New Faces: MSUB Baseball freshman Max Hartgraves

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Friday, February 24, 2017 New Faces: MSUB Baseball freshman Max Hartgraves

Emerging as MSUB’s starting shortstop as just a freshman, Max Hartgraves is proving early on that he’s headed towards a memorable career as a Yellowjacket.

MSUB SPORTS – Max Hartgraves knew he was going to get a pitch to hit.

The Montana State University Billings freshman was up against stiff competition in reigning NCAA D2 All-American JR McDermott of Colorado Mesa University, but after the right-hander fell behind the Yellowjackets’ No. 9 hitter, Hartgraves upped his focus.

Sitting on a 1-0 fastball, the left-handed hitter jumped on the delivery and shot a rising line drive down the right-field line towards the corner. He turned back towards his teammates in the first-base dugout and enthusiastically pounded his chest, his first-career home run clearing the fence before he had reached MSUB assistant coach Parker Kruckenberg and the first-base bag.

“I got ahead in the count and I knew he was going to throw me a pitch to hit,” Hartgraves responded when asked about the at-bat. “I just kind of saw it and hit it. The whole thing happened really fast, but it was awesome.”

It was the fourth game of Hartgraves’ career with the Yellowjackets, but he immediately raised the intensity level among his teammates with a presence that could have been mistaken for that of a four-year veteran. “One thing we talked about a lot in practice last week was playing with more emotion and a little more fire,” said MSUB head coach Aaron Sutton. “For Max to come out and hit his first career home run really got us going offensively. It really broke the ice for our guys going into that series, and allowed the team to open up a bit more.”

Hartgraves’ blast came in the top of the third inning in the first game of the series, and though the ‘Jackets lost the first two games they rallied to pick up their first two wins ever over a ranked NCAA D2 opponent.

While the burst of power energized the ‘Jackets, hitting home runs is not what Hartgraves was recruited for. Standing at 5-foot-9, Hartgraves has been called upon to fill the defensive vacancy left by first-team all-GNAC shortstop and 2016 graduate Corey Morris. Spending his first year in the program as a redshirt, Hartgraves had a chance to learn the ins and outs of the position first hand from Morris. “He talked to me a lot about the game and taught me a bunch about the position,” Hartgraves commented on Morris, another 5-foot-9 shortstop known for his glove work. “I wasn’t going to get a lot of playing time, and I used the year to develop and work my way up.”

From Sutton’s perspective, Hartgraves has grown into a player he can rely on to fill one of the most crucial defensive positions on the diamond. In the same game the freshman hit his first home run, he made six plays at shortstop and came close to having a seventh. With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, he dove to his right and made a backhand stop before a throw to third that was a half-step away from beating the runner. “Max is a very sound defensive shortstop, and he is building up confidence by performing extremely well in the start of our season,” Sutton said. “He has exceptionally good feet and a strong arm, and that is something you need to have if you want to play on the left side of the infield.”

A Tempe, Ariz., native, Hartgraves was initially identified by Kruckenberg during the recruiting process. He became acquainted with MSUB through the Arizona Senior Fall Classic during his final prep season at McClintock High School. So far, he has adapted well to his accelerated role within the team under the Yellowjackets’ first-year skipper. “I was really impressed on my visit here, and Coach (Rob) Bishop made me want to come here,” Hartgraves said citing MSUB’s former head coach. “I really like Coach Sutton a lot, and we are going

to win a lot of games because of him. He always tells me not to play like a freshman, and that’s the main thing I have learned from him.”

Hartgraves is part of a youthful infield overall, with double play partners in the form of freshman second basemen Jake Tallman, Caje Golden, and sophomore Jacob Foley. Captaining MSUB’s infield defensively is a priority, and Hartgraves also wants to continue having a strong approach in the batter’s box. “I want to be solid up the middle with whoever is playing second with me, and I want to be a good communicator on the field,” Hartgraves said. “At the plate, I want to get on base a lot, get my bunts down, and execute all of the plays.”

Personality wise, Hartgraves has the potential makeup of a long-term leader in the eyes of Sutton. “If Max takes ownership in gaining confidence and being more of a leader on the field, then the sky is the limit for him,” Sutton said.

Baseball is in Hartgraves’ bloodline, his father Dean pitching for three Major League Baseball teams from 1996-98.

Though he’d love to follow in his father’s footsteps with a professional career one day, his primary focus is on completing his political science degree and pursuing a career in politics.

Three losses at Colorado Mines to open the season didn’t sit well within Hartgraves’ competitive nature, and he was determined to lead a resurgence last week against CMU. Hartgraves’ home run was the first of six in the series for the ‘Jackets, who averaged 7.3 runs in the split against the Mavericks. “We started the season slow and CMU was a ranked team, but I really felt like we were better than them in that series,” Hartgraves said, hinting at a blown 7-2 lead in the sixth inning of Game 1 that would have given the ‘Jackets a 3-1 series win. “We are getting better each time we step on the field, and I think we are just as good as anybody out there.”

Defensively, where Hartgraves is at his best, the team is steadily improving each game, and is coming off an error-free performance in the finale. It’s going to take a similar level of intensity for the success to continue this weekend, as the ‘Jackets travel to No. 20 Dixie State University for three games Friday through Sunday.

“I want to win. I want to go to the World Series,” Hartgraves said. “These are high goals, but this is what we as a program want to strive for.”

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