Yellowjackets place 4 on all-GNAC softball team

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Wednesday, May 3, 2017 Yellowjackets place 4 on all-GNAC softball team

Heather Tracy and Megan Dettling are first-team all-GNAC selections, Cameron Cassinelli earns second-team honors, and Bella Rovens is an honorable mention all-GNAC pick for the 2017 season.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Four players from the Montana State University Billings softball team earned Great Northwest Athletic Conference all-league honors announced the conference office Wednesday.

Juniors Heather Tracy and Megan Dettling were first-team all-GNAC selections, Cameron Cassinelli was a second-team pick, and senior centerfielder Bella Rovens earned all-GNAC recognition for the third straight year as an honorable mention selection. Tracy and Dettling were each unanimous picks to the first team.

“I’m proud of those four for getting all-conference,” said MSUB head coach Jessica Rayman. “They all put in a lot of work this year, and that paid off, especially offensively. We were strong at the plate, and these four were at the core of that.”

Tracy, who currently leads the entire NCAA Division II west region with 82 hits, earned first-team all-GNAC for the second straight year after a historic campaign. The rightfielder broke MSUB’s single-season hits record, and recorded the second-highest batting average in Yellowjacket single-season history at .458. Tracy also led the team with 43 runs scored and 13 stolen bases, and added six home runs, 36 RBIs, and a slugging percentage of .637.

“This is a huge honor for Heather, and it is well-deserved as she did a great job all year and was very consistent,” Rayman said. “She does such a good job reading the defense and doing her best to get on base, and that’s why she had so many hits this year.”

Dettling was a dual threat as a slugger in the lineup and a solid pitcher in the circle. As a designated player, she ranked third on the team with 10 home runs and second on the squad with 40 RBIs. She hit .364 in 129 atbats, and posted a slugging percentage of .651 while scoring 28 runs. In the circle, Dettling ranked second in the GNAC with 102 strikeouts, and led the team with 141 innings pitched.

“Megan provided us with a reliable bat, and even though she didn’t get all the hitting opportunities she could have had, she stepped up and got Tracy earned first-team all-GNAC for the second the job done,” said Rayman. “She did a good job taking advantage of the straight year, after leading the west region with 82 hits. hitting opportunities that she had.”

For the second year in-a-row, Cassinelli garnered second-team all-GNAC recognition as a first baseman. The junior from Santan Valley, Ariz., led the GNAC with 13 home runs and broke the MSUB single-season RBIs record with 51 in 2017.

Cassinelli batted .383 and led the team with a .725 slugging percentage. She also had a team-high 12 doubles and ranked second behind Tracy with 108 total bases.

“Cameron is a powerful hitter for us, who did a great job of stepping up in clutch situations this year,” Rayman commented. “She is someone we always want in the box with runners in scoring position, and she did a great job as a cleanup hitter all year.”

Breaking five MSUB career offensive records and tying the school mark for games played with 190 in four seasons, Rovens ended her four-year career at the top of MSUB’s record books. The Sparks, Nev., native batted .338 with 54 hits, including eight doubles, two home runs, and 21 RBIs this spring. Rovens posted a .437 on-base percentage, and tied her own MSUB single-season record for walks by drawing 27 in 2017. She also stole six bases, and ranked second on the team with 42 runs scored.

Rovens, whose most prominent school record is 215 career hits, was one of seven players in the GNAC to earn allconference for a third time. She was a second-team all-league outfielder as a sophomore in 2015 and a junior in 2016.

“Bella is very deserving of recognition, because she is a hard worker, a leader, and a senior who everybody looked up to,” said Rayman. “She really made a name for herself in the GNAC and was a true team player. For her it wasn’t about breaking records, but it was about how she could set the tone, and get on base to help her team.”

Kailyn Campbell of Central Washington University was named the GNAC Player of the Year, and CWU head coach Mike Larabee was the GNAC Coach of the Year. Wildcat senior Kiana Wood and Western Washington University freshman Anna Kasner shared the Pitcher of the Year honor, and Kasner and Brittany Genuardi of Northwest Nazarene University were the co-Freshman of the Year winners. Jacie McDaniels of the GNAC champion Wildcats was picked as the league’s Newcomer of the Year.

The Yellowjackets finished the season in seventh place in the GNAC, with an overall record of 16-33 and a mark of 10-18 in conference play.

--@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--