FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Monday, June 12, 2017 ‘Jacket baseball 2017 summer ball teams
Follow players from the Yellowjacket baseball team as they compete on summer ball teams throughout the United States. BILLINGS, Mont. – Nine players from the Montana State University Billings baseball team are competing this summer for a variety of teams throughout the western United States. “Summer ball is the best time of year for development for our guys,” commented MSUB head coach Aaron Sutton. “They get the opportunity to play almost every day, and hone their skills for the upcoming season. Our staff is excited that our players get the chance to play in some outstanding leagues and represent Yellowjacket Baseball.”
Yellowjacket Baseball 2017 Summer Ball Teams Name Team Steen Fredrickson Wenatchee Applesox Michael Gahan Edmonton Prospects Jalen Garcia Wenatchee Applesox Alec Leighton Portland Pickles Brandon Maassen Kitsap BlueJackets Sam Muskat Portland Pickles Ryan Myers Humboldt Crabs Andrew Schleusner Colorado Black Bears Jake Tallman Carbondale Cowboys
League WCL WMBL WCL GWL WCL GWL FWL RMCBL MWSCB
Position Pitcher Infielder/Pitcher Outfielder Outfielder Pitcher Pitcher First Baseman Catcher Infielder
Class (2017-18 Year) Junior Senior Junior Junior Junior Sophomore Senior Sophomore Sophomore
League Websites Far West League Western Major Baseball League Rocky Mountain Collegiate Baseball League Mountain West Summer Collegiate Baseball League West Coast League Great West League Steen Fredrickson Team: Wenatchee AppleSox League: West Coast League Location: Wenatchee, Washington Website: http://www.applesox.com/ In 2017 for MSUB: Fredrickson filled a key role as both a relief pitcher and spot starter in his sophomore season at MSUB. The right-hander logged 37 2/3 innings and had 33 strikeouts against 23 walks. Michael Gahan Team: Edmonton Prospects League: Western Major Baseball League Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Website: http://www.prospectsbaseballclub.com/ In 2017 for MSUB: In his first season with the ‘Jackets, Gahan contributed on both sides of the ball. Offensively the senior-to-be batted .273 with one home run and 10 RBIs. Taking on the closing role late in the year, Gahan posted a stellar 1.69 earned run average with a pair of saves in five appearances out of the bullpen. Jalen Garcia Team: Wenatchee AppleSox League: West Coast League Location: Wenatchee, Washington Website: http://www.applesox.com/ In 2017 for MSUB: One of MSUB’s most consistent players in his first year in the program, Garcia earned second-team all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference recognition as a rightfielder. He
batted .327 with five home runs and 38 RBIs, while playing error-free defense in 82 chances in the outfield. Alec Leighton Team: Portland Pickles League: Great West League Location: Portland, Oregon Website: http://www.portlandpicklesbaseball.com/ In 2017 for MSUB: In his second year with the ‘Jackets, Leighton saw action in 23 games and finished the year with a .259 batting average. Brandon Maassen Team: Kitsap BlueJackets League: West Coast League Location: Bremerton, Washington Website: http://www.bluejacketbaseball.com/ In 2017 for MSUB: Maassen pitched in three games as a sophomore for the Yellowjackets in 2017. He earned his first career save on April 7 against Northwest Nazarene University.
Sam Muskat Team: Portland Pickles League: Great West League Location: Portland, Oregon Website: http://www.portlandpicklesbaseball.com/ In 2017 for MSUB: Muskat was an effective left-handed reliever as a true freshman, totaling 25 1/3 innings pitched over a dozen appearances. The Beaverton, Ore., native earned GNAC Pitcher of the Week after throwing five perfect innings out of the bullpen in his career debut against No. 19 Colorado Mesa on Feb. 19. Ryan Myers Team: Humboldt Crabs League: Far West League Location: Arcata, California Website: http://humboldtcrabs.com/ In 2017 for MSUB: Putting together a second-team all-region season in his first year in the program, Myers led the GNAC in on-base percentage (.474) and was second in the league in slugging percentage (.631). The powerful first baseman also led MSUB with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs while batting .300. Andrew Schleusner Team: Colorado Black Bears League: Rocky Mountain Baseball League Location: Denver, Colorado
Website: http://www.leaguelineup.com/teams_baseball.asp?url=rmblcolorado&sid=740754056&divisionid=793726&teamid=600 0218 In 2017 for MSUB: Schleusner caught 26 games as a true freshman, hitting one home run and driving in nine while holding a .974 fielding percentage behind the plate. A walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh to give MSUB a series win over Concordia University (Ore.) on March 19 highlighted the Kalispell, Mont., native’s debut collegiate campaign. Jake Tallman Team: Carbondale Cowboys League: Mountain West Summer Collegiate Baseball League Location: Carbondale, Colorado Website: https://www.mtwestsummercollegebaseball.com/team-page-links/carbondalecowboys-carbondale-colorado/ In 2017 for MSUB: In his redshirt freshman season, Tallman played in 17 games and recorded 23 at-bats. The Billings native made four starts as an infielder. MSUB went 23-29 during the 2017 season, and posted a mark of 21-19 in GNAC play to place fourth and earn a trip to the conference tournament for the third straight season.
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