Baseball Signs Fargo South's Ernst, Delano's Jaunich

FARGO, N.D. - David Ernst of Fargo South High School and Trevor Jaunich (YAW-nik) of Delano High School in Minnesota have signed National Let­ters of Intent to continue their education and play baseball at North Dakota State University.

NDSU head coach Tod Brown made the announcement today, the first day of the one-week early signing period.

Ernst, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound right-handed pitcher and utility player, was named Gatorade North Dakota Baseball Player of the Year in June. He had an 8-0 record, 0.75 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 56 innings on the mound for the 27-5 Bruins while hitting .436 with 18 doubles, three home runs and 30 RBIs. He holds school records for wins, strikeouts, doubles, home runs and RBIs in a season.

Ernst was a Rawlings/Perfect Game Preseason All-America honorable mention in 2010. He is a two-time all-conference pick, all-state last year, and a two-time team MVP. He played on the Fargo American Legion state runner-up team in 2009 and the Fargo Metro Baseball Association's USSSA Minnesota state championship team in 2010.

Jaunich, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound right-handed pitcher and infielder, hit .370 with a team-high 15 RBIs in 16 conference games last year. He had a 0.75 ERA on the mound and was the winning pitcher in Delano's state semifinal victory en route to all-state tournament honors and a second-place finish.

Jaunich is a two-time all-conference honorable mention, three-year base­ball team captain and has also participated in basketball and football. He has two sisters, Cassandra and Kandace, who have graduated from NDSU.

North Dakota State was 22-30 overall and tied for sixth in The Summit League with an 11-16 record last year. The Bison are scheduled to open the 2011 season Feb. 18-20 with a three-game series at Arizona.