‘Jackets kick off 8-game GNAC trip at CWU Friday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Thursday, March 30, 2017 ‘Jackets kick off 8-game GNAC trip at CWU Friday

MSUB’s baseball team faces GNAC opponent Central Washington University in a four-game series this weekend, part of an overall 8-game conference trip over the next two weeks.

BILLINGS, Mont. – Posting an 8-4 record over its last three Great Northwest Athletic Conference series, the Montana State University Billings baseball team kicks off an eight-game road trip this weekend at Central Washington University.

The Yellowjackets (10-15, 8-7 GNAC), enter the week in fourth place in the conference standings, just a half game behind this week’s opponent the Wildcats (14-11, 8-7 GNAC). This week’s series will run Friday-Saturday at the CWU Baseball Field in Ellensburg, Wash. Live video with play-by-play commentary, and live statistics will be available online through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here.

“We can just see in the way they’re carrying themselves, that they’re starting to believe in each other, and that’s really important as a group moving forward,” said MSUB head coach Aaron Sutton. “Central is really good on paper, and they

have a good offensive team. We are going to have our work cut out for us, but we have had good days of practice and I like our chances. We have been good on the road, so it’s just about getting back into that routine.”

MSUB is coming off a series split with Northwest Nazarene University, and finished its eight-game home stand with a 5-3 record. The ‘Jackets won both games in a doubleheader last Friday, before dropping a pair of close contests on Saturday.

The ‘Jackets will continue on to Nampa, Idaho, for another four-game series against NNU next week after this week’s bout in Washington.

MERRITT STAYS HOT, COMES UP CLUTCH: Senior Casey Merritt kept his team-high batting average at .345 with six hits in the series last week, as he had a pair in each of the final three games. His biggest swing of the weekend was a walk-off triple with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, to give the ‘Jackets a come-from-behind 12-11 win in Game 2. It was Merritt’s third triple of the season, and he also ranks second on the team with five stolen bases while getting on base at a clip of .406.

CAREER DAY FOR ROBINSON: Fellow senior and leadoff hitter Zach Robinson had a career day in the opener against NNU, going 6-for-8 in the doubleheader and hitting his first-career home run. Robinson upped his average to .329 on the season, and he drew five walks in the series to push his GNAC-leading total to 20. Like Merritt, Robinson finds himself on base frequently, as he ranks third in the GNAC with an OBP of .477.

GARCIA COMFORTABLE IN HIS HOME PARK: Returning to the ballpark he played his legion career in, sophomore rightfielder Jalen Garcia has had a hot start to his home debut going 10-for-25 (.400) over the last two series. Garcia stole a pair of bases in the third game of the series against NNU, and scored three runs total last weekend.

Junior Conner Linebarger came up with several clutch hits for the ‘Jackets in their series against NNU last week.

COX CONTINUES CLIMB: Over the last eight games, junior Adam Cox has raised his batting average nearly 100 points jumping from .222 on March 11 to his current mark of .316. Cox had hits in all four games against the Crusaders, including a 2-for-3, 3-RBI performance in Game 3. He also drew a walk and was hit by a pair of pitches, elevating his on-base percentage to a team-third best .437.

LINEBARGER HAS TIMELY HITS: Third baseman Conner Linebarger fielded his position well last week, handling 11 plays at the hot corner without making an error. He also had a clutch, two-out, bases-clearing double in the first game, which plated three runs and gave MSUB a 5-2 lead. Overall he picked up three hits in the series and got on base in 6 of 15 plate appearances.

COOPER MATCHES SEASON HIGH: Senior Cody Cooper recorded eight whiffs in his most recent outing, and threw a season-high seven innings to get the team off to a solid start with a win in Game 1. Cooper leads the team with 29 strikeouts in 38 innings, and has made seven starts.

WATSON REMAINS SCORELESS: Fellow senior Tanner Watson continued his scoreless streak on the mound, tossing two strong innings in relief of Cooper to help seal the win. In 8 2/3 innings over four appearances this year, Watson has not allowed an earned run and has surrendered just seven hits and one walk for a WHIP of 0.92.

AS A TEAM: MSUB continues to be one of the top offensive teams in the GNAC, tied for second with a .262 batting average and No. 2 in home runs with 22. MSUB averages 5.44 runs per game, and is also second in the league with 22 steals in 38 attempts.

Central Washington University Wildcats Friday, March 31 – 1 PM Doubleheader Saturday, April 1 – 1 PM Doubleheader 2017 Record: 14-11, 8-7 GNAC Head Coach: Desi Storey, 26th season 2016 Record: 27-23, 23-17 GNAC The Wildcats are coming off a three-game sweep of Concordia last week, and have won five of their last seven games overall. CWU sits in third place in the conference standings, and is 5-2 at home so far this season.

CWU’s Dylan Freyre is off to a monster start through 21 games, with a slash line of .456/.488/.722. He is tied for the team high with four home runs, and also has seven doubles and 14 RBIs. Conor Plaisance and James Smith each also have four home runs, and the latter leads the team with 17 RBIs. Plaisance is getting on base at a clip of .422, and leads the team with nine doubles and 13 total extra-base hits.

Dustin Braun and Jake Levin are also in double digits in RBIs with 10 apiece, and have combined for three home runs.

On the hill, few in the GNAC are better than Levin, who holds a 1.67 ERA in 43 innings pitched. Levin has recorded 27 strikeouts against just a dozen walks, and is holding opposing hitters to an average of just .209 this year. Fellow starter Mackenzie Gaul has been similarly impressive, with an ERA of 2.14 and a team-high 41 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched.

CWU has the top pitching staff in the league with a team ERA of 3.37, and an average of 7.51 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Series: MSUB is 38-41 all-time against CWU, and is 19-21 in games played in Ellensburg. CWU has won six of the last eight games between the teams, winning both series last year 3-1.

Last Time Out: The ‘Cats won 3 of 4 games at Dehler Park last April, and 3 of 4 in Ellensburg last March when the teams last squared off.

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