JACKRABBITS CLOSE REGULAR SEASON AT UND

South Dakota State makes its way north to Grand Forks to close out the regular season as the Jackrabbits prepare to take on North Dakota in a three-game series. The series at Albrecht Field between the Jacks and Fighting Hawks closes out each program’s regular season before heading into Summit League Championship action. SDSU and UND will play a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Friday followed by a 1 p.m. finale on Saturday.

The meeting features the two squads that can still claim the second seed in the upcoming conference tournament. SDSU heads into the series with a 10-5 Summit League record while UND is 7-8. One win for South Dakota State in the series will be enough to clinch a bye to the double-elimination portion of the tournament hosted by the Jacks. A series sweep by the Fighting Hawks would clinch a two seed and force SDSU into single elimination which begins play on Wednesday in Brookings. 

South Dakota State is 25-24 overall this season and North Dakota is 25-25. The Jackrabbits hold a 65-31 all-time record over the Fighting Hawks. SDSU and UND have played annually since 2010. The Jacks currently have a 12-game active win streak over the Hawks. 

SDSU is coming off a tightly contested series against Omaha at Jerald T. Moriarty Field. The series began with a pitcher’s duel that resulted in a 10-inning, 2-0 win for the Mavs. SDSU evened the series with a 7-6 victory on Saturday to begin a doubleheader. The series finale saw the Mavericks get out to a 9-0 lead, but Omaha had to withstand a Jackrabbit rally though held on for a 9-8 triumph.

Several individuals have sparked the Jackrabbit lineup over the course of the season, but none more so than Abby Gentry. The sophomore third baseman is not only the leader on the team in multiple statistical categories, but in The Summit League across nearly 50 games. Gentry leads the conference in batting average (.428), slugging percentage (.754) and RBIs (52), as well as top five in on-base percentage (.512), runs (34), hits (59), home runs (9) and walks (27). She has four current top three single-season ranks in program history including batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and RBIs.

Brooke Dumont and Mia Jarecki have made their impact on the Jackrabbits’ record book. Jarecki has 11 marks that rank among the top 11 in individual categories, while Dumont has top 12 marks in 10 categories. Jarecki is at 149 career runs scored which is two runs away from breaking the school record of 150 set last year by Lindsey Culver. Dumont, who primarily plays catcher, is one runner caught stealing from setting a program record. Dumont currently has 100 RBIs while Jarecki is one away from hitting the century mark.

The Summit League schedule has seen a variety of Jackrabbits step up their play. The lineup has had the benefit of play from shortstop Emma Vike. A junior who had only four collegiate at-bats prior to the season, Vike is hitting a team-best .451 against league foes. In 15 games, Vike has two home runs, 11 RBIs, four doubles and 12 runs scored. 

SDSU’s rotation has seen Hailey Herman and Sylvia Shromoff have increased roles during Summit League action. Herman has the team’s best ERA among pitchers with over 10 innings of work with a 1.85 mark. Shromoff has made a team-high six starts across eight appearances in league play. She’s 3-1 in her Summit League outings with a 2.41 ERA. Shromoff has struck out 13 batters to 12 walks over the course of a team-best 40 2/3 innings pitched.

Coverage Information

South Dakota State’s series versus North Dakota will be streamed on The Summit League Network Powered by Midco Sports. The doubleheader on Friday will be televised on Midco Sports. Fans can watch on summitleaguenetwork.tv or on The Midco Sports Plus app with a subscription. Live stats for all games the Jackrabbits play in are available on the South Dakota State schedule page. For more information about Jackrabbit softball, you can follow the team social media accounts (@GoJacksSB) or visit the team page at GoJacks.com.

 

-GoJacks.com-