SDSU BEGINS TWIN CITIES TRIP WITH GOPHERS

Wednesday, April 8

Minneapolis, Minn. // Siebert Field

6 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Minnesota

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

4/7/2026 9:00:00 PM | Baseball

South Dakota State (9-19) at Minnesota (18-13)

When	Wednesday, April 8 \| 6 p.m.
Where	Siebert Field \| Minneapolis, Minn.
TV	Big Ten Plus
Radio	None
Live Stats	GopherSports.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Minnesota \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram

The South Dakota State baseball team begins a stretch of four games in the Twin Cities over a five-day span with a matchup Wednesday night at Minnesota.

First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Siebert Field on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. Video coverage of the nonconference game will be available through the Big Ten Plus streaming platform.

The Jackrabbits enter the week with a 9-19 overall record, including a 4-5 mark in Summit League play, but will be playing for the first time in 10 days due to recent inclement weather. After winning two of three games in a Summit League series March 27-29 at Northern Colorado, SDSU has had five home games canceled or postponed since then, including all three games of a scheduled weekend series against Omaha. The Jacks scored a season-high 21 runs in back-to-back games to close out the series at UNC.

Minnesota begins the week with an 18-13 overall record that includes a 3-9 ledger in Big Ten action. The Golden Gophers claimed a 9-4 victory in the opening game of their series at Iowa this past weekend before dropping one-run games by scores of 3-2 and 5-4.

After Wednesday's game, the Jackrabbits will move across the Mississippi River to St. Paul for a three-game weekend series against St. Thomas.

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

THE SERIES: SDSU and the Golden Gophers will square off for the second time this season and 59th time overall since the series began in 1947. Minnesota leads the all-time series by a 43-15 count and has won the last six meetings, including a 3-2, 10-inning victory on March 7 during action in the Cambria Classic at U.S. Bank Stadium.

In this season's first matchup, the Golden Gophers' Sam Hunt squeezed in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning following a walk to Jack Spanier and double by Easton Richter.

After Minnesota scored the first run of the game in the second inning, the Jackrabbits plated the tying run in the fourth inning on an infield single by Carter Taylor that scored Luke Luskey. SDSU then took a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh on doubles by Nic Werk and Nolan Grawe.

The Golden Gophers sent the game to extra innings with a run in the eighth that scored as the result of a balk.

The Jackrabbits held a 9-4 advantage in hits, with Grawe leading the offense by going 3-for-5.

SDSU's last victory in the series was a 12-6 triumph on April 26, 2022, a game in which the Jackrabbits led 10-0 after three innings behind a grand slam by Drew Beazley.

SHORT HOPS: Following are some more quick notes regarding the South Dakota State baseball team heading into Wednesday's game at Minnesota:

Seven Jackrabbit games in March were 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 21 runs in each of the last two games of its recent series at Northern Colorado, marking the first time since an April 28, 2010, home doubleheader against North Dakota (won 21-10 and 21-8) that the Jackrabbits scored 20-plus runs in consecutive games.
The Jackrabbits tallied double-digit runs in an inning for the second and third times this season, scoring 12 runs in the eighth inning of the March 28 game at Northern Colorado, followed by a 10-run seventh inning the next day.
SDSU previously set a program single-game record by scoring 17 runs in the fourth inning of its 19-11, series-opening win at Incarnate Word on Feb. 17 in San Antonio, Texas. 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.
Luke Wroblewski was SDSU's top hitter over the last week of action, batting .600 (9-for-15) with a home run, nine RBIs and nine runs scored in four games. He also recorded a .933 slugging percentage, .632 on-base percentage and three stolen bases. The graduate transfer began the week by going 3-for-3 with a pair of stolen bases March 25 at Creighton. He hit a three-run home run in the March 27 series opener at Northern Colorado, followed by a 2-for-4, four-RBI performance on March 28 and a 3-for-4 day at the plate in the March 29 series finale in which he doubled twice, scored three times and drove in four runs.
Nolan Grawe brings a nine-game hitting streak into Wednesday's game and has notched an extra-base hit in six consecutive games after doubling in each of the three games of the series at Northern Colorado. Over his nine-game hitting streak, Grawe is batting .349 (15-for-43) with 14 RBIs and 11 runs scored.
Grawe tied an SDSU single-season record with a 19-game hitting streak during his freshman season in 2025. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native set an SDSU freshman record with 69 hits last season and collected his 100th career hit March 25 at Creighton.
Grawe enters the week with 103 career hits, which includes 24 doubles. He currently leads the team with 12 doubles, 24 RBI and 22 runs scored, while his 34 hits rank second.
Sophomore center fielder Owen Siegert moved back into the leadoff spot in the batting order during the North Dakota State series (March 20-21) and has responded with four multi-hit performances in the six games since. Over that span, Siegert is 10-for-24 (.417 batting average) at the plate with two triples, eight RBIs and eight runs scored. He currently leads the team with a .343 batting average, 35 hits, 20 bases on balls and a .455 on-base 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 followed that performance with three strikeouts over two shutout innings March 28 at Northern Colorado, giving him 26 strikeouts in only 19 innings of work so far this season.
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 20 games, including recording a career-best six-game hitting streak from Feb. 28-March 8. Six of his 20 hits have been doubles and he has four 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 14 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 14th appearance of the season in the March 28 game at Northern Colorado. His 14 appearances are the 23rd-most among NCAA Division I pitchers this season.
Newcomer Austin Henry has made 13 relief appearances so far this season and has allowed only seven of 24 inherited runners to score (29 percent).
The Jacks turned three double plays in their 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 19 double plays to its credit and is fielding at a .977 clip.
Both Dayton Franke and Brady Brown were hit by pitches three times in a game in February. 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 53 times so far this season. Luke Luskey and Dayton Franke lead the team with 10. SDSU absorbed five hit by pitches in the three-game series against Northern Colorado.
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 and enters the week with 106 RBIs after driving in two runs in each of the three games March 27-29 at Northern Colorado.
Luskey also leads active Jackrabbit players with 27 career home runs, putting him four away from moving into the SDSU career top 10.

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 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.

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 243-215 (.531 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 183-257 record at SDSU, including a 113-114 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 732-579-1 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 open their three-game Summit League series at St. Thomas with a 3 p.m. contest Friday afternoon at Koch Diamond in St. Paul, Minnesota. Games Saturday and Sunday are slated for 1 p.m. starts.

-GoJacks.com-