The South Dakota State University baseball team has been picked to finish third in the Summit League for the upcoming 2016 season, according to a poll among the league’s six head coaches.
The Jackrabbits, who posted a 33-23 overall record and finished second in the league standings with an 18-11 mark in 2015, received one first-place vote and tallied a total of 17 points for their third-place showing in the preseason poll. Defending regular season and tournament champion Oral Roberts received the other five first-place votes to be tabbed as the favorite with 25 points. Tournament runner-up Fort Wayne was second with 19 points.
Rounding out the poll were Omaha with 15 points, North Dakota State with eight points and Western Illinois with six.
The Jackrabbits, coached by Dave Schrage, are scheduled to open the 2016 season Feb. 19 with a matchup against Florida Atlantic in Starkville, Mississippi. SDSU will play two games against both Florida Atlantic and host Mississippi State on the opening weekend.
The 30-game Summit League schedule kicks off March 18, when the Jackrabbits open a three-game series at Oral Roberts. ORU will host the four-team Summit League Baseball Championship May 25-28 at J.L. Johnson Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON BASEBALL POLL
| PL. | SCHOOL | PTS. |
| 1. | Oral Roberts [5] | 25 |
| 2. | Fort Wayne | 19 |
| 3. | South Dakota State [1] | 17 |
| 4. | Omaha | 15 |
| 5. | North Dakota State | 8 |
| 6. | Western Illinois | 6 |
| Note: First-place votes in brackets |
