After testing the waters of Summit League play the last two weeks, the South Dakota State University baseball team goes back out of conference this weekend with a four-game series at Evansville.

The series opener is slated for 6 p.m. today at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville, Indiana, followed by a doubleheader Saturday and series finale on Sunday. Action on both Saturday and Sunday is set to begin at 1 p.m. All four games are scheduled to be broadcast on the ESPN+ streaming platform.

This weekend’s series also is scheduled to mark the last of 24 consecutive games away from home to start the season for the Jackrabbits, who enter the weekend 7-13 overall and 2-6 in The Summit League. SDSU won the opener of its four-game league series at Western Illinois last weekend in Macomb, Illinois, but dropped the final three games, including the last two by one run each.

Evansville is 12-11 overall, including a 1-3 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. In their most recent action, the Purple Aces won the final three games of a four-game home series against Big East foe Xavier, March 26-28.

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. In 13 seasons as a member of The Summit League, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 182-143 (.560 winning percentage) in regular season conference games. SDSU has posted a .500 or better record in league play nine times and has qualified for the four-team postseason tournament 10 out of the 11 years it has been eligible.

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

SHORT HOPS

Following are a few quick notes about the Jackrabbits heading into this weekend’s series:

• SDSU had scored only one first-inning run through the first 16 games of the season before putting three runs on the board in the first inning of their March 26 series opener at Western Illinois.

• Drew Beazley became the first Jackrabbit with a four-hit game this season, setting a single-game career high in the March 26 opener at Western Illinois and tying a single-game personal best with four runs batted in;

• Freshman Drake Frazier earned starts in the outfield in the final two games of the Western Illinois series and responded with a pair of two-hit games;

• As a team, SDSU set season highs in the March 26 opener with 15 hits and five doubles;

• The Jackrabbits are 2-4 in series-opening games so far this season;

• True freshman position players Jess Bellows (17), Jordan Sagedahl (13), Garrett Stout (11) and Avery Mellman (8) have combined for 49 starts so far this season;

• Cody Carlson has pitched at least five innings in all five of his starts this season;

• Freshman left-hander Clay Odenbach pitched a scoreless sixth inning in Game 2 of the March 26 twinbill for his fourth consecutive appearance without allowing a run, lowering his season ERA to 1.93.