Softball preview: ‘Jackets face Crusaders on the road

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Wednesday, April 19, 2017 Softball preview: ‘Jackets face Crusaders on the road

With two series left in its 2017 regular season, MSUB’s softball team heads to Nampa, Idaho this weekend to take on conference opponent Northwest Nazarene University.

BILLINGS, Mont. – Two Great Northwest Athletic Conference series remain on the schedule for the Montana State University Billings softball team, which will travel to Nampa, Idaho this weekend to face conference foe Northwest Nazarene University in a four-game set.

The Yellowjackets enter the week in sixth place in the GNAC standings, with an overall record of 14-27 and a mark of 812 in GNAC play. This weekend’s series will run Friday and Saturday, with doubleheaders scheduled for 2 p.m. the first day and noon the second day. All games will feature live video and live statistics, available through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here.

MSUB is coming off a four-game series against GNAC-leading Central Washington, in which the Wildcats won all four games at Avitus Group Stadium in Billings. This weekend will mark the first meeting of the year between the ‘Jackets and Crusaders, who are sitting in fourth place in the GNAC at 20-22 overall and 10-10 in league play.

“NNU is going to be tough and scrappy, and they are definitely a quality team,” said MSUB head coach Jessica Rayman.

“They’ll go out and play defense behind their pitchers, and so we need to go out and make sure we do the same thing.”

ROVENS REACHES A MILESTONE: Senior Bella Rovens made a statement with hits in her first four at-bats on Day 2 of the series against Central Washington, and in the process became just the second player in MSUB history to reach 200 career hits. Rovens elevated her batting average on the year to .315, and she is one of three players to have started all 41 games. The four-year starter is five hits away from matching the MSUB career mark of 207, held by Terina Stacks (200609).

MSUB Career Hits Leaders Rank Name 1 Terina Stacks 2 Bella Rovens 3 Emily Osborn 4 Steph Gosselin 5 Heather Tracy 6 Aubrey Conceicao Kelly Parsons 8 Taylor Hoke 9 Jenna Haacke Christy Wankel

Hits 207 202 190 188 174 163 163 162 158 158

Seasons 2006-09 2014-17 2012-15 2006-09 2015-17 2012-15 2008-11 2012-15 2005-08 2003-06

DETTLING DOING DAMAGE IN THE BOX: Entering the week with the Bella Rovens is No. 2 in MSUB history with 202 career hits. fourth-highest slugging percentage in the GNAC at .755, junior Megan Dettling has driven her batting average up 42 points since the beginning of April to a team-second best .392. During that time, Dettling has recorded four multi-hit games, and four extra-base hits including her 10th home run of the year to rank tied for third in the league.

While her bat has carried the ‘Jackets offensively, Dettling has been at her best on the pitching side of the game as well.

She has thrown a 7-inning complete game in her last four starts, striking out 23 batters in that time span. She is second in the GNAC with 81 strikeouts this season, needing 19 more to become the 11th pitcher in MSUB history to record 100 in a year. “We have to finish the year strong to get into the final four, and it is going to be fun the next two weekends,” said Dettling. “I’ve just been going up (to bat) and relaxing and trying to do my best for my team.”

CASSINELLI CLOBBERS ANOTHER HR: Hitting her conference-leading 11th home run of the year and the 28th of her career last week, junior Cameron Cassinelli finished the CWU series strong with five hits in seven at-bats in the final doubleheader. She continues to lead the team and rank third in the GNAC with 42 RBIs, and her 112 career RBIs are third-most in MSUB history and 18th most in the GNAC.

HEATHER HOMERS: Junior Heather Tracy, who is third in the GNAC with a .459 batting average, hit her fourth home run of the year and the 14th of her career against the Wildcats. Tracy leads the GNAC in hits with 68, needing just four more to tie the MSUB single-season record of 72 held

by Terina Stacks (2009). Tracy also moved into MSUB’s career top-10 in runs scored, as her 92 total ranks her tied for eighth.

MSUB Single-Season Hits Leaders Rank Name Hits 1 Terina Stacks 72 2 Terina Stacks 71 Rose Harrington 71 4 Cami Rainey 70 5 Heather Tracy 68 6 Bella Rovens 65 7 Stephanie Gosselin 63 8 Rachel Quarnburg 62 Aubrey Conceicao 62 Taylor Hoke 62 11 Emily Osborn 60

Season 2009 2007 2012 2005 2017 2015 2009 2005 2015 2015 2015

PRINCE PUTS BALL IN PLAY: Junior second baseman Myrissa Prince is also batting north of .300 this season, with three hits in the series Heather Tracy needs five more hits this year to break the MSUB single-season record of 72. against the ‘Cats to lift her average to .303. She has not struck out in her last 16 at-bats over six games, a stretch where she has gone 5-for-16 and drawn a pair of walks. Defensively, she continues to shine with just four errors in 161 chances for a fielding percentage of .975.

DEVLIN STAYS IN GROOVE: Over the last four weekends of action, Kelsey Devlin has picked up 18 of her 40 hits on the year, and her 2-for-4 performance in the finale against CWU marked her 12th multi-hit game of the season. Devlin has also hit eight home runs and driven in 32, which ranks third highest on the team. The senior needs seven more hits to break into the top-10 at MSUB, as she has racked up 151 knocks throughout her impressive career. She is also No. 7 in school history with 100 RBIs, and fifth in home runs with 27.

TOKACH CONTRIBUTES BIG INNINGS: Posting two of her longest outings of the year last week, senior right-hander Taylor Tokach threw 3 2/3 frames on Day 1 and five innings on Day 2 against CWU. She limited the Wildcats’ potent offense to just six earned runs in her 8 2/3 total frames, while recording a pair of strikeouts.

Northwest Nazarene University Crusaders Friday, April 21 – 2 PM Doubleheader Saturday, April 22 – Noon Doubleheader 2017 Record: 20-22, 10-10 GNAC (4th Place) Head Coach: Rich Wagner 2016 Record: 17-29, 11-17 GNAC (7th Place) The Crusaders are coming off a 3-1 series loss against Saint Martin’s University, the lone win coming in Game 4 as the ‘Saders held on 9-7.

Brittany Genuardi leads the team with a .388 batting average, with seven home runs and a team-high 36 RBIs in 42 starts as a freshman. Kylie Orr is the squad’s top slugger, tied with Genuardi at seven long balls and 36 RBIs while slugging .623 and getting on base at a team-best .439.

Cassidy Fifield is one of the premier base stealers in the history of the GNAC, as the sophomore already ranks eighth in league history with 47 steals including a team-best 21 in 23 attempts this season. Fifield is also batting .343 with four home runs and a team-leading 41 runs scored. Shelbie Martinez is another key bat for NNU, batting .295 and ranking third on the team with 31 RBIs. In the circle, Rylee Thomas and Brooke Bonsen have each tossed upwards of 100 innings in 17 and 21 starts, respectively. Thomas holds a 3.91 ERA with 39 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 102 innings, and has thrown 10 complete games. Bonsen is close behind, with a 4.57 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 124 innings with 11 complete games.

The ‘Saders are batting an even .300 as a team, and averaging 4.97 runs per game. The staff’s ERA sits at 4.94, with 89 strikeouts against 77 walks and a .319 opponents’ batting average.

The Series: MSUB is 52-11 all-time against NNU, and is 24-6 in games played in Nampa. The Yellowjackets have won 23 of the last 25 games between the two dating back to the 2011 season.

Last Time Out: MSUB won 3 of 4 over NNU in the four games between the teams last year, which were played on April 22-23 in Billings.

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