February 5, 2025

This Week's Preview
MADISON, S.D. (Feb. 5, 2025)—The Dakota State University Trojan baseball team (36-16 overall record in 2024) prepares for a challenging non-conference schedule as they prepare for a four-game slate in the Cajun Collision.  The tournament takes place at Sterlington Sports Complex (1290 LA-136) in Sterlington, La., on Friday and Saturday, featuring some teams that qualified for the NAIA Baseball National Tournament in the past few seasons.

The Trojans make their 2025 season debut on Friday at 2:30 p.m. versus Science & Arts (Okla.) (4-3 overall record, receiving votes in the NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top 25 national poll) of the Sooner Athletic Conference.  The Drovers were 36-18 overall record and qualified for the NAIA national tournament opening round where they went 1-2 record (lost to Southeastern, Fla., twice and defeated Mount Mercy, Iowa). 

DSU plays another opponent from the SAC Conference Friday evening, taking on nationally-ranked Mid-America Christian (Okla.) (5-4 overall record, No. 13 in national poll).  The first pitch is set for 6 p.m.  The Evangels advanced to the national tournament's opening round with an overall record of 41-13.

The Trojans continue their season opening weekend tournament on Saturday, facing McPherson (Kan.) (2-5 overall record) of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference at 11 a.m.  The Bulldogs (25-28 overall record in 2024) fell in KCAC conference championship to Kansas Wesleyan and advanced to national tournament opening round two seasons ago.  DSU closes the tournament Saturday at 6 p.m. versus NAiA's No. 4 LSU-Shreveport (7-0 overall record).  LSU-S advanced to the NAIA national tournament last season with 44-11 overall record.

Next Up:  DSU continues their action in the preseason tournament next weekend, the Joplin (Mo.) Tournament on Feb. 15-16.  DSU plays No. 20 Concordia (Neb.), Mission (Mo.), Morningside (Iowa), and Culver-Stockton (Mo.).

This Week's Quick Hits
+ Dakota State (S.D.) finished their third straight season with 30-plus wins, their back-to-back seasons with 36 victories in 2023 and 2024.  The Trojans won 33 victories in 2022.
+ The Trojans face five different teams that are ranked inside the NAIA's Baseball Coaches' Top 25 national poll or listed in the receiving votes section during the month of February—(RV) Science & Arts (Okla.), No. 13 Mid-America Christian (Okla.), No. 4 LSU-Shreveport (La.), No. 20 Concordia (Neb.), and No. 25 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.).
+ Dakota State finished second in the North Star Athletic Association conference standings for the past three seasons, finishing 17-6 record in the league last season. 
+ The Trojans play in three different preseason tournaments on three straight weekends before their first four-game series at Sterling (Kan.) on Feb. 28-March 1.  DSU plays in Cajun Collison in Sterlington, La., Joplin (Mo.) Invitational in Joplin, Mo., and Tiger Classic in Kansas City, Mo.
+ Dakota State's baseball season home opener is scheduled for March 21-22 versus Tabor (Kan.) of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.  The Trojans face four different teams from the KCAC Conference this season (McPherson, Kan., Sterling, Kan., Evangel, Mo., and Tabor).
+ DSU is in their final year with the North Star Athletic Association and will make a transition to the Frontier Conference next season.  Each North Star member will play a total of 20 conference games during the conference season.

Noteworthy...
NORTH STAR TO HAVE TWO AUTOMATIC BIDS:  The North Star Athletic Association will have two automatic bid to the NAIA Baseball National Tournament Opening Round.  The NSAA postseason tournament will include all six conference members, along with two teams from the Cal Pac Conference.  The NSAA regular season champion will receive the first league automatic bid, while the second automatic bid will be awarded to the tournament's champion (if same team, then tournament's runner-up will be awarded).

DSU IN PRESEASON TOURNAMENTS:  Dakota State is scheduled to play 12 different teams in three preseason tournaments on three straight weekends during the month of February.  The Trojans will opponents from six different NAIA conferences during those 12-game stretch—Sooner Athletic Conference, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, Red River Athletic Conference, Great Plains Athletic Conference, America Midwest Conference, and Heart of America Athletic Conference.
 
TROJANS' NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:   Dakota State will play their first 26 games away from Madison, S.D.  The Trojan play in four different states—Louisiana, Missouri, Kansas, and Texas—before returning home on March 18 at Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.).  DSU then plays their 11-game home stand at Flynn Field on March 21, including the 8-game NSAA conference home opener on March 28 through April 5.

DSU BASEBALL DEVELOPMENTAL TEAM BEGINS ON MARCH 3:  The Dakota State developmental baseball team will open their 2025 season with a doubleheader at NCAA Division II Augustana (S.D.) on Monday, March 3.  The Trojans play their home opener on March 17 with a doubleheader with Iowa Lakes CC at Flynn Field in Madison.  DSU plays ten total home developmental baseball games at Flynn Field.

Trojans tab second in NSAA baseball preseason poll
Madison, S.D. (Jan. 21, 2025)—Dakota State (S.D.) was picked to finish second in the North Star Athletic Association Baseball Coaches' Preseason Poll after recording 29 points.  The preseason poll was voted by the league head coaches and points were awarded on 6-1 basis. 
 
Bellevue (Neb.) was the unanimous pick to win the conference title for the tenth straight year.  The Bruins earned all six first place votes and 36 points in the poll. 

Jamestown (N.D.), which returns to the North Star conference for the first time since 2017-18 season, finished third in the preseason poll with 25 points.  Valley City State (N.D.) finished fourth with 16 points, edging Mayville State (N.D.) who finished fifth with 14 points.  Dickinson State (N.D.) placed sixth with six points.

Each North Star member is scheduled to play 20 league contests, consisting of four-game series.  The conference season officially kicks off on the weekend of March 28-29, where Dakota State hosts Jamestown in a four-game series at Flynn Field.

The NSAA postseason tournament returns to Dickinson, N.D., with an eight-team double elimination tournament format.  The conference tournament will include all six members from the North Star Athletic Conference and two teams from the Cal Pac Conference.

2024 Dakota State baseball season in review
Madison, S.D. (Feb. 5, 2025)—Numerous school records were set during the 2024 Dakota State baseball season, where they finished the season with an overall record of 36-16 and 17-6 record in the North Star Athletic Association (second place).  The Trojans also went undefeated at Flynn Field during the season with a 9-0 record, currently on a 14-game home field winning streak since the 2023 season.

Ryan McDaniel highlighted with numerous all-time records in games played (197), at-bats (730), hits (254), total bases (367), doubles (63), and walks drawn (94).  Walker Hultgren had set school record in all-time runs scored (138).  

JD Kirchner had set all-time records in appearances with 64, strikeouts with 222, and saves with 13 at Dakota State.  Sam Tyrpa is currently second all-time with 197 strikeouts after recording another single-season record of 99 strikeouts (previously held by him with 98 strikeouts in 2023).

Academically, the Trojans established single-season school record with 13 NAIA scholar-athletes and 33 North Star conference scholar-athletes.  The Trojan baseball team also received the NAIA Scholar Team award for maintaining a 3.0-plus grade point average as a team.

A look at 2025 Dakota State baseball schedule
Madison, S.D. (Dec. 3, 2024)—Dakota State (S.D.) has scheduled a total of 50 games on their 2025 schedule.  The 2025 schedule features three preseason tournaments on their first three weekends of the season in February, facing seven different teams that qualified for the 2024 NAIA Baseball National Tournament.  DSU also plays 15 games on their home schedule at Flynn Field, including a season-high 11-game home stand in mid-March through early April.

The Trojans kick off their season in Louisiana on Feb. 7-8, Joplin (Mo.) tournament on Feb. 15-16, and Tiger Classic in Kansas City, Mo., on Feb. 21-22.

Dakota State will be in Texas during the spring break week, facing Texas A&M Texarkana in a four-game series, followed by a nine-inning game at Jarvis Christian (Texas).  The Trojans wrap up the spring break week with a four-game series at Evangel (Mo.) on March 14-15.

DSU plays 20-game North Star conference schedule, with the first eight conference games at home.  The NSAA postseason tournament will be held in Dickinson, N.D., on May 2-6.

2025 DSU Baseball returning team leaders

· Hits:  Cory Brownson—53 hits

· Batting Average:  Cory Brownson—.353 batting average (53-of-150 at-bats)

· Slugging Percentage:  Cameron DeMaria—.613 slugging percentage (9 singles, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs)

· Runs Batted In (RBIs):  Aidan Perry—43 RBIs

· Doubles:  Aidan Perry—13 doubles

· Triples:  Aidan Perry, Cameron DeMaria—1 triple

· Home Runs:  Cory Brownson—8 home runs

· Total Bases:  Aidan Perry—94 total bases

· Runs Scored:  Aidan Perry—48 runs

· Walks:  Cory Brownson—20 walks

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

· Stolen Bases: Dawson Portner—15 stolen bases

· On-base percentage:  Cory Brownson—.453 on-base percentage

· Innings Pitched:  Sam Tyrpa—92 2/3 innings

· Earned Runs Average (ERA):  Hunter Vikemyr—2.79 earned run average (22 earned runs in 71 innings)

· Strikeouts (Pitching):   Sam Tyrpa—99 strikeouts

· Complete Games (Pitching):   Sam Tyrpa—5 complete games

· Wins:  Sam Tyrpa—8 wins

· Saves:  Curtis Flint—1 save

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