JACKRABBIT ATHLETICS NEWS RELEASE

Jackrabbit Sports Information 2820 HPER Center Brookings, SD 57007-1497 Sports Information Director: Jason Hove Phone: (605) 688-4623 E-mail: Jason.Hove@sdstate.edu Associate SID: Ryan Sweeter Phone: (605) 688-4822 E-mail: Ryan.Sweeter@sdstate.edu Facebook: www.facebook.com/jackrabbit.nation Twitter: @SDSU_Jacks Website: www.GoJacks.com

South Dakota State

2 0 1 4 B A S E B A L L I N F O R M AT I O N

Jacks set for week in Florida

THIS WEEK
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (6-5) at SNOWBIRD INVITATIONAL
March 7-12; North Charlotte Regional Park Port Charlotte, Fla.

Sports Information Contact: Jason Hove

March 5, 2014

SDSU PROBABLE STARTERS 1B Aaron Machbitz, Sr., R-R, Dallas, Texas (.310 avg., 3 HR, 14 RBI, .619 slg.) 2B Al Robbins, Jr., L-R, West Chicago, Ill. (.333 avg., 1 HR, 6 RBI, 14 BB, .542 OBP) 3B Jordan Varga, Jr., L-R, Port Coquitlam, B.C. (.529 avg., 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1 2B) or Matt Johnson, Fr., L-R, Ankeny, Iowa (.208 avg., 0 HR, 3 RBI) SS Cody Sharrow, So., R-R, Jericho, Vt. (.333 avg., 1 HR, 8 RBI), .500 slg.) or Tyler Shannon, Sr., R-R, Canon City, Colo. (.200 avg., 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1-1 SB) C Reid Clary, Jr., R-R, Princeton, Ill. (.160 avg., 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2-2 SB) LF Eric Danforth, Jr., L-L, Watertown, S.D. (.207 avg., 0 HR, 4 RBI) CF Zach Coppola, So., L-R, Windsor Heights, Iowa (.250 avg., 0 HR, 0 RBI, .351 OBP) RF Scott Splett, Sr., R-R, Apple Valley, Minn. (.317 avg., 1 HR, 4 RBI, .439 slg.) DH Paul Jacobson, So., R-R, Dakota Dunes, S.D. (.139 avg., 0 HR, 1 RBI) or Jake Ratz, Sr., L-L, Hiawatha, Iowa (.133 avg., 1 HR, 5 RBI) SDSU PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS 1 Adam Bray, Jr., RHP , Eden Prairie, Minn. (2-1, 4.58 ERA, 17.2 IP , 15 K, 2BB) 2 Chris Anderson, Jr., LHP , Aurora, Ill. (0-1, 1.35 ERA, 20.0 IP , 14 K, 6 BB) Remainder of rotation to be determined

BROOKINGS, S.D. The South Dakota State University baseball team will be in Florida over the next week, playing six games as part of its annual Spring Break trip. For the second year in a row, the Jackrabbits, 6-5 overall, will be competing in the Snowbird Invitational in Port Charlotte, Fla. SDSU is scheduled to play six games in as many days, starting with a Friday morning matchup against Presbyterian (S.C.). A complete Jackrabbit schedule follows, with opponents records through March 4 in parentheses: Friday, March 7: vs. Presbyterian (S.C) (5-5-1), 11 a.m. ET Saturday, March 8: vs. Maine (3-7), 3 p.m. ET Sunday, March 9: vs. Maine, 11 a.m. ET; vs. Georgetown (3-6), 3 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 11: vs. Georgetown, 3 p.m. ET Wednesday, March 12: vs. Baldwin Wallace (Ohio) (2-2), 10 a.m. ET All SDSU games will be played at North Charlotte Regional Park. THE SERIES: The Jackrabbits have never faced any of their opponents at the 2014 Snowbird Invitational. BACK TO FLORIDA: SDSU came away with a split of its four games at the 2013 Snowbird Invitational. The Jackrabbits won both of their meetings against St. Bonaventure (N.Y.), posting 10-5 and 12-7 victories. Both of SDSUs losses were to Ohio State by scores of 10-2 and 5-2. PRESEASON POLLS: The South Dakota State University baseball team has been picked to finish second in the Summit League regular season race, according to a poll conducted among the leagues coaches that was announced on Feb. 6 The Jackrabbits, 35-24 overall last year, turned in a runner-up finish during Summit League regular season play during the 2013 season with a 16-12 record. SDSU went on to claim its first Summit League postseason tournament title last season to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time at the Division I level. Defending regular season champion Omaha received three first-place votes to claim the top spot in the 2014 preseason poll. SDSU received one first-place vote to garner its second-place projection. North Dakota State was third, followed by Western Illinois in fourth despite receiving a first-place vote. Fort Wayne rounded out the five-team field. Summit League play begins March 28, when the Jackrabbits travel to Western Illinois for a doubleheader. The 24-game league schedule concludes May 17, followed by the fourteam Summit League Baseball Championship May 22-24, which SDSU will host in Sioux Falls. MOORE ON PRESEASON RADAR: Jackrabbit relief pitcher J.D. Moore has been named Summit League Preseason Pitcher of the Year by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. A junior from Mississauga, Ontario, Moore set a Jackrabbit single-season school record

2014 SCHEDULE
FEBRUARY 14 ^vs. Texas Southern W, 11-1 15 ^vs. Texas Southern L, 0-1 at Jackson State (Miss.) W, 10-2 16 at Jackson State (Miss.) L, 1-2 21 at Alabama A&M W, 12-5 22 at Alabama A&M [DH] L, 4-6/W, 2-1 23 at Alabama A&M W, 11-4 28 at Texas-San Antonio L, 1-5 MARCH 1 at Texas-San Antonio [DH] (10 inn.) W, 7-6/ L, 5-8 7-12 at Snowbird Invitational; Port Charlotte, Fla. 7 vs. Presbyterian (S.C.) 11 a.m. ET 8 vs. Maine 3 p.m. ET 9 vs. Maine 11 a.m. ET vs. Georgetown 3 p.m. ET 11 vs. Georgetown 3 p.m. ET 12 vs. Baldwin Wallace (Ohio) 10 a.m. ET 14 at Creighton (Neb.) 6 p.m. 15 at Creighton (Neb.) 2 p.m. 16 at Creighton (Neb.) 1 p.m. 21 at Chicago State (Ill.) 3 p.m. 22 at Chicago State (Ill.) 3 p.m. 23 at Chicago State (Ill.) 1 p.m. 28 *at Western Illinois [DH] 1 p.m./4 p.m. 30 *at Omaha [DH] noon/3 p.m. APRIL 4 *NORTH DAKOTA STATE [DH] 1 p.m./4 p.m. 6 *FORT WAYNE [DH] 1 p.m./4 p.m. 8 MOUNT MARTY 3 p.m. 9 MINNESOTA 3 p.m. 11 AIR FORCE 3 p.m. 12 AIR FORCE 1 p.m. 13 AIR FORCE 1 p.m. 15 NORTH DAKOTA 3 p.m. 18 *at Fort Wayne 3 p.m. ET 19 *at Fort Wayne [DH] noon/3 p.m. ET 20 *at Fort Wayne noon ET 23 DAKOTA STATE 3 p.m. 25 at Iowa 6 p.m. 26 at Iowa 2 p.m. 27 at Iowa 1 p.m. MAY 2 *OMAHA 3 p.m. 3 *OMAHA [DH] 1 p.m./4 p.m. 4 *OMAHA 1 p.m. 9 *WESTERN ILLINOIS 3 p.m. 10 *WESTERN ILLINOIS [DH] 1 p.m./4 p.m. 11 *WESTERN ILLINOIS 1 p.m. 12 at North Dakota 5 p.m. 14 WINNIPEG 3 p.m. 15 *at North Dakota State 6:30 p.m. 16 *at North Dakota State [DH] 1 p.m./4 p.m. 17 *at North Dakota State 1 p.m. 22-24 Summit League Baseball Championship
^ at Jackson, Miss. *Summit League game Home games in CAPS All home games played at Huether Field on the SDSU campus DH denotes doubleheader All start times Central Time unless noted otherwise

with 13 saves in helping lead the Jackrabbits to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance at the Division I level in 2013. He struck out 38 batters in 31.2 innings and posted a 1.99 earned run average, while limiting the opposition to a .175 batting average. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper also named senior first baseman Aaron Machbitz, sophomore outfielder Paul Jacobson and junior pitchers Adam Bray and Chris Anderson as Jackrabbit players to watch this year. In addition, Moore is one of 50 relief pitchers named to the initial watch list for the 10th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award. He is one of 17 players on the list who tallied at least 12 saves a season ago. The watch list will be updated the week of April 21, with finalists named on June 4. The winner of the award will be announced during the 2014 College World Series. LAST WEEK: The Jackrabbits moved to 6-5 overall by winning one of three games in a weekend series at UTSA in San Antonio, Texas. Both teams competed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Game 1: UTSA 5, South Dakota State 1 Brock Hartson struck out nine South Dakota State batters over eight innings and Jesse Baker went 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored to lift UTSA to a 5-1 victory Feb. 28 in the opening game of a three-game college baseball series at Roadrunner Park. UTSA led throughout, scoring twice in the bottom of the first inning. Baker drove in Mitchell Matulia with the first run on a two-run triple. Baker later scored on an error. The Roadrunners made it 3-0 against Jackrabbit starter Adam Bray in the second inning as Tony Ramirez walked, advanced to third base on a pair of wild pitches and scored on a base hit by John Welborn. SDSU put the leadoff man on base in each of the first four innings, but didnt crack the scoring column until the top of the sixth. Three consecutive one-out singles by Scott Splett, Jordan Varga and Aaron Machbitz plated the lone Jackrabbit run. The Roadrunners put the game away with two runs in the home half of the second. Baker led off with a base hit, stole second and later scored on a wild pitch. The final UTSA run scored on a sacrifice fly. Hartson, a sophomore right-hander, struck out the side in the third inning, en route to his nine strikeouts. He walked two and surrendered six hits. Reliever Logan Onda also fanned the side in the ninth inning, giving the Roadrunner pitching staff 12 Ks on the evening. Bray suffered his first loss of the season, falling to 2-1 after giving up eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one. Splett and Machbitz each recorded two of the Jackrabbits seven hits.
UTSA 5, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 1 SDSU 000 001 000 1-7-1 UTSA 210 002 00X 5-9-0 SDSU: Adam Bray, Tyler Shannon (6), Ethan Kenkel (8) and Sam Pack. UTSA: Brock Hartson, Logan Onda (9) and John Bormann. W-Hartson (1-0). L-Bray (2-1). Save-none. HR: none.

Game 2: South Dakota State 7, UTSA 6 (10 inn.) South Dakota State lost the lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, but recovered to score the game-winning run in the top of the 10th for a 7-6 Jackrabbit victory over UTSA in the opening game of a college baseball doubleheader on March 1. Trailing 6-1 through seven innings in the opener, UTSA scored an unearned run in the eighth before extending the game on a grand slam by third baseman R.J. Perucki. SDSU closer J.D. Moore walked the bases loaded before giving way to Talon Jumper with one out in the inning. Jumper struck out the first batter he faced for the second out, but Perucki hit a shot over the fence in left field to tie the game. The Roadrunners went on to load the bases again later in the inning on a double, walk and hit batter before an infield popup ended the threat. SDSU pushed across the winning run in the 10th inning with help from an error and a balk. Al Robbins walked with one out and advanced to second when Reid Clary reached on a dropped fly ball. Both runners moved up a base on a balk, and Robbins came across with what proved to be the winning run on a groundout by Tyler Shannon.

2014 LEADERS
BATTING AVERAGE
(Min. 20 AB)

Al Robbins Cody Sharrow Scott Splett Aaron Machbitz Zach Coppola RUNS SCORED Al Robbins Aaron Machbitz Scott Splett Reid Clary Zach Coppola Paul Jacobson HITS Aaron Machbitz Scott Splett Al Robbins Cody Sharrow Jordan Varga DOUBLES Aaron Machbitz Al Robbins Reid Clary Cody Sharrow Scott Splett TRIPLES Eric Danforth Al Robbins HOME RUNS Aaron Machbitz Jake Ratz Al Robbins Cody Sharrow Scott Splett RUNS BATTED IN Aaron Machbitz Cody Sharrow Al Robbins Jake Ratz Eric Danforth Scott Splett SLUGGING PCT. Aaron Machbitz Al Robbins Jordan Varga Cody Sharrow Scott Splett

.333 .333 .317 .310 .250 14 9 9 5 5 5 13 13 11 10 9 4 4 2 2 2 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 14 8 6 5 4 4 .619 .606 .588 .500 .439

ON-BASE PERCENTAGE Al Robbins .542 Scott Splett .391 Cody Sharrow .355 Zach Coppola .351 Aaron Machbitz .341 STOLEN BASES Reid Clary Al Robbins Five players APPEARANCES Andrew Clemen Joe Erickson Six pitchers GAMES STARTED Chris Anderson Adam Bray Chad Hodges Kolton Emery INNINGS PITCHED Chris Anderson Chad Hodges Adam Bray Kolton Emery Joe Erickson
(Min. 5 inn.)

2 2 1 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 20.0 18.1 17.2 9.1 7.0

Jumper retired the side in order in the bottom of the 10th, including two by strikeout, to seal the victory. UTSA led 1-0 through five innings, scoring in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Horacio Correa. The Jackrabbits gained the lead in the top of the sixth after an error extended the inning, leading to Aaron Machbitzs three-run home run down the left-field line. For Machbitz, a Texas native, it was his team-leading third home run of the season. SDSU built the lead to 6-2 in the top of the seventh, scoring three times against three different Roadrunner pitchers. Cody Sharrow and Jordan Varga each delivered run-scoring singles, with the middle of the three runs scoring on a double-play grounder. Sharrow was 3-for-4 to lead SDSUs 12-hit effort. Clary and Shannon each tallied two hits. Jackrabbit starter Chris Anderson struck out four, walked three and gave up four hits in seven innings of one-run baseball, but did not factor into the decision.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 7, UTSA 6 (10 inn.) SDSU 000 003 300 1 7-12-2 UTSA 100 000 014 0 6-7-2 SDSU: Chris Anderson, Joe Erickson (8), J.D. Moore (9), Talon Jumper (9) and Reid Clary. UTSA: Nolan Trabanino, Andre Shewcraft (7), Douglas Sefcik (7), Jeremy Filipek (7), Boone Mokry (8), Matt Sims (10) and John Bormann. W-Jumper (1-0). L-Sims (0-1). Save-none. HR: SDSU-Aaron Machbitz (3); UTSA-R.J. Perucki (1).

EARNED RUN AVERAGE Joe Erickson Chris Anderson Talon Jumper Chad Hodges Adam Bray WINS Adam Bray Chad Hodges Joe Erickson Talon Jumper SAVES none STRIKEOUTS Chad Hodges Chris Anderson Adam Bray Joe Erickson Andrew Clemen Kolton Emery 12 14 15 5 4 4 0.00 1.35 1.69 3.44 4.58 2 2 1 1

Game 3: UTSA 8, South Dakota State 5 In the second game of the day and the series finale on March 1, UTSA scored a combined seven times between the fifth and sixth innings to pull away for an 8-5 victory. Jesse Baker put the Roadrunners on the board with a solo home run two batters into the bottom of the first inning, but SDSU momentarily held a 2-1 lead after an Al Robbins two-run, opposite-field home run in the top of the fifth. UTSA gained the lead for good by scoring four times against Jackrabbit starter Chad Hodges in the home half of the fifth. Baker continued his hot hitting with a bases-clearing three-run double to left field and later scored on a double by Mitchell Matulia. After allowing an unearned run in the top of the sixth, the Roadrunners tacked on three more runs in their turn at the plate later in the inning against the Jackrabbit bullpen. Perucki plated the first run of the inning with a sacrifice fly against Kolton Emery, and Correa followed two batters later with a two-run single up the middle. SDSUs final two runs came in the top of the ninth on an RBI double by Machbitz and run-scoring single by Jordan Varga. Varga and Scott Splett each collected two of the Jackrabbits nine hits. John Welborn was 4-for-5 to lead UTSAs 12-hit attack. Baker ended the game 3-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored. UTSA starter Justin Anderson struck out seven and walked only one in six strong innings. Logan Onda worked the final three innings to earn the save, striking out three. Hodges struck out only one batter and walked three in 4 1/3 innings as he suffered his first loss of the season. The junior right-hander gave up five runs on eight hits, while Emery was charged with the other three runs.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 2, ALABAMA A&M 1 SDSU 000 021 000 5-9-1 UTSA 100 043 00X 8-12-2 SDSU: Chad Hodges, Kolton Emery (5), Blake Fiedelman (6), Andrew Clemen (6) and Reid Clary. UTSA: Justin Anderson, Logan Onda (7) and John Bormann. W-Anderson (2-1). L-Hodges (2-1). Save-Onda (1). HR: SDSU-Al Robbins (1); UTSA-Jesse Baker (3).

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: South Dakota State swept the weekly Summit League baseball awards on Feb. 24 as infielder Al Robbins was named Player of the Week and Chad Hodges earned Pitcher of the Week honors. A junior from West Chicago, Ill., Robbins recorded an extra-base hit three doubles and a triple in all four games of a weekend series at Alabama A&M, helping lead the Jackrabbits to a 3-1 record. The left-handed-hitting Robbins hit .429 (6-for-14), while compiling a .786 slugging percentage and .556 on-base percentage. He finished the weekend

M I S C E L L A N E O U S S TAT S
MULTI-HIT GAMES Scott Splett Al Robbins Jordan Varga Zach Coppola Eric Danforth Aaron Machbitz Cody Sharrow 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 MULTI-RBI GAMES Aaron Machbitz Al Robbins Cody Sharrow Eric Danforth Matt Johnson Jake Ratz Scott Splett MULTI-HOME RUN GAMES Aaron Machbitz 2 2 2 1 1 1 1

with seven runs scored, three runs batted in, four bases on ball and two stolen bases. Defensively, Robbins made a diving stop up the middle for the final out in the Jackrabbits' 2-1 victory in the second game of a Feb. 22 doubleheader. Hodges improved to 2-0 with a seven-inning complete game in SDSU's 2-1 victory on Feb. 22. A junior from Medicine Hat, Alberta, Hodges struck out a career-high eight batters, walked only one and gave up four hits. The lone run he allowed in the game was unearned. Hodges was the second Jackrabbit in as many weeks to earn Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors, joining fellow junior right-hander Adam Bray following the opening week of the 2014 season. PITCHING PROWESS: Jackrabbit pitchers combined to put up some impressive numbers through the first three weeks of play. As a staff, SDSU pitchers have compiled a 3.42 team earned run average through eight games, recording five games of allowing two runs or less. Opponents are hitting a mere .229 against SDSU pitchers. In additon, Jackrabbit pitchers have struck out 64 batters in 94 2/3 innings, while walking only 32. Fourteen different Jackrabbits have seen action on the mound so far this season. MACHBITZ OFF TO FAST START: Senior first baseman Aaron Machbitz has helped pace the Jackrabbit offense through the first three weeks of the season. A native of Dallas, Texas, Machbitz has hit safely in 10 of 11 games, carrying a six-game hitting streak into the weekend and posting a .310 batting average (13-for-42). He leads the team with three home runs, 14 runs batted in and a .619 slugging percentage. His first two home runs of the season both came in SDSUs 10-2 win over Jackson State (Miss.) on Feb. 15, marking the first multi-home run game of his career and first by a Jackrabbit since Daniel Telford hit a pair of home runs in the second game of a doubleheader April 12, 2013, at Fort Wayne. Machbitz also has not commited an error in 93 total defensive chances, recording 88 putouts and five assists. He upped his career putouts total to 918, moving him into fourth place in program history and past Joel Blake (908 putouts from 2009-11). Chet Meyer, who tallied 1,213 putouts from 1987-90, stands third in career putouts at SDSU. SHARROW SHINES: Sophomore Cody Sharrow has filled a starting role on the left side of the infield early in the 2014 season and has responded with both the bat and the glove. The Vermont native is currently batting .333 (10-for-30) with a home run and eight runs batted in. He hit his first collegiate home run and drove in a career-high four runs as part of a 3-for-5 effort at the plate in the Feb. 23 series finale at Alabama A&M. He also drove in a pair of runs with a double in the Feb. 21 series opener. Seeing action at both shortstop and third base this season, Sharrow ranks third on the team the team with 20 assists and has committed only one error in 32 total chances for a .969 fielding percentage. As a team, the Jackrabbits have committed only nine errors in posting a Summit League-best .977 team fielding percentage. SUMMIT IN SIOUX FALLS: South Dakota State University Athletics, in conjunction with the Sioux Falls Sports Authority and the Sioux Falls Canaries, has reached an agreement to host the 2014 Summit League Baseball Championship at Sioux Falls Stadium. This is a great opportunity for the city of Sioux Falls and The Summit League, said Wes Hall, executive director of the Sioux Falls Sports Authority. Sioux Falls is a great sports town and we are excited to play a part in the journey to the College World Series. The four-team, double-elimination tournament is scheduled to be played May 22-24. The tournament format consists of opening-round games May 22, three games on May 23 and up to two games to decide the tournament champion on May 24. The winner of the tournament will receive the Summit Leagues automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which begins on May 30. Our team is honored to once again host our league championship in a first-class venue, South Dakota State head coach Dave Schrage said. We look forward to playing three exciting days of Summit League championship baseball in front of large crowds. Sioux Falls Stadium previously hosted the Summit League Baseball Championship in 2011. SDSU also hosted the 2006 Division I Independent Tournament at Sioux Falls Stadium.

CURRENT HIT STREAK Aaron Machbitz 6 Jordan Varga 5 Scott Splett 4

(2 HR at Jackson State, 2-15)

2 0 1 4 S U M M I T L E AG U E S TA N D I N G S
SCHOOL South Dakota State Omaha North Dakota State Fort Wayne Western Illinois OVERALL 6-5 4-4 2-4 3-7 1-6 CONF. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Standings through games played March 5, 2014

2 0 1 4 S U M M I T L E AG U E PRESEASON POLL
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Omaha (3) South Dakota State (1) North Dakota State Western Illinois (1) Fort Wayne 15 12 10 8 5

Note: First-place votes in parentheses

COACH SCHRAGE: Veteran baseball coach Dave Schrage (pronounced Schrag) enters his 26th season as a collegiate head coach and third at South Dakota State University during the 2014 season. Schrage was hired to take over the reins of the Jackrabbit baseball program on Aug. 8, 2011. After posting an 18-33-1 record in his first season at South Dakota State, including a 7-14 mark in The Summit League, Schrage directed a big turnaround in 2013, leading SDSU its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament at the Division I level. The Jackrabbits, who ended the season with a 35-24 overall record last season, won four consecutive games to claim their inaugural Summit League postseason tournament title and advance to the Eugene Regional of the NCAA Tournament, where they were edged in a pair of one-run games. Schrage enters the Snowbird Invitational with a 655-724-2 career mark, including a 59-62-1 record at SDSU. He recorded his 600th career victory on March 19, 2012, when the Jackrabbits posted an 11-8 victory at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. Now in his 26th season as a collegiate head coach, he has averaged more than 25 victories per season, including six campaigns with 32 or more wins. He has coached players who have earned all-conference honors 64 times and 40 of his former student-athletes have gone on to play professionally, including Layne Somsen and Stephen Bougher from the Jackrabbits 2013 squad. Prior to South Dakota State, Schrage was head coach at Notre Dame for four seasons, leading the Fighting Irish to a 119-104-1 record from 2007-10. After posting a .500 record (28-28) his first season in South Bend, Schrage put Notre Dame in contention for postseason play with a 33-21-1 record in 2008 and a 36-23 mark in 2009. The Fighting Irish led the BIG EAST Conference in fielding in both 2008 and 2009, while consistently ranking at or near the top in batting, on-base percentage and earned run average. Schrage has previously found success at the mid-major level, including a four-year stint at Evansville (Ind.) from 2003-06, during which he guided the Purple Aces to a 130108 record. Evansville improved its win total each of his four seasons, from 24 in 2003 to 43 in 2006. Schrage earned Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors for the third time in 2006 as Evansville won both the regular season and tournament conference titles, earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Purple Aces advanced all the way to the finals of the Charlottesville Regional, knocking off host Virginia before falling to South Carolina in the championship. A Chicago native, Schrage directed a dramatic turnaround in his home state during a three-year run at Northern Illinois from 2000-02. After inheriting a team that was 4-51 the year before he arrived, Schrages squad turned in a 20-game improvement with a 24-33 record in his first season and then led the Huskies to a winning season in 2001 with a 28-27 overall mark. He was named runner-up for National Coach of the Year by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper in 2000. Schrage began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant under his predecessor at Notre Dame, Paul Mainieri, at St. Thomas University (Fla.) in 1984. He later returned to his alma mater, Creighton University (Neb.), as an assistant coach for two seasons. From 1986-87, Schrage coached the Queensland Rams club team in Brisbane, Australia, before returning stateside as he gained his first head coaching job at Waldorf College (Iowa). From 1988-90 he led the junior college program to a 61-66 mark. Schrage then spent nine seasons as head coach at the University of Northern Iowa, where he was named Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1997. His teams improved from two league victories in UNIs first season in the MVC in 1992 to 18 during the 1997 campaign. As a collegiate player, Schrage was an all-conference outfielder at Creighton, batting .400 as a junior and .433 his senior season. He also was an Academic All-America honoree during his senior campaign in 1983, and graduated that spring with a bachelor of science degree in finance. Schrage was honored on the MVCs Centennial Celebration baseball team and is the only person in league history to earn all-conference honors and be named MVC Coach of the Year in baseball.

C OAC H S C H R AG E
at Waldorf (Iowa) 61-66 record in three seasons (1988-90) at Northern Iowa 211-292 in nine seasons (1991-99) at Northern Illinois 75-92 in three seasons (2000-02) at Evansville (Ind.) 130-108 in four seasons (2003-06) at Notre Dame (Ind.) 119-104-1 in four seasons (2007-10) at South Dakota State 59-62-1 in two-plus seasons (2012-14) * 2012: 18-33-1 * 2013: 35-24 * 2014: 6-5 Career Totals: 655-724-2 in 26 seasons

THE ROSTER: The 2014 SDSU baseball roster features 36 players from 12 different states plus three Canadian provinces. Of the 36 players, nine are from Iowa, six are from South Dakota, five are from Illinois and four hail from Minnesota. Two Jackrabbit players are from Colorado, while Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Vermontare represented by one player each. In addition, three players are from Canada one each from Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario. By class, six are seniors, 13 are juniors, eight are sophomores, one is a redshirt freshman and eight are true freshmen.
NO. PLAYER
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 14 15 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 41 Mitch Foster Cody Sharrow* Tyler Shannon* Jake Ratz* Trey Lapke Eric Danforth** Scott Splett* Sam Pack Matt Johnson Kolton Emery*** Chris Anderson Reid Clary* Joe Erickson* Ethan Kenkel Blake Fiedelman** Zach Coppola* Al Robbins* J.D. Moore** Paul Jacobson* Talon Jumper** Zach Holt* Jordan Varga** Derringer Huff Andrew Clemen* Michael Finocchiaro* Aaron Klatt** Adam Bray** Austin Kost Aaron Machbitz*** Chad Hodges** Ryan Froom Nick Young** Patrick Korman Chayse Meierkort Kyle Jensen Marcus Heemstra**

POS.
IF IF IF/P IF C OF OF C IF P P C P P P OF IF P OF P IF IF P P OF P P P IF P P P IF C P P

B-T
R/R R/R R/R L/L R/R L/L R/R R/R L/R R/R L/L R/R R/R R/R L/L L/R L/R R/R R/R R/R R/R L/R R/R R/R L/L R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R R/R

HT.
5-11 6-1 6-3 6-4 6-1 6-0 6-0 5-11 6-2 6-0 6-3 6-4 6-3 6-5 5-11 5-9 6-0 6-2 6-1 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-4 6-3 5-10 6-4 6-2 6-1 6-2 6-4 6-1 6-5 6-0 6-2 5-10 6-9

WT.
175 165 180 225 175 150 205 165 195 195 185 200 190 210 190 145 175 225 190 195 170 185 200 215 195 195 210 180 225 230 190 205 175 190 160 210

YR.

HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS SCHOOL)

ABOUT SDSU
Name of School: South Dakota State University City/Zip: Brookings, SD 57007 Founded: February 21, 1881 Enrollment: 12,554 (fall 2013) Colors: Yellow and Blue President: David L. Chicoine Athletic Director: Justin Sell

Fr. Flandreau, S.D. /Flandreau H.S. So. South Burlington, Vt./Mount Mansfield Union Sr. Canon City, Colo.(Ellsworth CC (Iowa) Sr. Hiawatha, Iowa/Ellsworth CC (Iowa) Fr. Sioux City, Iowa/Sioux City East H.S. Jr. Watertown, S.D./Watertown H.S. Sr. Apple Valley, Minn./Iowa Central CC Sr. Newcastle, Okla./Seward County CC (Kan.) Fr. Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny H.S. Sr. Black Hawk, S.D./Rapid City Stevens H.S. Jr. Aurora, Ill./Waubonsee CC Jr. Princeton, Ill./Illinois-Springfield So. Urbandale, Iowa/Dowling Catholic H.S. Fr. Storm Lake, Iowa/Storm Lake H.S. Jr. Long Grove, Ill./Stevenson H.S. So. Des Moines, Iowa/Dowling Catholic H.S. Jr. West Chicago, Ill./Illinois-Springfield Jr. Misissauga, Ontario/Meadowvale Secondary So. Dakota Dunes, S.D./Sioux City Heelan H.S. Jr. Brighton, Colo./Mountain Range H.S. So. Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington Cent. Catholic Jr. Port Coquitlam, British Columbia/Riverside So. Troy, Mo./Lincoln Land CC (Ill.) So. Des Moines, Iowa/Dowling Catholic H.S. So. Omaha, Neb./Omaha Westside H.S. Jr. Albert Lea, Minn./Albert Lea H.S. Jr. Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie H.S. Fr. Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington H.S. Sr. Dallas Texas/Plano West H.S. Jr. Medicine Hat, Alberta/Vauxhall H.S. Fr. Crystal, Minn./St. Louis Park H.S. Jr. Mitchell, S.D./Mitchell H.S. Fr. Granger, Ind./St. Josephs H.S. Fr. Celebration, Fla./Celebration H.S. R-Fr. Rock Valley, Iowa/Rock Valley H.S. Jr. Rock Valley, Iowa/Rock Valley H.S.

Head Coach: 13-Dave Schrage Assistant Coach: 10-Brian Grunzke Pitching Coach: 40-Ben Norton Volunteer Assistant Coach: 20-Chuck Sendelbach

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits are scheduled to wrap up their Spring Break trip with a three-game series March 14-16 at Creighton (Neb.). The series is slated to begin with a 6 p.m. first pitch March 14 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha. The March 15 game is set for a 2 p.m. start, with the March 16 series finale slated for 1 p.m.