Baseball Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director

Arbach named to NAIA Baseball Pitcher-of-the-Week national award

It was the second time during head coach Derrion Hardie's career to be named NAIA Baseball Pitcher of the Week

April 22, 2025

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – More awards are piling up for Dakota State's (S.D.) Nicholai Arbach Tuesday as he was selected by the NAIA national office.  He was awarded the NAIA National Baseball Pitcher-of-the-Week, the second time during head coach Derrion Hardie's coaching era that a DSU pitcher was named the national Pitcher-of-the-Week (JD Kirchner on May 2, 2023).

Arbach, a 6-foot-9 right-handed pitcher, recorded a 7-inning, complete game shutout against NAIA's nationally ranked No. 24 Bellevue (Neb.) on April 18 at Flynn Field.  Last week's 7-inning outing was his fifth consecutive complete game and handed the Bruins its first North Star Athletic Association defeat of the season, as well as snapping their 17-game winning streak.

Arbach surrendered only two hits on the pitching mound for Dakota State.  He recorded nine strikeouts (11.57 strikeouts per nine innings) and walked none.  He closed the game in the top seventh inning by striking out the first two batters and picking up a ground ball and ran for an unassisted put-out at first base for a 1-0 Trojans' shutout victory.

He had produced at least nine strikeouts in the previous five complete games for DSU, including a career high 16 strikeouts at Dickinson State (N.D.) on April 11.  Arbach leads the North Star Athletic Association with 71 strikeouts this season (10.07 strikeouts per nine innings).  He is also second in the league in earned runs average (ERA) of 2.27.

After the game, Arbach had accumulated 240 strikeouts (10.75 strikeouts) during his career at Dakota State.  He is currently second all-time in strikeouts.

He was named to the North Star Athletic Association Baseball Pitcher-of-the-Week for the second time on Monday.

Nicholai is a senior business management major at Dakota State University.

Dakota State (21-21 overall record, 7-9 NSAA conference record) plays their final regular season contests on Friday and Saturday.  The Trojans play their final ever North Star Athletic Association four-game series, visiting Mayville State (N.D.) at Scott Berry Field.  The doubleheader starts at 1 p.m. on Friday and 12 p.m. on Saturday in Mayville, N.D.