Dettling, Tracy named D2CCA Softball All-Region

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Monday, May 15, 2017 Dettling, Tracy named D2CCA Softball All-Region

Heather Tracy earns her second all-region honor of the spring, while Megan Dettling is also listed among the top players in the west region announced by the D2CCA Monday.

BILLINGS, Mont. – After each being named first-team all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference selections this spring, Montana State University Billings softball juniors Megan Dettling and Heather Tracy have been selected as Division 2 Collegiate Commissioners Association all-region announced the organization Monday.

Dettling earned first-team all-west region as a designated player, and Tracy was a second-team outfielder.

In 39 starts as a hitter this year, Dettling batted .364 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs while slugging .651. She also had five doubles and one triple, and scored 28 runs while reaching base at a clip of .400. The junior tied a GNAC record with three home runs in a single game against the University of Colorado Colorado Springs on Feb. 8, 2017, which included a walk-off home run. She had multiple RBIs in 10 games, and a personal-best six RBIs against Western Oregon on March 19.

“It is exciting for Megan getting first-team, and she deserves that offensively,” said MSUB head coach Jessica Rayman. “She took advantage of the at-bats that she got, and definitely did something with them. She came up clutch in a lot of situations, and we wanted her up with runners in scoring position.”

This is the second all-region honor of the spring for Tracy, who was named second-team all-National Fastpitch Coaches Association last week. “It’s great to see that Heather is making a name for herself throughout the region,” Rayman commented on the star’s second regional honor of the spring. “She is just a solid player all around, and her hard work has paid off with this honor and all these awards.”

Megan Dettling.

The Boise, Idaho native had a historic season for the Yellowjackets, as she led the NCAA Division II West Region during the regular season with a school record 82 hits and hit .458 in 49 games started.

Tracy was a threat as MSUB's No. 2 hitter, as she had six home runs, eight doubles, and three triples, for a slugging percentage of .637 to go along with her lofty batting average. She also ranked fourth on the team with 36 RBIs, and led the squad with 13 stolen bases. Tracy carried an on-base percentage of .465, thanks in part to a team-low six strikeouts.

Tracy also tied a pair of GNAC single-game records as she scored five runs and had seven at-bats in a game against Western Oregon on March 19, 2017. She finished the year second in the GNAC in total bases (114) and batting average (.458), No. 5 in the GNAC in runs (43) and on-base percentage (.465), seventh in steals (13), and No. 9 in slugging percentage (.637).

Tracy, who earned all-region accolades after batting .429 with 57 hits last season, pushed her career batting average to .403 and is currently No. 4 in MSUB history with 188 hits. She is already MSUB's career stolen bases leader with 39, and she has totaled 16 home runs, 82 RBIs, and 100 runs scored through her first three seasons in the program.

MSUB finished in seventh place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings, going 16-33 overall and 10-18 in league play.

Heather Tracy.

The D2CCA all-region teams are voted on by the sports information directors in the GNAC, PacWest Conference, and California Collegiate Athletic Association. Dettling is now eligible for the D2CCA All-America voting, by virtue of being a first-team all-region selection.

--@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--