A nine-game stretch of road games that will have taken the South Dakota State baseball team to five different Midwestern states is scheduled to wrap up today, when the Jackrabbits travel to Minnesota.
Game time is set for 6 p.m. at Siebert Field on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. Local radio coverage on Brookings-based KJJQ 910 AM and through the Jackrabbits All-Access media portal at GoJacks.com begins at 5:45 p.m.
SDSU enters the week 15-16 overall and is 2-6 on its current road swing. The Jackrabbits salvaged the final games of three-game weekend Summit League series at North Dakota State (April 7-9) and Western Illinois (April 14-15), and have played single mid-week games at Iowa (April 4) and Creighton (April 11).
Minnesota is 21-10 overall, but fell to 7-2 in Big Ten Conference play by dropping two of three games at Indiana over the weekend.
THE SERIES: Tuesday's game against Minnesota will mark the 44th time the Jackrabbits and Golden Gophers have met on the baseball diamond, including the second time in 2017. Minnesota leads the all-time series, which dates back to 1947, by a 31-12 count after recording a 7-5 victory on March 7 indoors at U.S. Bank Stadium.
In the meeting earlier this season, Anthony Schneider homered twice for the Jackrabbits, leading off the top of the second inning with a solo homer and adding a two-run shot in the fifth.
All of Minnesota's runs scored in two innings - a three-run first and four-run third. SDSU's bullpen pitched six scoreless innings.
The two squads split their two-game season series last year, with each team winning on its home field. Minnesota claimed a 7-3 win at Siebert Field on April 12, 2016, while the Jackrabbits closed out home action at Erv Huether Field on May 17, 2016, with a 7-6, 10-inning victory which ended on a suicide squeeze bunt by Zach Holt that scored Phil Velez.
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 28 of 31 games in 2017. The Ankeny, Iowa, native leads the Jackrabbits with seven home runs, 11 doubles and 24 runs batted in, while ranking second with a .319 batting average and .414 on-base percentage. He also ranks first on the squad with a .588 slugging percentage
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 21 career home runs - the last of which came in the second game of an April 15 doubleheader at Western Illinois. His 45 career doubles also are the most among active Jackrabbit players and rank ninth on the SDSU career charts.
A junior third baseman from Rapid City, Newt Johnson ranks second on the team with 10 doubles and 22 runs batted in. He has driven in three runs in a game four times thus far in 2017, including the second game of an April 15 doubleheader at Western Illinois.
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 27 consecutive games, which included 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, Minn., Smith has tallied a team-high 47 hits, while posting a team-best 15 multi-hit games. Smith recorded at least two hits in three of the Jackrabbits' four games last week, including going 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.
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 allow 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 10 hits (.154 opponent average) and struck out 23 batters against five walks. His five saves currently are tied for second in the Summit League, while his seven career saves at SDSU rank 10th in program history.
Halbur earned the win after pitching the final three innings in SDSU's 1-0, 11-inning victory over IPFW 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 in a tie for second place on the team with 14 appearances. A junior from Sioux Falls, Feige has posted a 2-2 record with a 2.31 ERA, while striking out 20 in 23 1/3 innings.
Over the last two Summit League weekend series against North Dakota State and Western Illinois, Jackrabbit relievers combined for 1.82 ERA by allowing only six earned runs in 29 2/3 innings pitched.
INJURY BUG: The Jackrabbit pitching staff has been short-handed over the last two weeks. Two-time Summit League Pitcher of the Week Ryan Froom is out indefinitely with an arm injury and fellow hurler Tyler Olmstead has missed the last three weeks due to injury. Olmstead is on track to return to the mound as soon as this week.
Starting shortstop Tony Kjolsing, who had been sidelined by injury since the opening weekend of the season, made his return to the starting lineup April 1 versus IPFW and has hit safely in his last four games.
A LOOK AHEAD: SDSU will then enter into a season-long 11-game homestand, starting with a three-game Summit League series Friday through Sunday against Oral Roberts to kick off the second half of the league season.
The April 21 series opener is set for a 3 p.m. first pitch at Erv Huether Field. The final two games of the series are slated for 1 p.m. starts.
