Completed Event: Baseball at Omaha on May 22, 2025 , Loss , 6, to, 7 , 10 inn.
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FINAL
Baseball
6
(10 inn.)
at Omaha
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South Dakota State University Athletics
Friday, February 21
Stockton, Calif.
6 p.m. PT/8 p.m. CT
South Dakota State University
at
Pacific (Calif.)
Photo by: Joshua Klemme
JACKRABBITS TO OPEN 2025 SEASON AT PACIFIC
2/20/2025 11:15:00 AM | Baseball
 South Dakota State (0-0) at Pacific (Calif.) (2-2)
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The South Dakota State University baseball team will look to make up for lost time as it travels to the West Coast this weekend for its first series of the 2025 season, a four-game set at Pacific.
Friday's series opener is slated for a 6 p.m. Pacific Time (8 p.m. Central) first pitch at Klein Family Stadium in Stockton, California. A doubleheader is scheduled for Saturday, starting at 3 p.m. PT (5 p.m. CT), with the series finale set for 1 p.m. PT (3 p.m. CT) on Sunday.
Video streaming of all four games will be available through the ESPN+ platform (subscription required).
South Dakota State will be making its season debut after having a scheduled four-game series at Murray State canceled last weekend due to inclement weather. The Jackrabbits are coming off a 2024 season in which they compiled a 20-29 overall record, including an 11-17 mark in The Summit League.
Pacific, meanwhile, already has played four games during the 2025 season and enters the weekend with a 2-2 record under first-year head coach Reed Peters. The Tigers won two of three games against UC San Diego in a home series last weekend, then dropped an 11-7 decision at UC Davis on Feb. 18.
The Tigers ended the 2024 campaign with an 11-44 overall record, including a 5-19 mark in the West Coast Conference.
Updates of Jackrabbit baseball will be available throughout the weekend via Twitter (@GoJacksBaseball) and through GoJacks.com.
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THE SERIES: Friday's series opener will mark the fifth meeting between South Dakota State and Pacific on the baseball diamond. The Tigers hold a 3-1 series advantage after winning the first-ever meeting between the two programs, 5-2, in 2016, followed by taking two of three games in a series played early in the COVID-interrupted 2020 season.
All three games in the 2020 series were decided by one run; the Jackrabbits won the opener, 2-1, before Pacific claimed the final two games by scores of 13-12 and 6-5, with the finale going 11 innings.
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FOR OPENERS: The Jackrabbits are 5-15 in Opening Day games during the Division I era, which began with the start of the 2005 season. SDSU is 2-6 in season openers under head coach Rob Bishop, with both wins in games played at neutral sites.
The Jackrabbits claimed the 2017 season opener against Northern Illinois, 7-2, in a game played in Glendale, Arizona, and scored a 15-3 victory over UT Martin in the 2019 opener played at Russellville, Arkansas.
SDSU dropped an 8-6 decision at New Mexico State in the 2024 season opener played Feb. 16 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The Jackrabbits led 4-0 after two-run home runs by Cael Frost and Dawson Parry, but NMSU gained the lead with a seven-run bottom of the fifth. Reece Anderson added a two-run homer in the top of the eighth.
The Jackrabbits ended up splitting the four-game series at New Mexico State by winning the final two games by scores of 8-5 and 11-10.
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PRESEASON POLL: South Dakota State has been picked to finish fifth in the upcoming Summit League baseball race, according to a preseason poll conducted among the league's head coaches that was announced earlier this month.
The Jackrabbits are coming off a 2024 season in which they posted a 20-29 overall record, including an 11-17 mark in Summit League play.
Defending league tournament champion Oral Roberts collected three first-place votes to take the top spot in the poll with 22 points. St. Thomas (19 points), Omaha (18) and North Dakota State (17) each received one first-place vote to hold spots 2-4, followed by SDSU with eight points and Northern Colorado with six.
Summit League play begins March 14, when the Jackrabbits travel to Northern Colorado for the start of a three-game series. The four-team Summit League Baseball Championship is set for May 21-24 in Omaha, Nebraska.
In addition, SDSU shortstop Carter Sintek was named a Summit League Player to Watch and reliever Dylan Driessen was selected as a Summit League Pitcher to Watch.
A sophomore from Bennington, Nebraska, Sintek started 23 games in the first half of the 2024 season before being sidelined the remainder of the year for medical reasons. He batted .283 (26-for-92) with seven extra-base hits (2 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs) and nine runs batted in, while posting eight multi-hit games.
Driessen, a junior from Omaha, Nebraska, averaged 12.98 strikeouts per nine innings last season, tallying 62 K's in 43 innings of work. The right-hander made a team-high 25 appearances, finishing the 2024 campaign with a 3-3 record and one save.
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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 16th season as a member of The Summit League, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 226-193 (.539 winning percentage) record in regular season conference games. SDSU has posted a .500 or better record in league play 10 times and has qualified for the four-team postseason tournament 13 out of the 15 years it has been eligible.
The Jackrabbits shared a Summit League regular season title in 2010 and won the league's postseason tournament in 2013.
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POWER SURGE: The Jackrabbits have dramatically increased their power numbers in recent years, leading The Summit League in home runs two of the last three seasons.
In 2022,SDSU finished the 2022 season with a league-leading 62 home runs in 45 games — an increase of 34 home runs from the previous campaign. The Jackrabbits homered in 26 of their last 28 games, which included a school-record streak of 18 consecutive games with a homer from March 19-May 6, 2022.
The 2023 squad connected on a school-record 89 home runs in 52 games. Only the College World Series-qualifying squad from Oral Roberts hit more home runs among league schools that season with 98, but needed 14 more games to do so.
SDSU hit at least one home run in each of its first nine games of the 2023 season and had an 11-game home run streak later in the campaign. Overall, the Jacks hit a home run in 38 of 52 contests during the 2023 campaign, including a season-best seven homers two times.
The Jackrabbits finished the 2023 season ranked 29th among NCAA Division I teams with an average of 1.71 home runs per game and 40th with a .505 slugging percentage.
SDSU returned to the top of the pack in home runs in 2024 by hitting 80 round-trippers — 30 more than the next-closest league opponent, Oral Roberts. Summit League Player of the Year Cael Frost connected on a school-record 21 home runs to lead both SDSU and the conference, while Dawson Parry (15) and Jordan Sagedahl (10) also notched double figures in home runs en route to all-league recognition.
However, all three of those players have moved on, leaving sophomore Luke Luskey as the Jackrabbits' top returning home run hitter. The first baseman came on strong late in the season to finish with eight home runs, highlighted by a pair of two-home run games in the final two weekends of the 2024 campaign.
In all, 12 different Jackrabbit players hit at least one home run last season.
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YOUTH MOVEMENT: As many as four true freshmen could be in the Jackrabbits' Opening Day lineup on Friday.
On the infield, Keagen Jirschele (second base) and Nolan Grawe (third base) could be penciled into the lineup, along with Dayton Franke at designated hitter. Nicholas Werk is the leading candidate to start the year in left field.
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RONKEN MOVES TO RIGHT: Sophomore Bryce Ronken is expected to make a full-time move to the outfield during the 2025 season.
A Sioux Falls native, Ronken split time between third base, designated hitter and outfield a year ago. He put up solid offensive numbers by ranking third on the team with a .313 batting average (35-for-112) and a .545 slugging percentage as 14 of his 35 hits (7 doubles, 2 triples and 5 home runs) went for extra bases.
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GOBLE SEEKS BOUNCE-BACK SEASON: Senior pitcher Jake Goble will attempt to regain the form that he displayed during a breakthrough 2023 season.
A right-hander from Rapid City, Goble earned honorable mention all-Summit League honors as a sophomore after leading the team with 58 1/3 innings pitched and a 4.32 earned run average while sharing the team lead with five victories and 11 games started. He also was named to the all-tournament team at the Summit League Baseball Championship after a solid start in an elimination game against North Dakota State as the Jacks advanced to the title game.
In 2024, Goble pitched through an up-and-down season in which he dropped to a 3-8 record.
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MADISON EARNS OPENING DAY START: Newcomer Ty Madison has been named the Jackrabbits' Opening Day starter. A right-hander from Omaha, Nebraska, Madison previously pitched at Des Moines Area Community College, where he made a combined 14 starts and went 8-5 during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Madison posted a 4-3 record in 2024, striking out 35 batters in 37 1/3 innings over eight starts as DMACC advanced to the NJCAA Division II World Series.
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BACK END OF THE BULLPEN: South Dakota State boasts two of the top power arms in The Summit League within its relief corps.
Senior Alex Clemons and junior Dylan Driessen both enter the 2025 season ranked in the top four in program history for strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Driessen currently stands third with an average of 12.97 strikeouts/9 innings after tallying 98 K's in 68 innings pitched over his first two seasons.
A native of Bettendorf, Iowa, Clemons is right behind in fourth place with an average of 12.27 K's/9 innings after fanning 105 batters in 77 career innings from 2022-24.
Eli Sundquist, who pitched for the Jackrabbits from 2020-23 is the current school record holder with an average of 13.99 K's/9 innings.
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FAMILY AFFAIR: Two sets of brothers help make up the 2025 roster for the South Dakota State baseball team.
Both brotherly combinations came to fruition this season as Colin Gibson and Nicholas Werk joined their older brothers, Jayden and Matthew, respectively, on the squad.
A catcher Jayden Gibson was limited to one game last season due to injury after previously playing at Western Illinois and Parkland College (Ill.). Colin Gibson turned in an All-America season as a shortstop at the junior college level in 2024 at Dakota County Technical College (Minn.).
The Werk brothers hail from Madison Lake, Minnesota, and were standouts at nearby Mankato East High School. Matthew Werk has lettered as a reserve infielder each of the last two seasons, while Nicholas is in line to play either in the outfield or infield for the Jackrabbits.
Adding to the family connections on this year's squad, senior pitcher Owen Bishop is the nephew of Jackrabbit head coach Rob Bishop.
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FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS: South Dakota State's Erv Huether Field is in the midst of a renovation project that will convert the Jackrabbits' home baseball facility to a fully synthetic turf playing surface.
The privately financed project, which is being completed in conjunction with similar improvements at the adjacent Jerald T. Moriarty Field for softball was announced in August 2024 and is expected to be completed in time for SDSU's home opener in March.
"This upgrade is an absolute game changer in recruiting and developing great players," head coach Rob Bishop said. "We will be able to play more home games in addition to
having more consistent practice conditions in the fall and spring."
 An SDSU alum, who has chosen to remain anonymous, provided the lead gift. Three baseball alumni and their families – Chuck and Dorie Sendelbach, Charles and Linda Elhoff, and Jimmy and Amber May – also provided substantial gifts to move the project forward.
SDSU's home opener is tentatively scheduled for March 21 against St. Thomas.
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NEWSTROM JOINS COACHING STAFF: Michael Newstrom joined the South Dakota State baseball coaching staff in the fall of 2024 and will oversee the Jackrabbit pitching staff.
Most recently, Newstrom spent the 2024 season as a pitching assistant at Cal State University Bakersfield. The Roadrunners improved in nearly every pitching statistical category from the previous year, including a drop in team earned run average by a full run.
A native of Puyallup, Washington, Newstrom also coached three seasons in collegiate summer leagues. He spent the 2021 season as pitching coach and first base coach for the Souris Valley Sabre Dogs. The team based in Minot, North Dakota, went on to win the Expedition League championship with a 47-18 record.
He moved on to work with the pitching staff of the Willmar (Minn.) Stingers of the Northwoods League during the 2022 and 2023 summer seasons. The Stingers finished the 2022 campaign with a 48-20 record, followed by a 26-8 mark in 2023 en route to playoff appearances both years after winning half-season division titles. Six players he worked with advanced to the Cape Cod League and six more were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.
Newstrom pitched four seasons (2018-2021) at Washington State University, primarily as a reliever. The left-hander set the single-season school record with 34 appearances his senior season and ranks eighth all-time in appearances for the Cougars with 76.
Following his playing days at WSU, Newstrom began his coaching career as a student assistant and took on multiple roles under head coaches Brian Green and Anthony Claggett, including bullpen coach, scouting and analytics, camp instruction and serving as the program's director of operations. He helped develop individual routines for Cougar pitchers, specializing in mechanics and recovery/training.
In each of his two seasons on staff, the Cougar pitching staff established new single-season strikeout records with 473 in 2022 and 518 in 2023.
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COACH BISHOP: Rob Bishop, who has guided college baseball teams to more than 700 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 eight seasons with the Jackrabbits, Bishop holds a 158-202 record at SDSU, including a 97-91 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.
The Jackrabbits continued their offensive prowess in 2023 by setting a school record with 89 home runs in 52 games. SDSU played only one true home game but managed a 24-28 overall record and another winning season in Summit League play with a 13-11 mark. That momentum carried over to the four-team league postseason tournament, where the Jackrabbits made a run to the title game.
SDSU hit a Summit League-best 80 home runs in 2024 and also led the circuit with a .492 slugging percentage in 2024, but missed the four-team league tournament for the first time since 2012 after posting a 20-29 overall record and an 11-17 mark in conference play.
Overall, Bishop holds a 707-524-1 record (.574 winning percentage) as a collegiate head coach. He earned his 700th career victory in the Jackrabbits' 11-7 win at North Dakota State on April 6, 2024.
Individually, Jackrabbit players have been honored as all-Summit League performers 41 times during Bishop's tenure, including seven all-league selections in 2024. Outfielder Cael Frost became the first Jackrabbit baseball player to be honored as Summit League Player of the Year and was joined on the all-league first team by Cade Stuff (second baseman), Dawson Parry (designated hitter), Jordan Sagedahl (utility player) and Nic McCay (starting pitcher). Outfielder Reece Anderson and freshman first baseman Luke Luskey were second-team honorees in 2024.
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. Shortstop Gus 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.
Following the 2023 MLB Draft, pitcher Ryan Bourassa signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves organization.
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.
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THE ROSTER: The 2025 SDSU baseball roster features 40 players from 10 different states and one Canadian province. Of the 40 players, 13 are from Minnesota, seven are from Nebraska and South Dakota, five are Iowa natives and two hail from Montana.
Colorado, North Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and Manitoba are represented by one player each.
By class, one is a graduate transfer, 11 are seniors and 10 are juniors. The sophomore class consists of four players and there are five redshirt freshmen, while nine are incoming freshmen.
UP NEXT: The Jackrabbits will remain in California to play a four-game series next week at Sacramento State. The series begins with a night game on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. Pacific Time (8 p.m. Central) at John Smith Field, followed by games at 2 p.m. PT (4 p.m. Central) both Feb. 27 and 28. The series finale is set for a 1 p.m. PT (3 p.m. CT) first pitch on March 1.
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