BILLINGS, Mont. – The Yellowjackets remain on the road for six games this weekend in Portland, Oregon where they will see Concordia University for a four game series, followed by two contests versus Western Oregon University. Both opponents are in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and multiple wins this week could help improve MSUB's seventh place standing in the league.
 
The MSUB pitching staff has been dominant at times this year against good competition. Freshman Alyssa Etheridge threw the first no-hitter in school history against Saint Martin's University on March 8. Maddy Lincoln pitched complete games against No. 17 Dixie State University and No. 13 Chico State. The Yellowjackets (9-19, 2-8 GNAC) are still searching for consistency throughout the lineup that will lead them to more victories.
 
LAST TIME OUT: MSU Billings went 2-5 over the weekend but grabbed wins over No. 13 Chico State (2-0) and Western Oregon (10-6). Excluding a two game series in Portland against the Wolves, MSUB played in Turlock, California in the Tournament of Champions and faced five schools, all from the golden state. Sunday, the 'Jackets concluded the tourney with a 3-1 loss to Academy of Art. Etheridge kept the Urban Knights hitless through five innings, but Academy of Art struck for three runs in the sixth and it was enough to be the difference in the game. Allie Hughes went 2-for-3 at the plate with a walk for MSUB. Lauryn Henderson's two-run double helped seal the win for the Urban Knights.
 
"I think beating Chico State gave us a lot of confidence," said Rayman. "We faced some excellent pitchers and hitters in that game and we showed that we were capable of shutting them down. Moving forward into this weekend, we have to continue to play at a consistently high level."
 
AUSTIN AT THE PLATE: Freshman Rylan Austin continues to lead the Yellowjackets with a .291 batting average. She has started all 28 games and has 25 hits, three doubles, one home run, and 11 runs batted in. With nine walks, Austin's on-base percentage stands at .351 (sixth). She continues to bat in the No. 2 position in the order for MSUB and had three hits against Cal State San Marcos on Saturday afternoon.
 
"Rylan brings a lot of consistency for us," said Rayman. "She's not super powerful yet even though she has that potential but she always hits line drives and finds holes in the defense. Having her in the lineup has been great and she has stepped up in a few clutch situations as well."
 
 
FEEL THE POWER: The Yellowjackets knew they wouldn't be afforded the luxury of power hitting graduates Cameron Cassinelli and Megan Dettling in the 2019 lineup. This year, Payton Reynolds leads the team with four long balls. Allie Hughes has had three leave the yard. Brittanee Fisher and Madison Kelly have a pair of homers each and the team has combined to hit 12 past the fence this season, seventh most in the GNAC.
 
STRANGE STAT OF THE WEEK: The Yellowjackets have been hit by pitches 33 times this season, more than twice the total of second place Western Washington for the category (15). Leadoff hitter Cailee Morgan has accounted for 10 hit by pitches this year, or 33-percent of all players hit by a pitch on the team. Morgan is two shy of the MSUB record 12 for a single season, set by Brittney Sanders in 2015. The GNAC record for most times hit by pitch in a season is 14, set by Jackie Schmaeling (SMU) in 2014.
 
 
KELLY'S STEADY RISE: Sernior Madison Kelly is up to a .264 batting average in 21 starts for MSUB. Kelly has four doubles, two home runs, and seven runs batted in. Last season, Kelly hit .200 with three runs batted in and in 2017, she hit just .175. Against California State San Marcos, Kelly went 2-for-3 with a home run and one RBI. Kelly also holds a .972 fielding percentage with three errors and 95 putouts.
 
"She (Kelly) is getting more and more confident and is a true leader for us on the field," Rayman said of her starting catcher. "Sometimes she feels like she has to do it all for us but she has done a tremendous job. I've seen her step up in multiple ways. Behind the plate, she has been a huge asset for Alyssa, who is a freshman pitcher with a lot of talent. Just making sure she plays within herself. Offensively, she did some good things for us last weekend and continues to have quality at bats. You can tell she wants it and she's willing to fight for it."
 
 
MORGAN SWINGS THE BAT: Freshman Cailee Morgan paced the MSUB offense with a .333 batting average in seven games last weekend. She went 6-for-18 with three runs, two RBI, and a triple. Against WOU, Morgan had a pair of hits and one run scored and repeated the performance Friday in a game versus Humboldt State. Morgan enters this week with a .282 average.
 
BIG OPPONENT, BIG PERFORMANCE: Twice Maddy Lincoln has earned starts against nationally ranked opponents and twice she has shut their hitters down. Lincoln threw eight complete innings against No. 17 Dixie State University on February 8 and allowed one earned run on two hits, walked two, and struck out three. Though MSUB lost 2-0, Lincoln helped give the 'Jackets a chance in extra innings and threw 115 pitches.
 
March 30, Lincoln pitched against No. 13 Chico State and secured a 2-0 win after pitching seven innings and allowing zero earned runs on three hits, walked four, and struck out one.
 
"I think our pitchers have the ability," Rayman said. "It's just a matter of focus to be able to pitch well consistently. Stepping on the mound with the mentality that they feel confident they can beat the hitters they face. Maddy showed that against Chico State. Now we just have to do it against everyone else."
 
 
Scouting Concordia University
Game Day: Saturday, April 6 – 12 p.m. & 2 p.m. (Doubleheader)
Game Day: Sunday, April 7 – 12 p.m. & 2 p.m. (Doubleheader)
2018-19 Record: 17-15, 7-5 GNAC, 6-2 home, 7-6 away, 4-7 neutral
Head Coach: Shelley Whitaker (third season)
2018 Record: 20-28, 7-19 GNAC, 5-15 home, 10-9 away, 5-4 neutral
 
Concordia University went 3-3 last weekend with a rain makeup over Holy Names 5-2, followed by five games in the tournament of champions in Turlock, California. The Cavaliers fell to No. 13 Chico State, Humboldt State, and Academy of Art but picked up victories over Hawai'i Pacific and California State University San Bernardino.
 
Sophomore Paitlyn Willoughby hit .375 in the six games with six hits and two home runs for five runs batted in. Junior Hannah Self and junior Macy Besuyen each had five hits for the Cavaliers. Besuyen also holds a .315 batting average.
 
Junior Sally Bowles was the leading pitcher for the Cavaliers. Bowles helped CU defeat Hawai'i Pacific on Friday, allowing two runs on eight hits through six innings. She followed with seven complete innings against Academy of Art and earned a no decision after giving up two runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Bowles is fifth in the GNAC with a 3.03 ERA. She walks 0.61 hitters per seven innings, good for eighth in NCAA Division II.
 
Concordia has six players hitting above .300 including Ali Steen (.350), Willoughby (.329), Besuyen (.315), Self (.313), and Marisa Stockton (.304). Self leads the team with nine home runs. Tori O'Neil has nine stolen bases in 10 attempts.
 
Concordia is hitting .278 as a team and ranks third in the conference with a 3.43 team ERA. MSUB is 5-5 all-time against the Cavaliers, but fell 12-4 in the most recent matchup in Portland on March 8, 2017.
 
Scouting Western Oregon University
Game Day: Monday, April 8 – 9 a.m. & 11 a.m. (Doubleheader)
2018-19 Record: 18-9, 6-4 GNAC, 5-1 home, 3-3 away, 10-5 neutral
Head Coach: Lonny Sargent (seventh season)
2018 Record: 28-25, 15-13, 8-6 home, 8-8 away, 12-11 neutral
 
The Yellowjackets split two games with the Wolves at the end of last week. MSUB lost the opener 11-2 but rebounded for a 3-2 win the second game of the doubleheader. The Wolves made an appearance in the Tournament of Champions and went 3-2 in Turlock. They enter the two game set on a three game win streak.
 
Sophomore Ayanna Arceneaux has led the Wolves with a .517 average over the last nine games, going 15-for-29 with 12 runs, seven runs batted in, three doubles, three triples, and a home run.
 
Junior Kennedy Coy hit .393 in her last nine games while senior Cheyanne Rimer finished with a .357 average over that stretch. Rimer is up to seventh in the conference with a batting average of .386.
 
The Wolves rank 19^th in NCAA Division II with a .332 team batting average. They are also second in the GNAC in the circle with a team 3.26 ERA. Western Oregon is 19^th in Division II in triples per game at 0.41. The Wolves take on Northwest Nazarene in four games before meeting the Yellowjackets.
 
"I think making sure our pitching staff is prepared against Western Oregon is going to be the biggest thing with that matchup," commented Rayman. If they can make pitches move and spin, we will have a chance against a lineup we know hits well. They have good pitching as well so we have to attack the strike zone early in counts because when we do that, we are successful."
 
MSU Billings split the season series 2-2 in Monmouth last season. The Wolves and Yellowjackets are 31-31 against one another all-time in games dating back to 2001.
 
The games this weekend are being played in Portland due to a weather postponement in Billings four weeks ago.
 
HOW MSUB STACKS UP: The Yellowjackets rank fourth in the conference with a 4.29 earned run average. At the plate, MSUB ranks last with a .251 batting average and .361 slugging percentage. Alyssa Etheridge ranks 10^th with a 3.90 ERA and seventh in complete games with six in 13 appearances. Opponents are hitting a GNAC low .200 against her in 235 total at bats. MSU Billings holds a .935 fielding percentage, eighth in the league.
 
"I think every team we play the rest of the way is beatable," said Rayman. "We just have to come out and focus on winning one pitch at a time. Then we will see the positive results that we need. I don't want our team to overthink too much. It doesn't matter who we play. If our players can focus on attacking strikes and not swing at pitches out of the zone on offense, we set ourselves up for success. If each person does their part, we have a good chance to win."