BILLINGS, Mont. – More than 70 records were broken by the Montana State University Billings baseball team during the 2018 season, and the Yellowjackets are ready to pick up right where they left off at the outset of 2019.
 
The 12th season since the program was reinstated in 2006 proved to be the best one so far, as MSUB won a school record 33 games to go 33-18 overall and storm to a Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season title at 29-11 in league play.
 
It was the third regular-season championship for MSUB in the last four seasons, and the 'Jackets came one win away from claiming their first-ever conference tournament title as well. The 2018 team also made strides in earning a spot in the NCAA D2 west region rankings for the first time ever, but slipped out of the top-6 before the regional field was selected.
 
MSUB has already received votes in the D2baseball.com preseason national poll, and figures to be a contender not only for a fourth GNAC title but a first-ever berth into the regional tournament. In the 2019 GNAC preseason coaches poll released last week, the Yellowjackets were selected to finish second just two points behind favorite Western Oregon and receiving 2 of 6 first-place votes. "The guys have put in a lot of work," said third-year head coach Aaron Sutton. "From the fall through the off-season, the guys really came back in great shape and we have had a few weeks of really good practice in Billings. Our focus has been on getting better every day."
 
For the first time ever the GNAC will receive an automatic berth into the six-team NCAA D2 west region playoff field, with that golden ticket being awarded to the winner of the 2019 GNAC Championships. The four-team conference tournament will run May 8-10, 2019 at Porter Park in Portland, Oregon, on the campus of Concordia University.
 
MSUB will play a 40-game conference schedule beginning on March 2 with a four-game road series at Western Oregon University. The 'Jackets will have five home series and five away series throughout the spring, with all home games being played at Dehler Park. MSUB's home opener is set for March 15-16 against Central Washington. All home games and select road contests throughout the year will feature live video with play-by-play commentary as well as live statistics, available through the MSUB Stretch Internet portal online here. "The GNAC is getting better every single year, and it's going to be a battle," said Sutton. "All six teams this year are going to be on an equal playing field, and it's going to be about which teams can go out and perform consistently."
 
First up for the Yellowjackets however is a highly competitive non-conference schedule which gets underway this weekend with games at Colorado School of Mines on Saturday and Sunday. MSUB will then play at No. 17 Colorado Mesa University on Feb. 15-17, before a four-game set at Dixie State University on Feb. 22-24. "The goal is always to get yourself prepared to go to postseason play, and we are going to play three teams that are quality opponents," Sutton commented on the non-conference portion of the schedule. "Mines, Mesa, and Dixie are no slouches, and our guys are excited to go toe-to-toe with those guys."
 
LEADERSHIP KEY
An experienced team from top-to-bottom features 11 seniors including 10 who had experience on last year's championship-winning team.
 
Jalen Garcia, who was named a preseason All-American last week, is one of the top returning players in the league and will once again patrol the outfield for the 'Jackets. Garcia hit .351 with 20 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs, 51 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases in a standout junior campaign.
 
Reigning GNAC co-Pitcher of the Year Steen Fredrickson is back in the rotation for his final season, after leading the conference with 70 strikeouts a season ago. He and Conner Linebarger joined Garcia as preseason all-region selections, the latter of which batted .333 with six homers and 44 RBIs in 50 games started primarily as a second baseman.
 
Landon Peterson, Matt Dillon, Jared Winslow, and Brandon Maassen are the longest-tenured Yellowjackets, as each is beginning his fifth season in the program. Carson Woolery, Chazz Ishikawa, and Tanner Cantwell meanwhile are all back in the program as seniors after joining the team in 2018. Bellevue University transfer Jarrod Molnaa, who figures to be another key arm on the pitching staff, provides the team with yet another savvy senior veteran.
 
"The strength of this ball club is our leadership," said Sutton. "That group of seniors are not only tremendous players, but are tremendous people who lead this group on a daily basis. They have a very strong vocal presence, and I know those guys are excited about leaving their stamp on this program."
 
Handling the pitching staff along with Peterson this spring will be junior Andrew Schleusner, who had a breakout season to earn second-team all-conference honors in 2018. The Kalispell native batted .325 in 48 games, while adding 13 doubles, four home runs, and 38 RBIs from the catcher position.
 
MSUB's other key returning position player is shortstop Wyatt Setian, who earned second-team all-league after starting 42 games and batting .229 with four homers and 24 RBIs. Caje Golden returns to the team as a junior, having played in 17 games last season in a mixed role both a shortstop and on the mound out of the bullpen.
 
Also back on the pitching staff for the 'Jackets is left-handed junior Sam Muskat, who saw action in 16 games and carried a 6.31 earned run average with 24 strikeouts against just 10 walks.
 
NEW TALENT BOLSTERS ROSTER
The Yellowjackets have a wide array of newcomers who will be called upon to step into important, starting positions from the outset of the season.
 
Billings native Cole Jones, who transferred from Clarke University will be in the conversation for major playing time among the outfield unit. Sam Powers from South Mountain Community College and Tyler Detloff of Yakima Valley College are also in the outfield group, along with Blake Bell who redshirted in 2018 with the 'Jackets and is hopeful to be ready to see the field this spring.
 
MSUB's infield will be bolstered by the addition of Chris Arpan from NCAA Division I University of Portland, who is a 6-foot-3 third baseman with a chance to fill the vacancy at the hot corner. The 6-foot-1 Brandon Koszuth is another key corner infielder, who transferred from Feather River College and who adds a solid left-handed bat to the lineup.
 
Josh Overstreet will compete for more at-bats this spring after being limited to just three in 2018, and late addition Daniel Cipriano who transferred from Moorpark College at the winter break will also be factored into the infield depth chart.
 
A variety of upperclassmen newcomers join the Yellowjacket pitching staff, including Washington State University transfer Will Heward and lefties Sterling Lay from Salt Lake Community College and Keven Mackintosh from Lamar Community College.
 
The Yellowjackets look forward to the collegiate debut of lefty Dylan Barkley, who was in the program as a redshirt last season. Also set to make their first official appearances this spring are two more redshirt freshmen with infielder Ryan Roche and right-hander Hunter Roubidoux.
 
Hometown standouts Dylan Johnson from the Billings Scarlets and Brooks Zimmer from the Billings Royals figure to headline MSUB's class of true freshmen, which features five infielders, an outfielder, and four pitchers.
 
"Coach Wright did a great job of putting together a strong recruiting class, and a lot of these guys who are coming in are battle tested," Sutton commented on his newest players.
 
RELOADING FIREPOWER
 
The 'Jackets have rebuilt their arsenal on both sides of the ball, but had to say goodbye to some of the top players in the history of the program after the 2018 season.
 
Fifth-year senior Adam Cox, who established the MSUB career saves record and also finished his career in the top-10 in batting average and home runs, became the first-ever Yellowjacket to be drafted in the MLB amateur player draft last June. Cox was selected in the 25th round with the 737th overall pick by the Philadelphia Phillies, and spent his summer competing in Florida.
 
The 'Jackets also lost Kaleo Johnson, who was a junior in 2018, to the draft as he was picked in the 32nd round, 960th overall by the Tampa Bay Rays. Johnson became the first player in GNAC history to win the triple crown, as he batted .412 with an MSUB single-season record 17 home runs and 54 RBIs.
 
In addition to Johnson, the 'Jackets lost key facets of their offense with the departure of seniors Ryan Myers and Kade Hall. Myers hit .354 with 16 home runs and 49 RBIs, while reaching base at a clip of .516 and slugging .696. Hall broke the MSUB record for hits in a season with 75, while batting .347 with 19 doubles, nine home runs, 42 RBIs, and nine stolen bases.
 
A bevy of seniors on the mound will also have to be replaced, including the likes of regulars Travis Edgar, Talon Derrick, Michael Gahan, and Tristan Shockley.
 
Despite the players lost to graduation and the MLB draft, this year's Yellowjacket squad features a formidable combination of returning experience and incoming talent that makes it a frontrunner to repeat as champion.
 
"We certainly have expectations, but our guys are staying focused on the task at hand," said Sutton. "Our big goals down the road aren't what our focus is on right now, as we just have our minds on this week's practices."
 
Ryan Wright returns for his third season as assistant coach, and Grant Hamilton is back for his second year to work with the pitching staff. Alumnus and former right-hander Matt Hape joins the Yellowjacket coaching staff for his first season as a volunteer assistant in 2019.
 
Tickets for all MSUB regular-season home games are $5 for the general public and $3 for seniors (ages 65 and up) and students in grades 7-through-12. Admission is free for all MSUB students and staff, and for all children in grades six and under. More information on tickets can be found online here.