Here we take a look at every team in the Summit League and give you a brief preview of each. We’ll also give you our All-Summit League Preseason Team, as well as our predicted order to finish.
IUPU-Fort Wayne (2017 Record: 9-43, 4-26)
It was a very difficult year for Fort Wayne in 2017 as they won just nine games. They’ll try to reach double-digits this year with a lot of experience coming back.
Lineup:
Outfielder Jacob Dickson returns after hitting .275 a year ago with 2 home runs and 25 RBI. First baseman Travis Upp should be back in the lineup, as well as third baseman Shannon Baker. Brock Logan should return at DH in the lineup after hitting 6 home runs a year ago. Jack Lang should come in and help out on the infield right away, while freshman catcher Andrew Lawvere could see some time at behind the plate.
Pitching:
Brandon Phelps led the team with a 4.42 ERA last year in 53 innings pitched with 51 strikeouts and 2 saves. Dalton O’Boyle, Chase Phelps and Cameron Boyd are all expected to play a major role in the pitching staff this year. Spencer Strobel should help boost the pitching staff as well.
2018 Outlook:
This team was very young last year, and the coaching staff is hoping that the experience from taking their lumps last year will lead to more wins in 2018.
North Dakota State (2017 Record: 31-25, 19-11)
It was a solid season for North Dakota State winning 19 conference games and 31 games overall. They went 2-2 in the Summit League Tournament and were eliminated by top seeded Oral Roberts.
Lineup:
Logan Busch should return to the outfield after hitting .303 with 29 runs scored, 12 doubles, 3 home runs and 30 RBI. Shortstop Bennett Hostetler hit .279 a year ago with 26 runs scored, 2 home runs and 26 RBI. Drew Fearing could go back to second after starting all 56 games in 2017, while hitting .250 with 29 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. Alec Abercrombie (OF), Tucker Rohde (INF) and Matt Elsenpeter (INF) will also be back after playing significant time last year. Jayse Mclean should get a chance to play in the outfield after being redshirted last year due to an injury. Jake Malec could see more time as a catcher and outfielder in 2018.
Pitching:
Parker Ham posted a 3.11 ERA last year in 37.2 innings pitched with 24 strikeouts. Jordan Hams started 12 games a year ago and had a 3.15 ERA in 71.1 innings pitched with 62 strikeouts. Kevin Folman had a 2.70 ERA in 26.2 innings pitched last year with 23 strikeouts and 8 saves. Chris Choles posted a 3.07 ERA in 44 innings pitched with 32 strikeouts and 4 saves a year ago. Riley Johnson made three starts last year and had a 2.31 ERA in 23.1 innings pitched with 21 strikeouts.
2018 Outlook:
Head Coach Tod Brown said he would like to see more production from the offense in 2018, and he hopes to fill some open spots in the pitching staff quickly.
Nebraska-Omaha (2017 Record: 12-40, 9-19)
It was a rough started to the season going 2-18 in their first 20 games. It wasn’t much better the rest of the way going 10-22 to finish the season and only winning nine conference games, missing out on the Summit League Tournament.
Lineup:
Grant Suponchick will play first base and DH for Omaha in 2018 after hitting .287 a year ago with 2 home runs and 22 RBI. Cole Thibodeau should return to second base after hitting .273 last year with 26 runs scored and 9 stolen bases. Thomas Debonville is a JUCO outfielder that could be inserted into the lineup, as could another JUCO transfer in Ben Palensky.
Pitching:
Cal Hehnke made four starts last year and had a 5.50 ERA in 34.1 innings pitched with 32 strikeouts. Payton Kinney made two starts a year ago and posted a 3.88 ERA in 51 innings pitched with 56 strikeouts. Those two should compete for starting jobs in the rotation. Keil Krumwiede is a junior college transfer that is a two-way player. He could provide some relief in the bullpen. Freshman Jake Pennington could help out the pitching staff as well.
2018 Outlook:
Head Coach Evan Porter said they have made strides as a team defensively, and hope that continues into the season.
Oral Roberts (2017 Record: 42-16, 25-4)
It was a dominating year for Oral Roberts as they won over 40 games and the Summit League Tournament. They also swept Alabama in Tuscaloosa and beat Oklahoma State three times, including once in the Fayetteville Regional.
Lineup:
Outfielder Noah Cummings returns as the reigning Summit League Player of the Year after hitting .321 with 47 runs scored, 14 doubles, 15 home runs and 70 RBI last year. Second baseman Nick Roark is another three-year starter and a top of the order bat. He hit .307 a year ago with 42 runs scored, 11 doubles, 3 home runs, 36 RBI and 12 stolen bases. Third baseman Cal Hernandez hit .299 in 2017 with 44 runs scored, 10 doubles, 1 home run and 27 RBI. DH Trevor McCutchin hit .299 last year with 6 hoem runs and 26 RBI. Brody Gibson is a freshman that should get a chance to play at catcher for Oral Roberts this year.
Pitching:
Miguel Ausua is considered a Presason All-American and was a conference Player of the Year in 2017 after posting a 1.65 ERA in 92.2 innings pitched with 85 strikeouts. Josh McMinn is a three-year weekend starter. He had a 2.47 ERA last year in 91 innings pitched with 75 strikeouts. Justin McGregor was another weekend starter last year posting a 2.99 ERA in 81.1 innings pitched with 69 strikeouts. Kyler Stout has been the team’s closer for three years. He had a 1.62 ERA last year in 33.1 innings pitched with 34 strikeouts and 11 saves. Taylor Varnell will be another solid arm for Oral Roberts this year after posting a 2.02 ERA in 2017 with 33 strikeouts in 26.2 innings pitched. Grant Townsend was a junior college All-American for Central Arizona last year and should add some depth to the pitching staff.
2018 Outlook:
“We feel we should be solid on the mound. We return our entire rotation from last year and our closer, so we have a ton of experience on the mound. Right now are question marks are at shortstop and catcher. Both have new players with limited experience. Our offense will not be as explosive as last year, but we feel we will get better as the new guys get experience.” – Assistant Coach Ryan Neill.
South Dakota State (2017 Record: 26-24, 18-12)
It was a solid year for the Jack Rabbits winning 18 conference games, but they went 1-2 in the Summit League Tournament and saw their season come to an early end.
Lineup:
Third baseman Newt Johnson is back after hitting .302 a year ago with 35 runs scored, 16 doubles, 3 home runs and 40 RBI. Outfielder Phil Jacobson hit .295 last year, while shortstop Tony Kjolsing hit .291. Skyler Wenninger, Anthony Schneider and Phil Velez all return to the lineup as well. Infielder Josh Falk is expected to have an impact this year.
Pitching:
Tyler Olmstead had a 2.86 ERA last year in 28.1 innings pitched (5 starts) with 24 strikeouts. Bryce Hanson had a 2.93 ERA in 46 innings pitched with 53 strikeouts. Brady Moxham, Otis Roby and Austin Suhr are all expected to step in and have a major impact on the pitching staff this season.
2018 Outlook:
“I’d like to see our level of consistency improve. We have a great bunch of guys that work hard, so we definitely believe this is attainable.” – Head Coach Rob Bishop
Western Illinois (2017 Record: 18-32, 12-15)
The Fighting Leathernecks did enough in conference to sneak into the Summit League Tournament in 2017. But once there they went two-and-out for an early exit.
Lineup:
Outfielder Drue Galassi hit .274 a year ago with 29 runs scored, 8 home runs and 31 RBI. Second baseman Jonathan Fleek hit .325 last year with 28 RBI. But there are a lot of holes to fill in this lineup.
Pitching:
Ian Koch pitched a team-high 87 innings last year and posted a 4.86 ERA with 65 strikeouts. Connor Rektorski led the team with a 3.42 ERA last year in 26.1 innings pitched with 16 strikeouts and 1 save. Pete Minella made four starts last year and had a 4.63 ERA in 35 innings pitched with 18 strikeouts and 5 saves. Ryan Dunne is a transfer from Missouri State that could have a big impact on the pitching staff in 2018.
2018 Outlook:
There is too much to replace in the lineup and in the pitching staff to imagine this team doing much better than they did a year ago.
2018 All-Summit League Preseason Team:
C: Jake Malec (North Dakota State)
1B: Grant Suponchick (Omaha)
2B: Nick Roark (Oral Roberts)
SS: Bennett Hostetler (North Dakota State)
3B: Newt Johnson (South Dakota State)
OF: Noah Cummings (Oral Roberts)
OF: Logan Busch (North Dakota State)
OF: Drew Galassi (Western Illinois)
DH: Trevor McCutchin (Oral Roberts)
SP: Jordan Hams (North Dakota State)
SP: Miguel Ausua (Oral Roberts)
SP: Josh McMinn (Oral Roberts)
SP: Justin McGregor (Oral Roberts)
SP: Payton Kinney (Omaha)
RP: Kevin Folman (North Dakota State)
RP: Kyler Stout (Oral Roberts)
Predicted Order to Finish:
- Oral Roberts
- North Dakota State
- South Dakota State
- Western Illinois
- Omaha
- Fort Wayne
