South Dakota State (7-23, 4-9 Summit) at Minnesota (17-17) and St. Thomas (17-13, 11-3)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
The South Dakota State baseball team makes a return trip to the Twin Cities this week, this time for four games in four days.
SDSU, 7-23 overall and 4-9 in The Summit League, opened a busy slate last week with a matchup at Minnesota. The Jackrabbits are scheduled to be back in Minneapolis for another meeting with the Golden Gophers at 6 p.m. Wednesday, followed by opening the second half of the league schedule with a a three-game series at St. Thomas to round out the Easter holiday weekend.
Games Thursday and Friday against St. Thomas are set for 3 p.m. first pitches, with Saturday’s game scheduled for 1 p.m. at Koch Diamond in St. Paul.
Minnesota enters Wednesday’s game with a 17-17 overall record and a 5-10 mark in the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have won six games in a row, starting with their 4-3 victory over the Jackrabbits on April 8, followed by a win over St. Thomas and a three-game sweep of Ohio State last weekend. Their latest victory was a 9-2 win over North Dakota State on Tuesday.
St. Thomas, meanwhile, holds a 17-13 overall record and is atop the Summit League standings with an 11-3 mark. The Tommies won the series opener at North Dakota State last Friday, 7-1, but dropped the other two games during the weekend by scores of 8-6 and 6-1.
THE SERIES: South Dakota State has had mixed results in the all-time series against its two opponents from the Twin Cities.
vs. Minnesota
Wednesday’s game at Minnesota will mark the 57th time SDSU and the Golden Gophers have met on the baseball diamond. Minnesota leads the all-time series, which dates back to 1947, by a 41-15 count.
Minnesota has won the last four meetings, including a 4-3 game April 8 at Siebert Field. A leadoff home run by Josh Fitzgerald in the bottom of the first inning gave Minnesota the early lead, but the Jackrabbits grabbed a momentary advantage with two runs in the top of the third. Keagen Jirschele led off with a single, advanced to second base on a wild pitch and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Nicholas Werk before scoring on a single up the middle by Bryce Ronken. Ronken later scored on a groundout off the bat of Luke Luskey.
The Golden Gophers responded with three runs in the home half of the third, loading the bases against SDSU starter Drew McDowell on a walk and two infield singles. With Tristan Augedahl coming on in relief for the Jackrabbits, the first two Golden Gopher runs scored on wild pitches before Parker Knoll plated the third and final run of the frame with a single to left field.
The Jackrabbits closed to within one by scoring an unearned run in the sixth. Luskey started the inning by reaching on catcher’s interference, then scored on a two-out double by Dagen Schramm to the left-center gap.
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.
vs. St. Thomas
Thursday’s series opener will mark the 18th meeting between South Dakota State and St. Thomas on the baseball diamond, in a series that began when the Tommies joined The Summit League at the start of the 2022 season.
SDSU holds a 13-4 series advantage on the strength of winning each of the first 10 matchups. However, St. Thomas posted its first-ever series win over the Jackrabbits by claiming two of three games in a series that was shortened to two days March 21-22 in Brookings. The Tommies held off a late SDSU charge to win the opener, 13-9, before the two squads split a doubleheader with UST winning Game 1, 11-4, and the Jackrabbits salvaging the finale, 8-2.
SHORT HOPS: Following are some quick notes regarding the South Dakota State baseball team heading into this week’s games at Minnesota and St. Thomas:
- Freshman third baseman Nolan Grawe had his 19-game hitting streak come to an end in the first game of an April 6 doubleheader against Oral Roberts. His streak is tied with Tyson Fisher (2006) and Matt Johnson (2016) for the Jackrabbits’ longest single-season streak in the Division I era (since 2005). Grawe batted .355 (27-for-76) during his streak and surpassed Luke Ringhofer’s previous freshman-record hitting streak of 17 games in 2015.
- After going hitless in each of the two games at Oral Roberts, Grawe has hit safely in each of the next five games, including a 3-for-4 performance April 12 against Omaha that included his first collegiate home run.
- Jess Bellows holds the program’s top overall hitting streak in the Division I era at 20 games, a feat he accomplished over the final nine games of the 2023 season and the first 11 games of the 2024 campaign.
- Bellows recorded his 150th career hit with an infield single as part of a six-run seventh inning April 2 at Kansas and leads active Jackrabbit players with 155 career hits. He his his first home run of the season in the April 11 series opener against Omaha.
- Sophomore shortstop Carter Sintek has recorded at least one hit in 26 of the 29 games he has played this season, putting together separate hitting streaks of nine (Feb. 27-March 16) and eight games (March 21-April 6, Game 1). Sintek is currently in the midst of another five-game hitting streak, during which he posted back-to-back two-hit games to close out the Omaha series. He connected on his first home run of the season in the April 12 victory over the Mavericks.
- 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 Turner 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 has excelled at the plate in games played this season at Erv Huether Field. In seven home games, Benes is batting .476 (10-for-21) with two doubles, two home runs and five runs batted in. He hit his second home run of the season in a losing effort in the April 13 series finale against Omaha.
- 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.
DRIESSEN HONORED: South Dakota State reliever Dylan Driessen was honored Monday as the Kwik Star Summit League Peak Pitcher of the Week.
A junior right-hander, Driessen pitched 3 1/3 hitless and scoreless innings to record his second save of the season in the Jackrabbits’ series-opening, 7-5 victory over Omaha on April 11. The Omaha native tied a season high with six strikeouts, while walking two and hitting one batter.
Driessen lowered his team-leading earned run average to 3.18 over nine appearances this season and has notched 31 strikeouts in only 22 2/3 innings.
The Omaha, Nebraska, native is the second Jackrabbit pitcher to earn the league’s weekly pitching award, joining Reece Arbogast on March 3.
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 230-200 (.535 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.
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. The facility was formally dedicated 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.
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 has already exceeded that home run total from a year ago, upping his season total to 10 after hitting two last weekend versus Omaha.
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 hitting five home runs in their series-closing win at Sacramento State on March 1. The Jacks have since upped their 2025 season total to 23 after hitting multiple home runs in each of the three games of a home series versus Omaha April 11-13.
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 107 starts so far this season, with Grawe leading the way with 28 starts. In addition, freshman right-hander Caleb Duerr has made six starts on the mound for the Jackrabbits in 2025, while Jirschele (1) and Drew McDowell (2) have each been the starting pitcher in other contests.
At least two true freshmen have been in the starting lineup for every game so far this season for the Jackrabbits, including five in the second game of the April 6 doubleheader at Oral Roberts.
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 half of the season.
Siegert has started 24 games in the outfield and has responded by going 29-for-81 (team-best .358 batting average) at the plate with 16 runs scored and 19 runs batted in while leading the team with eight stolen bases. He posted a four-hit game April 12 against Omaha in posting the 12th three-double game by a Jackrabbit in the Division I era.
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 20 of the team’s 30 games so far this season and has compiled a .250 batting average (18-for-72). As part of an eight-game hitting streak that ended April 13, he tallied three hits in an April 6 twinbill at Oral Roberts, including hitting his first collegiate homer for the lone SDSU run of Game 2.
A native of Wausau, Wisconsin, Jirschele tossed 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief in the Feb. 26 series opener against Sacramento State and has made three other appearances in relief, including 1 2/3 scoreless innings April 2 at Kansas. 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 one of the Jackrabbits’ top offensive performers through the first half of the year.
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 first homestand of the season 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 — and Summit League — in four offensive categories: home runs (10), total bases (78), slugging percentage (.690) and OPS (on-base + slugging) (1.109). He also leads the Jackrabbits in RBIs (36) and runs scored (25), while sharing the team lead in doubles (7) and ranking second in hits (39) and third in batting average (.345).
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’ March 25 game against Southwest Minnesota State.
After matching his season high of six K’s April 11 against Omaha, Driessen enters the week with an average of 12.98 strikeouts per 9 innings after tallying 129 K’s in 90 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 12.32 K’s/9 innings after also fanning 125 batters in 91 1/3 career innings. He has 20 strikeouts in only 14 1/3 innings of work so far this season, including notching three K’s in two innings during 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. He is currently pitching at Minnesota.
GOBLE SEEKS BOUNCE-BACK SEASON: Senior pitcher Jake Goble in on the path this season to regaining the form that he displayed during a breakthrough 2023 campaign.
A right-hander from Rapid City, Goble leads the team with 32 strikeouts. His K total has been racked up in 29 1/3 innings across eight 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 five outings against Summit League opponents, Goble has compiled a 3.00 earned run average over 24 innings. In three of his outings, including in the first game of an April 6 doubleheader at Oral Roberts, 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 twinbill at Northern Colorado, while tallying four K’s March 21 against St. Thomas.
In his most recent outing, April 12 versus Omaha, Goble picked up his first win of the season after four solid innings in which he struck out five and did not walk a batter.
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 posted a 3-8 record.
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 10 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.
He made two appearances in last week’s series with Omaha to give him a team-best 12.
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).
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.
Ronken recorded four extra-base hits in an early series at Sacramento State, notching a pair of doubles in the Feb. 27 game, then hitting a pair of solo home runs in the Jacks’ first victory of the season 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 with seven doubles while ranking second on the squad with five stolen bases. He has reached base safely in 14 consecutive games, but missed the final two games of the recent Omaha series due to injury.
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.
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 165-225 record at SDSU, including a 99-96 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 714-547-1 record (.566 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 begin a stretch of eight consecutive games in the state of South Dakota with a pair of mid-week games. On April 22, SDSU is scheduled to host Northwestern (Iowa) in a 3 p.m. contest at Erv Huether Field.
The following day, the Jacks are slated for a matchup against Creighton in Sioux Falls. That game at Sioux Falls Stadium is set for a 6 p.m. first pitch. Tickets will be available at the gate for $10 for adults and $5 for children.