SIOUX FALLS – South Dakota State has been picked to finish third in the 2024 Summit League baseball race, according to a preseason poll conducted among the leagues head coaches that was announced Wednesday.
The Jackrabbits, coached by Rob Bishop, completed the 2023 season with a 24-28 overall record. After finishing third in the Summit League regular season standings with a 13-11 mark in league play, SDSU advanced to the title game of the Summit League tournament.
Defending champion Oral Roberts was again tabbed as the favorite, earning five first-place votes and 25 points. North Dakota State received the other first-place vote and was second in the poll with 21 points, followed by the Jackrabbits with 16 points.
Omaha (13), Northern Colorado (9) and St. Thomas (6) rounded out the six-team poll.
In addition, senior Dawson Parry was named a Summit League Player to Watch and junior Alex Clemons was tabbed as a Summit League Pitcher to Watch.
A first baseman from Highland, Utah, Parry is the teams top returning hitter after posting a .322 batting average with 10 home runs and 39 runs batted in during the 2023 campaign. Parry also hit 10 home runs in his first season with the Jackrabbits in 2022.
Clemons, a right-hander from Bettendorf, Iowa, appeared in 19 games with two starts during the 2023 season and is expected to move into the closers role this season. He totaled 42 strikeouts in only 30 2/3 innings last year.
South Dakota State is scheduled to open the 2024 season with a four-game series Friday through Monday at New Mexico State. Summit League play will consist of a 30-game, double round-robin schedule, starting March 15-17 when the Jackrabbits play a three-game series at Oral Roberts. The four-team Summit League Baseball Championship is slated for May 22-25 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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