Preview: MSUB softball heads to Minot State Sunday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Wednesday, March 22, 2017 Preview: MSUB softball heads to Minot State Sunday

With a two-week hiatus from conference play, MSUB’s softball team heads to Minot State for a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon.

BILLINGS, Mont. – After 16 Great Northwest Athletic Conference games over the span of 15 days, the Montana State University Billings begins a two-week break from league action but will be back on the field on the road this weekend.

The Yellowjackets (12-17, 8-8 GNAC) head east to challenge Minot State University in a non-conference doubleheader on Sunday in North Dakota. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. Mountain time, and live stats will be available online here.

“It was good to come out and take 3 of 4 from a good Western Oregon team,” said MSUB head coach Jessica Rayman. “It will be good to work on some things this week in practice, and play some non-conference games out at Minot.”

MSUB is coming off a 3-1 series win over GNAC opponent Western Oregon University, as the Yellowjackets had a strong home debut last weekend at Avitus Group Stadium. The ‘Jackets rode the performance of two complete games by freshman left-hander Maddy Lincoln in the circle, and three home runs and 10 RBIs by GNAC Player of the Week Cameron Cassinelli at the plate against the Wolves.

The big week helped MSUB snap out of a five-game losing skid, and the Yellowjackets currently sit in third place in the league standings with three more league series to play.

NATIONAL TOP-10S: Entering the week, Cassinelli and Heather Tracy are among the NCAA Division II leaders in a handful of statistical categories, and are on a historical pace 29 games into the season. Tracy ranks third in the country with 52 hits, and is just two shy of the co-leaders at 54. Cassinelli is in the top-10 in the country in both home runs and RBIs, two categories that she leads the GNAC in.

NCAA Division II Statistical Leaders (As of March 20, 2017) Player Hits Rank HR Rank Heather Tracy 52 3 (54) 3 -Cameron Cassinelli 31 -10 6 (14) *National leader in parentheses

RBI 24 37

Rank -8 (44)

TB 73 70

Rank 17 (86) 27 (86)

The Yellowjackets’ 36 home runs as a team not only lead the GNAC, but the team’s average of 1.24 per game ranks fifth in all of the NCAA Division II as well. Through 29 games, the team’s home run total is already the 10th highest in the 17year history of Yellowjacket softball.

Tracy enters the week No. 3 in the NCAA with 52 hits this season.

NCAA Division II Team Home Runs Per Game Leaders (As of March 20, 2017) Rank Team G HR Per Game 1 Southern Arkansas 28 55 1.96 2 Armstrong State 23 42 1.83 3 West Texas A&M 29 47 1.62 4 Colorado Mesa 24 36 1.50 5 MSU Billings 29 36 1.24

DEVLIN, CASSINELLI KEEP CLIMBING: Each hitting home runs last week, Cassinelli and senior Kelsey Devlin are currently even with 27 long balls each in their careers, which ranks them tied for fourth in school history. The two are also in a three-way tie for 15th in GNAC history, along with current WWU slugger Emily Benson. With the power numbers come high slugging percentages, as Cassinelli is currently No. 6 in GNAC history at .675 in her career.

ROVENS NEARING 200-HIT CLUB: Senior Bella Rovens moved to No. 2 in MSUB history with 192 career hits, and is just eight away from becoming the second player in school history and 17th in GNAC history to reach the landmark of 200. Rovens continued to build on her schoolrecord runs total of 145 and walks total of 81, moving up to No. 8 and No. 7 in GNAC history in the respective categories.

Bella Rovens Career Rankings Category Total MSUB Rank Walks 81 1 Runs 145 1 Hits 192 2 At Bats 555 2 Stolen Bases 32 3 RBIs 71 20 Doubles 19 20

GNAC Rank 7 8 20 27 25 ---

Rovens is in the top-10 in GNAC history in both career runs and walks.

ANOTHER MULTI-HOMER DAY FOR DETTLING: Not only did junior Megan Dettling record her second multi-homer game of the 2017 season, but she hit two long balls in the same inning during the Yellowjackets’ furious comeback in Game 4 against the Wolves. Dettling’s second shot of the day, a three-run blast to right-center, sent the game to extra innings tied at 18-18. Her other multi-homer game tied a GNAC record, as she hit three home runs in a win over UC Colorado Springs on Feb. 8.

Dettling also pitched nine innings against the Wolves, striking out four and allowing just six runs on 10 hits.

TIFFANY HITS KEY HOME RUN: MSUB’s 10-run seventh inning was one for the record books, but none of it would have happened if not for a clutch, pinch-hit home run by Nicole Tiffany an inning earlier. With the Yellowjackets trailing 15-6 and in danger of a run-rule loss, Tiffany extended the game to the seventh inning with a two-run shot over the left-field fence. “Coming to the plate, I knew my job was to do whatever I could to keep the inning going,” Tiffany responded when asked about the home run. “The pitch was where I wanted it to be, and I just took advantage of it. I’m glad that started momentum for the next inning for our team.”

LINCOLN COLLECTS TWO MORE WINS: Pitching the ‘Jackets to a pair of victories last week, freshman Maddy Lincoln upped her record to 8-7 and fired two more complete games. The left-hander kept a hold on her GNAC lead in victories, innings pitched (90.2), starts (14), and complete games (10), and she’s also second in strikeouts (46), and appearances (18).

FRESHMAN’S GRAND OPENING: In her first full series starting every game in left field, freshman Emma Tucker went 5for-14 and had one of the biggest swings of the weekend. Her first-career home run was a grand slam during the Yellowjackets’ 10-run inning, and she totaled six RBIs and four runs scored overall on the weekend. Tucker is batting .348 in 23 at-bats, and has started seven games while playing in 14.

Minot State University Beavers Sunday, March 26 – 11 AM MTN – Doubleheader 2017 Record: 6-5 Head Coach: Bill Triplett, 10th season 2016 Record: 17-30, 6-23 NSIC Competing in the NCAA D2 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, the Beavers are off to a 6-5 start this season. The team has won four games in-a-row and five of its last six overall heading into Sunday’s contest.

Four Beavers are batting north of .400 through the first 11 games of the year, and the team is being led by Ashley Hill at .447 (17-for-38). Hill also paces the squad with four home runs and 15 RBIs, and holds an on-base percentage of .475 and slugging percentage of .816.

Tori Zimmermann has also started all 11 games, and has hit three home runs with a dozen RBIs while batting .417.

Rachel Burdette is the team’s other player with double-figure RBIs, as she is batting .412 with four doubles and 10 runs driven in.

In the circle, Jenn Spencer has done the majority of the work and leads a pitching staff with a stellar ERA of just 2.00.

Spencer has 23 strikeouts and 15 walks in 33 2/3 innings pitched, and has tossed four complete games. Emma Casey has yet to allow an earned run in 11 innings, and is holding the opposition to a .205 batting average.

Clarissa Ramirez is another key arm for MSU, holding a 2.40 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings.

The Beavers are averaging 5.7 runs per game and are batting .322 as a team with an on-base percentage of .420.

The Series: The Yellowjackets are undefeated against the Beavers, with a record of 6-0 in a series that started in 2003.

MSUB is 1-0 in away games.

Last Time Out: It’s been almost a decade since the teams last met, with MSUB winning 9-1 at home on March 19, 2008.

Jessica Frank homered in the game for MSUB, and Rebekah Tsatsa earned the win with seven strikeouts in a five-inning complete game.

--@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--