a 14-yarder against Delaware in the Football Championship Subdivision national semifinals against Delaware in the spring of 2021 as SDSU advanced to the FCS title game for the first time in program history.

SOPHOMORES TAKE NEXT STEP: Four sophomore members of the Jackrabbit pitching staff are expected to be key contributors during the 2023 season.

Jake Goble, who was sidelined by illness in the middle of his first season, made eight relief appearances as a true freshman in 2022. The Rapid City native turned in a 1-2 record while tossing 18 innings.

Goble made four relief appearances before making six starts since moving into the rotation in mid-March and has gone on to post a 4-1 record. He has held opponents to a .248 batting average in 34 2/3 innings so far this season.

Brady Hawkins returned from injury midway through the season to make a pair of midweek starts and appear in two more games in relief. The Mitchell native ended the 2022 season with a 2-0 record and 2.00 earned run average while striking out nine in as many innings of work.

Hawkins has made four starts so far among his 10 appearances this season, pitching a total of 21 innings. He is expected to be the starter in Friday's series opener at Oral Roberts.

Alex Clemons was a mainstay in the bullpen last season and has been in line for a more prominent role in 2023. The right-hander from Bettendorf, Iowa, shared the team lead with 17 appearances and fanned 24 batters in 22 2/3 innings while limiting opponents to a .222 batting average. He picked up his first career victory in the March 5 series finale at Utah Tech and later made his first career start in the March 17 series opener against Iowa.

Clemons has helped bridge the gap by throwing a combined 5 2/3 scoreless innings with only two hits allowed over his last two appearances against Summit League teams. He struck out three and walked one in a three-inning stint against Omaha on April 16, then came on to induce an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the April 23 opener against St. Thomas before posting three strikeouts in two more scoreless frames.

Left-hander Reece Arbogast also has seen an expanded role this season, highlighted by starts in each of the past four weekend series. Arbogast picked up his first win of the season in the April 14 series opener against Omaha in which he pitched six-plus strong innings.

Arbogast turned in an impressive season debut Feb. 17, allowing only one run over 4 1/3 innings of relief against Little Rock He set a career high with seven strikeouts, then added four more K's in 2 2/3 scoreless innings March 17 versus Iowa, followed by four more shutout innings in a relief appearance in the first game of a March 24 twinbill against Northern Colorado.

The Sioux Falls native posted a 1-1 record in 16 relief appearances during his freshman campaign and averaged a strikeout in each of his 21 innings pitched.

FAIX JOINS COACHING STAFF: Connor Faix (pronounced Fay) was hired as the Jackrabbits' pitching coach in August 2022.

Faix spent the previous two seasons as the pitching coach at Akron, which reinstated its baseball program in 2020. He began his collegiate coaching run at Oberlin College in the fall of 2017, followed by a stint at North Iowa Area Community College in the spring of 2018. The following summer he served as an associate scout with the Colorado Rockies organization.

In 2019, Faix moved on to Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he helped guide the Lakers to an Atlantic Super Regional title and a berth in the NCAA Division II College World Series. Mercyhurst went 2-2 in the national championship tournament, finishing the year with a 36-16 overall record. The Mercyhurst pitching staff struck out 536 batters over 409.1 innings, good for an 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings pitched average, which ranked second nationally.

Faix accepted his first Division I coaching position in the fall of 2019 at Campbell University, where his stint lasted only 16 games as the bulk of the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

COACH BISHOP: Rob Bishop, who has guided college baseball teams to more than 600 victories, was named head baseball coach at South Dakota State University on Aug. 1, 2016. Bishop is the ninth head coach in program history and the fourth in the Division I era of Jackrabbit baseball.

Through six-plus seasons with the Jackrabbits, Bishop holds a 131-162 record at SDSU, including an 80-68 mark in Summit League regular season games. He recorded his 100th win with the Jackrabbits on April 3, 2022, as SDSU posted a 2-1 victory at St. Thomas.

In his first season, Bishop's 2017 squad returned to the winning side of the ledger with a 26-24 overall mark, including an 18-12 record for a third-place finish in The Summit League standings. SDSU won its opening-round game in the Summit League Baseball Championship, 6-5, over second-seeded North Dakota State.

In 2018, SDSU overcame a slow start to post a winning record in Summit League play at 14-13 and went on to reach the title game of the Summit League Baseball Championship. The Jackrabbits finished with an 18-32 overall record during a campaign in which they played only six home games.

SDSU bounced back in 2019, posting a 28-22 overall record that included a second-place mark of 19-10 in Summit League play. The Jackrabbits won or split nine of the 10 league series in regular season play en route to making an appearance in the four-team Summit League Baseball Championship for the 10th time in 11 years.

The 2020 season was canceled just before the start of Summit League play, with SDSU posting a 5-12 record in the first month of the season. The Jackrabbits recorded wins at Minnesota, Air Force and Kansas State the final week of the pandemic-shortened campaign.

When play resumed in the spring of 2021, the Jackrabbits posted a 15-32 overall record and suffered their first losing season in league play since 2016, but managed to earn the fourth and final spot in the Summit League Baseball Championship.

SDSU used a powerful offense to return to the Summit League tournament in 2022 after posting a 13-9 record in league play. The Jackrabbits, who doubled up the opposition in home runs by a 62-30 count, played only 12 home games in posting a 22-23 overall mark.

Overall, Bishop holds a 680-484-1 record (.584 winning percentage) as a collegiate head coach. He earned his 600th career victory in the Jackrabbits' 8-6 victory at Little Rock on March 10, 2019.

Individually, Jackrabbit players have been honored as all-Summit League performers 25 times during Bishop's tenure, including eight all-league selections in 2019. Utility player Nick Smith was honored for the third consecutive season, while shortstop Gus Steiger and starting pitcher Tyler Olmstead were repeat selections in 2019.

In addition, Bishop has mentored a handful of Jackrabbit players who have pursued professional careers. Catcher Luke Ringhofer was selected in the 22nd round of the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft by the Baltimore Orioles and relief pitcher Chris Halbur was offered a free agent contract by the Los Angeles Dodgers after Bishop's first season in Brookings. Steiger signed with the Cincinnati Reds following an abbreviated 2020 MLB Draft. In 2019, left-handed pitcher Brady Stover was a 31st-round pick of the Washington Nationals, but opted to return to the Jackrabbits for his senior season.

Prior to becoming head coach at SDSU, Bishop spent six years at NCAA Division II member Montana State University-Billings, where he led the Yellowjackets to back-to-back Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular season titles in 2015 and 2016, attaining the program's first-ever 30-win season with a 30-20 record in 2016.

Previously, Bishop spent 10 years at Miles City Community College in Montana, where his teams won MonDak conference championships every year. His squads also claimed five consecutive junior college region titles and a Northwest District championship in 2007 to advance to the NJCAA Division II College World Series.

Bishop's teams won at least 30 games in all 10 seasons, including four with 40 wins. He ended his tenure at Miles City with a 377-151 overall record. He also served as athletic director the last five years of his tenure at Miles City.

Bishop served as a graduate assistant at SDSU under head coach Mark Ekeland during the 1998 and 1999 seasons. In his first year as a head coach, Bishop led Huron University to the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference title in 2000 with a 38-18 record.

A 1994 graduate of Jamestown College, Bishop earned NAIA All-America honors during the 1992 and 1994 seasons as an infielder.

THE ROSTER: The 2022 SDSU baseball roster features 37 players from nine different states and one Canadian province. Of the 37 players, 12 are from Minnesota, six are from both South Dakota and Iowa, and five hail from Nebraska. Two players are from Montana and North Dakota, while Colorado, Utah, Wisconsin and Ontario are represented by one player each.

By class, eight are seniors and even are juniors, while the sophomore and freshman classes are each made up of 11 players.

UP NEXT: The Jackrabbits will go out of conference for a four-game wrap-around weekend series at Purdue. The May 5 series opener is set for a 6 p.m. Eastern Time (5 p.m. Central) first pitch at Alexander Field in West Lafayette, Indiana.

The remainder of the schedule for the Purdue series follows: