The Jackrabbit baseball team looks to compete for the Summit League title as it travels south to face its first opponent of the year in Murray State. With several notable players departing, the team will look to its veterans and large freshman class to fill in the gaps.
Last season the Jacks ended off with a 20-29 record, and were 11-17 in conference play. They were 5-7 at home, 14-18 away and 1-4 at neutral sites. Despite the record, the team hit for a Summit league-high 80 home runs. This continues a trend of great home run hitting performances, with the team in 2023 hitting a school record of 89 and 62 in 2022.
This previous offseason saw hits, and batting/slugging percentage leader Cael Frost transfer to the University of Nebraska. Frost was the 2024 Summit League Player of the Year and was the first SDSU player to win the award. Starting pitcher Nic McCay led the team in innings pitched and ERA and now plays for the University of Kentucky. Despite these absences, the team has high hopes and expectations that their returning players will make a substantial impact.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys we expect to contribute, we’ve got a big senior class, a lot of leaders,” said returning catcher Davis Carr. “Staying together as a team is a big part of [success]. I think as long as we stick to who we are and play our game it will be a good season.”
Returning to the head coaching spot is Rob Bishop, who has been the head coach for the past nine seasons. This last season saw Bishop win his 700th game with the Jackrabbits.
“The guys that we’re gonna need to kind of be our backbone are probably gonna be Jeff Bellows in center field, Carter Sintek at shortstop, Bryce Ronken in right field, who was an everyday starter for us last year as a true freshman. Luke Luskey at first base is a big bat for us… I think you’ll see an exciting brand of baseball from us this year,” said Bishop
Bellows led the team last season in steals with six and was fifth in the team in plate appearances with 172. Sintek hit the most triples on the team with three and was tied for third-most assists with 51. Ronken boasts the highest batting average of all returning players with .311. Luskey held a tremendous .340 batting average against conference foes last year.
The season will start with a 19-game road trip which includes 16 non-conference games. Northern Colorado is the only Summit League team the Jackrabbit’s will face over the stretch. Notable non-conference games include Creighton, Nebraska and Murray State.
“It’s cool to be able to play some teams in some bigger conferences, and it’s always cool to play in Charles Schwab [Charles Schwab Field] in Omaha, obviously you want to play there in June when it matters,” pitcher Arlen Peters said.
With the team missing the Summit League tournament last year for the first time since 2012, the coaching staff has continued to instill a competitive spirit and sense of togetherness in the team.
“We have really focused on player development from an individual. Anytime we’ve had the whole group together…we’ve tried to just have it be a competition… there’s a winner and loser every day in practice… You know, compete when we’re good, compete when we’re not as good and just make it about that day and the overall team,” said Bishop about offseason goals. “We’re hoping to not have a team that’s carried by one or two guys, but by the strength of the whole.”
The Jacks will take the field on Feb. 14 at Murray State for a three game series. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at John Reagan Field in Murray, Ky.
