Video Interview with Coach Stone
BILLINGS, Mont. – After a week layoff from the 2
nd Annual MSUB Desert Stinger in Las Vegas, the Montana State Billings softball team embarks on an 11 day, 10 game road trip that begins this weekend with a pair of double headers against Western Oregon to begin Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
The Jackets will take on the Wolves Saturday and Sunday in Monmouth, Ore., with the Saturday games starting at 12 p.m. and the Sunday games starting at 11 a.m. The Yellowjackets come into the conference schedule after going 2-3 at the Desert Stinger, while the Wolves will bring a 3-2 record into the weekend series after their performance in Vegas.
MSUB, picked to finish third in the preseason poll, got off to a good start at the opening tournament with wins over Hawaii Hilo and Dixie State College. The tide turned on the second day with losses to eventual tournament champion, Augustana College, and also to Grand Canyon. The heartbreak continued on the third day as the Jackets were leading Humboldt State, but dropped the game on a walk-off grand slam.
With
Kasie Conder's hand finally healing back up after taking a line drive off the wrist in the final out of the Hawaii Hilo game, head coach Anthony Stone will likely look to her for strong innings. The Redshirt Sophomore returns in 2011 after missing most of the season with a shoulder injury.
Conder threw just 5.2 innings at the Desert Stinger, factoring in to the win over Hilo for a 1-0 record this season. She came in for five complete innings in that game and struck out five batters, allowing two earned runs on four hits.
New pitchers,
Amanda Todd and
Annaleisha Parsley, will also play factors throughout the weekend. Parsley went 1-1 in Vegas and threw the most innings of any Jacket pitcher, 16.1. She allowed 11 earned runs, 16 total, on 28 hits, but struck out 13 and carries a 4.71 ERA. Todd enters the weekend with a 2.25 ERA and a record of 0-2. She threw 9.1 innings with just three earned runs, but had 13 unearned runs against her, striking out 10 in the tournament.
The offense showed life on the first and third days of the tournament, but hit .260 as a team over the three days.
Meg Harasymczuk made a huge splash in her first five games as a Yellowjacket, hitting .533 with six runs on eight hits, including one home run and two RBI. Her performance earned her first team all-tournament honors as a designated player.
First baseman
Kaycee Hoffman also had a strong tournament with three home runs, seven RBI and six runs scored on six hits, as she batted .375 for the tournament.
Nicole Colpron also hit .375 in the tournament, going 3-for-8 with two RBI as she mostly pinch-hit and played third base.
The Yellowjackets know that in order to beat the Wolves the mental errors on the field will have to come down as they committed 12 errors during their five games, something they'll be looking to correct as the conference season moves along.
Looking at the Wolves, Andrea Bailey currently leads the team in hitting, batting a solid .462 with six hits in 13 at bats. Bailey and teammate Jessica Wood both took home all-tournament honors as Wood hit .364 with three RBI and a run scored.
Wood was also the Wolves' top pitcher in Vegas, going 2-2 with a 4.15 ERA. She threw 17.1 innings, giving up eight earned runs, 12 total, on 14 hits and fanning 13 batters. Coach Pam Knox will have two other pitchers in her arsenal, but will use Wood as her ace throughout much of the season.
Last season the Yellowjackets went 2-6 against Western Oregon. The Wolves were picked to finish second this season in the GNAC standings, behind only Central Washington who started the season in the national top-25.
Once the Yellowjackets complete the weekend series with Western Oregon, the team then travels north on I-5 into Lacey, Wash., for a mid-week double header against the Saints of Saint Martin's. The Jackets and Saints will have first pitch on Wednesday, March 2, at 1 p.m. The team will then have Thursday and Friday to rest before another crucial four games with Central Washington in Ellensburg. The Jackets and Wildcats will play double headers on Saturday and Sunday with games beginning at 12 p.m. and 11 a.m., respectively.
