Game Notes
 
 
Billings, Mont. – Montana State Billings baseball team heads into Nampa, Idaho this weekend focused on sealing up a spot in the inaugural Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championship Tournament. The task won't come easy as the Yellowjackets will need to win three out of four games against a very talented Northwest Nazarene team.
 
After grinding through a tough series where MSUB had to battle a tough Saints team and the weather, the Jackets finds themselves third in GNAC standings; two games behind Central Washington and three games ahead of Northwest Nazarene. If MSU Billings wins three out of four games against the Crusaders, they would assure a spot in the inaugural GNAC Championship Tournament, where only the top three teams in the conference qualify. Out of 300 Division II teams, the Yellowjackets rank 25th in triples, and 92nd in slugging percentage. In the GNAC MSUB ranks first in runs scored (210) and RBIs (191); and second in slugging percentage (.399) and on base percentage (.374). The hurlers rank second in hits allowed (348), and third in ERA (5.37) and opposing batting average (.288).
 
Brady Muller ranks No. 1 in the GNAC in opposing batting average (.219) and fifth in ERA (3.70) and strikeouts (45). Joe Andriolo ranks No. 6 in opposing batting average (.270) and ninth in ERA (4.93).
 
Travis Vincent continues to shut teams down out of the bullpen, with an ERA of 1.16 and tied for fourth in the GNAC in saves (3).
 
Brody Miller and Colby Robison continue to find holes in the opponents' defense ranking fifth and sixth in the conference in hits. Along with his 47 hits, Miller has scored a GNAC leading 33 runs. With 45 hits, Robison ranks second in the conference in RBIs (28) and third in runs scored (28).
 
Drew Fosnes (.571) and Mack Unruh (.490) have also contributed great offense this season ranking No. 3 and No. 5 in the GNAC in slugging percentage. Austin Rue has been spectacular batting in the lead off position; recording a .304 batting average, 38 hits, 27 runs (ranked fifth in the GNAC), 20 RBIs and 55 total bases.
 
Northwest Nazarene comes into this series focused, as they play to keep their post season hopes alive. In their last series the Yellowjackets and Crusaders split, with Northwest Nazarene winning the last two contests. As a team they rank fourth in batting average (.273), on base percentage (.349) and slugging percentage (.376). The pitchers rank fourth in ERA (5.93) and opposing batting average (.315). Logan Parker (.324) and Jamie Mitchell (.320) have fared well at the plate ranking among the top 15 hitters in the conference. In the GNAC, Logan ranks No. 1 in hits (57) and Mitchell is tied for third with 48 hits. Tyler Marsh is the team's best pitcher, with a 4.31 ERA, recording 30 strikeouts with an opposing batting average of .264.
 
“Our upcoming series with Northwest Nazarene is our most important of the year,” stated head coach Rob Bishop. “We are playing for our post season lives and Northwest is doing the same. This is exactly why it was a good move for the conference to add a post-season baseball tournament. Every team has something to play for at this point so each game has meaning. We know that Northwest will be a tough opponent as always, and we are looking forward to the challenge.”
 
First pitch for the Yellowjackets and Crusaders will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 19. The April 20 double-header will start at 12 noon. Yellowjackets' fans can stay tuned with the live action by clicking on the “live stats” link listed below.
 
Live Stats