MSUB SPORTS – Everyone at Avitus Group Stadium knew what had happened as soon as Cameron Cassinelli made contact on April 15.
 
Two audible ques – the crunch of the bat followed immediately by a shriek from the hitter – made it clear where the 0-1 pitch was headed.
 
The score remained 0-0 only for the next three seconds, the amount of time it took for the Montana State University Billings senior's line drive to clear the fence in center field for a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
 
There had only been four hits per team in the pitcher's duel between MSUB's Maddy Lincoln and Saint Martin's University's Lauren Maley. But when Cassinelli was called upon to lead off the seventh as a pinch hitter, there was only one thing on her mind.
 
Cassinelli's father Victor has been a frequent visitor to the Yellowjackets' home park since his daughter broke in with the team as a freshman in 2015. He has spent many bright spring afternoons walking back-and-forth among the bleachers and venturing onto the grassy berm located down the left-field line.


 
This time however, he stood beyond the fence in left field in anticipation of a defining moment in his daughter's career. When she delivered, he was quick to track down the historic home run ball as it instantly became one of his most prized possessions.
 
Not only did the long ball win the game for the 'Jackets, but it was the 36th of Cassinelli's career which snapped a tie with Kelly Parsons (2008-11) and made her the program's all-time top home run hitter.
 
She has since launched three more, and entering the Yellowjackets' final weekend of regular season play is tied for second in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history. Should MSUB extend its campaign to the postseason, the Santan Valley, Ariz., native could have a shot at the all-time GNAC record of 45 held by Jessica Hallmark of Western Oregon (2008-11).
 
MSUB Softball Career Home Run Leaders

Rank	First Name	HR	Seasons
1	Cameron Cassinelli	39	2015-18
2	Kelly Parsons	35	2008-11
3	Emily Osborn	30	2012-15
	Kelsey Devlin	30	2014-17
5	Meg Harasymczuk	29	2011-12
6	Steph Gosselin	25	2006-09
7	Kaycee Hoffman	23	2010-11
	Theresa Campbell	23	2002-05
9	Christy Wankel	21	2003-06
	Heather Tracy	21	2015-18

 
Cassinelli has already shattered the MSUB career RBIs record, and her 155 over four years are the eighth-most in GNAC history as well. In 2017 as a junior Cassinelli hit 13 long balls and broke the school record for RBIs in a season with 51. She is a career .665 slugger which is third in MSUB history, and she carries a lifetime batting average of .352.
 
MSUB Softball Career RBI Leaders

Rank	First Name	RBIs	Seasons
1	Cameron Cassinelli	155	2015-18
2	Emily Osborn	136	2012-15
3	Kelly Parsons	130	2008-11
4	Steph Gosselin	111	2006-09
	Heather Tracy	111	2015-18
6	Kelsey Devlin	106	2014-17
7	Aubrey Conceicao	103	2012-15
	Terina Stacks	103	2006-09
9	Taylor Hoke	94	2012-15
10	Christy Wankel	91	2003-06

 
While her ability to leave the yard at any given moment has made Cassinelli a force in MSUB's lineup over the past four years, she stands out among a close knit senior class with her ability to stay calm and light-hearted no matter the circumstances.
 
DINGERS ARE LIFE
"The 'grunt' came into play when I hit my first home run. I was trying to force it and my dad just told me to try grunting when I swung. People made fun of me at first, but if that was how I was going to hit the ball hard then I was going to stick with it. The home runs started coming and it turned into a signature thing." – Cameron Cassinelli on her trademark point-of-contact grunt.
 
A left-handed thrower, Cassinelli spent time developing her mechanics as a pitcher growing up with her father as her main coach. It wasn't until her junior year at Poston Butte High School that she became a full-time first baseman, but hitting has always come naturally for her. "I don't remember a time that I didn't hit in the four hole," Cassinelli said. "I didn't hit my first home run until I was about 16, and I was more of a line drive hitter. My coaches always told me it would come, and the summer after my sophomore year of high school I started hitting balls over the fence."
 
Cassinelli signed with the Yellowjackets in the fall of her senior prep season, and the learning curve was seemingly non-existent. During her freshman season at MSUB, Cassinelli's batting average never dropped below .370, and she finished the year second on the team with a slugging percentage of .659.
 
On March 21, 2015, Cassinelli had a breakout day as she went 4-for-4 against Simon Fraser, and drilled the first home run of her collegiate career. "I was confident in my hitting right away, and I felt like I could stick in that lineup with the great seniors we had that year," Cassinelli commented referring to the likes of 2015 GNAC Player of the Year Taylor Hoke, the aforementioned Osborn, and Aubrey Conceicao. "It was cool to be involved in that lineup, and when I got the opportunity to play I knew I had to back it up."
 
One of the signature moments of Cassinelli's career came at a crucial point in the Yellowjackets' campaign, as they qualified for the GNAC Championships as the No. 3 seed. Cassinelli delivered a three-run homer in a 6-1 win over Western Washington in Game 1, and followed with a game-winning solo shot in a 4-3 win over top-seed Saint Martin's University in Game 2. Facing the Vikings again in the championship game, Cassinelli had two more RBIs to help the 'Jackets claim the conference tournament title and an automatic berth into the NCAA Division II West Region Championships.
 
The clutch performance at the conference tournament earned Cassinelli the GNAC Championships Most Valuable Player award, as she became the first athlete in softball conference history to claim that honor as a true freshman. "Going to the GNAC tournament freshman year was an all-time high, and I was able to perform because I knew everyone had so much faith in me," Cassinelli said. "I knew that when I got my opportunity I had to be consistent. It was cool with those seniors having my back as well."
 
After a six-home run performance as a freshman, Cassinelli took a step forward in 2016 and earned second-team all-GNAC with 11 home runs and 37 RBIs. In the Yellowjackets' tournament at Dixie State University on Feb. 13, 2016, Cassinelli had her first multi-home run game with two long balls and five RBIs while going 3-for-3 at the plate. A month later, she hit two more home runs in a home game against Western Washington, and she matched the feat a third time as a junior with two long balls against Northwest Nazarene on April 22 last spring.
 
"I had a lot of confidence going into my sophomore season, having been through the GNAC once," Cassinelli commented on her first double-digit home run season.
 
Cassinelli's top season was her junior campaign in 2017, when she tied for the GNAC lead with 13 home runs. Finishing just two long balls shy of the MSUB single-season record, Cassinelli also ripped a dozen doubles and hit .383 with a slugging percentage of .725.
 
Part of her long ball prowess that year was fueled by friendly competition within her team, as then-senior Kelsey Devlin pushed her limits with 11 home runs. "We had the great home run chase and pushed each other, which was really cool," Cassinelli commented on her and Devlin each finishing the 2017 season with 30 career home runs. "I started to realize that the MSUB home run record was achievable after hitting 11 as a sophomore, and that and the RBI record became personal goals for me."
 
Another signature hit in the senior's career came during her 13-home run season, again falling during the Yellowjackets' trip to the Dixie State tournament. With the Yellowjackets trailing 4-3 and two outs in the bottom of the seventh against Cal State San Bernardino, Cassinelli turned on an inside pitch and cleared the fence in right for a walk-off two-run home run.


 
"This season we are all just looking back to freshman year and remembering the feeling playing in the conference tournament," Cassinelli commented on her team's motivation to get back to postseason play.
 
Sitting at 11-11 in league play with four more games on the regular-season schedule, it will be an uphill battle but not an impossible task for the 'Jackets to reach postseason play for the first time since the 2015 season.
 
CAM-ISMS
"You just gotta send it." – Cameron Cassinelli
 
Behind every swing of the bat, strikeout on the mound by a teammate, and big defensive play in the field lies a quip from one of the team's emotional leaders. In conjunction with her teammates, Cassinelli has developed a lexicon of her own, something caught between softball slang and phrases that don't necessarily have to make sense for one to laugh at.
 

Phrase	Origin	Meaning	Real Meaning
Never Bunt	Freshman Year	Swing the bat.	No really, swing.
Turn 'n Burn	Freshman Year	Hit the inside pitch far.	Hit a homer.
Dip 'n Rip	Freshman Year	Drop your shoulder, swing for the fences.	Hit a homer.
Elevate and Celebrate	Freshman Year	Hit a long fly ball & enjoy with your teammates.	Hit a homer.
Dingers Are Life	Sophomore Year	Home runs are the epitome of existence.	Only one thing matters.
Stingers Hit Dingers	Junior Year	The Yellowjackets hit home runs.	Lots of home runs.
Gitcha Some	Junior Year	Make the most of your turn at the plate.	Get yours.
Send It	Senior Year	Hit the ball far.	Send it.
#StingersUpGoBees	Senior Year	It's gameday, let's go.	Fight.

 
While many of the phrases celebrate the long ball, Cassinelli is quick to point out they are shared throughout the team and embody one of its core philosophies. "One of our big goals is 'team before self,' and that's really what it's about," Cassinelli said. "It's just about knowing you have to do your job to get the runner in or hit a sacrifice fly. It has been a good motto for us this season."
 
The slugger has also adopted a handful of nicknames throughout the years, prompting the rhythmic flow of 'Cam Bam' upon hitting a home run and drawing comparison to the legendary Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Babe Ruth with 'The Great Cambino.'


 
SWING HARD, JUST IN CASE YOU HIT IT
 
When Cassinelli arrived at MSUB in the fall of 2015, she wasn't sure how well she fit. The teammates she broke in with were strangers at first, but the past four years have melded MSUB's five seniors into the closest of friends both on and off the field.
 
"Playing on the right side of the infield with Rissa, we have been rock solid," Cassinelli commented on three-year starting second baseman Myrissa Prince. "We read each other so well that we don't have to say anything when we play defense."
 
Behind the duo in right field is fellow four-year senior Heather Tracy, on her way to a record-breaking campaign with a batting average north of .500. "We know that anything in the air is going to be caught by Heather," Cassinelli said on a player she helped dub 'Feather Heather' four seasons ago.
 
"Our senior class has been really fun to be part of over the last four years," said Cassinelli also including Amanda Barham and Megan Dettling. "We have just become super close, and it is cool to reflect back to freshman year now that we are all seniors."
 
With MSUB leading 2-1 at Western Oregon last Saturday, Barham led off the fifth inning with a solo home run. It was the first of her career in her 499th at-bat, and it ensured that MSUB's five fourth-year seniors each had at least one home run to their name when their careers ended.
 
"My dad will always text me before the game and say, 'swing hard, just in case you hit it,'" said Cassinelli. "So that's what I always tell the girls. Just swing hard."
 
Whether she's the one living up to the simple mantra in the batter's box, or bestowing it upon one of her beloved teammates, Cassinelli has never been afraid to swing hard, and let it fly.