FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Thursday, March 17, 2016 Fine Toon-ed approach: Yellowjacket senior a rock at first base, in lineup
Holding one of the most disciplined approaches in the entire conference, Yellowjacket senior first baseman Kevin Toon has become an anchor in MSUB’s lineup and defensively at first base. MSUB SPORTS – The first start that Kevin Toon earned as a field player for the Montana State University Billings baseball team, he took the field as the Yellowjackets’ shortstop on March 3, 2014 in a game against Concordia University in Portland, Ore. Fresh into the program after transferring from Walla Walla Community College, Toon had the familiarity of former Yellowjackets Jake Campeau and Conner Holbrook on the mound and catching respectively. The three had been playing ball together since their little league days in Walla Walla, Wash., and all had elected to transfer to MSUB along with twin brothers Brett Christina and Drew Christina after two years at their hometown college. In the fourth inning, Toon fed a ground ball to second baseman Brody Miller for the second out, and ultimately fielded the ball for the final time in his collegiate career as a shortstop. Shoulder surgery to repair an arm injury after Toon’s senior year of high school not only forced him to redshirt his freshman year at WWCC, but it compromised his strength and ability to play the position he had grown up through his whole life.
It soon became clear that MSUB head coach Rob Bishop needed to have Toon in the lineup, meaning that a defensive position change was inevitable. Toon played the next handful of games at second base, before sliding over as the team’s first baseman in the final stretch of the 2014 season. Toon wound up batting .348 as a sophomore, with 10 doubles and 28 RBIs, and he was picked as a first-team all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference selection. He hasn’t played any position but first base since, and the transition has worked out better than the ‘Jackets or Toon could have hoped for. As a junior Toon set an MSUB record for putouts in a season with 327, and made just two errors for a fielding percentage of .994. Now as a senior, Toon has picked up where he left off, having handled 115 chances at first base without an error and pushing his career fielding percentage to .993. On top of that, Toon is a career .312 hitter and has become an integral part of MSUB’s lineup. Standing at 6-foot-2, Toon had the natural size to excel as a ballplayer. His path to becoming one of the key figures on the defending GNAC Champion Yellowjackets started long before he towered above his peers however, as his gift of athleticism runs deeper within his family roots. Toon set an MSUB record with 327 putouts last season as a first baseman.
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY
The common thread bringing Tim and Beth Toon together was a passion for volleyball, the sport each excelled at in college. Both played at the Division I level, with Beth playing at Rice University in Texas and Tim at Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo. “That was one of the best experiences of my life, getting to compete at that level,” Beth said. “I had played sports my entire life, and volleyball was the sport I could see myself continuing with at the collegiate level.” Tim was introduced to Beth while the latter was finishing up her career as a player, as he began taking the first steps towards what would be a 30-year career as a collegiate coach. The recent decision to step away and retire from coaching has given Tim perspective as his son’s baseball career winds down, as he can now fully appreciate Kevin’s passion for the game of baseball. “I had difficulty being a dad sometimes, because I would treat him more like a college athlete,” Tim recalled. “I also think there were some benefits, and Kevin was just a gym rat. He got to hang out with a lot of college athletes growing up and my players were always good to him.”
Toon triumphantly holding his first-ever baseball bat, a gift from his grandmother Pat on his third birthday.
Toon’s love for baseball was sparked well before he began attending his father’s college volleyball practices, as he recalls a gift from his grandmother Pat Shirk on his third birthday that wound up being the first hint of his destiny on the diamond. “She gave me this baseball bat,” Toon said with a smile. “You could tell I was in love with (the game) from the start.” From there, Toon spent countless hours wrestling Tim’s custom-thrown ground balls into control and signaling to his father he enjoyed it by stinging his palm with a return throw. By the time Toon reached high school, he was a dual sport athlete as he stood out in basketball and baseball. “I played basketball as well but baseball was always my focus,” Toon said. “Whenever I could, I was picking up a baseball and working on that.” With his father coaching at Walla Walla CC, Toon knew he would fit in well and transition naturally into the college game if he stayed close to home. He had also fostered a relationship with Warriors baseball head coach Dave Meliah, who had spent time in the minor leagues in the Texas Rangers’ organization. “When I was about 10 Dave gave me one of his minor league gloves,” Toon remembered. “That really helped fuel my passion for the game.” Tim recalls summer days when Meliah would lend his arm to Kevin, the two playing catch as yet another positive influence made his mark on Toon’s development as a player. Though Toon had to sit out for a year when he finally got to play under Meliah, his father recognized that the time away from the game helped him gain perspective. “We thought Walla Walla was a great place for Kevin to start, and it turned out to be a great time for him to mature,” Tim said. “It’s also an awesome bonus that he got to play three years at MSUB instead of two.” IN TOON WITH HIS APPROACH “Kevin is one of the guys who has bought in one-hundred percent to our offensive philosophy. He sees more pitches than any guy in our lineup, and because of that he gets the maximum out of each at bat.” – MSUB head coach Rob Bishop on Kevin Toon’s approach at the plate. Through the first 16 games of his senior season, Toon is batting .321 and has adopted the crucial role of cleanup hitter as he protects Yellowjacket threehitter Luke Reinschmidt. Toon possesses a patience at the plate that is envied by most, and a confidence and trust in his ability as a hitter that is matched by few. Digging into the batter’s box further away from the plate than most other Yellowjackets, Toon believes in his opposite-field approach and ability to cover any part of the plate in any count. When Toon faces a count with two strikes, he reaches base at an absurd clip of .370 (10-for-27), which is more than 100 points higher than the average mark for the Yellowjackets (.258). “I look forward to hitting with two strikes, and I’m just trying to do what’s best
Toon takes more pitches than any other Yellowjacket, his .370 on-base percentage in twostrike counts evidence of his comfort at the plate even when he’s behind.
for the team,” Toon said. “There are certain counts you should be aggressive in, but a lot of time you just need to be patient and wait until you get a good pitch. I just try to get on base for the guys behind me.” Not only does Toon excel when hitting with two strikes, but when he manages to work a count to three balls (which he has done in 42 percent of his plate appearances this year), there’s a 66.7 percent chance he’ll reach base (18-for-27). Toon’s on-base percentage of .473 leads the GNAC this season, and he’s on pace to challenge the GNAC single-season walks record of 52 (Andrew Elke, Saint Martin’s, 2010). In MSUB’s first game of the season, Toon had a two-out, two-run double in the ninth inning that helped seal a 3-0 victory over Holy Names University. He set the tone with the first RBI in a 10-5 win on Feb. 14, and kept MSUB alive with an RBIdouble in the seventh inning of a 6-5, extra inning win on Feb. 20. “Kevin leads by example, and he is a guy that everyone on our team wants at the plate in a big spot,” Bishop said. “Transitioning to first base after his injuries, he has made a big impact on our defense as well. He is a very instinctual player and gets the most out of his talent.” When Toon went 0-for-4 in the Yellowjackets’ first game against the Crusaders last weekend, he snapped an 18-game hitting streak that dated back to the end of last season. It was the third-longest streak in MSUB history, and tied for the ninth-longest in GNAC history. Reflecting on his son’s accomplishments, Tim is quick to recognize the decision to move Toon to first base as being crucial in getting the most out of him. “I really appreciate Coach Bishop’s vision to move him to first base, because he is just way too good a player to throw away because of arm issues,” Tim said. “I’ve seen a lot of coaches in my day, and I love his gentle demeanor, confidence in his players, and I really appreciate his approach to the game.” TRIPLE PLAYS, DOG PILES, UNFINISHED BUSINESS “I’ve won championships before, but this was the most special. Considering where the program was before that and how we had to fight to come back made it unique.” – Kevin Toon on last season’s run to the Yellowjackets’ firstever GNAC title. When MSUB boarded its bus to Nampa, Idaho last season for a four-game series at Northwest Nazarene University, the team held a record of 7-16 and was coming off back-to-back losing series that put their conference mark at 2-5. The ‘Jackets needed a defining event to alter the course of their season quickly, something to bring the team together. Halfway to Idaho, the team bus broke down and MSUB was re-routed on a yellow school bus. The seemingly-crammed regular team bus quickly felt like a lost luxury, as players jammed together two to a seat. “That really helped
Toon reacts after the Yellowjackets won their firstever GNAC title last May in Lacey, Wash.
our team chemistry,” Toon said. “We were miserable together squished on a bus, but when we got there we played as a team.” In some ways, what happened next makes it surprising that Bishop didn’t arrange for yellow bus travel for the remainder of the season. The ‘Jackets swept the Crusaders in four games, kicking off a run of 20 wins in their final 25 games that led to the GNAC title. It was an unlikely finish to a year that started off with a 1-9 record, as MSUB captured its first winning season (2723) since baseball had been restored in the 2006 season. “It was definitely a rough start to the year, but we knew deep down we had a team with the ability to go on a run,” Toon said. “We never lost confidence in our coaches, players, or the team we were all together.” Another defining moment came later on in the year against the Crusaders, with the ‘Jackets leading 16-8 in the ninth inning with the bases loaded and no outs. As Toon watched Miller snag a line drive, he knew there was a chance to double off the runner on first. “As soon as Brody caught it, I was screaming for him to throw it to me,” Toon remembered. But Miller turned to his right, firing a quick release to shortstop Corey Morris at second base. The instant the ball landed in Toon’s glove on the return throw, the game was over. He had just caught the final out of a triple play for the second time that season, as he was also on the receiving end of Kyle Durbin’s throw to complete the rare feat the first weekend of the year. “I was holding my breath when Brody threw it to second, and for me that one was more exciting,” Toon said. “When someone showed the first one to me on the bus later, it was cool to hear, ‘Montana State Billings’ on ESPN. That definitely got us on the map.” Toon is one of four seniors around MSUB’s infield this season, as he is on the receiving end of almost every assist out of the hands of Durbin at third, Morris at shortstop, and Colter Sternhagen at second. Five hundred and six putouts into his career, Toon is third in MSUB history and is well on pace to top the school record of 623 held by Blake Loran. In Toon’s eyes, what he’s accomplished individually in just two-plus years with the ‘Jackets is a result of putting his best foot forward for the team. “I don’t really have any individual goals this year, we just want to win another GNAC title,” Toon said. “We want to put ourselves into a position to go to a regional, and there is no better feeling than dogpiling at the end of the year.” DEPUTY IN THE MAKING “He has always been a goal setter. From the time he was little he’d set some sort of goal that he wanted to achieve. I was always amazed that he’d achieve it.” – Beth Toon on her son Kevin’s remarkable drive and determination. Toon will graduate on Saturday May 7, the day after the final regular-season game on MSUB’s schedule. As he receives his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, Toon is convinced that he and his teammates will have more baseball to play, with the GNAC tournament scheduled for the following weekend at the site of the regular season champion. Regardless of when he plays his final career game with the ‘Jackets, Toon is already ahead of the game in solidifying his career path. With ambitions of becoming a sheriff’s deputy, Toon plans to move back to the West Coast and begin his career in Oregon. “I knew baseball would end someday, so I had to find a passion for something else,” Toon said. “I had
an internship with the Walla Walla Police Department, and Captain Chris Buttice really helped me find that passion and develop it.” What stood out most as Kevin’s mother Beth reflected on her son’s life as a ballplayer was his undeniable determination to maximize his potential and use his natural tools to succeed. “His senior year in high school, he said to me one day, ‘I really want our team to go to the state tournament, and I’m going to hit .500, and I’m going to be the player of the year in the conference,” Beth said. “And then he did it, and I couldn’t believe it. He has always done that.” From his first bat his grandmother gifted him, to his remarkable senior year of high school, to his first – and last – game at shortstop for the ‘Jackets, Toon has matured into a staple in MSUB’s lineup. The Yellowjackets open their 2016 home schedule at Dehler Park this weekend, fittingly for Toon, against Concordia. He’ll be at a new position and has 100 more hits than he had the last time the Cavaliers saw him, but he’s still the same determined, dynamic, even-keeled Kevin Toon. Toon batted .552 win an on-base percentage of .619 as a senior at WWHS, and was named the Big Nine Player of the Year.
That’s how he’s always been. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--