Big news for South Dakota State University Athletics this morning

SDSU Baseball Heads to the Twin Cities for Four-Game Road Swing

South Dakota State (7-23, 4-9 Summit) continues its road stretch this week with a four-game set in the Twin Cities, featuring a midweek matchup at Minnesota (17-17) and a three-game Summit League series at St. Thomas (17-13, 11-3).

Game Schedule
- At Minnesota (Siebert Field, Minneapolis): Wednesday, 6 p.m.
- At St. Thomas (Koch Diamond, St. Paul): Thursday & Friday at 3 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m.
Watch/Listen
- Minnesota Game: Streaming on BigTenPlus.com | Live stats: GoJacksLive.com
- St. Thomas Series: Streaming via Summit League Network (Midco Sports Plus) | Live stats: TommieSports.com
- Radio: Not available
- Social: Twitter | Instagram | #RAB5

Week Ahead: Jackrabbits Back in the Twin Cities

SDSU is set for its second trip to the Twin Cities this season, beginning Wednesday at Minnesota before shifting to St. Thomas for a key league series. The matchup with the Golden Gophers is a rematch from April 8, which Minnesota won 4-3.

The Tommies lead the Summit League standings and represent the start of the season’s second half for the Jackrabbits. SDSU enters the weekend 4-9 in conference play.

Opponent Breakdown

Minnesota (17-17, 5-10 Big Ten)
The Golden Gophers are on a six-game winning streak, which started with their earlier win over SDSU. They followed that up with victories over St. Thomas and a sweep of Ohio State, capped off by a 9-2 win vs. North Dakota State on Tuesday.

St. Thomas (17-13, 11-3 Summit)
Currently leading the Summit League, the Tommies took the series opener at North Dakota State last weekend but dropped the next two.

Series History

vs. Minnesota

Wednesday will be the 57th all-time meeting; Minnesota leads the series 41-15.
The Gophers have won four straight, including their 4-3 win earlier this month.
SDSU last beat Minnesota on April 26, 2022, in a 12-6 game fueled by a 10-0 start.

vs. St. Thomas

The Jackrabbits hold a 13-4 series advantage since the Tommies joined the Summit League in 2022.
St. Thomas won its first-ever series over SDSU in March, taking two of three in Brookings.

Jackrabbit Notes

Nolan Grawe, a freshman third baseman, had a 19-game hitting streak earlier this year, tied for the longest single-season streak in SDSU’s D-I history.
Jess Bellows leads active players with 155 career hits and owns the longest D-I hitting streak in school history (20 games).
Carter Sintek has hit safely in 26 of 29 games and tallied two triples in a single game at Northern Colorado—just the fourth SDSU player to do so in D-I play.
Adam Benes has shined at home, hitting .476 with two homers and five RBIs in seven games at Erv Huether Field.
Freshman pitcher Caleb Duerr earned his first collegiate win against St. Thomas after retiring 12 straight batters in a previous start at Northern Colorado.
Dylan Driessen was named Summit League Peak Pitcher of the Week after a 3.1-inning save with six strikeouts vs. Omaha. He leads the team with a 3.18 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 22.2 innings.

Around the Program

Preseason Poll: SDSU was picked to finish fifth in the Summit League.
League History: Since joining the Summit League, SDSU has gone 230-200 in conference play and made the tournament in 13 of 15 eligible seasons.
Facility Upgrade: Erv Huether Field now features a full synthetic turf surface, completed in April and funded by private donations.
Power Production: SDSU led the Summit in home runs in both 2022 and 2024. The Jackrabbits hit 80 long balls last season, led by now-departed slugger Cael Frost (21 HR).
Emerging Star: Sophomore Luke Luskey is the team’s top returning power hitter with 10 home runs this season, surpassing his total from last year.
Freshmen Impact: True freshmen have started a combined 107 games this season. Notables include Grawe, Jirschele, and Werk in the lineup, and Duerr on the mound.
Two-Way Talent: Freshmen Owen Siegert and Keagen Jirschele have contributed both at the plate and on the mound. Siegert is batting a team-best .358 with eight stolen bases and recently had a four-hit, three-double game vs. Omaha.

Ronken Settles into Right Field Role

Sophomore Bryce Ronken will make a permanent shift to the outfield for the 2025 season at South Dakota State.

Hailing from Sioux Falls, Ronken showcased his versatility last year by playing third base, designated hitter, and outfield. At the plate, he impressed with a .313 batting average (35-for-112) and a .545 slugging percentage, with 14 of his 35 hits going for extra bases—including seven doubles, two triples, and five home runs.

He had standout performances early in the season, tallying four extra-base hits in a series at Sacramento State. That included two doubles on Feb. 27 and a pair of solo home runs during SDSU’s first win of the year on March 1.

Ronken exploded offensively in a March 15 doubleheader at Northern Colorado, going 7-for-10 with four hits and a double in Game 1, followed by a 3-for-6 effort with two doubles and a career-best five RBIs in Game 2.

As of now, Ronken shares the team lead with seven doubles and ranks second in stolen bases (5). He’s also reached base in 14 consecutive games but missed the final two matchups of the Omaha series due to injury.

Baseball a Family Business for SDSU

Family ties run deep on the 2025 Jackrabbit roster with two sets of brothers suiting up together this season.

Catcher Jayden Gibson, who previously played at Western Illinois and Parkland College (Ill.), is joined by his brother Colin Gibson, a shortstop who earned All-America honors in 2024 at Dakota County Technical College.

The Werk brothers, Matthew and Nicholas, both from Madison Lake, Minnesota, also joined forces on the field. Matthew has seen time as a reserve infielder over the past two seasons, while Nicholas earned the nod as SDSU’s Opening Day left fielder.

Adding another family connection, senior pitcher Owen Bishop is the nephew of head coach Rob Bishop.

Newstrom Takes Over as Pitching Coach

Michael Newstrom joined the Jackrabbit coaching staff in fall 2024 and will lead the pitching corps moving forward.

Newstrom spent last season at Cal State Bakersfield, where the Roadrunners saw across-the-board improvement on the mound, including a full-run drop in team ERA.

The Washington native has also coached in collegiate summer leagues, helping the Souris Valley Sabre Dogs win the 2021 Expedition League title. He went on to coach with the Willmar Stingers of the Northwoods League in 2022 and 2023, leading them to playoff appearances in both seasons. Several pitchers under his guidance advanced to the Cape Cod League, and 12 were selected in the MLB Draft.

As a player, Newstrom was a reliever at Washington State from 2018-21, setting the school record for appearances in a season (34) and ranking eighth all-time in games pitched (76). He later served as a student assistant at WSU, specializing in pitcher development and analytics.

During his two years on staff, Cougar pitchers set new single-season strikeout records—473 in 2022 and 518 in 2023.

Coach Bishop’s Steady Leadership

Head coach Rob Bishop, now in his ninth season at SDSU, has led college teams to over 700 wins. Since taking over in 2016, he’s guided the Jackrabbits to a 165-225 overall record and a near .500 mark in Summit League play (99-96).

His tenure includes a handful of strong seasons: 26 wins in 2017, a title-game appearance in 2018, and a 28-22 campaign in 2019.

SDSU hit a school-record 89 home runs in 2023 and continued the power surge in 2024, leading the Summit League in both home runs (80) and slugging percentage (.492). Despite the offense, the Jacks missed the league tournament for the first time since 2012, finishing 20-29 overall and 11-17 in the conference.

Bishop has helped 41 players earn all-conference honors, including seven in 2024. Outfielder Cael Frost was named Summit League Player of the Year, with teammates Cade Stuff, Dawson Parry, Jordan Sagedahl, and Nic McCay joining him on the first team.

He’s also helped several players reach pro ball, including Luke Ringhofer (Orioles), Chris Halbur (Dodgers), Brady Stover (Nationals), Gus Steiger (Reds), and Ryan Bourassa (Braves).

Before SDSU, Bishop had success at Montana State-Billings and Miles Community College, racking up consistent 30- and 40-win seasons, conference titles, and a JUCO World Series appearance.

Team Breakdown

The 2025 SDSU baseball team includes 40 players representing 10 U.S. states and one Canadian province. The roster features 13 players from Minnesota, seven each from Nebraska and South Dakota, five from Iowa, and two from Montana. Other states represented include Colorado, North Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and Manitoba.

By class: 1 grad transfer, 11 seniors, 10 juniors, 4 sophomores, 5 redshirt freshmen, and 9 true freshmen.

On Deck

The Jackrabbits will begin an eight-game homestand across South Dakota with back-to-back midweek contests. They’ll host Northwestern (Iowa) at 3 p.m. on April 22 at Erv Huether Field, followed by a matchup with Creighton in Sioux Falls on April 23. First pitch at Sioux Falls Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m., with tickets priced at $10 for adults and $5 for kids.