FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Birgitta Gray O: (406) 896-5917 E: birgitta.gray@msubillings.edu March 16, 2016 Yellowjacket softball welcomes Saint Martin’s for home opener MSUB Softball on Facebook | MSUB Softball on ISSUU Preview interview with sophomore Megan Dettling and head coach Rebekah Gasner GNAC Standings | GNAC Weekly Release
Cori Gammon and the MSUB softball team open their home schedule this weekend at Avitus Group Stadium.
The 2016 MSUB softball team opens their 2016 home schedule Mar. 19 with Saint Martin’s at Avitus Group Stadium. BILLINGS, Mont. – After beginning their season with 20 road games, this weekend marks the home opener for the MSUB softball team as the Yellowjackets welcome Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponent Saint Martin’s to Avitus Group Stadium for doubleheaders on Mar. 19 and 20. Montana State University Billings (7-13, 0-4 GNAC) opened its 2016 campaign on Feb. 5, against No. 19 Sonoma State in Las Vegas. Since then, the Yellowjackets have played 19 more road games, but are looking forward to kicking off their home season with a pair of conference doubleheaders against the Saints.
The Yellowjackets are 0-4 in conference play, getting swept at Simon Fraser Mar. 5 and 6, but turned it around two days later with wins against the University of British Columbia, including a 9-6 win in extra innings. At Seattle University, MSUB was within two runs, 4-2, when weather forced an early end to the game. FINDING THE RIGHT FIT: With only three players (Cori Gammon, Bella Rovens, and Cameron Cassinelli) that have played in all 20 games this season, the MSUB team is still adjusting to the newness of their roster. With one starting infielder returning to the team this season, the Yellowjackets are looking for the right mix of players in the right order. TOUGH TRIO: The trio of players that have played in all 20 games are also leading the team at the plate. Gammon: Leads the team in hits with 21 on a .339 batting average. The senior also has a teambest five sacrifice hits, has scored 12 runs, and is 4-4 in stolen bases. Rovens: Second on the team in hits with 17 on a .270 batting average. The junior is tied with Gammon scoring 12 runs, has 10 RBI’s, and nine walks. Cassinelli: Tied with Rovens at 17 hits and has a second-best .340 batting average. The sophomore leads the team with 17 RBI’s and has scored 11 runs. She is tied with Rovens for a team-best nine walks. Cassinelli is fifth in the conference with four homeruns and eighth in slugging percentage at .660. The native of Santan Valley, Ariz., also had her first games in the circle as a Yellowjacket last week. In 7 and 1/3 innings of work, Cassinelli had just two earned runs against five strikeouts and is carrying a 1.91 ERA into the weekend. DOUBLE-DUTY: Sophomore Megan Dettling has stepped up her role on the team this season. Last year as a freshman, Dettling concentrated her efforts in the circle, but this year has expanded Cameron Cassinelli leads MSUB in RBI’s with 17. her role on the team to include being in the lineup at the plate. In 55 and 1/3 innings pitched, Dettling has amassed 46 strikeouts which has her ranked second in the conference at 7.48 per game. She is tied for first in the GNAC with 12 complete games and leads the conference in opposing batting average at .197. At the plate, Dettling has nine hits in 31 at bats with two home runs and seven RBI’s. TRIPLE THREAT: Junior Ryland Estrada and sophomore Heather Tracy both have two triples on the season which ties them for the lead in the GNAC. In 14 games for the ‘Jackets, Estrada has come out with a team-leading .343 batting average. In 25 at bats, the transfer from Chandler Gilbert has 12 hits and has been a threat with her speed, turning four of those into two doubles and two triples. Estrada has also collected seven RBI’s, and 18 total bases. She is second on the team with a .514 slugging percentage and is second on the team in on-base percentage at .439. Tracy was 3-for-3 in
the first game against UBC last week with three runs, a double, and two walks. The outfielder is carrying a .324 batting average with 12 hits and a .459 slugging percentage. GOING THE DISTANCE: Adding in some important numbers are a quartet of players. Making appearances in 14 games or more for the team this year are Myrissa Prince, Kelsey Devlin, Jessica Bagnell, and Amanda Barham. Prince is carrying a .308 batting average with 16 hits and 10 RBI’s. Devlin has 11 hits and 21 total bases and is second on the team in slugging percentage at .512. Like Devlin, Bagnell has made appearances in 14 games and has nine hits for the ‘Jackets with nine RBI’s. Barham has 27 credited at bats and has contributed five hits and three RBI’s. SHARING THE CIRCLE: In the circle for MSUB, senior Amanda Roark has totaled 35 and 2/3 innings of work with junior transfer Taylor Tokach adding in 21 and 1/3 innings. Both players picked up wins last week with a victory Junior Ryland Estrada leads MSUB with a .343 batting average. each against British Columbia. Roark tossed 3 and 2/3 innings in one game against the Thunderbirds, holding the team to two earned runs on four hits. Tokach tossed 4 innings with three earned runs on seven hits. Saint Martin’s University Saints Saturday, March 19 – 1 PM – DOUBLEHEADER Sunday, March 20 – 12 PM - DOUBLEHEADER Avitus Group Stadium, Billings, MT 2016 Record: 15-2, 0-0 GNAC Head Coach: Rick Noren, 6th season 2015 GNAC Finish: 41-20, 20-4 GNAC, (1st) The Saints are off to a good 2016 opening season start. SMU has 15 wins against two losses this season. The first loss was a doubleheader split against Chaminade in Hawaii where the Saints lost the first game 8-6 before bouncing back with a 5-2 win in the second. At the Northwest Cup in Portland, Ore., SMU lost an opening one-run game, 3-2, to the 2016 Desert Stinger champions Concordia University (California), before rolling through the rest of the tournament. Saint Martin’s had its last six schedules series either cancelled or postponed due to weather and/or field conditions. The last two weekends, SMU was scheduled for games against Western Oregon, Concordia (Ore.), Western Washington, and Simon Fraser, but all of them had to be moved to later dates. As a result, the Saints have not been on the field since a sweep of Northwest University (7-0, 6-1) on Feb. 25, at home in Lacey, WA, but are on a six-game win streak dating back to Feb. 20.
MSUB and SMU do have one common opponent this season. The Yellowjackets played British Columbia twice coming away with two wins (9-5, 9-6 in 8 innings) while the Saints played the Thunderbird once, winning 17-7. The Saints were picked to finish second in the GNAC preseason coaches’ poll. SMU returns 12 players and five position starters from its regular season championship team last season. The Saints lead the conference in batting average at .362 and in the circle with a combined 2.65 ERA. Junior Mary Dettling is leading the offense batting .447 with 21 hits and 14 RBI. Junior Jackie Schmaeling is batting .436 with a 24 hits, including 12 doubles, and a team-leading .764 slugging percentage. Kim Nelson is batting .419 and in the circle is 5-1 with a 3.86 ERA. The Saints have the top-2 pitchers in the GNAC. Loryn Williams is also 5-1 for SMU. In 53 and 1/3 innings, Williams has just eight earned runs against 39 strikeouts for a 1.35 ERA. Lauren Maley is carrying a 4-0 record on a 3.00 ERA with 21 innings pitched. The Series: (33-22, Home 10-11) Last season, MSUB broke a 10-game losing streak to the Saints, picking up one win in the four-game series against them and then beating SMU in the semifinals of the GNAC tournament (4-3) to advance to the championship game Last Time Out: The last time the two teams met was in the semifinal game of the GNAC tournament. MSUB and SMU were tied at three runs each after the fourth inning when Cassinelli hit a home run in the top of the sixth inning for the game-winning run. Cassinelli was 2-3 in the game finishing with two RBI’s, a double and home run. This weekend at Avitus Group Stadium on the campus of Montana State University Billings, tickets are $5 for general admission, and are $3 for seniors (65-plus), students in grades 7-12, and MSUB faculty and staff. MSUB students and children in sixth grade and under are admitted free. All-sport ticket packages are also available at 25 for $100 and 10 for $45, and are good for all home MSUB spring sporting events (36 home baseball and softball games this spring). For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact MSUB Athletics at 406-657-2369 or sports@msubillings.edu. Tickets and game programs will also be available at the gate. This weekend's games will also feature live video and live statistics through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--