Fourth in a series of seven.

Part 1: Shortstop Taylor Hoke (Feb. 16, 2015)
Part 2: First Baseman Emily Osborn (Feb. 24, 2015)
Part 3: Pitcher Jessyka MacDonald (March 10, 2015)

MSUB SPORTS – A 1,000-mile road trip in the fall of 2010 culminated in a surprisingly captivating way for Mary Grace Bywater. The Tualatin, Ore., native and then-high school senior was still toying with the idea of keeping her pitching arsenal alive beyond her prep career, visiting Montana State University Billings for the first time that October.
 
Now a senior and four-year letterwinner with the Yellowjackets, Bywater remembers the blanket of lights that captured her attention when she pulled into town half a decade ago. "I remember thinking it was a lot more populous and metropolitan than I thought a town in Montana would be," Bywater said with a smile.
 
Bywater felt immediately comfortable with her surroundings, and once she stepped foot onto the dirt and maneuvered a bright neon softball in her right pitching hand she knew she wasn't ready to give up the game she loved.
 
The first player to crouch down and receive pitches from Bywater was senior Kelly Parsons, whose repertoire of having played more than 140 games over three seasons to that point was intimidating to the high-schooler. "She was a senior and a really good catcher," Bywater said. "Meeting her, the coaches and players was intimidating at first but by the time I left I was thinking there was a good chance I would go here."
 
The visit was a success in the eyes of Bywater, a positive step towards picking a college where she could continue her education and her athletic career.
 
But as the autumn quickly morphed into winter, then melted slowly into a rainy, West-Coast spring, Bywater still hadn't received the phone call with an offer that she was waiting for. The memory of Billings began to fade, and Bywater turned her focus towards her education, which she could pursue 70 miles down Interstate 5 at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore.
 
Finally, as the calendar turned to April and Bywater began planning out her high school graduation, then-MSUB assistant coach Lisa Allen rekindled her interest by dropping a note into her inbox. "She emailed me and said that they were still interested in me and to let her know what I was thinking," Bywater said regarding Allen's contact. "That was a catalyst that made me realize that I still wanted to play. They made me an offer, and I signed in April and headed back to Montana."
 
"I had seen her play in Oregon in a high school game and liked her from the beginning," Allen said. "When the head coach that year resigned in March, she was our first phone call. (Assistant coach) Bekah (Gasner) and I knew how much we liked her and we thought she could do really well as a pitcher at this level. We had to make sure we got her on our pitching staff."
 
CALL ME 'MG'
 
Call out "Mary Grace" during practice at Avitus Group Stadium and there won't be so much as a single head turning in your direction. Known by teammates, friends, family and professors alike by simply, 'MG,' the two-letter nickname is fitting for its owner.
 
Bywater was named after her grandmother, Mary, and the name Grace was added to differentiate between the two. For as long as she can remember, however, MG has been the moniker she has embodied. "It has been around since I was little, and that is just how I introduce myself now," Bywater said.
 
Bywater introduced herself in a much bigger way on the diamond, logging 60 1/3 innings and a team-best 2.55 earned run average her freshman season in 2012. She struck out 27 and walked just 13 batters, while throwing four complete games for the 'Jackets.
 
"Freshman year was kind of unreal – you just kind of looked around, pinched yourself and wondered, 'how did I get on this team?'" Bywater said. "I felt really privileged and lucky to get the playing time that I did as a freshman, and that was the best team I had ever played with."
 

Bywater and the Yellowjackets stormed their way to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season crown and a berth in the NCAA Division II West Region Championships. Despite losing both games, Bywater earned the start in the second, tossing four strong innings without allowing an earned run against UC San Diego.
 
The right-hander's control has been a staple for her over the years, as she has walked just 60 batters in 196 innings, averaging one walk every 3.3 innings. She has appeared in at least 12 games and logged at least 43 innings each season, racking up 10 complete games throughout her career.
 
While Bywater set an immediate example as a player her freshman year and has carried it over throughout her career on the field, it is her personality and consistently positive and genuine attitude that have stood out the most over her four years.
 
"MG is always so charismatic and super funny," commented fellow senior Aubrey Conceicao. "She has a really good work ethic and I have always admired that about her. She has always had so much poise on the mound and she never lets anything affect her."
 
Bywater and Conceicao have lived together for the past two years, growing close both on and off the field. "I really look up to MG because she is a good genuine person and I think people automatically respect her," Conceicao said. "She has a good knowledge of the game and a passion for it, and that makes other people aspire to be like her."
 
Allen notes that Bywater is not the team's most vocal leader, but when she speaks up she has the full respect of the entire squad. "MG is a leader by example on and off the field," Allen said. "Most of her talks are about how sincerely proud of her team she is, and she truly wants everyone to be successful."
 
"I definitely owe Boomer my opportunity to come here, because she was the one who emailed me when I didn't think I had a shot," Bywater said regarding her head coach. "Ever since then she has been the one who has taught us everything we need to know and brought out the best in us.
 
"I have spent the most time with Bekah and feel like we bonded quickly because we are alike in the sense that we are both soft spoken," Bywater continued regarding MSUB's pitching coach. "I learned from her the mentality side of the game and what it takes mentally to be a good pitcher at the college level."
 
FALLING BACK, STEPPING FORWARD
 
Taking part in an agility exercise during the fall of 2014, Bywater suffered perhaps her most devastating career setback as she broke both of her wrists bracing herself when she tripped.
 
Just months away from her final collegiate season, the frustrating injury prevented her from gripping a ball at first, let alone pitching. "To break both of my wrists during a training exercise was just heartbreaking," Bywater said. "Initially I thought I might not be able to play and I didn't know what to expect."
 
Sporting a cast on her left wrist and a splint on her right, Bywater looked on enviously as her counterparts developed their pitches and threw entire bullpen sessions. At times she wondered if the stroke of bad luck would represent the end of her career, uncertain of when or if she'd enjoy the sensation of whipping her arm around and releasing a pitch again.
 
As the calendar flipped into 2015 and the Yellowjackets returned from Winter Break, Bywater rejoiced in taking part in the most basic pitching activities. "Her wrists healed properly and when she came back, she was able to get right into wrist flips and snaps," Allen said regarding Bywater's strong recovery. "By January she was pitching into a net on her own, and she always found a way to get better even if she didn't have a teammate there."
 
"Luckily I got the mobility in my wrists back a lot quicker than I thought I would," Bywater said. "I didn't want to go out with an injury. That would have been awful."
 
Not only has Bywater returned to the circle, she has pitched effectively since her return. Over her last four appearances, Bywater has walked just one batter while striking out six. Against Saint Martin's on March 7 she logged more than five innings for the second time this season, displaying that her rehabilitated wrists are supporting an increased work load.
 
"We as a staff knew that MG would come back strong because she had such good mechanics and muscle memory before she got hurt," Allen said. "She has done a really good job of progressing, starting out with a small amount of innings and is now working up to six and seven inning games."
 
AROUND THE HORN
 
"Ever since we stepped onto the field together freshman year there was this immediate bond that we were the future class of 2015. We have all put the work in and given our best effort to this sport and this team. Competing and playing together was the most rewarding and exciting part of it, and we have friendships now that will last the rest of our lives." – Mary Grace Bywater reflecting on MSUB's graduating class of seven seniors.
 
While Bywater's addition to MSUB's roster came relatively late during her senior year at Tualatin High School, the spark she felt on her initial visit to Billings was shared by six other seniors who eventually made their way into navy and gold uniforms.
 
There was Taylor Hoke, the shortstop from Chehalis, Wash., who eventually played a part in a formidable double play combination with Conceicao of Temecula, Calif., and first baseman Emily Osborn of Las Vegas. There was catcher Brittney Sanders from Kelso, Wash., who has been on the receiving end of Bywater's pitches more often than not. And there was Jessyka MacDonald, the local standout from Billings West High School, and Jessica Campbell from Hardin, Mont., who banded together with Bywater to form a trifecta of reliable pitching.
 
"I would say I am closest on the team with MG because we have lived together for three years and she has just always been there for me in every way possible," Campbell commented on her fellow right-hander. "She is really laid back and I love that about her too. She is the nicest human being I have ever met."
 
Bywater remembers the way she, Campbell and MacDonald bonded together as freshmen, establishing themselves and encouraging one another to solidify their identities on the team. Four years later, look to the freshly-minted bullpens at Avitus Group Stadium and you'll find Bywater and MacDonald, cheerfully engaged in conversation and enthusiastically supporting MSUB's pitchers during a scrimmage at practice.
 
It is the positive attitude and ability to remain mentally strong that has been Bywater's biggest contribution to the team throughout her years. Her willingness to open up to all of her teammates and offer advice and support are a nod to the leader she has become among her peers.
 
"MG is a person of few words but she always does the right thing," Campbell said. "She has kind of been my anchor. If I ever have a negative thought or feeling, I go to MG and she just changes the way I think about and look at everything in life."
 
"I have all the confidence in the world that MG is going to go out and do her job for us as a team," Conceicao said. "Behind her defensively, I want to do my job, especially when she gets those good, routine results for us."
 
Bywater's infectious attitude and personality stem from her strong connection to her family, as she cited her parents and sisters as her own role models who have always been there for her. Her oldest sister Rachel played in the Little League World Series in Alpenrose, Ore., and MG was teammates with her other sister Amelia for one season at THS.
 
"Both of my parents have supported me no matter what I have decided to do," Bywater said regarding her mother Janell and father Mark. "Without my dad helping me open my eyes in terms of my potential to play in college, I wouldn't be here today. It was really cool to see Rachel play in the World Series, and it was great playing for a season with Amelia because we had never played together before."
 
MODEL CITIZEN
 
It took a full commitment and a ramped-up workout regimen for Bywater to return to the circle in the timely fashion that she did, but the fact that she did so was hardly a surprise to anyone.
 
A biology major who will earn her third straight academic all-GNAC honor this season, the dedication Bywater has made first and foremost to her academic studies is transcendent upon everything she approaches in life.
 
"MG is a model because of her preparation and conscientiousness, and I never got the sense that achieving a GPA was why she studied," commented Dr. David Craig, director of the MSUB honors program and one of Bywater's mentors academically. "She combines talent and determination, and I could tell that she enjoyed herself in the classroom just like she did out on the softball field."
 
"Dr. Craig immediately became a mentor for me, and he was always honest and open with me," Bywater said. "He helped me figure out what my goals were and was always willing to help me out academically. I definitely look up to him a lot."
 
In a notion brought up by Allen and supported by Campbell, a constant reminder is needed for Bywater to get some sleep as it is not uncommon for her to study into the wee hours of the morning. With aspirations to become a nurse, the idea of being around people constantly and helping them is a fitting career choice for Bywater.
 
"MG takes her studies very seriously and is always looking to be the best she can be for her team both on and off the field," Allen said.
 
"She studies every night and has definitely helped keep me going strong with academics," Conceicao said. "She has been an all-around good role model for me."
 
Bywater and the Yellowjackets are set to make their 2015 home debut on Saturday, taking on GNAC opponent Simon Fraser in their first game of the season in Billings. The senior will undoubtedly play a key role in each of the four games for the 'Jackets, whether she is pitching with the screws and plates inside her wrist or offering up heartfelt words of encouragement to her teammates.
 
Most of all, Bywater has set the bar high at MSUB, providing an all-encompassing example of maximizing the student-athlete experience. This concept is fully supported by teammates, friends, professors, and coaches alike as traits that have come to define the one and only MG.

Next: Part 5, Jessica Campbell, RHP