BILLINGS, Mont. – The No. 23 Saint Martin's University softball team rolls into Bjorgum Field Saturday, at possibly the highest-point so far in the program's existence.
The No. 23 Saints (28-11, 10-4 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) have won 14 of their last 16 games, with the last loss in the championship game of the Tournament of Champions. SMU was named the GNAC Team of the Week after its runner-up finish in the tournament. Saint Martin's earned its first national ranking in program history.
More importantly, SMU sits a half-game out of first place in the conference standings. The Saints are just a few wins away from clinching a spot in the inaugural GNAC Tournament. Montana State Billings also needs wins to earn a spot in the tournament, which it is hosting after winning the conference crown a season ago. With nine games left in the regular season, MSUB is in fifth place in the GNAC, but only four games out of first place.
“We have an opportunity to put ourselves in a good place in the GNAC standings this week by facing Saint Martin's,” MSU Billings' Head Coach
Lisa Allen said. “They are a good team that will put up a good fight until the end of the game. All we need to focus on is playing to the best of our capabilities each and every pitch of the game.”
Saint Martin's University was the preseason selection to dethrone Montana State Billings for the conference title. The Saints received three votes in the coaches' preseason GNAC poll. SMU leads the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a 2.36 team ERA. Taylor Bakos and Sam Munger lead the GNAC with 12 wins each. Munger is third in the conference with a 2.23 ERA and fifth with a .382 batting average.
The last time MSUB and the Saints met, SMU extended its win streak to seven games with a sweep over Montana State University Billings on March 9, 8-0 and 2-1. The Saints won their conference season-openers behind stellar defense and pitching. In a battle of the top two teams in the conference preseason poll, it was SMU that came away with the sweep. In the second game, both teams recorded five hits and played errorless softball. Bakos pitched a complete-game, allowing one earned run and striking out two MSUB batters. Munger was 2-for-2, recording both RBI for the Saints.
First pitch of Game 1 between the Yellowjackets and Saint Martin's is scheduled for 12 p.m. Saturday. Live stats will be available on MSUBSports.com.
