Jackrabbits continue homestand taking on Bison

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BROOKINGS – The South Dakota State baseball team will attempt to solidify its standing in the Summit League race as it hosts rival North Dakota State in a key three-game weekend series at Erv Huether Field.

Today's series opener is set for a 3 p.m. first pitch, with games Saturday and Sunday starting at 1 p.m. All three games will be broadcast locally on KJJQ 910 AM, with Tyler Merriam calling the play-by-by, and also streamed through the Jackrabbits All-Access media portal at GoJacks.com. Broadcasts begin 15 minutes prior to scheduled first pitch each day.

Live stats can be accessed at GoJacksLive.com, with further updates available on Twitter (@GoJacksBaseball).

In addition, today's game is scheduled to be televised by Midco Sports Network.

SDSU enters the series 16-19 overall and 9-9 in Summit League play after winning one of three games against league-leading Oral Roberts last weekend. The Jackrabbits are in the midst of their longest homestand of the season, despite having mid-week games against Dakota State and Creighton called off earlier this week due to inclement weather.

North Dakota State, meanwhile, enters the weekend a game ahead of the Jackrabbits in the league standings and tied with Western Illinois for second place at 10-8. Overall, the Bison are 19-20 after dropping two of three games last weekend at home to Omaha.

THE SERIES: Today's game marks the 176th meeting on the baseball diamond between SDSU and NDSU. In the series that dates back to 1956, the Jackrabbits hold a 112-63 lead.

Since the two programs joined The Summit League at the start of the 2008 season, the Jackrabbits hold a 24-21 edge in league regular season games. NDSU won two of the three games between the two squads played earlier this season in Fargo. Offense was at a premium throughout the series as the two teams combined for only 11 runs (8 by NDSU, 3 by SDSU) and 27 hits (15 by NDSU, 12 by SDSU). The Bison won the first two games by identical 4-1 scores before the Jackrabbits claimed a 1-0 victory in the series finale.

SDSU held a 4-2 series advantage last season, which included a three-game sweep in the first series between the two squads at Erv Huether Field, extending the Jackrabbits' home winning streak against NDSU to seven games. SDSU outscored NDSU 30-12 in the sweep and hit eight home runs, – three each by Paul Jacobson and Matt Johnson and two by Anthony Schneider.

The two squads played their second series of the 2016 season in Fargo on the final weekend of league play, May 19-21. NDSU won the first two matchups to force a winner-take-all final game of the regular season to determine the last of four spots in the Summit League postseason tournament. The Jackrabbits led 4-0 through five and a half innings before NDSU?rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth. SDSU countered with three runs in the top of the ninth and held on for a 7-4 victory to claim its seventh conference postseason tournament berth in eight seasons.

SDSU also has won four of the five games played between the two programs at the Summit League Baseball Championship.

JOHNSON AND JOHNSON: Starting corner infielders Matt Johnson and Newt Johnson have been two of the most consistent offensive players for the Jackrabbits in 2017.

A senior first baseman, Matt Johnson recorded a hit in each of the team's first 17 games of the season and has reached base safely in 32 of 35 games in 2017. The Ankeny, Iowa, native leads the Jackrabbits with eight home runs, 28 runs batted in and a .622 slugging percentage, along with a .428 on-base percentage. He also shares the team lead with 12 doubles and ranks second with a .333 batting average.

A second-team all-Summit League honoree in 2016, he matched the program best of 19 consecutive games with a hit last season. He also leads active Jackrabbit players with 23 career home runs, and has homered in three SDSU's last five games. His 46 career doubles also are the most among active SDSU players and rank in a tie for eighth on the SDSU career charts.

A junior third baseman from Rapid City, Newt Johnson shares the team lead with 10 doubles and ranks second with 26 runs batted in. He has driven in three runs in a game five times thus far in 2017, including the April 22 matchup against Oral Roberts.

Newt Johnson was named Summit League Player of the Week on March 20 after batting .500 (7-for-14) in the three-game series at Omaha, scoring eight runs and driving in four. He recorded three hits in each of the final two games of the series, extending his hitting streak to seven games. He also notched a double and two runs batted in in each of the first two contests.

RINGHOFER STREAK ENDS, STARTS ANOTHER: Jackrabbit catcher Luke Ringhofer had his school-record streak of reaching base safely in 52 consecutive games come to an end in the Jackrabbits' loss to Maine on Feb. 25, when he went 0-for-4 at the plate.

Ringhofer's streak began March 4, 2016, when he recorded a hit in the series opener at Sacramento State. A junior from Cotttage Grove, Minnesota, Ringhofer had a hit in 43 games during the streak, and drew at least one base on balls in 30 contests.

Since his streak was broken, Ringhofer has reached base safely in 31 consecutive games, meaning he has reached base in 83 of the Jackrabbits' last 84 games. Ringhofer's most recent streak includes a 16-game hitting streak that ended in the series opener at North Dakota State on April 7. Ringhofer has put together a hitting streak of at least 13 games in each of his three seasons at SDSU.

SMITH RACKING UP THE HITS: Leadoff hitter Nick Smith has gotten hits in bunches during the 2017 season. A sophomore from Chanhassen, Minnesota, Smith has tallied a team-high 54 hits, while posting a team-best 18 multi-hit games. Smith has recorded at least two hits in seven of the Jackrabbits' last nine games, compiling a .514 batting average (19-for-37) in that span.

Smith went a combined 8-for-11 in an April 15 doubleheader at Western Illinois. Smith notched three hits in the opener, then went 5-for-6 in Game 2, becoming the first Jackrabbit player with a five-hit game this season.

PIECING THINGS TOGETHER: Due to injuries and ineffectiveness, the Jackrabbit starting rotation has been in a constant state of flux in recent weeks. Hunter Even became the seventh different Jackrabbit to start a Summit League game, pitching six innings against Oral Roberts on April 23.

Two of SDSU's three starters from the opening weekend of league play have been sidelined by injury since the first series of the season against Oral Roberts in late March. Two-time Summit League Pitcher of the Week Ryan Froom is out indefinitely, while Tyler Olmstead is on track to return to the mound as soon as this week.

Jackrabbit starters have combined to throw only 75 2/3 of the 157 2/3 innings pitched in 18 league games so far this season. Starting pitchers have a combined 5.23 earned run average, compared to 3.51 by the bullpen.

Freshman left-hander Brady Stover was the Friday starter for the first five weekends of league play, but has since been moved to the role of a mid-week starter or long reliever. Senior right-handers Ethan Kenkel and Austin Kost have each started four league games, with Kenkel pitching a combined 19 innings over his four starts.

LIGHTS OUT: Three relievers have solidified the Jackrabbit pitching staff in the first half of the 2017 season.

Leading the way is closer Chris Halbur. A senior right-hander from Manning, Iowa, Halbur did not a run in his first 13 appearances, covering 18 innings. Halbur's scoreless streak ended at 18 2/3 innings as he allowed the tying run to Creighton with two outs in the ninth inning on April 11, a game the Jackrabbits lost in 11 innings. He has given up only 11 hits (.159 opponent average) and struck out 23 batters against five walks. His six saves currently are tied for second in The Summit League, while his eight career saves at SDSU rank in a tie for ninth in program history.

Halbur earned the win after pitching the final three innings in SDSU's 1-0, 11-inning victory over Fort Wayne on March 31. He also pitched in the April 2 series finale, striking out two batters in an inning of work.

Left-hander Bryce Hanson has pitched effectively as a long reliever and spot starter. A sophomore from Dakota Dunes, Hanson is 3-0 in 13 appearances with a 1.35 earned run average. He has struck out 29 batters in 26 2/3 innings, including fanning a career-best eight batters in 4 1/3 innings en route to the win in the second game of an April 15 doubleheader at Western Illinois.

Junior setup man Derek Feige also has pitched well out of the bullpen and ranks second on the team with 16 appearances. A junior from Sioux Falls, Feige has posted a 3-2 record with a 2.30 ERA, while striking out 23 in 27 1/3 innings. Feige earned the victory in his last outing, April 22 versus Oral Roberts, after pitching three scoreless innings of relief.

PRO BALL UPDATE: Four former Jackrabbit players, led by Washington Nationals relief pitcher Blake Treinen, are currently seeing extensive action in professional baseball.

Treinen, who pitched at SDSU from 2010-11, began the season as the closer for the Nationals, earning three saves. He has since moved into a setup role and has eight strikeouts in nine innings.

Two other former Jackrabbit pitchers, Layne Somsen (2009-13) and Adam Bray (2012-15), are members of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Somsen has been assigned to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, where has appeared in seven games - all in relief - and has posted a 2-0 record. He has yet to allow a run in 10 innings pitched, collecting 10 strikeouts and four walks, while holding the opposition to a .171 batting average.

Somsen pitched for three different organizations last season, making his Major League debut with the Cincinnati Reds before pitching in the farm systems of the New York Yankees and the Dodgers.

Bray also is off to a fast start in the Dodgers organization as a member of the Class-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. In four appearances, including one start, Bray has posted a 0.56 earned run average with 18 strikeouts and only two walks in 16 innings. He has earned one save and has pitched four innings in each of his outings.

Also starting the 2017 season in Class A is outfielder Zach Coppola (2013-15), who is playing for the Clearwater Threshers in the Philadelphia Phillies farm system. In 16 games, Coppola is batting .321 (18-of-56) with two doubles, a home run and five runs batted in. He also is 3-for-3 in stolen-base attempts.

In addition, Caleb Thielbar (2006-09) was in Spring Training with the Miami Marlins, but was released in late March. Thielbar was the first Jackrabbit in the modern era to reach the Major Leagues, making his debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2013.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits are scheduled to wrap up their homestand with a three-game series May 5-7 versus Western Illinois.