NDSU Baseball Set for First-Ever Matchup with No. 20 Alabama

THIS WEEK
The North Dakota State (1-6) baseball team travels to No. 20 Alabama (9-0) for a three-game series beginning on Friday at 4:00 p.m.
 
COVERAGE
GoBison.com: Live statistics and video links are available on GoBison.com. All three games will be available on SEC Network+ for subscribers.
 
LAST TIME OUT
NDSU erased a five-run deficit to earn its first win of the season, 7-5, in the series finale at UTRGV. Noah Gordon connected on his second home run of the season in the ninth inning with a three-run shot to seal the comeback win. Logan Knight made the start on the hill tossing one strikeout over 4.0 innings. Landon Koenig threw a game-high four strikeouts in 2.0 innings of relief, while Skyler Riedinger earned the win finishing the final 2.0 frames with two strikeouts.
 
THE SERIES VS. ALABAMA
This will be the first all-time meeting between NDSU and Alabama. The Crimson Tide enter the series with a 9-0 overall record and slotted No. 20 in the USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll. It will mark the second top 25 opponent for the Bison after opening the season at then-ranked No. 21 Dallas Baptist.
 
THE CHALLENGING SCHEDULE AHEAD
The Bison are scheduled to play 52 total games and will face nine different opponents across 22 total non-conference games. Of that group, five teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season, including Dallas Baptist, Alabama, LSU, Tulane and Oklahoma State. The schedule also boasts three teams ranked in the USA Today Preseason Coaches Top 25 Poll, including No. 3 LSU, No. 17 Oklahoma State and No. 21 Dallas Baptist.
 
ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER ROAD TRIP
After opening the season with seven games in Texas, the Bison head back on the road for an eight game stretch across Alabama and Louisiana. NDSU begins the trip with three games at Alabama followed by two midweek matchups at LSU and a three-game series at Tulane before returning to Fargo.
 
FRESH FACES IN THE LINEUP
Through the first seven games, the Bison have had seven newcomers appear in the lineup for at least one start. Alex Urlaub leads the newcomer group with six starts in six appearances to go along with three hits and two runs. Dante Smith, Will Mann, Luke Shannahan, Evan Gustafson, Tyman Long, Tommy Simon and Tate Martin have also made at least one start this season.
 
KOENIG WORKING IN RELIEF
Landon Koenig started all 14 games he appeared in and ranked second on the team with 41 total strikeouts in his freshman season last year. The Portland, N.D. native has made all three of his appearances this season out of the bullpen with a team-best seven strikeouts over 5.0 innings.
 
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
The Bison were picked fourth in the Summit League preseason poll with 17 total points and one first place vote. Oral Roberts was picked first with 22 points and three first place votes.
 
SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sophomore infielder Jake Schaffner and senior left-handed pitcher Nolan Johnson were named to the Summit League Players and Pitchers to Watch list. Schaffner, who was named to the All-Summit League First Team last season, recorded a team-best .337 batting average and .436 on-base percentage last season to go along with a team-high 64 hits. Johnson appeared in six games last season with a career-best five starts and registered a 2.73 ERA before an injury sidelined him March.
 
RETURNING ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYERS
NDSU earned eight All-Summit League selections last year and return three from that group this season. Shortstop Jake Schaffner was named to the All-League First Team in his freshman season, while outfielder Sam Canton and right-handed pitcher Logan Knight were named to the honorable mention list.
 
SUMMIT LEAGUE SUCCESS
Under fourth-year head coach Tyler Oakes, the Bison have played a challenging non-conference schedule in preparation of Summit League play.
 
Over the last three seasons, the Bison are a combined 47-24-1 in conference play with 27 of those victories coming on the road. NDSU has reached the 15-win mark in three of the last four seasons and seven total times in Summit League play since joining the league in 2008. In Oakes’ first season as head coach in 2022, the Bison secured their first Summit League regular season title in program history.
 
EXPERIENCE IN THE BULLPEN
Reese Ligtenberg and Skyler Riedinger both return this season out of the bullpen. Last season, Ligtenberg made 31 relief appearances, which set the NDSU single-season record for appearances. His 31 appearances led the Summit League and ranked 27th in the nation. Reidinger made a career-high 29 appearances last season, which was the second-most in a single-season in Bison history.
The Bismarck, N.D., native is positioned sixth all-time in Bison history with 68 appearances over five seasons.
 
BISON PLAY IN BIG TIME VENUES
Under fourth-year head coach Tyler Oakes, the Bison have made a habit of scheduling a challenging non-conference schedule in preparation of Summit League play and have done it in some of the best venues in college baseball. Over the last three seasons, the Bison have played in front of five of the largest road crowds in program history since 1977. Last season, the Bison played in front of 9,909 fans at LSU on March 12, 2024, the highest road attendance in program history.
 
#PROBISON
NDSU has had eight incoming or current players selected in the MLB Draft since 2013. Joey Danielson became the 14th NDSU player selected in the MLB Draft dating back to 1968 after the Texas Rangers picked him in the 17th round last season. It marked the second straight season NDSU had a current pitcher selected in the draft after Cade Feeney was picked by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round in 2023. Bennett Hostetler was also selected in the 18th round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Miami Marlins and most recently earned a spot on the non-roster invitees list for spring training with the Marlins.
 
WHO’S BACK?
NDSU returns 16 letterwinners this season, including five starters that played in at least 50 percent of the games last season. The roster also features 14 seniors: Alex Urlaub, Sam Canton, Luis Garcia, Colten Becker, Sam Roberts, Logan Knight, Seth Thompson, Cole Mahlum, Alex Karns, Austin Bergum, Hayden Sylte, Reese Ligtenberg, Leland Wilson and Skyler Riedinger.
 
WELCOME TO THE SQUAD
The Bison welcome 14 newcomers this season: Alex Urlaub, Evan Gustafson, Will Mann, Tate Martin, Sam Roberts, Tommy Simon, Tyman Long, Luke Shannahan, Ethan Swaby, Danny Lachenmayer, Dante Smith, Cade Wiegert, Garrett Shupe and Luke Agnew.
 
STEIL JOINS COACHING STAFF
Jack Steil joined the NDSU coaching staff as the Director of Operations this offseason after spending two seasons with the Bison from 2023-24. He’s the second former Bison player on the coaching staff, joining Trent Keefer, who played at NDSU from 2014-15.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bison will continue their road swing at No. 3 LSU on Tuesday, March 4. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.