BILLINGS, Mont. – After a postponement and cancellation of its previous two home openers, the Montana State Billings baseball team finally looks like it will be able to open the 2011 home schedule Tuesday at 1 p.m. versus Minot State at Dehler Park. MSUB has played its first 25 games away from home this season and had to postpone a Great Northwest Athletic Conference series with Western Oregon (Mar. 25-26) and cancelled a non-conference series with Colorado Christian scheduled for Mar. 29-30.
The Jackets are coming off of a 3-1 series win at Central Washington over the weekend. MSUB swept a doubleheader Friday (3-0, 4-2) including a dominating pitching performance from senior Kody Kennedy who threw a complete game, nine-inning, two-hit, shutout in the 3-0 win. It was Kennedy's fourth complete game of his career (t-6th all-time) and just the 10th game in school history where a Yellowjacket has thrown nine or more innings. CWU won the opener Saturday 8-3, but the Jackets won the nightcap.
The series win at CWU was the third series win of the season for MSUB, marking the first time that has happened since the 2009 season.
MSUB stands a 12-13 overall and 5-7 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference heading into this week's games under first year head coach Rob Bishop. With an 11-5 win in the nightcap of Saturday's game at CWU, the Jackets eclipsed last season's win total.
Under Bishop, the Jackets are hitting .269 on the year through 25 games, but have committed 13 fewer errors than a year ago (49-36), dropped the ERA by over three points (8.85-5.31), allowed 96 fewer runs (230-134), walked 39 less (122-83) and allowed 31 less unearned runs (52-21).
Leading the way for the Jackets this season is sophomore Colby Robison who leads the team with a .340 average. Robison, who has been in a bit of a hitting slump lately going just 5 of 29 with three runs, four RBI and two triples in the last six games, leads the team with 32 hits, seven doubles, three triples and 24 RBIs, while slugging a team-high .543.
Second on the team in average is senior Jeff Ridgeway who carries a .325 average. Ridgeway leads the team in runs scored with 18 and is second in hits with 27. He is second in doubles with five and leads the squad with four home runs. Ridgeway has 15 RBIs on the year and 44 total bases which both are good for second on the team.
As a team, the Jackets are hitting .269 on the year with 213 hits including 38 doubles, six triples and seven home runs. The Jackets are slugging .359 on the year and reaching base at a .361 clip.
On the mound, senior Archie Smith leads the team with a 4-1 record and has a 3.74 ERA in eight relief appearances. Junior Brian Hutchings leads the team with 34 innings pitched in six starts. Kennedy is third in innings pitched with 30.2 and leads the team with 34 strikeouts. Junior Zachary Smith is 3-1 on the year in six starts and is second in innings pitched with 31. Senior Brian Howe leads the team with four saves.
As a pitching staff, the Jackets have a 5.31 ERA heading into this week's action. They have one complete game and one shutout. They have pitched 191.2 innings allowing 220 hits, 134 runs and 113 earned. The Jackets have walked just 83 and fanned 142 as teams are hitting .294 against them.
Minot State stands at 7-12 overall as it is transitioning from NAIA to Division II. The Beavers are led by Ryne Hornecker who leads the team with a .528 average through 17 games. He has a team-high 28 hits and 16 runs scored to go along with a double and a team-high 14 RBIs.
Former Yellowjacket, Jaret Chatwood, is second in hits with 17 as he is hitting .298 on the year with a double, triple and a home run. Chatwood is second in RBIs with 12.
As a team, the Beavers are hitting .297 on the year with 160 hits, 25 doubles, five triples, four home runs and 90 RBIs. The team is slugging .385 and is reaching base at a .356 clip.
On the bump, MSU has a 4.87 ERA in 140.1 innings. The Beavers have allowed 171 hits, 115 runs with 76 earned runs and 72 walks and have fanned 100. The opposition is hitting .300 against them. Anthony Friesen leads the team with a 2-2 record and has a 2.37 ERA in a team-high 30.1 innings. Friesen leads the team with 24 strikeouts and just four walks.
MSUB and Minot State have never met on the diamond. MSU will become a full-fledged NCAA Division II member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in 2012-2013.
After the Minot series, the Yellowjackets begin the second half of the GNAC season as Saint Martin's comes to town for a four-game series beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday at Dehler Park. The six games this week begin an 18-game home stand for the Jackets.
