BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings baseball team will be kicking off their 2012 campaign on the road, traveling down to Pueblo, Colo. where they will face off against the Thunderwolves of Colorado State – Pueblo for a four-game series.
 
The series will commence with a single 1 p.m. game on Friday, Feb. 17. The next day, the two squads will face-off in a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 18 starting at high noon before ending their 2012 rivalry with a single, noon game on Sunday, Feb. 19.
 
This weekend's series will be the first of the spring season for both squads. MSUB finished last season with an 18-29 record while the Thunderwolves earned a 28-25 record.
 
The two opened their 2011 campaign against each other last season with the pair splitting their four games with the Yellowjackets out-scoring the Thunderwolves 36-32. CSU-Pueblo claimed the first two games 6-4 and 6-5 before MSUB bounced back to take the final two games 21-15 and 6-5.
 
MSUB is a very different team this season as head baseball coach Rob Bishop's 39-man roster features 25 new faces. Bishop returns just four starters from 2011.
 
Headlining the list of returners is junior shortstop Colby Robison who is a year removed from setting school records and earning many honors and distinctions. Last season, Robison was named to the Daktronics All-West Region Second Team, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) All-West Region Second Team, and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Conference First Team. He was also the GNAC's Newcomer of the Year.
 
He set the school record for triples in a season with five, while his 34 RBIs and 88 total bases ranks first in a season in school history.  Robison tied the single-season record with 14 doubles, while finishing second in hits with 58.
 
Robison finished fourth in the league in batting average (.335) last season and was third in slugging percentage.  His 58 hits were good enough for fourth and his 34 RBIs were second-most while he tied for second in doubles (14) and led the league in triples with five.

Returning pitcher Brian Hutchings also earned all-conference honors as he posted four wins to go along with a 3.86 ERA. The other two returners include third baseman Austin Rue and pitcher Zachary Smith. Rh ended the season with a .214 batting average while Smith posted a 3-5 record.
 
Bishop and staff added 25 new faces to into their fold this season including numerous junior college transfers and one Division I transfer to help fill some of the gaps in his lineup.
 
Most notably, outfielder Matt Comer will give MSUB some experience on the field as he joins the Yellowjacket squad from Seattle University where he appeared in 36 games with a .202 batting average. Comer also spent time at Treasure Valley where he was named the NWAACC East Region MVP in 2010 after posting the fifth-best batting average (.399) that included nine home runs and 55 RBIs.
 
Other transfers that Bishop will be looking for leadership from, despite just joining the roster are pitchers Derek Allen (6-0, 180, Jr., Whitehall, MT) and Mack Unruh (6-0, 180, Jr., Salem, OR), catcher Orrin Pyrah (5-10, 195, Jr., Lewistown, MT) and outfielder Justin Harcharik (5-11, 175, Jr., Butte, MT).
 
In 2010, Allen was a first team all-star selection at Treasure Valley as he posted a 7-1 record to go along with a 2.18 ERA.
 
Unruh was a second team all-star at Linn-Benton in 2010 when he had a 2-2 record and a 1.41 ERA, while Williams had a 3-3 record and four saves at Miles CC.  Wilson finished the 2011 season with a 3-3 record and a 3.39 ERA at Spokane Falls.
 
Pyrah was a second team all-star at Southwestern Oregon, batting .308 and driving in 13 runs, while Harcharik hit .305 and had 19 RBI in earning all-conference honors at Miles CC.
 
But transfers are not the only new faces who Bishop and staff will be expecting big things from as Brody Miller at second and Ty Gilmore can play anywhere in the infield, but will most likely end up at third base. Also David Swetcher and Brad Muller have proven they can handle pressure situations on the mound and are joining the lineup.
 
Prior to the season, Gilmore, Muller, Brody Miller and utility player Dillon Ness were all named to the second-annual Great Falls Tribune Super-State baseball team. Muller also earned the State AA Legion Tournament MVP honors.