May 1, 2024

This Week's Preview
MADISON, S.D. (May 1, 2024)—The Dakota State University Trojan baseball team (35-14 overall record, 17-6 NSAA record) prepares for the North Star Athletic Association Postseason Tournament at Dakota Bank Community & Trust Ballpark (240 2nd Street SE).  The conference postseason tournament opens on Friday and runs through Monday afternoon, with the rain date set for Tuesday.

The Trojans open the NSAA Baseball Tournament as the No. 2 seed and take on No. 7 seed Mayville State (N.D.) (11-37 overall record, 6-17 NSAA conference record).  The first pitch is set for 12 p.m. (Central Time)/11 a.m. (Mountain Time). 

Dakota State will face either No. 6 seed Dickinson State (N.D.) (13-33 overall record, 7-16 NSAA) or No. 3 seed Valley City State (N.D.) (19-30 overall record, 11-13 NSAA) on Saturday.  The double elimination format continues through Monday with the championship game set for 3:30 p.m. (CT)/2:30 p.m. (MT).  If necessary, the second championship game is set for Tuesday at 1 p.m. (CT)/12 p.m. (MT).

The Trojans wrapped up their regular-season schedule with a rare North Star Athletic Association baseball tripleheader sweep of Waldorf (Iowa) at Sanford Sports Complex in Sioux Falls, S.D., on April 27.  DSU won by the scores of 4-0, 8-1, and 3-0 over WU.

It was the third straight season that Dakota State had tallied over 30 victories, as well as second place in the North Star baseball conference standings.

Next Up:  The North Star Athletic Association postseason tournament's champion receives the league automatic bid to the NAIA Baseball National Tournament Opening Round on May 13-16 at 10 different sites.

This Week's Quick Hits
+ Dakota State (S.D.) had accumulated a total of 56 North Star Athletic Association victories in the past three seasons, earning second place finish in the conference standings in each of the previous three seasons.
+ The Trojans were runner-up in the 2022 NSAA conference tournament held in Forest City, Iowa, and finished third in last year's conference tournament held in Dickinson, N.D.
+ DSU won 11 times in the last 12 meetings with Mayville State (N.D.), including the four-game series sweep at Flynn Field in the North Star conference opener on March 15-16. 
+ It will be the sixth time that both Dakota State and Mayville State will meet in the NSAA postseason tournament since the conference inception in 2013-14..
+ Ryan McDaniel ranks second in the North Star conference in batting average with .415.  Jeremy Green ranks third in the league with 53 runs batted in (RB(s) and leads the conference with 32 stolen bases.
+ Three Dakota State pitchers hold the top five best earned run average in the NSAA conference.  Will Clair leads the conference with 2.56 ERA, while Hunter Vikemyr is second with 2.80 ERA.  Sam Tyrpa produces the fifth best ERA in the league with 3.52.
+ Tyrpa leads the team with 85 strikeouts, which is third most strikeouts in the North Star conference.  JD Kirchner ties for the conference leader in saves with five saves this season for the Trojans.
 
Noteworthy...
NSAA POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT OVERVIEW:  The North Star Athletic Association Baseball Postseason Tournament returns to Dakota Community Bank & Trust Ballpark in Dickinson, N.D., for the second straight year.  Bellevue (Neb.) is the top seeded team in the postseason tournament, followed by Dakota State (S.D.) at No. 2 seed.  Valley City State (N.D.) is No. 3 seed, Viterbo (Wis.) No. 4 seed, Waldorf (Iowa) No. 5 seed, Dickinson State No. 6 seed, and Mayville State (N.D.) No. 7 seed.

AUTOMATIC BID:  The North Star Athletic Association baseball have one automatic bid to the NAIA Baseball National Tournament Opening Round, which is slated for May 13-16 at 10 different sites announced by the NAIA national office Wednesday.  The NSAA postseason tournament's winner will receive the automatic bid to the national tournament.  The North Star conference tournament runs from May 3-6 in Dickinson.
 
RECAP OF TROJANS IN THE NSAA:   Dakota State finished with a 17-6 conference record in the North Star Athletic Association, the third straight year of finishing the conference in second place.  The Trojans ranked second in the conference with .318 batting average during the conference season.  DSU led the North Star conference in pitching with 3.54 earned run average (ERA), giving up the least earned runs in the conference with 69 earned runs.  DSU also finished second in fielding percentage with .970 in 23 NSAA contests.

DSU BASEBALL DEVELOPMENTAL TEAM CONCLUDES SEASON:  The Dakota State developmental baseball team closed the 2024 season with a five-game winning streak, sparked by a 5-4 walk-off victory over rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) on April 19.  DSU swept NCAA Division II Northern State (S.D.) 12-8 and 6-5 on April 22, and closed the season with 8-4 and 9-3 wins over Northwestern (Iowa) on April 24 at Flynn Field.

Trojans take first two games with Waldorf (Iowa)
Sioux Falls, S.D. (April 27, 2024)—Dakota State (S.D.) shut down Waldorf (Iowa) in the first two games of the North Star Athletic Association tripleheader, outscoring 12-1 at Sanford Sports Complex. 
 
The Trojans scored two runs in the bottom second inning of the first game and added a run each in the third and fourth innings for a 4-0 victory. 

Jeremy Green had a triple and double for DSU.  Cameron DeMaria added a double and a single.  Aidan Perry, Bubba Thompson, and Walker Hultgren each had a hit and drove in a run.  Sam Tyrpa (W, 7-3) earned a complete game victory, striking out 10 Waldorf batters.

Dakota State earned a 2-0 lead in the bottom second inning in the second game, thanks to Watt's 2-RBI triple.  Waldorf scored a run in the top fourth inning, while the Trojans poured in three runs in the bottom fifth and sixth innings to secure an 8-1 victory.

Hultgren finished the game by going 3-of–4 at the plate with two RBIs for DSU.  Perry added a home run, two RBIs, and two walks.  Watt had a double and two RBIs.  Thompson had two singles and an RBI.  DeMaria added a double.

Hunter Vikemyr started the game on the pitching mound for DSU, working for 3 2/3 innings.  JD Kirchner (W, 5-2) earned the victory after tossing 3 1/3 shutdown innings in relief.

DSU completes rare NSAA tripleheader sweep of WU
Sioux Falls, S.D. (April 27, 2024)—Dakota State (S.D.) completed a rare North Star Athletic Association tripleheader sweep of Waldorf (Iowa) to conclude the regular-season at Sanford Sports Complex.  The Trojans held the Warriors to one single in a 3-0 victory.

Dakota State scored all three runs in the bottom third frame, thanks to back-to-back RBI singles by Cory Brownson and Cameron DeMaria followed by an RBI sacrifice fly by Walker Hultgren.   

Will Clair (W, 9-2) tossed a complete game victory for DSU, retiring the first 12 WU batters in the game.  He gave up a lead-off single in the top seventh.  DeMaria and Brownson each tallied an RBI single.  Cassidy Watt had two singles.  Jeremy Green and Aidan Perry each added a single.

Dakota State honored their 13 seniors after the completion of the game.  They are Ty Christensen, Connor Cook, Johan Freudenburg, Walker Hultgren, JD Kirchner, Roch Laferriere, Ryan McDaniel, Gage Nagy, Dalton Nelson, Aiden Rocha, Bubba Thompson, Isaac Toledo, and Helmi Yatim.

DSU's fourth game in the NSAA four-game series with WU was canceled due to wet weather.

Trojans sweep final edition of NSAA weekly awards
Madison, S.D. (April 29, 2024)—Dakota State (S.D.) swept the final edition of the North Star Athletic Association baseball weekly honors.  It was the second time this season that both Will Clair and Bubba Thompson were selected on the same week.

Clair retired the first 12 Waldorf (Iowa) batters in the third game of the NSAA tripleheader with Waldorf (Iowa) at Sanford Sports Complex in Sioux Falls, S.D.  He tossed no-hitter through six innings before giving up a lead-off single in the top seventh.

Clair finished the game with six strikeouts and only gave up a single in DSU's 3-0 victory.  He lifted his pitching record to 9-2 record this season.

Thompson went .545 batting average by going 6-of-11 at the plate for Dakota State.  He had a triple during the tripleheader with the Warriors and produced a slugging percentage of .727.  He recorded an on-base percentage of .545.  He posted a perfect fielding percentage defensively in 17 total chances at the shortstop position (7 put-outs and 10 assists).  He was part of the three double plays, defensively.
 

2024 DSU Baseball team leaders

· Hits:  Ryan McDaniel—71 hits

· Batting Average:  Ryan McDaniel—.415 batting average (71-of-171 at-bats)

· Slugging Percentage:  Cameron DeMaria—.729 slugging percentage (8 singles, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs)

· Runs Batted In (RBIs):  Jeremy Green—53 RBIs

· Doubles:  Ryan McDaniel—16 doubles

· Triples:  Bubba Thompson—3 triples

· Home Runs:  Walker Hultgren—8 home runs

· Total Bases:  Ryan McDaniel—102 total bases

· Runs Scored:  Aidan Perry—47 runs

· Walks:  Ned Ceklic—30 walks

· Hit-by-Pitch:  Dawson Portner—21 hit-by-pitches

· Stolen Bases: Jeremy Green—32 stolen bases

· On-base percentage:  Cory Brownson—.467 on-base percentage

· Innings Pitched:  Sam Tyrpa—71 2/3 innings

· Earned Runs Average (ERA):  Will Clair—2.56 earned run average (18 earned runs in 63 1/3 innings)

· Strikeouts (Pitching):   Sam Tyrpa—85 strikeouts

· Complete Games (Pitching):   Will Clair, Sam Tyrpa—4 complete games

· Wins:  Will Clair—9 wins

· Saves:  JD Kirchner—5 saves

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