The Basics
Game 35-37
Oral Roberts (20-14, 11-1) vs. South Dakota State (12-21, 6-6)
Dates: April 17, 3:00 PM | April 18, 2:00 PM | April 19, 1:00 PM |
Location: Erv Huether Field (Brookings, SD)
Live Stats: SDSU Athletics | SDSU Athletics | SDSU Athletics
Broadcast: Midco Sports | Midco Sports | Midco Sports
 
TULSA, Oklahoma – The Oral Roberts baseball team is set to continue Summit League play on the road, traveling to South Dakota State for a three-game series beginning Friday, April 17, at 3 p.m.
 
Fans can follow the action live on the Summit League Network or keep up with updates on X at @ORUBASE.
 
Last Time Out:
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 5-3 midweek loss to Central Arkansas.
 
ORU starter Brenden Asher recorded a career-best eight strikeouts over 4.2 innings, including three Ks in the second inning.
 
Oral Roberts opened the scoring in the second inning as Cooper Kelly singled and later reached third after Cooper Combs singled and advanced on an error. Kelly scored on a groundout for the first run of the day. Hudson Ellis followed with a single to move Combs to third before he was driven in on an RBI single to right by Will Edmunson.
 
The Golden Eagles capped their scoring in the fifth as Wailele Kane-Yates, who doubled and moved to third on a single by Martell Davis, scored on a fielder's choice.
 
Inside the Series:
The Golden Eagles hold an 87-23 all-time series record over SDSU, sweeping a three-game series against the Jackrabbits in Chapman Park to open Summit League play. Last season, ORU swept the Jackrabbits in Tulsa and Brookings before taking an 11-2 win in the first round of the Summit League Tournament.
 
Back-to-Back Weekly Honors:
Right-handed starter Easton Teel recently earned back-to-back weekly honors, being named the Kwik Star Peak Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday. Teel picked up his third weekly honor in the past four weeks since Summit League play began.
 
For the second straight week, he threw a season-high seven scoreless innings in a 9-0 win over Omaha in the series opener.
 
The Choctaw, Okla., native retired 12 Mavericks in order during one stretch and did not allow a hit until the fifth inning. He finished with six strikeouts and scattered three hits, logging five straight quality starts and allowing just two earned runs across 27.2 innings (0.65 ERA) of conference play.
 
Teel previously picked up his second weekly honor after matching his season-high with seven innings pitched in the opener against Northern Colorado. He allowed one earned run on four hits and struck out four to earn his second win of the season. He faced the minimum over his final four frames and did not allow a hit during that stretch.
 
Career Leader:
Sophomore starter Easton Teel continues to make his mark nationally, as the right-hander's 2.64 career ERA ranks ninth in NCAA Division I, while his 1.81 walks per nine innings rank 14th.
 
Golden Eagle Defense:
ORU's defense ranks among the nation's best, as its .985 fielding percentage ranks fourth nationally. The Golden Eagles have also turned 24 double plays this season, the second-most in the league.
 
Pitching Matchup:  
Friday: RHP Easton Teel (3-1 / 2.11 ERA / 47.0 IP) vs. RHP Sam Schlecht (3-2 / 4.61 ERA / 41.0 IP)
Saturday: RHP Nathan Love (2-1 / 3.92 ERA / 39.0 IP) vs. RHP Sam Novotny (0-1 / 5.15 ERA / 43.2 IP)
Sunday: LHP Jackson Farrell (2-0 / 0.61 ERA / 14.2 IP) vs. RHP Kaden Rylance (2-2 / 6.23 ERA / 26.0 IP)
 
Scouting the Opponent:
South Dakota State enters the weekend 12-21 overall with a 6-6 mark in Summit League play.
 
Last weekend, the Jackrabbits won a series at St. Thomas, taking game one of a doubleheader 7-2 before falling 4-1 in game two. SDSU took the rubber match over the Tommies, 13-2 in seven innings.
 
SDSU recently defeated Midland, 13-3 in seven innings, on Tuesday. Nolan Grawe led the team, going four-for-four, including a triple and home run, while driving in four runs. Reliever Trey Husar earned the win after allowing no runs or hits over 2.0 innings with four strikeouts.
 
As a team, the Jackrabbits have a .270 batting average, ranked third in the league. They have recorded 302 hits, including a league-leading 60 doubles, 10 triples, and 21 home runs. SDSU leads the league in scoring with 229 runs this season, averaging 6.9 runs per game.
 
Owen Siegert leads the team with a .343 average, while Nolan Grawe's 44 hits are a team best. Grawe currently sits second in the league in hits per game (1.42), leads the league and ranks 11th nationally with four triples, and tops the Summit League with 13 doubles.
 
South Dakota State has a 7.32 team ERA, allowing 10.30 hits per nine innings. Friday starter Sam Schlecht leads the team with a 4.61 ERA, holding opponents to a .250 batting average.
 
Head coach Rob Bishop has built a 320-412-1 career record, including a 186-259 record in 10 seasons at SDSU.
 
 
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