FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Thursday, April 20, 2017 9 from MSUB baseball earn academic all-GNAC
Nine players from MSUB’s baseball team earn academic all-GNAC honors for the 2017 season, maintaining GPAs north of 3.20. PORTLAND, Ore. – Nine players from the Montana State University Billings baseball team earned academic all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference honors for the 2017 season, announced the conference office Thursday. Headlining the list was senior Casey Merritt, who was one of just two baseball players in the conference recognized for the third straight season. Cody Cooper and Adam Cox were also repeat selections for the Yellowjackets, whose three repeaters tied Western Oregon for the most in the league. Garrett Baldry, Matt Dillon, Jacob Foley, Steen Fredrickson, Zach Robinson, and Jared Winslow were each first-time academic all-GNAC selections. “I am really proud of our guys and the work they put in off the field in the classroom,” said MSUB head coach Aaron Sutton. “All these guys exemplify what it means to be a student-athlete in our program.”
Winslow, a sophomore from Libby, Mont., carries the highest GPA in the GNAC among baseball players with a 3.91 while studying health and human performance. Merritt leads the team with a .331 batting average, and is second on the squad with nine stolen bases. The fourth-year senior maintains a 3.45 GPA while completing a degree in health and human performance. Cooper is another fourth-year senior, who recently became the second player ever to reach 200 career strikeouts as a pitcher for the Yellowjackets. The Bozeman, Mont., native holds a 3.32 GPA in health and human performance. An academic all-region selection a year ago, Cox is batting .286 with seven doubles and 13 RBIs in his junior season. The Encino, Calif., native carries a 3.71 GPA while studying criminal justice.
Senior Casey Merritt is one of just two players in the GNAC to be a three-time academic allconference selection.
Among the first-year selections for the Yellowjackets, Fredrickson holds the top GPA with a 3.84 while studying marketing. Leading the team with 13 appearances as a reliever this year, Fredrickson has tallied 22 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched.
Senior Zach Robinson is also a marketing major, carrying a GPA of 3.74 in his second year on the team. The Cedar Falls, Utah, native is batting .316, leading the team in steals with 14, and ranking second on the squad with an on-base percentage of .450. Dillon, Baldry, and Foley are all sophomores on the squad. Dillon has a 3.75 GPA in healthcare administration, Baldry carries a 3.28 in health and human performance, and Foley is an environmental studies major with a 3.28 GPA. MSUB had the second-most academic all-conference selections in the league, behind Concordia University’s 11. The Yellowjackets (14-24, 12-16 GNAC) host Saint Martin’s University this weekend in a four-game series running Friday and Saturday at Dehler Park. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--