MSUB SPORTS – Daniel Cipriano wasn't in the starting lineup for the Montana State University Billings baseball team on February 15, when the Yellowjackets kicked off their 2019 campaign at No. 12 Colorado Mesa University.
 
That was fine by him; he didn't expect to be in it. "In any situation where you're coming in late, you're an unknown," Cipriano commented after transferring to MSUB at the semester break and arriving on campus in January. "The guys have been working hard all fall, and you have to work hard every day to take advantage of your opportunities."
 
Cipriano had a pinch-hit single in the season-opening game at CMU in his first-ever appearance in a Yellowjacket uniform. Two days later, he flew out to right field in his only plate appearance, again being summoned off the bench late in a pinch-hitting situation.
 
Since then, Cipriano has gotten on base in 39 consecutive games – an MSUB record – and has become one of the most prolific offensive players in Division II baseball. He is still well shy of Craige Lyerly's D2 record of 88 consecutive games reaching base (Catawba, March 18, 2009-Feb. 12, 2010), but at the rate the junior is getting on base nothing seems out of his reach. "His physicality is one part of it, but he can change the game with one swing of the bat," MSUB head coach Aaron Sutton commented on what makes Cipriano such an intimidating opponent for pitchers. "He has power to all fields, and he doesn't strike out which is something you see with a lot of power hitters. He thinks the game and takes his singles, but also knows when to open it up when we need a ball in the gap. He is a complete hitter."
 
Entering this weekend's series against Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponent Concordia University, Cipriano is putting together a record-breaking campaign. He is No. 4 in the NCAA in slugging percentage at .851, and in on-base percentage at .543. His on-base plus slugging (OPS) figure of 1.394 is the second-highest in Division II baseball, and on top of that he is batting .410 on the season. "Off of the field you might be aware of it, but when you're out there performing you can't think about it," Cipriano commented on the gaudy numbers he has put up. "Each plate appearance you have a job to do, and you have to take it one at-bat at a time. You need to be as smart as you can be in each situation, and each time you come up is separate from the last."
   

Stat	Amount	Team Rank	GNAC Rank	Region Rank	National Rank
OPS	1.394	1	1	1	2
HBP	23	1	1	1	2
SLG	.851	1	1	1	4
OBP	.543	1	1	1	4
HR	16	1	1	3	11
AVG	.410	1	1	4	31
RUNS	49	1	1	3	65
RBI	45	1	2	9	95
HITS	55	3	3	29	--

The frontrunner for both GNAC Player and Newcomer of the Year, Cipriano leads the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, as well as home runs (16), runs scored (49), and times hit by a pitch (23). He has struck out just 19 times in 173 plate appearances, reaching base by virtue of a walk or being hit by a pitch over striking out at more than a 2:1 ratio. "When you have that guy in the middle of your order who is a rock, it gives more of a comfort factor to the other hitters," Sutton said. "When you are getting consistent play from someone like Cip, there is not as much pressure to come up with knocks when you know there is a guy doing it every day for you."
 
Cipriano's first remarkable burst of power came on March 3 in Monmouth, Oregon, when he became the first player in MSUB history to hit four home runs on a single day. He crushed two apiece in MSUB's doubleheader split at Western Oregon University, and earned both GNAC and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association West Region Player of the Week.
 
Now with six guaranteed games left on the 2019 schedule, Cipriano is primed to make a run at both the MSUB and GNAC single-season home run records. He needs one more to tie Kaleo Johnson's MSUB record of 17, which was set a season ago, and just two more to match Kyle Sani's GNAC record of 18 which was achieved during the 2013 season at Central Washington.
 
Cipriano also has a chance to match Johnson's feat of winning the first Triple Crown in GNAC history last season, as he leads in batting average and home runs and is just three RBIs shy of GNAC leader Griffey Halle's total of 48. His numbers provoke memory of Johnson, who was drafted last June by the Tampa Bay Rays, and his approach and physical makeup are a near carbon copy of MSUB career home run leader and 2018 graduate Ryan Myers.
 
"When we first saw video of him, he was a guy who reminded us a lot of Ryan both because of his physicality and his bat speed," Sutton commented on the comparison between the two players, who both stand 6-foot-3. "The thing that you don't get to see is what is going on inside his head with his approach at the plate. In that aspect, he is a pro. The way he comes to work, the way he thinks the game – it's at a higher level."
 
One of the keys to Cipriano's success has been his intelligence in the batter's box and ability to get ahead in the count. He has only been behind in a count 49 times in his 173 plate appearances this season (28.3 percent), and has only been behind in a count 0-2 19 times (11.0 percent). Even when behind in the count 0-2, Cipriano is still batting .315 (6-for-19), with two home runs and six RBIs.
 
The numbers become remarkable when he gets ahead in the count, which happens more often than him falling behind. Overall this season Cipriano has been ahead in a count 66 times, and in those situations he is reaching base at a clip of .742 and slugging at 1.065. When he is ahead in the count 3-0 or 3-1, which he has been 18 times, he has reached base 17 times including 10 walks, five times hit by a pitch, a double, and a home run.
   

Situation	PA	Reached	OBP	SLG	BB	HBP	1B	2B	3B	HR	SO	GO	ERR	FLY
Ahead	66	49	0.742	1.065	16	19	6	2	1	5	3	7	1	6
Behind	49	14	0.286	0.653	0	0	6	3	0	5	13	10	0	12

 *Ahead in the count is defined as 1-0, 2-0, 2-1, 3-0, 3-1, 3-2; Behind in the count is defined as 0-1, 0-2, 1-2
 
The dream of playing baseball at the collegiate level has been a longstanding one for Cipriano, and it began at Moorpark College just 20 minutes from his home in Agoura Hills, California. "It wasn't the experience I was expecting to have, being hurt coming out of high school, but it was an important part of my development," Cipriano commented on his junior college years, during which he hit two home runs in 189 at-bats. "The JC game teaches you how to grind, and you have to work for everything. It is underappreciated by a lot of people but it is really good preparation for the upper levels."
 
After spending the 2018 fall semester at Division I Cal State Northridge, Cipriano ultimately opted to pursue his career in a different location for the spring season. Although he had to patiently work for his at-bats early in the year, it soon became clear to Sutton that Cipriano was a player he needed to have in his lineup every single day. "Anytime you come into a team that has established roles during the fall, it is tough to get a lot of run in the preseason," Sutton said, referring to Cipriano getting just five at-bats through the team's first eight games of the year. "When league opened up at Western Oregon, that's when he really took the job and ran with it."
 
Cipriano quickly became a favorite among his teammates, earning their respect with his work ethic and natural abilities on the field. He is known around the clubhouse simply as 'Cip,' with the monikers of 'Danimal' and 'Danny D-Dog' thrown around on occasion as well. His trips to the batter's box are accompanied by an unmistakable battle cry from redshirt freshman Ryan Roche in the dugout, with a drawn out roar of 'Cipriano' enhanced by an extended trill on the R. "He broke in quickly with the guys, and the reason why he has good relationships is that he has earned their respect," Sutton said. "In the classroom he is a 4.0 student, and all around he is just an awesome kid."


Ryan Roche's Trademark Cipriano Call


"Everybody on our team gets along, and having that good relationship off the field makes it easier to hold each other accountable," Cipriano commented on the dynamic of the team. "Having good team chemistry makes it easier to perform in any kind of pressure situation. It helps to have confidence in the rest of the guys too."
 
If the season ended today, Cipriano would break Johnson's GNAC record for slugging percentage in a season of .851. He would become the 14th player in league history to bat .400 or better in a year, and his on-base percentage would be second-highest behind Jamie Nilsen's record of .557 set in 2008. He is also one of the elite defensive first basemen in the conference, ranking No. 10 in the GNAC with a fielding percentage of .981 and just four errors in 248 total chances.
 
The centerpiece of a lineup that will make a run towards a number of school and conference single-season records for the second straight year, Cipriano explained that the team's depth from top-to-bottom is its biggest strength. "It is an easy lineup to hit in, because you are confident in each guy," Cipriano said on a lineup that has yielded 68 home runs, already the second-highest total in GNAC single-season history behind last year's record of 78. "It is not a lineup where you can pitch around one guy in particular. Each guy 1-through-9 can do damage at any time, and it makes it easier for everybody to get the job done."
 
Four months ago Cipriano wasn't even sure that he would play college baseball this spring. Now, he finds himself in the thick of a chase for MSUB's second straight GNAC regular-season title and the club's fourth championship in the last five seasons. The Yellowjackets enter the weekend in first place with an overall record of 26-18, and are 26-10 in conference play with a magic number of three to win the title.
 
"It has been a great year overall, and we are far from being done," Cipriano said. "I am excited to see where the rest of our season takes us."