BROOKINGS –The South Dakota State University baseball team will be put to the test both in terms of competition and travel during the upcoming 2018 season.
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BROOKINGS –The South Dakota State University baseball team will be put to the test both in terms of competition and travel during the upcoming 2018 season.
“We have a balance of teams from different leagues and different regions as we were able to put together a rigorous non-league schedule,” second-year head coach Rob Bishop said. “Every game that we’ll play is a test that will get us ready for The Summit League and a league tournament, assuming we play the way we’re capable.”
SDSU finished 26-24 overall during Bishop’s first season in 2017, including a third-place mark of 18-12 in Summit League play.
Each of the Jackrabbits’ first 28 games is scheduled to be played away from home, starting with a four-game series Feb. 16-18 at Mississippi Valley State. SDSU will return to the South the following weekend with four games in Nacogdoches, Texas, playing UT Arlington and Bradley once each, while meeting host Stephen F. Austin in a Feb. 24 doubleheader.
To close the opening month of play, SDSU will venture to Minneapolis for a Feb. 28 matchup with Minnesota at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Jackrabbits and Golden Gophers also are scheduled to play April 17 in Minneapolis, with the latter matchup taking place at Siebert Field.
The month of March begins with a three-game series March 2-4 at Southeast Missouri State, followed by a Spring Break trip to the state of Colorado for six games. SDSU will play a two-game set at Air Force March 6-7, followed by a four-game series at Northern Colorado March 9-11.
“We will rely on our veteran position players, who are accustomed to this type of schedule and this type of travel, to carry us through the early portion of our season,” Bishop said. “I think the biggest thing we realized last season is that teams that play well on the road will be the most successful in the long run. We’re just focused on playing well each weekend.”
The Jackrabbits also have scheduled a home-and-home series against Creighton, playing March 20 in Omaha with the return trip to Brookings on April 25. SDSU’s final non-league game is set for May 9 at Wichita State.
In all, SDSU will play teams from 10 different leagues in the nonconference part of its schedule.
The Summit League schedule kicks off March 16-18 with the Jackrabbits playing a three-game series at defending champion Oral Roberts. Three-game series at Western Illinois (March 23-25) and Omaha (March 30-April 1) complete a nine-game slate of road games to open the conference season.
SDSU is scheduled to play its home opener April 4 against Dakota Wesleyan to start a season-long eight-game homestand. The Jackrabbits will host Fort Wayne (April 6-8) and North Dakota State (April 13-15) at Erv Huether Field around an April 11 midweek game against Dakota State.
Other three-game home series in Summit League play include hosting Oral Roberts (April 20-22), Omaha (May 4-6) and W. Illinois (May 11-13).
The Jackrabbits will wrap up league action May 17-19 with a three-game series at North Dakota State. Should SDSU finish in the top four of the Summit standings, the Jackrabbits would play in the Summit League Baseball Championship May 23-26 in Tulsa, Okla.
