JACKRABBITS HEAD WEST FOR SERIES AT UNC

Friday, March 27

Greeley, Colo.

2 p.m. MT/3 p.m. CT

South Dakota State University

Northern Colorado

South Dakota State baseball players cheer on teammates from the dugout during action against North Dakota State on March 20, 2026, at Erv Huether Field in Brookings, South Dakota.

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

3/26/2026 2:50:00 PM | Baseball

South Dakota State (7-18, 2-4 Summit) at Northern Colorado (5-21, 3-2 Summit)

When	Friday-Sunday, March 27-29 • 2 p.m. Mountain Time (3 p.m. Central) Friday • noon MT/1 p.m. CT Saturday • noon MT/1 p.m. CT Sunday
Where	Jackson Field \| Greeley, Colorado
TV	Summit League Network powered by Midco Sports Plus Friday's Broadcast \| Saturday's Broadcast \| Sunday's Broadcast
Radio	None
Live Stats	UNCBears.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Northern Colorado \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram

The South Dakota State baseball team resumes Summit League action with a a three-game weekend series at Northern Colorado that features two squads looking to move up from the middle of the pack in the league standings.

The series begins Friday afternoon with a 2 p.m. Mountain Time (3 p.m. Central) matchup at Jackson Field in Greeley, Colorado. Games Saturday and Sunday are slated for noon MT (1 p.m. CT). All three games will be available for viewing through the Summit League Network streaming platform powered by Midco Sports Plus.

Both teams recorded Summit League series wins last weekend — Northern Colorado won two of three games at Omaha, while the Jackrabbits claimed the final two games of their first home series of the season versus North Dakota State. SDSU is 2-4 in league play and dropped to 7-18 overall after an 11-5 nonconference loss at Creighton on Wednesday to open the current road trip.

UNC enters the weekend with a 5-21 overall record and a 3-2 mark in The Summit League.

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

THE SERIES: Friday's series opener between SDSU and Northern Colorado will mark the 81st meeting in a series that dates back to 1973. The Jackrabbits lead the all-time series, 43-37.

Since both teams moved from NCAA Division II and the North Central Conference to Division I in the mid-2000s, SDSU has held the upper hand in the series by a 33-26 count. UNC won all six matchups during the 2024 season, scoring in double figures in each of the games, while the two squads split the 2025 season series with three wins each.

In last year's series, UNC claimed two of the three games played on its home field March 15-16, 2025. The Bears and Jackrabbits split a doubleheader with Northern Colorado taking the opener, 8-4, followed by a 12-7 Jackrabbit victory in Game 2. In the decisive game of the series, Northern Colorado rallied for seven runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to steal an 11-10 victory. SDSU used five different pitchers in the final frame to try to put out the fire after starter Caleb Duerr had limited the Bears to two runs over the first five frames.

In the return trip, May 2-4, 2025, at Erv Huether Field, SDSU notched decisive wins in the final two games of the series. UNC won the opener, 9-6, after rallying for five runs in the top of the eighth before the Jackrabbits posted 11-2 and 10-2 victories the next two days.

Owen Siegert homered twice to lead the offense in the middle game of the series, with Duerr and Jake Goble combining to shut out UNC over the final eight innings after the Bears had taken an early 2-0 lead. Siegert tallied SDSU's first run with a home run to lead off the second inning, then capped the scoring with a three-run blast in the eighth.

In the series finale, SDSU right-hander Dylan Richey pitched five shutout innings and the Jackrabbits got off to a fast start with runs in three of the first four innings. Carter Sintek homered to lead off the third inning and Adam Benes added a two-run shot as part of a six-run seventh inning to put the game away.

SHORT HOPS: Following are some more quick notes regarding the South Dakota State baseball team heading into this weekend's series at Northern Colorado:

Seven Jackrabbit games this month have been decided by one run, including both games of their mid-week series March 17-18 at Oklahoma State. Overall, SDSU is 1-7 in one-run games this season.
SDSU scored in 11 of the 16 innings it batted in the March 21 doubleheader against North Dakota State and tallied 13 extra-base hits (9 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs).
Nolan Grawe recorded three hits in each of the games against North Dakota State, finishing the weekend with a .643 batting average (9-for-14) and six RBIs. Three of his hits were for extra bases (2 doubles, 1 triple) as he posted a .929 slugging percentage.
Grawe collected his 100th career hit with a three-run triple Wednesday at Creighton. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native set an SDSU freshman record with 69 hits last season and is currently leads the team with 31 hits in 2026. He also leads the squad with nine doubles, 21 RBIs, 16 runs, four stolen bases and a .480 slugging percentage.
Left-hander Tristan Augedahl earned his first career save and the Jackrabbits' first save of the season by pitching 3 2/3 hitless and scoreless innings to close out SDSU's 13-5 victory in Game 1 of the March 21 doubleheader against North Dakota State. Augedahl matched a season and career high with four strikeouts, giving him 23 strikeouts in only 17 innings of work so far this season.
Omaha native Sam Novotny established a pair of Jackrabbit pitching season highs in his winning performance against North Dakota State in the second game of a March 21 doubleheader. Novotny pitched 7 2/3 innings (longest outing by a Jackrabbit) and notched nine strikeouts (also a season high) while limiting the Bison to one run on five hits.
Over his last five starts, Novotny is 2-1 with a 2.84 earned run average. He has struck out 22 and walked only six over 31 2/3 innings in that span.
Shortstop Keagen Jirschele scored six runs in the two games of the March 21 doubleheader against North Dakota State. In Game 1, Jirschele scored four times despite not recording a hit as he reached on a walk, hit by pitch, fielders choice and an error. The sophomore from Wausau, Wisconsin, doubled twice and scored twice in Game 2.
Sophomore center fielder Owen Siegert moved back into the leadoff spot in the batting order during the North Dakota State series and responded by going 5-for-11 (.455 average) with three runs batted in. Siegert currently leads the team with a .337 batting average and ranks second on the team with 30 hits. He has hit safely in 13 of the last 15 games.
Nic Werk posted a .900 on-base percentage in the recent mid-week series against Oklahoma State, recording four hits and drawing five walks in his 10 plate appearances. After sitting out the season-opening eight-game road trip to Texas due to injury, Werk has provided a boost to the Jackrabbit offense over the last 17 games, including recording a career-best six-game hitting streak from Feb. 28-March 8. Five of his 17 hits have been doubles and he has three multi-hit games to his credit, including a career-best three-hit performance in the March 18 series finale at Oklahoma State.
A utility player, Werk has made 10 starts at second base, four in left field, two at shortstop and one in right field since his return to the lineup.
Freshman Logan Campbell made his team-leading 13th appearance of the season in Wednesday's game at Creighton and was credited with a scoreless inning. His 13 appearances are the eighth-most among NCAA Division I pitchers this season.
Newcomer Austin Henry has made 12 relief appearances so far this season and has allowed only six of 23 inherited runners to score (26 percent). In his last outing, in Game 2 of a March 21 doubleheader against North Dakota State, Henry needed only one pitch to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning by inducing a flyout to right field.
The Jackrabbits set a program single-game record by scoring 17 runs in the fourth inning of its 19-11, series-opening win at Incarnate Word. Each of the first 12 batters of the inning reached base safely and a total of 21 men went to the plate in the frame.
SDSU has now outscored the opposition by a 39-15 margin in the fourth inning of games this season after tallying all five of its runs in Wednesday's game at Creighton in that frame. Conversely, the Jackrabbits have been outscored 28-5 in the first inning of its 25 games so far this season.
The Jacks turned three double plays in its March 11 game at Kansas State, marking the first time since a Feb. 24, 2024, game at New Mexico that SDSU accomplished the feat. In 2026, SDSU has 16 double plays to its credit and is fielding at a .976 clip.
Both Dayton Franke and Brady Brown were hit by pitches three times in a game last month. Franke was plunked three times in the Feb. 17 series opener at Incarnate Word, while Brown was hit three times in the Feb. 22 series finale at Tarleton State.
In all, Jackrabbit players have been hit by pitches a total of 48 times so far this season. Luke Luskey and Dayton Franke lead the team with 10. SDSU absorbed eight hit by pitches in the three-game series against North Dakota State.
Luskey tallied his 100th career RBI with a run-scoring double in the first inning of Game 2 of the March 21 doubleheader against North Dakota State. He drove in five runs in the first game of the twinbill with two home runs and a double.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: South Dakota State has had three players selected as Kwik Star Summit League Baseball Peak Performers of the Week so far this season, with Luke Luskey becoming the latest Jackrabbit to be honored on March 24.

A junior from Green Isle, Minnesota, Luskey batted .429 (6-for-14) with seven RBIs and compiled a .579 on-base percentage in four games last week against Oklahoma State and North Dakota State. All six of his hits went for extra bases — three doubles and three home runs — as he finished the week with a 1.286 slugging percentage.

Luskey opened the week with a double and home run in a March 17 game at Oklahoma State. In the first game of a March 21 doubleheader against North Dakota State, he hit two home runs and added a run-scoring double as he tallied five RBIs in a Jackrabbit victory, then added an RBI double in Game 2 as the Jackrabbits swept the twinbill to win the series. Luskey also scored five times and reached base on two walks and three hit by pitches during the week.

The two-homer game against NDSU marked the fourth time in his career he has hit two home runs in a game, upping his season total to four and career total to 26.

Luskey is the second Jackrabbit to receive the weekly award this season, joining freshman outfielder Carter Taylor on Feb. 24.

A freshman from Missoula, Montana, Taylor batted .522 (12-for-22) over five games and notched multiple hits in four of those contests. In his first career start, Feb. 17 at Incarnate Word, he went 4-for-6, including hitting his first collegiate home, driving in two runs and scoring twice in a 19-11 Jackrabbit victory. The following day he closed the series with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate that included three RBIs. Taylor, who hit safely in all five games last week to extend his overall hitting streak to six games, tallied two hits in both the Feb. 20 series opener and Feb. 22 finale at Tarleton State.

For the week, his totals included four runs scored and five RBIs.

In addition, right-hander Sam Schlecht was named the Kwik Star Summit League Peak Pitcher of the Week for his performance in a Feb. 28 victory at Central Arkansas.

A senior from Maple Grove, Minnesota, Schlecht carried a shutout into the sixth inning, stretching his scoreless innings streak to 10 before giving up a two-run home run. He struck out a season-high seven batters, walked only one and scattered four hits in improving to 2-1 on the season as the Jackrabbits held on for an 8-5 victory.

PRESEASON POLL: South Dakota State has been picked to finish fourth in the upcoming Summit League baseball race, according to a preseason poll conducted among the league's six head coaches and announced Feb. 11.

The Jackrabbits totaled 12 points in the poll and are coming off a 2025 campaign in which they compiled a 16-36 overall record, including a 12-18 mark in The Summit League. SDSU returned to the four-team Summit League Baseball Championship, marking the 14th time in 16 years of Division I eligibility that the Jackrabbits qualified for the double-elimination tournament.

Oral Roberts earned the top spot in the preseason poll with 24 points and four first-place votes. Omaha received the other two first-place votes and tied with defending regular season champion St. Thomas for second place in the survey with 19 points.

North Dakota State (11 points) and Northern Colorado (6 points) rounded out the poll.

The top four teams in league play will advance to the Summit League Baseball Championship May 20-23 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In addition to the preseason poll, Jackrabbit first baseman Luke Luskey was named a Summit League Player to Watch and Ty Madison was selected as a Summit League Pitcher to Watch.

Luskey, a junior from Green Isle, Minnesota, has earned second-team all-Summit League honors each of the last two seasons. In 2025, he led the league with 14 home runs despite missing the final 12 games of the season due to injury. Luskey also paced the Jackrabbits with 52 runs batted in and a .691 slugging percentage while batting .336.

A senior from Omaha, Madison began the 2025 season in the starting rotation before moving to the bullpen. He made a team-high 22 appearances, striking out 26 batters in 30 innings and posting a 2-2 record.

SUMMIT LEAGUE SUCCESS: South Dakota State has been a consistent winner in The Summit League since it became a league member in 2008. Now in their 19th season as a member of The Summit League, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 241-214 (.530 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 14 out of the 16 years it has been eligible (no tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic).

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

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 nine-plus seasons with the Jackrabbits, Bishop holds a 181-256 record at SDSU, including a 111-113 mark in Summit League regular season games. He also has led the Jackrabbits to the four-team Summit League Baseball Championship seven times, highlighted by finals appearances on two occasions — in 2018 and 2023.

The 2023 squad set 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 a 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.

Overall, Bishop holds a 730-578-1 record (.558 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 48 times during Bishop's tenure, including seven all-league selections in 2025.

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 34 players from 10 different states and one foreign country (Australia). Of the 34 players, 13 are from Minnesota, five are from Nebraska and South Dakota, three are Iowa natives and two hail from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Washington. Arizona and Wyoming are represented by one player each.

By class, one is a graduate transfer, three are seniors and nine are juniors. The sophomore class consists of 10 players and there is one redshirt freshmen, while 10 are incoming freshmen.

ON DECK: The Jackrabbits return home for a five-game homestand, staring with a March 31 nonconference game against Briar Cliff. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Erv Huether Field.

SDSU will then host Omaha for a three-game Summit League series April 2-4 before completing the homestand with an April 7 contest against Northern State.

-GoJacks.com-