The Basics
Games #28-30
Oral Roberts (15-12, 4-4) vs. South Dakota State (4-19, 2-6)
Dates: April 4^th | April 5^th | April 6^th | 6:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. | 1:00 p.m.
Location: Chapman Park (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Watch: Summit League Network | LiveStats: Sidearm LiveStats
 
Tulsa, Okla. – The Oral Roberts baseball team jumps back into conference competition as they welcome South Dakota State to Chapman Park for their first meeting of the season.
 
The Golden Eagles come off of a mid-week loss to BYU in a high-scoring affair Tuesday night, the final being 12-10.  ORU trailed 7-0 after the top of the third but battled back to tie the game in the fifth.  Ultimately errors and 14 runners left on base were too much for Oral Roberts to overcome in the loss.
 
The Jackrabbits are also fresh off a mid-week loss on the road at Kansas falling 10-7 against the Jayhawks.  Just as ORU did, South Dakota State fell behind early trailing 5-0 after three, however, they came back and scored six times in the seventh inning.  That wasn't enough though as cutting the deficit to two would be as close as they would get. 
 
ORU sits at 13-6 at Chapman Park this season and 4-2 against conference opponents at home, meanwhile the Jackrabbits have struggled away from home with a record of 2-17, one of those being a conference win.
 
Pitching Matchup: 
RHP Easton Teel (1-1, 2.43) v. RHP Owen Bishop (0-1, 8.56)
Nathan Love (3-4, 3.34) v. LHP Reece Arbogast (0-1, 3.97)
TBD v RHP Caleb Duerr (1-3, 7.08)
 
 
Inside the Series:
Oral Roberts leads the all-time series 67-21 over the Jackrabbits winning their last meeting 13-5 on April 27^th, 2024.  The Golden Eagles have won seven of their last ten against South Dakota State and hold a 35-9 record over SDSU in Tulsa, but despite that, the Jackrabbits swept ORU at home last season. 
 
Quick Hits: 
-            ORU is currently on their longest losing streak of the season at four games
-            The Golden Eagles are coming off a 12-10 loss vs. BYU where they scored 10 runs for the third time this season and had 17 hits, the second most in 2025
-            ORU is 4-2 in Summit League home games as they try and get back above .500
 
Scouting the Opponent:
South Dakota State comes into Chapman Park with a 4-19 record, 2-6 in conference, and on a three-game losing streak.  The Jackrabbits have captured two conference wins coming over St. Thomas in Brookings and Northern Colorado in Greeley.  Their non-conference has featured Murray State, Sacramento State, St. Louis, Air Force, and most recently Kansas. 
 
South Dakota State is led by Luke Luskey who leads the team in all three major offensive categories batting .367 hitting seven homers and driving in 25 runs.  Luskey also leads in the team in strikeouts with 25, however, but a player who reaches base plenty sporting a .431 on-base percentage.  Owen Siegert is another bat to look out for in the Jackrabbit lineup coming in second in homers with two and RBIs with 15 to go along with a .333 average.  As a squad, South Dakota State bats .257 hitting 14 homers, ranking below 240^th nationally, and driving in 102.
 
On the bump, it's been right-hander Caleb Duerr getting the ball on Friday night most recently against North Dakota State in Fargo last weekend.  Against the Bison Duerr went 3.0 innings giving up four hits, three runs, two walks, and struck out two.  He has five seasons' starts with a 1-3 record and a 7.08 ERA.  Owen Bishop, a right-hander, got the nod last Saturday also throwing just 3.0 innings surrendering two hits, one run, one walk, and struck out one.  Bishop has started three times and has posted a 0-1 record with an 8.56 ERA.  Right-hander Dylan Driessen highlights the staff with a 1-1 record and 3.63 ERA in 17.1 innings all out of the bullpen.  As a staff, the Jackrabbit ERA is 8.31 walking 138 batters to 185 punchouts this season.
 
In the field, the Jackrabbits have struggled posting a fielding percentage of just .956, rankings 256^th nationally, while committing 34 errors and turning 15 double plays.  Across two games with NDSU, they committed four errors resulting in two losses.

For the latest information on ORU Baseball, follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics app from the App Store or Google Play Store.