BILLINGS, Mont. – A four-game weekend series at Northwest Nazarene University is coming up for the Montana State University Billings baseball team, which returns to the diamond on Friday afternoon.
 
Doubleheaders are scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday, and live video and live statistics will be available for all four games through the MSUB Stretch Internet portal online here.
 
"We have another tough road opponent in front of us this week," said MSUB head coach Aaron Sutton. "NNU does a lot of things well and this should be a very competitive weekend of baseball. Our team knows that we have another day today to prepare and get better. Our practices have been focused, and we are really trying to take advantage of our time outside."
 
The Yellowjackets (1-11, 1-3 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) have been on the road since last weekend's series at Western Oregon University, and are catching NNU on the way back to Billings. MSUB is coming off its first victory of the season last Sunday, as it topped WOU 7-3 in the series finale. The Wolves got the best of the 'Jackets in the first three games however, as MSUB dropped its first conference series of the 2019 season.
 
SCHEDULING CHANGES: With sub-freezing temperatures and a blanket of snow remaining on the ground in Billings, the Yellowjackets will shift their scheduled home-opening series against Central Washington University on March 15-16. Location and exact game dates and times are yet to be finalized. The four-game set at home against Saint Martin's University on March 22-23 is also likely to be adjusted, with MSUB tentatively scheduled to now make its 2019 home debut on April 5-6. Check the MSUB baseball schedule online here regularly for the most up-to-date changes to the 2019 schedule.
 
IT'S HOW YOU LOSE: As the 'Jackets look to shake off a tough 0-11 start to the season, they'll look to put a handful of disheartening defeats in the rearview mirror. Though the final results have not often gone their way, the Yellowjackets have been in almost every game they have played and have been tantalizingly close to flipping the script more often than not. Among the Yellowjackets' 11 losses this season, nine of them have been by three runs or fewer and four of them have been by one run. MSUB has also lost four different times on walk-off hits by the opposing team, and four times has held the lead in the bottom of the ninth inning before losing. MSUB has scored first in four of its losses, and has held a lead after seven innings in five of those losses. The 'Jackets have been one out away from a win twice and one strike away from a win twice, both times losing. MSUB has also had the tying or winning run on base when the final out was recorded three different times in games it has lost.
 
CIPRIANO'S HISTORIC SUNDAY: Junior first baseman Daniel Cipriano became the first MSUB player to hit four home runs on a single date, when he hit two apiece in the Yellowjackets' Sunday doubleheader at Western Oregon. The display of power earned him both GNAC Player of the Week and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association West Region Player of the Week, as he also added a pair of doubles and posted an on-base plus slugging percentage of 2.078.
 
Cipriano joined a short list of GNAC players to achieve the feat of four or more home runs in a single four-game series, and among the group of 10 three of them are Yellowjackets.
 

Player	Team	OPP	Year	Day 1	Day 2	AB	R	H	RBI	HR	AVG	SLG	OBP	OPS	Notes
Daniel Cipriano	MSUB	WOU	2019	2-Mar	3-Mar	15	7	8	9	4	0.533	1.467	0.611	2.078	3 solo, 3-run
Casey Sheehan	NNU	CSUP	2018	16-Feb	17-Feb	17	5	9	8	4	0.529	1.294	0.529	1.824	2 solo, 2-run, 3-run
Billy King	NNU	MSUB	2017	24-Mar	25-Mar	17	7	7	7	4	0.412	1.118	0.500	1.618	3 2-run, solo
Brody Miller	MSUB	CWU	2015	10-Apr	11-Apr	18	8	10	14	4	0.556	1.389	0.636	2.025	2 GS, 2 2-run
Colby Robison	MSUB	CWU	2013	26-Apr	27-Apr	16	7	9	16	4	0.563	1.313	0.588	1.901	2 GS, 2-run, solo
Kyle Sani	CWU	MSUB	2013	26-Apr	27-Apr	15	7	8	11	5	0.533	1.533	0.611	2.144	3 solo, 2-run, 3-run
Bo Folkinga	WOU	NNU	2012	13-Apr	14-Apr	16	7	8	10	4	0.500	1.250	0.556	1.806	2-run, 3-run, 2 solo
Jamie Nilsen	CWU	MSUB	2008	3-May	4-May	19	7	11	14	5	0.579	1.421	0.636	2.057	3 solo, 2 GS
Mike McRae	WOU	CWU	2005	9-Apr	10-Apr	16	5	7	8	4	0.438	1.250	0.500	1.750	3 2-run, solo
Chris Ridenour	WOU	CWU	2002	20-Apr	21-Apr	18	10	10	13	5	0.556	1.556	0.619	2.175	3 solo, 2 2-run

 
DILLON STAYS RED HOT: Cipriano's incredible weekend overshadowed a nearly identical performance by junior Matt Dillon, who hit three home runs on Sunday and went 6-for-13 overall in the four-game set at WOU. Dillon upped his season batting average to .310, and he leads the GNAC with six home runs while also driving in 10.
 
Dillon and Cipriano became the third and fourth players in MSUB history to achieve the feat of hitting three home runs on a single date. Three of the home runs that Brody Miller hit during his tear on April 10-11, 2015 came on the same day, and that previously stood as the most home runs hit by a Yellowjacket on a single date. Kaleo Johnson also achieved that feat, when he hit two against Western Oregon and one against Central Washington at the GNAC Championships on May 10, 2018 in Ellensburg, Washington.
 

Player	Date	Year	Home Runs	Opponent(s)	Location
Daniel Cipriano	3/3	2019	4	Western Oregon	Monmouth, OR
Matt Dillon	3/3	2019	3	Western Oregon	Monmouth, OR
Kaleo Johnson	5/10	2018	3	Western Oregon; Central Washington	Ellensburg, WA
Brody Miller	4/11	2015	3	Central Washington	Billings, MT

SETIAN NUDGES ABOVE .300: Sophomore shortstop Wyatt Setian is batting .302 over the first 12 games of the season, and he and Dillon are the only two Yellowjackets to have been in the starting lineup every game thus far. Setian is tied for third on the team with eight RBIs, and he has racked up four doubles and a home run as well.
 
MCFARLAND-SMITH LOGS FIRST HIT: It didn't take long for true freshman Alex McFarland-Smith to pick up his first collegiate knock, as he did so in his second-career plate appearance after earning the start in the series finale Sunday. His one-out single into right field was a key part of the Yellowjackets' five-run third inning, which eventually proved to be the winning inning in the 7-3 triumph.
 
FREDRICKSON, WINSLOW CLIMB ALL-TIME LISTS: Seniors Steen Fredrickson and Jared Winslow each pitched last week, and continued their ascent up the MSUB pitching record books. Fredrickson moved past Tanner Johnson for No. 4 in MSUB history in strikeouts, as he has racked up 132 in his career. Winslow meanwhile crossed the century mark, as he currently stands at No. 9 with 101 punch outs.
 

Rank	Name	Strikeouts	Seasons
1	Cody Cooper	237	2014-17
2	Brady Muller	232	2012-15
3	Brian Howe	143	2008-11
4	Steen Fredrickson	132	2016-19
5	Tanner Johnson	130	2015-16
6	Brian Hutchings	120	2010-12
7	Kody Kennedy	113	2010-11
8	Adam Cox	110	2015-18
9	Jared Winslow	101	2016-19
10	Samuel Paterson	98	2012-13

 
The work horses also moved up on the MSUB all-time innings pitched chart, with Fredrickson tying Johnson for sixth at 142 2/3 innings and Winslow moving to No. 10 with 124 innings. Winslow and Fredrickson are also currently No. 2 and No. 3 with 13 and 12 wins, respectively, with both looking up at Brady Muller's all-time mark of 20 victories from 2012-15.
 

Rank	Name	IP	Seasons
1	Brady Muller	269.2	2012-15
2	Cody Cooper	255.2	2014-17
3	Brian Howe	216.2	2008-11
4	Steve Scott	153	2008-09
5	Brian Strom	149.1	2007-09
6	Tanner Johnson	142.2	2015-16
	Steen Fredrickson	142.2	2016-19
8	Brian Hutchings	140.2	2010-12
9	Samuel Paterson	132.2	2012-13
10	Jared Winslow	124	2016-19

 
MACKINTOSH SECURES WIN: Left-hander Keven Mackintosh locked down the first win not only of his MSUB career but for the Yellowjackets this season, as he lasted 5 2/3 innings and gave up three runs on three hits in the finale against WOU. The junior's third start of the year was his best so far, as he threw 86 pitches and also recorded a pair of strikeouts.
 
THE FIRST OF MANY FOR ZIMMER: With the game on the line and MSUB desperately needing to find a victory, freshman Brooks Zimmer was entrusted with taking the ball from Mackintosh with two runners on base and the potential tying run in the on-deck circle in the sixth inning Sunday. The right-hander won a seven-pitch battle to notch an inning-ending strikeout, and calmly pitched around a leadoff single in the seventh to make MSUB's 7-3 lead hold up. It was Zimmer's first career save, as he threw 22 pitches in his third and most important outing of the season so far.
 
Northwest Nazarene University Nighthawks
Friday, March 8 – 3 PM DOUBLEHEADER – Nampa, Idaho
Saturday, March 9 – 12 PM DOUBLEHEADER – Nampa, Idaho
2019 Record: 7-5, 3-1 GNAC
Head Coach: Joe Schaefer, 1st season
2018 Record: 19-31, 17-23 GNAC (4th place)
 
The Nighthawks got off to a good start to conference play last week, taking 3 of 4 games from Concordia University on the road. NNU is looking to return to the conference tournament after having a string of three straight trips snapped last year, and it won the affair in 2016 when it hosted at Vail Baseball Field.
 
Returning veteran Kyle Redford is the team's top hitter so far this season, as he has a .364 batting average through his first 12 games of the year. Redford is reaching base at a clip of .472, and is slugging .591 with a team-best eight RBIs.
 
The usually powerful Nighthawks have hit just four home runs this season, and no player has hit more than one. Rocco Ferrari, Parker Price, and Shawn Grandmont are tied with Redford with eight RBIs apiece as well. NNU will look to wreak havoc on the bases this season, as the team has already stolen 24 bags which is tied for No. 21 in the NCAA.
 
On the mound, Ben Johnson, Blake McFadden, and Cooper Webster have each made three starts over the first three weeks of action. Johnson has already claimed GNAC Pitcher of the Week once, as he authored a seven-inning shutout of Concordia last week with eight strikeouts and no walks, while allowing seven hits.
 
Nick Irwin has been the most effective arm out of the bullpen thus far, as he has a 0.77 earned run average in 11 2/3 innings pitched over five appearances. As a staff NNU is the early leader in the GNAC, with a team ERA of 3.12.
 
The Series: MSUB is 50-47 all-time against NNU, and has a record of 26-23 in road games. MSUB is 8-4 over the last 12 road games in the series.
 
Last Time Out: The Yellowjackets won 6 of 8 games between the teams last season, winning each four-game series 3-1. All eight games last year were played in Nampa, as Dehler Park in Billings was unplayable into mid-April.