NDSU Baseball Set for Home Opener Against South Dakota State

THIS WEEK
The North Dakota State (6-16, 4-2 Summit) baseball team is set to make its home debut hosting South Dakota State (4-16, 2-4 Summit) for a three-game series beginning on Thursday at Newman Outdoor Field at 5:00 p.m.
 
COVERAGE
GoBison.com: All three games will feature live statistics and broadcast on the Summit League Network for subscribers. Fans can also listen to series on Bison 1660 with free streaming available on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app.
 
SCHEDULE UPDATE
The home opening series against SDSU this week has been adjusted due to anticipated weather conditions with the home opener set for Thursday at 5:00 p.m. Both Friday and Saturday are still to be determined.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Bison scored eight runs over the final three innings to pick up the 11-8 win in the series finale over Northern Colorado and won their second Summit League series of the season. The Bison totaled 15 hits as a team with four different players logging multiple hits. Dante Smith led the way going 4-of-4 at the plate with one RBI and two stolen bases.
 
THE BISON ARE HOME
The Bison will have played 24 straight road games before making their home debut against South Dakota State on Thursday. It will mark the earliest home opener for NDSU since at least the 2005 season.
 
THE SERIES VS. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
This will be the 217th all-time meeting between NDSU and South Dakota State dating back to 1956 with the Jackrabbits leading the series, 131-85. The two teams are 5-5 over the last 10 meetings with SDSU picking up an 8-5 win in Brookings in the most recent meeting last season on May 12.
 
TESTING OURSELVES AGAINST THE BEST
Entering the week, the Bison rank No. 45 in the NCAA Division I RPI rankings, which is the highest in the Summit League. NDSU has ranked as high as No. 22 in the RPI rankings this season. NDSU has also played the No. 1 non-conference strength of schedule and No. 4 overall strength of schedule in the nation so far this season.
 
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.
 
SCHAFFNER ON TOP OF THE LINEUP CARD
Jake Schaffner has been the leadoff hitter in all 22 games this season and has registered a .371 batting average with 33 hits and 20 runs over 72 appearances. The Janesville, Wis., native has notched a hit in 18 of 22 games this season, including starting the season on a 10-game hit streak. Schaffner has notched 97 hits with a .348 batting average over his first two seasons.
 
KNIGHT MODE IS BACK
Logan Knight helped lift the Bison to a 3-0 win at Oral Roberts on March 15. He posted his first career complete game shutout with a season-high seven strikeouts across a career-high 9.0 innings with no walks. It marked the first complete game shutout in a nine-inning game for a Bison pitcher since Cade Feeney accomplished the feat against Western Illinois on April 9, 2021. Knight leads the Bison with a team-high 28 strikeouts with a 5.57 ERA over six starts.
 
SMITH KEEPS PRODUCING
Dante Smith has continued to move himself up the lineup card this season. Last week, he notched a .444 batting average and went 8-of-18 at the plate with two doubles and one triple. He also added three RBI with two runs and stole two bases on two attempts. Smith logged at least two hits in all three games at Northern Colorado, including a season-best 4-of-4 in the series finale win against the Bears. He narrowly missed the cycle after posting a double in the first, triple in the fifth and singles in the third and sixth innings. Smith was named the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week for the first time in his career on Monday.
 
THE DO IT ALL CANADIAN
Tate Martin has been a utility player for the Bison this season making six starts across three different positions. He started the season with three appearances on the mound, including two starts and tossed four strikeouts. Martin has also started one game at first base and three as a designated hitter. He’s notched seven hits with four runs this season.
 
CANTON MAKES HIS RETURN
After missing the first nine games to begin the season, Sam Canton made his season debut at Alabama on March 1. He’s appeared in each of the last 11 games and has contributed 13 hits, including a career-high four on five appearances at Oral Roberts on March 16. Last season, Canton was the only Bison to play in all 51 games and contributed a team-high seven home runs and team-best 47 RBI.
 
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 nine of his appearances this season out of the bullpen with 19 strikeouts over 16.1 innings.
 
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 ranks tied for third all-time in Bison histoy with 73 career appearances. Kyle Kingsley (2010-13) is the all-time leader with 83 career appearances.
 
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.
 
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. Earlier this season, NDSU played in front of 10,446 fans at LSU on March 5, 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.
 
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
NDSU will be back on the road to begin at three-game series at Omaha on Friday, April 4. First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m.