BILLINGS, Mont. – As conditions remain unplayable in the Magic City, the Montana State University Billings baseball team will shift its weekend home series against Central Washington University to Cowley, Wyoming.
The four-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference series will be played at the high-school field in Cowley, with 9-inning/7-inning doubleheaders scheduled to start at noon on both Saturday and Sunday. Live video with play-by-play commentary and live statistics will be available for all four games through the
MSUB Stretch Internet portal online here.
"We are looking forward to opening up our home schedule this weekend," said MSUB head coach
Aaron Sutton. "Our team has been very focused this week in practice, and maintaining the mindset of getting better each day."
The Yellowjackets (4-12, 4-4 GNAC) are coming off their first series win of the 2019 season as they took 3 of 4 games at Northwest Nazarene University last weekend. MSUB swept last Friday's doubleheader, before rallying from a 9-0 deficit in Game 4 to win 16-9 and secure the series win.
MSUB is locked with Concordia University and Northwest Nazarene, which are also 4-4 in league play. Western Oregon University and Central Washington are tied atop the early standings with 5-3 records over the first two series of the season. "Central is a quality opponent who can beat you in multiple ways as a club," Sutton said. "We are going to have to come out and play good baseball and really take care of the things we can control."
OFFENSIVE AWAKENING: MSUB's offense has come to life over the last two series, after a slow start to the season. Over the first eight games of the year, the 'Jackets batted just .244 overall with averages of 4.4 runs and 8.5 hits per game. Over their last eight games however, the team is batting .314 with averages of 9.0 runs and 10.8 hits per game. "The hitters have really been committed to the daily plan that Coach (Ryan) Wright puts out there for them, and it has led to some success," Sutton commented on the uptick at the plate. "Offensively, our hitters have to maintain the discipline to stay with that approach, and it should lead to some run production."
BREAKOUT SERIES EARNS LINEBARGER POTW: After a slow start to the season, senior second baseman
Conner Linebarger was the centerpiece of MSUB's offense during last week's series victory. Linebarger went 10-for-17 and reached base in 13 of 20 plate appearances, while scoring a team-high eight runs and chipping in a pair of doubles and a home run. He also tied the school record for hits in a game by going 5-for-5 in the series opener at NNU, and did not strike out in his 20 plate appearances last week.
It was a much-needed performance from Linebarger, who batted .262 with 10 strikeouts and just two extra base hits over his first 11 games of the season. It also earned him his first-ever GNAC Player of the Week award, as he moved into a tie for No. 8 in MSUB history with 131 career hits.
MSUB Baseball Career Hits Leaders (as of March 14, 2019)
BARKLEY'S BEST IS GNAC POTW WORTHY: Redshirt freshman left-hander
Dylan Barkley made it a sweep of the conference's weekly awards, as he was named the GNAC Pitcher of the Week after his best outing of the season. Barkley struck out eight batters over six shutout innings, and gave up just two walks and four hits to earn his first-career victory. Barkley has proven to be a formidable starter for the Yellowjackets in 2019, and will figure to get the nod for the fifth time in the upcoming series against CWU.
CIPRIANO STAYS HOT: Junior first baseman
Daniel Cipriano has maintained his red-hot start to the season, with a cool .500 batting average over his first 13 games. Cipriano is 18-for-36 on the season, and is one of just 13 players in Division II to carry a batting average of .500 or better in the young season. He is also No. 3 in the NCAA with a slugging percentage of 1.111, as he has clubbed six home runs and four doubles while leading the GNAC with 16 RBIs.
DILLON ON AN EARLY TEAR: Senior
Matt Dillon entered the 2019 season with four career home runs, and he has already doubled that tally in his first 16 games of the year. He leads the GNAC and is tied for sixth in the NCAA with eight long balls, and is No. 2 in the league behind Cipriano with 15 RBIs. The Billings native's surge last week with two more home runs moved him into the top-10 in school history in long balls, as he is now tied for the No. 8 spot.
MSUB Baseball Career Home Runs Leaders (as of March 14, 2019)
PETERSON CLAIMS CAREER RECORD: Senior catcher
Landon Peterson threw out a pair of baserunners from behind the plate last week, moving into sole possession of the No. 1 spot in MSUB history in runners caught stealing. Peterson has now thrown out 30 baserunners in his career, as he surpassed Jake Samuelson's mark of 28 which he achieved from 2006-07. Peterson also had a big week at the plate, going 4-for-10 including a five-RBI game to establish his personal single-game best. The backstop has made the most of his chances at the plate in nine games played, as he is batting .300 with seven RBIs and a .500 slugging percentage.
Landon Peterson is MSUB's all-time leader with 30 runners caught stealing.
GARCIA EXPECTED TO RETURN: Preseason All-American
Jalen Garcia was out of the lineup last week after being hit by a pitch in the series against Western Oregon. The senior is expected to return to the lineup this week, after missing the better part of seven games. He is off to a .341 batting average with three doubles, two triples, and two home runs over his first 10 games of the year.
ARPAN A KEY IN THE LINEUP: Junior
Chris Arpan is coming off his most productive game of the year at the plate, as he went 4-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs, and a four runs scored in the finale against NNU. He has seen action in 15 games on the season with 12 starts, and ranks fourth on the team among qualifiers with a .313 batting average. He also has a team-high six doubles, and is third on the squad with 13 RBIs.
Chris Arpan is batting .313 with 13 RBIs this season.
ZIMMER EARNS FIRST WIN: After locking down his first career save two weeks ago, freshman right-hander
Brooks Zimmer delivered in a big way with his first collegiate victory in the finale against NNU. The 'Jackets trailed the game 9-0 early, but Zimmer muffled the Nighthawks' offense to set up 16 unanswered runs by MSUB. He threw 6 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and just one walk to secure the win, and overall on the year he is second on the team with a 4.66 earned run average.
FREDRICKSON ON HIS WAY UP STRIKEOUTS LIST: Senior right-hander
Steen Fredrickson won his 13th career game last week, moving him into a tie with
Jared Winslow for No. 2 in school history. He also struck out six batters in the process, bringing his career strikeout total to 138. Fredrickson needs five more strikeouts to match Brian Howe for No. 3 on the list, and 15 more to break into the GNAC career top-20.
MSUB Baseball Career Strikeouts Leaders (as of March 14, 2019)
Central Washington University Wildcats
Saturday, March 16 – 12 PM DOUBLEHEADER – Cowley, Wyoming
Sunday, March 17 – 12 PM DOUBLEHEADER – Cowley, Wyoming
2019 Record: 8-7-1, 5-3 GNAC
Head Coach: Desi Storey, 28th season
2018 Record: 27-26, 21-19 GNAC (3rd place)
Central Washington has had a wild start to its 2019 season, and begins a stretch of eight straight games on the road this weekend. CWU is coming off a four-game split against Western Oregon last week, including a 32-14 defeat in which the Wolves set the GNAC record for runs scored in a game. CWU was also involved in a 0-0, 8-inning tie on February 16 against Corban University.
Colton Bunt is the team's leading hitter among qualifiers, with a .310 batting average over his first 14 games of the year. Cameron McGrath is also emerging as a key hitter at .382, but has only seen time in eight of CWU's first 16 games.
The Wildcats haven't shown much in the way of power, with just four home runs on the season, but they are reaching base at a clip of .347 and have stolen 18 bases in 25 attempts.
On the mound, Connor Stevenson, Tyler Hoefer, and James Brooks have each made four starts as the cornerstones of the rotation. Stevenson has been one of the best arms in the league this year, with a 1.27 ERA and 10 strikeouts against just four walks in 21 1/3 innings pitched. Hoefer has a 4.43 ERA and is 2-0, and Hunter French, who has made three starts, is close behind with a 4.50 ERA and a team-high 26 strikeouts in 22 innings.
Jacob Forrester has been the primary closer so far, with a pair of saves and 11 strikeouts in 5 2/3 no-hit innings. AJ Wood has also been a major arm out of the bullpen, with a 3.65 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings over four appearances.
As a team CWU averages 5.1 runs per game, while posting a slash line of .255/.347/.331. The pitching staff has a 5.67 ERA and the opposition is hitting .266 off of CWU arms.
The Series: MSUB is 48-48 all-time and is 0-1 in neutral-site games in the series, which dates back to the 2006 season. The only prior neutral-site meeting between the teams was at the 2013 GNAC Championships, when Central won 6-5 in Monmouth, Oregon.
Last Time Out: MSUB won the season series 5-3 in 2018, before handing the Wildcats a 10-6 loss at the GNAC Championships in Ellensburg, Washington.
