SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The first week of League play is here as defending tournament champions, Oral Roberts, will host St. Thomas for a three-game series beginning on Friday at 3 p.m. CT. The Golden Eagles won the season series last season, 2-1, where they tallied 14 runs in the series finale.
Omaha has been on a tear lately and are winners of four straight games, including a solid 10-6 victory against in-state foe Nebraska. MIke Boeve is continuing to showcase why he's one of the best hitters in the League as the junior third baseman has a league-high .475 batting average.
The action resumes tomorrow where a quartet of fames and South Dakota State will get things going with a trip to Iowa where they will face the Hawkeyes.
UPCOMING
Friday, Mar. 17
South Dakota State at Iowa | 2 p.m.
North Dakota State at Houston Christian | 2 p.m.
Western Illinois at SEMO | 3 p.m.
St. Thomas at Oral Roberts | 3 p.m.
Valparaiso at Omaha | CCD
Saturday, Mar. 18
North Dakota State at Houston Christian | 1 p.m.
Western Illinois at SEMO | 2 p.m.
St. Thomas at Oral Roberts | 2 p.m.
Valparaiso at Omaha | CCD
Sunday, Mar. 19
South Dakota State at Iowa (DH) | 12 p.m.
Western Illinois at SEMO | 1 p.m.
St. Thomas at Oral Roberts | 1 p.m.
North Dakota State at Houston Christian | 2 p.m.
Valparaiso at Omaha | CCD
Tuesday, Mar. 21
Western Illinois at Southern Illinois | 3 p.m.
Wichita State at Oral Roberts | 6 p.m.
St. Thomas at Kansas State | 6 p.m.
Northern Colorado at Utah | 6 p.m.
Wednesday, March 22
Northern Colorado at Utah| 4 p.m.
St. Thomas at Kansas State | 6 p.m.
*All times local to site
TEAM TRACKER
NORTH DAKOTA STATE BISON (1-16, 0-0 SL) | @ndsubaseball
Next Up: at Houston Christian (3/17, 2 p.m. CT; 3/18, 1 p.m. CT; 3/19, 2 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: at Texas State (L, 8-7; L, 19-18; L, 5-1); at Texas (L, 7-2; L, 7-4)
The Bison were swept at Texas State and were able to put up 18 runs in a 19-18 loss to the Bobcats ... In the contest, both teams combined for 35 hits and 14 home runs and after trailing 13-5 entering the fifth inning, NDSU erupted for five runs on six hits to pull back within three, 13-10 ... Peter Brookshaw registered a .417 batting average, 1.000 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage over three games at Texas State ... The senior infielder notched five hits with four runs and three RBI while helping the Bison tie a program record with seven home runs in that game ... Tristen Roehrich punched out 12 in the series finale at Texas State, logging a career-high 5.2 innings and his dozen strikeouts were the most by a Bison pitcher since 2007.
NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS (2-13, 0-0 SL) | @UNC_BearsBSB
Next Up: at Utah (3/21, 6 p.m. MT; 3/22, 4 p.m. MT)
Previous Games: at UC San Diego (L, 17-10; L, 6-2; L, 8-0)
The Bears dropped a trio of games at UC San Diego and the Bears were able to score 10 runs in a 17-10 defeat ... In the game, Craig Kenny had a standout performance where he went 3-for-4 with four RBI and a home run ... Jake King finished 3-for-5 with three RBI while Austin Bunn batted 2-for-3 with two RBI and scored twice ... Kenny had another solid game in a doubleheader as the designated hitter batted 3-for-4 scoring one run ... The redshirt sophomore leads Northern Colorado with a .358 batting average and is slugging .590 with a 1.009 OPS ... The Bears will head to Utah for a pair of midweek games before starting League play.
OMAHA MAVERICKS (6-8, 0-0 SL) | @OmahaBSB
Next Up: Valparaiso (3/17-19, Canceled)
Previous Games: vs. Stonehill (W, 10-0; W, 13-3); at Nebraska (W, 10-6)
Omaha has now gone 6-2 since starting the season 0-6 and are now winners of four straight games including two against Stonehill and a clutch win against in-state foe Nebraska ... Against Stonehill, Devin Hurdle went 4-for-6 with six RBI and two runs scored ... He hit two doubles in game one and knocked his first home run of the season in the second game ... Caleb Riedel earned his first win of the season, striking out a career-high 13 in Omaha’s 10-0 win over Stonehill ... The Mavericks snapped the Cornhuskers’ winning streak of four games ... Charlie Bell struck out a season-high six batters and Cam Frederick notched his first career four-hit outing by going went 4-for-5 ... Eduardo Rosario drove in three runs against Nebraska, giving him nine games in his career with at least three RBIs.
ORAL ROBERTS GOLDEN EAGLES (10-8, 0-0 SL) | @ORUBaseball
Next Up: St. Thomas (3/17, 3 p.m. CT; 3/18, 2 p.m. CT; 3/19, 1 p.m. CT ), Wichita State (3/21, 6 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: at Dallas Baptist (L, 2-1; L, 15-5; L, 3-0), at Tarleton State (W, 9-6); at Abilene Christian (L, 10-8)
The Golden Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak after suffering their first series sweep of the season at Dallas Baptist with a win against Tarleton State ... Against the Texans, Jonah Cox registered his team-leading 10th multi-hit performance of the season as the junior went 3-for-5 to go along with four RBI ... Matt Hogan put together a strong performance at the dish as the senior went 3-for-4 to go along with three RBI and his team-leading sixth homer of the season ... Hogan also posted a career-high five RBI in a 10-8 loss to Abilene Christian while Hogan, Jonah Cox, Jake McMurray and Blazer Brothers all registered a multi-hit performance against the Wildcats ... Cox’s multi-hit game was a team-leading 11th of the season and fifth in his last six games.
ST. THOMAS TOMMIES (1-9, 0-0 SL) | @TommieBase
Next Up: at Oral Roberts (3/17, 3 p.m. CT; 3/18, 2 p.m. CT; 3/19, 1 p.m. CT); at Kansas State (3/21, 6 p.m. CT; 3/22, 6 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: at UIC (Cancelled); at Iowa (L, 10-1)
The Tommies’ four-game series at UIC was cancelled due to forcasted inclement weather and freezing temperatures in the Chicago area ... St. Thomas returned to play on Wednesday against Iowa, falling to the Hawkeyes, 10-1 ... Nolan Kemp started his first career game for UST on the mound and held Iowa without a hit through the first two innings ... Sam Kulesa drove in the Tommies’ lone run with a single to right field with runners on first and second ... Kulesa, Charlie Bartholomew, Tanner Marsh and Dylan O’Connell accounted for St. Thomas’ four hits ... Brigs Richartz top the team with a .275 batting average while Ben Vujovich leads the team with five RBI.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE JACKRABBITS (4-9, 0-0 SL) | @GoJacksBaseball
Next Up: vs. Iowa (3/17, 2 p.m. CT) at Iowa (3/19 - DH, 12 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: at Western Kentucky (L, 11-6; L, 10-3; L, 3-0), at Lindenwood (L, 3-2); at Saint Louis (W, 5-1)
The Jackrabbits snapped its five-game losing skid with a 5-1 triumph over Saint Louis ... SDSU scored three times in the top of the first inning and starting pitcher Jake Goble held the Bilikens in check over six innings, allowing an unearned run in the third inning while scattering four hits, striking out four and walking two in his longest career outing ... His previous longest outing was four innings in his collegiate debut last season ... Dawson Parry opened the scoring with a two-run home run and he has hit safely in 12 of the 13 games this season ... In the series finale against Western Kentucky, Ryan McDonald had his streak of reaching base safely end at 43 games and the Jackrabbits were no-hit for the first time at the Division I level against the Hilltoppers.
WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS (3-13, 0-0 SL) | @WIUBaseball
Next Up: at Southeast Missouri State (3/17, 3 p.m. CT; 3/18, 2 p.m. CT; 3/19, 1 p.m. CT); at Southern Illinois (3/21, 3 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: at Belmont (W, 5-2; W, 6-5; L, 4-3); vs. McKendree (cancelled); at Illinois State (L, 6-1)
Jake Armstrong slid into the Friday night role and picked up the second win of the season for the Leathernecks where he pitched 8.2 innings, allowing two runs with one being unearned in a 5-2 win against Belmont ... The senior set a season high in strike outs with six and dropped his ERA from 7.36 to 5.01 ... Armstrong gave up zero extra base hits allowing just five singles ... In the second win against the Bruins, the Leathernecks tallied five hits en route to a 6-5 victory and won back-to-back games for the first time since March 2021 ... The WIU offense was in full force as six Leathernecks tallied multiple hits ... Tyler Kapraun picked up his first victory as a Leatherneck where he went 6.0 innings allowing just five hits and two runs and had two strikeouts ... Nick Mitchell went 6-for-15 last week and is now batting .422 which ranks third in the League charts.
#SummitBSB
