BILLINGS, Mont. – The long road stretch to start the 2018 season continues for the Montana State University Billings baseball team this week, as a four-game series at Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponent Saint Martin's University runs Friday-Saturday.
 
Doubleheaders are set for 1 p.m. Pacific time on both days at the SMU Baseball Field in Lacey, Wash. Live video and live statistics will be available for all four games in the series online through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.
 
"This week has been really good for our team," said MSUB head coach Aaron Sutton. "Our guys have had the opportunity to get out and work on some things as a group. We are looking to finish this long road trip strong against a tough opponent."
 
MSUB is 10-8 overall on the year, and is off to a 5-3 start in conference play. The 'Jackets took 3 of 4 at Concordia two weeks ago, before splitting a four-game series against Western Oregon University last week.

25 AND 25: Another schedule change has been made to adjust for unplayable conditions at Dehler Park in Billings. MSUB's series against Northwest Nazarene on March 23-24, which was set to be played in Billings, will now take place in Nampa, Idaho. NNU will now play at Billings on April 13-14, when the teams were scheduled to meet in Nampa.
 
After this weekend's series was also adjusted as a road swap for MSUB and Saint Martin's, the 'Jackets will now have five series and 25 straight games at home from April 6-May 5 to end the 2018 regular season. After this week's series at SMU, MSUB will play at NNU and then finish its season-opening 25-game road stretch at Central Washington on March 30-31.
 
WEEKLY REGIONAL RANKINGS: The 'Jackets stayed put at No. 7 in the latest NCBWA west region rankings, released on Tuesday. MSUB continues to be the top-ranked GNAC team in the weekly poll, with 23 points to stand four ahead of No. 8 Central Washington.
 

SLUGGERS QUIET, ARMS HOT: After averaging 9.5 runs per game over its first 10 games of the year, MSUB averaged just 3.0 per game in its eight games against Concordia and Western Oregon the last two weeks. The offensive slow down hasn't affected MSUB's winning percentage however, as the 'Jackets still got off to a strong 5-3 start in GNAC play even without their torrent production at the plate.
 
The Yellowjacket pitching staff has stepped up in a big way over the last two weeks, with a staff earned run average of a stellar 2.80. That's down from a team ERA of 7.51 over the first 10 games of the year, in which MSUB went 5-5. The 'Jacket pitchers logged their first two shutouts of the year, with one each in the series against the Cavaliers and the Wolves. MSUB also displayed improved command with 57 strikeouts against just 18 walks for a ratio of 3.2 over the last eight games.
 
STEEN ROLLIN': Junior Steen Fredrickson has been a tone-setter as a starting pitcher this year, and entering this week he leads the conference with 28 strikeouts while ranking third with 25.0 innings pitched. He is a perfect 4-0 on the year, and carries a 3.24 ERA to go along with an opposing batting average of just .193. Fredrickson has emerged into a top rotation arm after contributing primarily as a key long reliever in the bullpen in his first two seasons, and is just one win away from matching his total from his first two years combined.
 
WINSLOW RIGHTS THE SHIP: Turning in his best outing of the season, junior Jared Winslow pitched the 'Jackets to a 2-1 victory in the series finale against the Wolves. The right-hander was incredibly efficient, as he needed just 63 pitches to motor through six one-hit innings while giving up just one walk and striking out a pair. The Libby, Mont., native doubled his previous longest outing of the season, and has had multiple strikeouts in each of his last three appearances.
 
MORE Ks FROM COX: Adam Cox has faced 24 batters this season, and has struck out 12 of them in 7 1/3 innings pitched. Yet to allow a base hit, Cox has slammed the door with saves in three of his four appearances and now has a dozen saves in his four-year career. Cox has moved into the MSUB all-time top-10 in strikeouts, as his 87 and counting are the ninth-most in school history.
 
MSUB Baseball Career Strikeout Leaders (as of March 15, 2018)

Rank	Name	Strikeouts	Seasons
1	Cody Cooper	237	2014-17
2	Brady Muller	232	2012-15
3	Brian Howe	143	2008-11
4	Tanner Johnson	130	2015-16
5	Brian Hutchings	120	2010-12
6	Kody Kennedy	113	2010-11
7	Samuel Paterson	98	2012-13
8	Adam Cox	87	2015-18
9	Steve Scott	86	2008-09
	Bryon Baker	86	2013-17

 
HALL SHOWS OFF THE ARM: The last play of the series against WOU was pressure packed, as a base hit with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the seventh brought home one run and made it a 2-1 ballgame. Senior leftfielder Kade Hall scooped up the ball and fired a long throw to home, where Andrew Schleusner had just enough time to apply the tag and end the game as the potential tying run was called out at the plate. Hall finished the series 5-for-14 at the plate and launched his third home run of the year as well, and his .347 batting average ranks second on the team. Hall is the lone MSUB player to start all 18 games, and is second on the squad with 15 RBIs.
 
SETIAN HITS FIRST-CAREER HOME RUN: Freshman shortstop Wyatt Setian, who has earned a shot at the starting spot over the last two series, came through with his first-ever home run in the finale against the Wolves. The solo shot proved crucial in the narrow victory, and Setian has now driven in five runs in the first 36 at-bats of his MSUB career.
 
Saint Martin's University Saints
2018 Record: 2-14, 1-7 GNAC
Head Coach: Ken Garland, 10th season
2017 Record: 17-30, 14-25 GNAC (5th place)
 
SMU earned its first conference win of the year last week, beating Northwest Nazarene 4-1 in the series opener. It has been a tough start to the year for the Saints overall however, as they were swept in a four-game set against Western Oregon and are just 2-14 through their first five weeks.
 
The Saints have struggled at the plate, batting just .233 as a team and scoring 69 runs for an average of 4.3 per game. On the mound SMU has a team ERA of 6.16 and the opposition is hitting .295 against the pitching staff. Steven Sordahl leads SMU with a .311 batting average, while getting on base at a clip of .382 and slugging .361. Austin Feist has hit two of SMU's four home runs, and leads the team with eight RBIs while batting .295.
 
Tanner Inouye has looked promising on the mound to start the year, as he carries a 2.30 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings pitched. Inouye has appeared in six games, but has made just one start for SMU. Mickey Walker, Ryan Dorney, and Aaron Shoup have each made three starts, with the former leading the team with 24 strikeouts in 23.0 innings pitched. Walker is coming off a stellar effort with eight strikeouts and just one run allowed in eight innings pitched, in a 2-1, 10-inning loss to NNU last week.
 
The Series: MSUB is 35-43 all-time against the Saints, and is 16-20 in road contests. The 'Jackets have won 13 of the last 15 games dating back to the start of the 2016 season, and MSUB took last year's season series 6-2.
 
Last Time Out: The 'Jackets beat the Saints in 3 of 4 games at Dehler Park last April, after claiming a 3-1 series win last March in a neutral-site series played in The Dalles, Ore.