SDSU, NDSU TO MEET IN THREE-GAME SERIES

Friday, March 28

Fargo, N.D.

11 a.m.

South Dakota State University

North Dakota State

Photo by: Jenna Batka

3/26/2025 11:50:00 PM | Baseball

South Dakota State (4-16, 2-4 Summit) at North Dakota State (6-16, 4-2 Summit)

When	Thursday, March 27-29 5 p.m. Thursday \| TBA Friday \| TBA Saturday
Where	Newman Outdoor Field \| Fargo, North Dakota
TV	Summit League Network \| Midco Sports Plus Game 1 \| Game 2 \| Game 3
Radio	None
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| North Dakota State \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #RAB5

After splitting its first homestand of the 2025 season, the South Dakota State baseball team heads back out on the road for a three-game Summit League series at rival North Dakota State.

Due to inclement weather in the forecast on the back end of the series, the three-game set is now scheduled to open with a game at 5 p.m. Thursday at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, North Dakota. Game times for Friday and Saturday have yet to be determined.

The Jackrabbits enter the series with a 4-16 overall record, including a 2-4 mark in The Summit League. SDSU opened the home portion of its schedule by salvaging the final game of a three-game set last weekend against league-leading St. Thomas, before upping its winning streak to two games with a 12-10 victory over Southwest Minnesota State on Tuesday.

NDSU, meanwhile, holds a 6-16 overall record and is 4-2 in Summit League play after winning two of three games in road series at Oral Roberts and Northern Colorado the past two weekends. The Bison will be playing their first home games of the season.

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

THE SERIES: Thursday's series opener will mark the 217th meeting on the baseball diamond between SDSU and North Dakota State. In the series that dates back to 1956, the Jackrabbits hold a 131-85 lead.

Since the two programs joined The Summit League at the start of the 2008 season, the Bison hold a narrow 41-39 edge in league regular season games. The two squads split the 2024 season series, 3-3, with each team holding a 2-1 advantage in series played on the other's home field.

The Jackrabbits claimed the first series of the 2024 season by winning two games in Fargo, North Dakota, in early April. SDSU pulled away for a 5-1 series opener on April 5 before the two squads split a doubleheader the following day with NDSU claiming a 9-8 victory in Game 1, followed by an 11-7 Jackrabbit victory in the decisive game.

NDSU returned the favor on hte penultimate weekend of the 2024 regular season,earning a series win by taking the first two games May 10 and 11 at the Jackrabbits' Erv Huether Field by respective one-run scores of 11-10 and 7-6 (11 innings). SDSU rallied for an 8-5 victory in the series and season finale.

SHORT HOPS: Following are some quick notes regarding the South Dakota State baseball team heading into this week's series at North Dakota State:

SDSU has won back-to-back games for the first time since April 6-12 of last season, when the Jackrabbits put together a three-game winning streak with wins over North Dakota State (11-7), Northwestern (Iowa) (8-1) and Omaha (7-2).
Freshmen Dayton Franke and Owen Siegert have each hit two of the Jackrabbits' 13 home runs this season. Franke's first career home run was in a pinch-hitting role in the top of the 10th inning of the March 1 series finale at Sacramento State and stood up as the winning run in the Jackrabbits' 12-11 victory.
Another freshman, third baseman Nolan Grawe, is in the midst of a 16-game hitting streak and is batting .387 (24-for-62) over that span. Grawe's streak is the second longest by an SDSU freshman in the Division I era (since 2005) and he could tie Luke Ringhofer's record of 17 games, which was set in 2015, in Thursday's contest. In four games last week against Creighton and St. Thomas, Grawe batted .438 with seven hits in 16 at-bats, posting three two-hit performances.He sat out the game Tuesday versus Southwest Minnesota State.
Sophomore shortstop Carter Sintek had his nine-game hitting streak snapped in the March 18 game at Creighton. However, Sintek notched hits in each of the three games of the St. Thomas series and added two more hits Tuesday against Southwest Minnesota State to raise his season batting average to .321. He has recorded at least one hit in 17 of the 19 games he has played this season.
Sintek hit two triples in the second game of the March 15 doubleheader at Northern Colorado, becoming the fourth Jackrabbit with two triples in a game in the Division I era and the first since Stephen Tuner in a 2008 game at Missouri State. Sintek's triples were the first three-baggers of the season for SDSU.
Senior utility player Adam Benes excelled at the plate during the Jackrabbits' recent four-game homestand by batting .500 (6-for-12) with a home run and seven RBIs. Benes started the season 1-for-20 at the plate and raised his batting average to .219 over the last four games.
Freshman right-hander Caleb Duerr retired 12 batters in a row in one stretch of his March 16 start at Northern Colorado, doing so without a ball leaving the infield — four strikeouts and eight groundouts. A native of West Fargo, North Dakota, Duerr followed that performance by picking up his first collegiate win by limiting St. Thomas to two runs over six innings in the second game of a March 22 doubleheader.
Seven Jackrabbit pitchers combined to issue 15 bases on balls in the March 9 series finale at Saint Louis, a total that stands as the most in a game in program history at the Division I level, surpassing the previous mark of 13 set on seven different occasions.

FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS: South Dakota State's Erv Huether Field has a new look in 2025 thanks to a renovation project that has converted the Jackrabbits' home baseball venue to a fully synthetic turf playing surface.

The privately financed project, which was done in conjunction with similar improvements at the adjacent Jerald T. Moriarty Field for softball, was announced in August 2024. A facility dedication is planned for April 11, prior to the Jackrabbits' game that day against Omaha.

"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. Two baseball alumni and their families — Charles and Linda Elhoff, and Jimmy and Amber May — also provided substantial gifts to move the project forward.

ARBOGAST HONORED: South Dakota State left-hander Reece Arbogast was honored March 3 as Kwik Star Summit League Co-Peak Pitcher of the Week after continuing a strong beginning to the 2025 season.

A senior from Sioux Falls, Arbogast pitched 4 1/3 hitless and scoreless innings in a Feb. 28 relief appearance at Sacramento State. He faced the minimum of 13 batters in his outing, erasing the lone baserunner he allowed — via a walk — on a double play. He also struck out a batter.

Arbogast allowed one run and only two baserunners in 8 1/3 innings over his first two relief appearances of the season, but was held out of action until returning to the mound with an inning of work against St. Thomas in the first game of a March 22 doubleheader.

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 in February.

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.

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.

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 17th season as a member of The Summit League, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 228-197 (.536 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.

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 in 2023, 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. He currently leads this year's squad with four home runs, including one in the March 16 series finale at Northern Colorado.

In all, 12 different Jackrabbit players hit at least one home run last season.

SDSU showed signs of breaking out of an early season power funk by connecting on five home runs in their series-closing win at Sacramento State on March 1. That marked the most home runs in a game by the Jackrabbits since hitting five against Northern Colorado on March 28, 2024.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: Three true freshmen found their names on the lineup card for the Jackrabbits in their Opening Day game at Pacific on Feb. 21.

On the infield, Keagen Jirschele (second base) and Nolan Grawe (third base) earned starting assignments, while Nicholas Werk patrolled left field. Jirschele drove in the only run of the game for the Jackrabbits with a sixth-inning single.

Fellow freshmen Dayton Franke (designated hitter/first baseman) and Owen Siegert (outfield) also started games in the series.

In all, Jackrabbit freshman position players have combined for 68 starts so far this season, with Grawe leading the way with 18 starts. In addition, freshman right-hander Caleb Duerr has made four starts on the mound for the Jackrabbits in 2025 and Jirschele has been the starting pitcher for another contest.

At least two true freshmen have been in the starting lineup for every game so far this season for the Jackrabbits.

TWO-WAY PLAYERS: Freshmen Owen Siegert and Keagen Jirschele have seen action in both the field and on the mound for the Jackrabbits during the first month of the season.

Siegert has started 15 games in the outfield and has responded by going 17-for-49 (.318 batting average) at the plate with 11 runs scored and 14 runs batted in while leading the team with six stolen bases. Siegert reached base four times in the March 1 series finale at Sacramento State, including hitting his first collegiate home run, and tallied four runs batted in against Southwest Minnesota State on March 25.

The Melbourne, Iowa, native also made his collegiate pitching debut in the Sacramento State series, recording one out in a relief outing during the Feb. 26 series opener.

He returned to the mound March 18 at Creighton, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Jirschele has been the Jackrabbits' starting second baseman in 12 of the team's 20 games so far this season and has compiled a .200 batting average (9-for-45) while hitting safely in five of his first six starts.

A native of Wausau, Wisconsin, Jirschele tossed 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief in the Feb. 26 series opener against Sacramento State and also made relief appearances March 12 at Air Force and March 18 at Creighton. He made his first collegiate start in the opening game of a March 22 home doubleheader versus St. Thomas.

In addition, junior Matthew Werk has seen limited action both as a position player and pitcher this season. Werk started at second base in the second game of a Feb. 22 doubleheader at Pacific (Calif.) and later made his collegiate pitching debut in the March 9 series finale at Saint Louis.

LUSKEY LEADS AT THE PLATE: Luke Luskey got off to a quick start in 2025 and has remained the Jackrabbits' top offensive performer through the first half of the season.

A sophomore from Green Isle, Minnesota, Luskey batted .571 (8-for-14) with a .929 slugging percentage during a season-opening four-game set at Pacific. He recorded three-hit games in both the series opener and finale while notching one hit in the middle two games of the series.

Luskey, who hit SDSU's lone home run of the series in the Feb. 23 finale, also tallied a pair of doubles in the series. He extended his hitting streak to 11 games dating back to last season before going hitless in the Feb. 28 game at Sacramento State.

To begin the season, Luskey reached base safely in the first 15 games and had an overall streak of 21 games dating back to 2024 come to an end in the March 18 game at Creighton. He put together a strong four-game homestand against St. Thomas and Southwest Minnesota State by going 7-for-16 (.438 average) at the plate with two home runs and three multi-hit performances He also drove in 10 runs and scored five times.

Luskey currently leads the team in numerous offensive categories, including batting average (.385), hits (30), home runs (6), slugging percentage (.705) and RBIs (24), while sharing the team lead in doubles (7) and runs scored (16).

RONKEN MOVES TO RIGHT: Sophomore Bryce Ronken is making 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.

After a bit of a slow start at the plate to begin the season, Ronken has been on a tear of late. He notched a pair of doubles Feb. 27 at Sacramento State, then hit a pair of solo home runs in the Jacks' victory in the series finale on March 1.

In a March 15 doubleheader at Northern Colorado, Ronken went 7-for-10 at the plate, notching a 4-for-4 effort with a double in the opener and then going 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles and a career-high five RBIs in Game 2.

Ronken currently shares the team lead in runs scored (16) and doubles (7).

MADISON EARNS OPENING DAY START: Newcomer Ty Madison was named the Jackrabbits' Opening Day starter and was charged with the loss after allowing five runs in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked three in his Jackrabbit debut.

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.

Madison has since made five appearances out of the bullpen, starting with a March 7 outing at Saint Louis, during which he struck out the side in order in the third inning. He again made a relief appearance in the second game of a March 15 twinbill at Northern Colorado and was credited with his first victory as a Jackrabbit after striking out three and allowing one run in two innings of work.

GOBLE SEEKS BOUNCE-BACK SEASON: Senior pitcher Jake Goble has shown early signs this season of regaining the form that he displayed during a breakthrough 2023 campaign.

A right-hander from Rapid City, Goble leads the team with 21 strikeouts. His K total has been racked up in only 16 2/3 innings across five appearances (one start) thus far in 2025. In his March 1 outing at Sacramento State, Goble fanned six batters, walked two and allowed only one hit in three shutout innings of relief.

In each of his last two outings, on March 15 at Northern Colorado and March 21 versus St. Thomas, Goble logged 5 2/3 innings in each appearance. He fanned seven and did not walk a batter in the first game of the March 15 doubleheader, while tallying four K's in his most recent stint on the mound.

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.

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 entered the season ranked in the top four in program history for strikeouts per nine innings pitched and have traded the third and fourth spots throughout the first half of the 2025 campaign.

Driessen regained the No. 3 spot after striking out a season-high six batters over three innings en route to picking up his first victory of the season in the Jackrabbits' game Tuesday afternoon against Southwest Minnesota State. He enters the weekend with an average of 12.69 strikeouts per 9 innings after tallying 112 K's in 80 2/3 innings pitched during his career. The Omaha native reached the 100-strikeout mark for his career in his season debut Feb. 23 at Pacific, striking out a pair of batters in 2 1/3 innings of work.

A native of Bettendorf, Iowa, Clemons currently stands fourth with an average of 12.56 K's/9 innings after fanning 121 batters in 86 2/3 career innings. He has 16 strikeouts in only 9 2/3 innings of work so far this season, including notching three K's in two innings of work during his last outing, in the second game of a March 22 doubleheader versus St. Thomas.

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.

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 was the Opening Day left fielder 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.

STRIKEOUT RECORD: South Dakota State set a single-game school record with 21 strikeouts in its 10-inning victory at Sacramento State on March 1.

Five Jackrabbit pitchers combined to set the record, with relievers Jake Goble and Alex Clemons each tallying six strikeouts. Dylan Driessen notched five strikeouts in his relief outing, while Arlen Peters got things started with three strikeouts. Jude Sundquist came on to record a strikeout for the final out of the game.

The previous record of 18 strikeouts was set on three occasions in extra-inning contests:

vs. Oral Roberts • May 8, 2010 (11 innings, Game 1 of doubleheader);
vs. Western Illinois • May 12, 2018 (14 innings);
at Oral Roberts • March 25, 2022 (14 innings).

NEWSTROM JOINS COACHING STAFF: Michael Newstrom joined the South Dakota State baseball coaching staff in the fall of 2024 and will oversee the Jackrabbit pitchers.

Most recently, Newstrom spent the 2024 season as a pitching assistant at Cal State University Bakersfield. The Roadrunners improved in nearly every 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.

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-plus seasons with the Jackrabbits, Bishop holds a 162-218 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 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 while playing 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 Jacks 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 711-540-1 record (.568 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) 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. 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.

Shortstop Gus Steiger signed with the Cincinnati Reds following an abbreviated 2020 MLB Draft and pitcher Ryan Bourassa signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves organization after the 2023 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 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 squeeze a single mid-week home game into the schedule before heading back on the road for a four-game road trip. The April 1 matchup against the University of Sioux Falls is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch at Erv Huether Field.

From there, SDSU is scheduled to play April 2 at Kansas and April 4-6 at Oral Roberts.

-GoJacks.com-