The 2014 Summit League Baseball Championship presented by First PREMIER Bank/PREMIER Bankcard begins Thursday, at Sioux Falls Stadium, with four teams vying for the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
In Thursday’s first game, No. 2 Western Illinois faces No. 3 Fort Wayne at 2 p.m. (CDT), followed by host and top-seed South Dakota State vs. No. 4 North Dakota State at 7 p.m. (CDT). The double elimination tournament continues with three games on Friday, and the championship game(s) slated for Saturday.
No. 1 South Dakota State Jackrabbits (27-27 Overall, 11-11 Summit League)
2013 Championship Finish: Champion
Regular Season Titles: 1 (2010)
Best Championship Finish: Champion (2013)
Tournament Titles: 1 (2013)
South Dakota State earned its second-straight No. 1 seed and third in program history … The Jackrabbits have the top pitching staff of the tournament teams with a 3.77 team ERA in league games while league opponents are hitting .280 … Chad Hodges (3-1, 2.12 ERA) and Adam Bray (2-4, 2.72 ERA) lead the pitching staff against league competition … Offensively, Aaron Machbitz leads SDSU with a .311 average, 38 runs scored, 33 RBI and seven home runs … Scott Splett is hitting .300 this year while Zach Coppola has a team-high 11 stolen bases with a .294 average.
