LA JOLLA, Calif. – Kicking off the 2019 NCAA Division II West Region Baseball Championships on Thursday, the Montana State University Billings baseball team is set to make its first-ever appearance in the regional playoffs.
 
The Yellowjackets (33-18) won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season title for the fourth time in the last five seasons, before claiming their first-ever conference tournament title Friday to secure an automatic berth into this week's regional playoffs.
 
No. 6 seed MSUB will face No. 3 seed #24 Point Loma Nazarene University (30-19) of the PacWest Conference, on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. Pacific time. The University of California San Diego will host the three-team regional tournament, with all games set to be played at Triton Baseball Field in La Jolla.
 
"Coming off the conference tournament win, the guys have really reset and have shifted their focus to Game 1 of the regional," said MSUB head coach Aaron Sutton, who was named the GNAC Coach of the Year for the second straight season. "They understand the importance of getting in some quality practices before we arrive down there to compete against quality opponents. We are all looking forward to representing our school, city, and really the entire state of Montana at the regional level."
 

Seed	Team	Record	Conference	Path To Regional
1	#6 Azusa Pacific	36-13	PacWest	PacWest Champion (Auto. Berth), No. 2 Win Pct. In Region
2	#10 UC San Diego	35-12	CCAA	CCAA Champion, No. 1 Winning Pct. In Region
3	#24 Point Loma Nazarene	30-19	PacWest	3rd Place PacWest, 5th-Most Wins In Region
4	Cal State Monterey Bay	35-21	CCAA	2nd Place CCAA, CCAA Tournament Runner-Up
5	Cal Poly Pomona	29-26	CCAA	CCAA Tournament Champion (Auto. Berth)
6	MSU Billings	33-18	GNAC	GNAC Champion, GNAC Tourney Champion (Auto. Berth)

More information on the NCAA regional baseball championships, including tournament format and a complete history of the tournament can be found online here.
 
2019 NCAA D2 Baseball West Region Championships Schedule
Double-Elimination Format
 
Day 1 – Thursday, May 16, 2019
Game 1: No. 6 Seed MSU Billings vs. No. 3 Seed Point Loma Nazarene – 7 PM
 
Day 2 – Friday, May 17, 2019
Game 2: Loser Game 1 vs. No. 2 Seed UC San Diego – 3:30 PM
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner/Loser Game 2 – 7 PM
 
Day 3 – Saturday, May 18, 2019
Game 4: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3 – 3:30 PM
Game 5: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 4 (if necessary) – 7 PM
 
*If the No. 1 Seed wins Game 2, then Game 3 will become the first of a best-of-three series between the No. 1 Seed and the winner of Game 1.
*If the winner of Game 2 is the loser of Game 1, the loser of Game 2 will play the winner of Game 1.
*If three teams remain after Game 3, refer to alternate bracket to determine matchups.
 
MSUB went 30-10 to claim the GNAC regular-season title, breaking the conference record for most league victories in a single season. That was after starting the 2019 season 0-11, and losing four times in walk-off fashion early in the 2019 campaign. After going 3-0 last week at the GNAC Championships in Portland, Oregon, the Yellowjackets enter this week's regional tournament on a program-record 11-game winning streak. "The guys have really taken on the idea of staying focused on the process and getting to 0-0 each day. This group is extremely resilient. It would have been very easy to hit the panic button early, but they trusted their ability and believed in each other. We always knew we were a very good ball club, and we just needed to play that way."
 
Thursday will mark the first-ever meeting between MSUB and Point Loma Nazarene. The Sea Lions finished in third place in the PacWest Conference regular-season standings, going 21-11 in league play. "PLNU is a very well-coached team," said Sutton. "Coach (Justin) James and Coach (Jeff) Calhoon have been there before during their time at UCSD, so we know they will be prepared. At the end of the day, we understand that we control our own destiny, and playing good baseball, competing, and enjoying the big moments is going to be key to our ball club's success."
 
The winner of Thursday evening's game will play host and No. 2 seed #10 University of San Diego (35-12) at 7 p.m. on Friday evening. The loser of Thursday's game will play UCSD at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The tournament will be played in double-elimination format, and the winner will advance to a three-game series against the winner of the other three-team west regional featuring No. 1 seed #6 Azusa Pacific University (36-13), No. 4 seed California State University Monterey Bay (35-21), and No. 5 seed California Poly University Pomona (29-26).
 
All games of this weekend's regional tournament will feature free live video with play-by-play commentary available online here, and live statistics available online here.
 
ATTEND THE REGIONAL TOURNAMENT – VIEW THE TOURNAMENT CENTRAL INFORMATIONAL PAGE ONLINE HERE
 
Tickets
Adult: $10
Senior (65+): $5
Child (3-12): $5
College Student with Valid ID: $5

Tickets are good for day-of-games only, and will be available for purchase 60 minutes prior to the start of the first game each day. Parking will only be free on Saturday, May 18, with permits required for Thursday night and all day Friday.
 
BASEBALL NAMED GNAC TEAM OF THE WEEK: The Yellowjackets were named the GNAC Team of the Week after capturing their first-ever conference tournament crown. MSUB rolled through the conference tournament with 4-2 and 8-5 wins over Saint Martin's University, sandwiching a 10-0 blowout over three-time reigning tournament champion Western Oregon University. The Yellowjackets are the first GNAC team to make the regional tournament since Western Oregon hosted the event in 2012. Overall it is just the fourth time in the history of the GNAC, which was founded in 2002, that a team has advanced to the NCAA playoffs.
 
NATIONAL POWER JUGGERNAUT: The Yellowjackets enter this week's regional tournament as one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the NCAA. The 82 home runs hit by the team are a GNAC single-season record, and are the fourth-most by any team in Division II. MSUB's 1.61 home runs per game is also the fourth-highest total in the country, and it is the highest single-season mark in GNAC history as well.
 

Rank	Team	Home Runs	Season
1	MSU Billings	82	2019
2	MSU Billings	78	2018
3	Northwest Nazarene	63	2017
4	Western Oregon	59	2010
5	Central Washington	58	2005
6	Western Oregon	54	2006
	Western Oregon	54	2012
8	MSU Billings	45	2017
	Western Oregon	45	2018
10	Northwest Nazarene	44	2016

 
MSUB is No. 5 in the NCAA with 122 doubles this season, and in slugging percentage with a mark of .542. The team is No. 23 in runs scored with 400, and is No. 24 with 7.8 runs per game. MSUB's slugging percentage is the highest in GNAC single-season history, and the team needs 12 more total bases to beat its own GNAC record of 947 total bases established in 2018.
 

Rank	Team	Slugging	Season
1	MSU Billings	0.542	2019
2	MSU Billings	0.536	2018
3	Western Oregon	0.511	2006
	Western Oregon	0.511	2006
5	Central Washington	0.510	2005
	Western Oregon	0.510	2010
7	Western Oregon	0.507	2012
8	Central Washington	0.501	2004
9	Western Oregon	0.489	2019
10	Western Oregon	0.478	2009

 
FREDRICKSON JOINS GNAC INSIDER TUESDAY: Senior right-handed pitcher Steen Fredrickson will be a live guest on GNAC Insider Tuesday evening, as he joins host Robert Lowery on the weekly radio program of the conference. Fredrickson will discuss the Yellowjackets' path to the postseason, including overcoming the second-worst start in program history and going 33-7 over the last 40 games. Listen live to Tuesday's program at 7 p.m. Pacific time online through Blog Talk Radio here.
 
Fredrickson is coming off one of the best outings of his collegiate career, as he logged seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts and one hit in MSUB's dominant conference tournament win over Western Oregon. The unanimous first-team all-conference selection is tied with PLNU's Zach Noll for the most strikeouts in the NCAA West Region with 88, and it is the second-highest single-season total in MSUB history behind Cody Cooper's 106 strikeouts in 2016.
 
The Ashland, Oregon, native also became the seventh player in GNAC history and third in MSUB history to reach 200 career strikeouts, as his total sits at 205 after last week's outing.
 

Rank	Name	Strikeouts	School	Seasons
1	Nick Waechter	269	WOU	2004-06
2	Roger Evenson	246	NNU	2003-05
3	Cody Cooper	237	MSUB	2014-17
4	Brady Muller	232	MSUB	2012-15
5	Steven Schutte	231	NNU	2002-04
6	Mike Ward	223	WOU	2007-08, 2010-11
7	Steen Fredrickson	205	MSUB	2016-19
8	Mickey Walker	196	SMU	2016-19
9	Brady Miller	187	WOU	2015-17
10	Mike Eisenhauer	185	WOU	2007-09

 
CIPRIANO PACES OFFENSE: GNAC Player and Newcomer of the Year Daniel Cipriano has been the centerpiece of one of the most powerful lineups in the nation, and has already tied the school record for home runs in a season as he enters the week with 17. The junior first baseman needs one more to tie Kyle Sani's GNAC record of 18 home runs, set during the 2013 season at Central Washington University.
   

Rank	Player	School	Home Runs	Season
1	Kyle Sani	Central Washington	18	2013
2	Brian Viafore	Central Washington	17	2003
	Kaleo Johnson	MSU Billings	17	2018
	Daniel Cipriano	MSU Billings	17	2019
5	Zach Aakhus	Northwest Nazarene	16	2008
	Daniel Dillard	Western Oregon	16	2010
	Ryan Myers	MSU Billings	16	2018
8	Kevin McCarthy	Northwest Nazarene	15	2004
	Tyler Davis	Northwest Nazarene	15	2016
	Billy King	Northwest Nazarene	15	2017
	Matt Dillon	MSU Billings	15	2019

 
Cipriano's home run total is tied for No. 15 in the NCAA, and it is third in the NCAA west region behind Azusa Pacific University's Cole Kleszcz (22) and Point Loma's Micah Pries (18). Cipriano has been hit by a pitch a GNAC single-season record 27 times, which is the second-highest total in the NCAA. That has helped boost his on-base percentage to .527, which is the 11th-highest mark in the country. Cipriano also has 14 doubles, and his slugging percentage of .819 ranks No. 8 in the NCAA. He is on pace to become just the second player in GNAC history to win the triple crown, as he leads the league in hitting (.400), home runs (17), and RBIs (51). He also tied Ryan Myers' MSUB single-season record of 57 runs scored, after breaking Myers' hit-by-pitch record. He enters this week's tournament eight RBIs shy of Brody Miller's MSUB-record 59 RBIs (2015).
 
MOLNAA MOWS 'EM DOWN: Senior right-hander Jarrod Molnaa has been a horse this year for the 'Jackets, starting 13 games and leading the GNAC with eight wins. Molnaa has eaten up 71 innings, striking out 76 which ranks fourth in the league, and holding a 4.56 earned run average. Molnaa has contributed five quality starts throughout the season, and is coming off back-to-back quality outings entering the regional championship.
 
ARPAN BECOMES FOURTH TO REACH 10 HRs: Junior Chris Arpan hit a key three-run home run in the GNAC championship game, spotting the Yellowjackets a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning that they never relinquished. It was the University of Portland transfer's 10th long ball of the year, and he became the fourth different MSUB player to reach double figures in home runs which has never happened before in GNAC history. Only the 2005 Central Washington University team had three different players reach double figures in home runs, when Kevin Knutsen (13), Troy Martin (12), and Ryan Rockhill (10) achieved the feat. Arpan joined Cipriano (17), Matt Dillon (15), and Wyatt Setian (12).
 
Arpan ranks second on the team with a .365 batting average, while slugging .662, reaching base at .460, and driving in 38 runs.
 
LINEBARGER PRODUCES LIKE AN MVP: Senior Conner Linebarger was named the GNAC Championships Most Valuable Player, after going 6-for-10 (.600) with two triples, two home runs, and seven RBIs in the conference tournament. Linebarger delivered his most impactful weekend of the year when the team needed it most, and upped his season slash line to .313/.395/.461.
 
Linebarger's 150 hits are the sixth most in school history, his 224 total bases are sixth most, and his 89 RBIs are seventh most. Entering this weekend Linebarger holds a career .323 batting average, which ranks No. 10 in school history.
 

Rank	Name	Hits	Seasons
1	Brody Miller	249	2012-15
2	Matt Schoonover	213	2007-10
3	Luke Reinschmidt	192	2014-16
4	Jalen Garcia	186	2017-19
5	Colby Robison	168	2011-13
6	Conner Linebarger	150	2017-19
7	Casey Merritt	145	2013-17
8	Kevin Toon	134	2014-16
9	Colter Sternhagen	131	2013-16
	Jeff Ridgeway	131	2008-11

 
DETLOFF DELIVERS AGAIN: Junior Tyler Detloff, who has had a knack for the clutch hit this season, delivered again with a big showing in MSUB's key win over Western Oregon last week. Detloff went 2-for-4 with a double and a three-run triple against the Wolves, the latter of which sparked a four-run rally in the fourth that broke a 0-0 tie and proved to be the winning hit of the game. Detloff has had a solid debut season at MSUB, posting an OPS of .874 with seven doubles, five home runs, and 21 RBIs.
 
GARCIA A 5-TOOL THREAT: Billings native Jalen Garcia is putting the final touches on one of the best careers in school history, and is among the top-five in most offensive categories despite playing just three seasons at his hometown university. Garcia is No. 4 with 186 career hits, and enters this week No. 2 in batting average at .348. He trails Luke Reinschmidt by just four batting average points, and he is also one triple away from Reinschmidt's school record of 12. Garcia is also No. 2 in doubles with 45, No. 3 in home runs with 23, total bases with 322, and RBIs with 121. His RBI total is also the 10th highest in GNAC history.
 

Rank	Name	AVG	Hits	AB	Seasons
1	Luke Reinschmidt	0.352	192	545	2014-16
2	Jalen Garcia	0.348	186	534	2017-19
3	Brody Miller	0.347	249	718	2012-15
4	Adam Cox	0.337	88	261	2015-18
5	Matt Schoonover	0.335	213	635	2007-10
6	Kade Hall	0.331	98	296	2017-18
	Colby Robison	0.330	168	509	2011-13
	Ryan Myers	0.330	96	291	2017-18
9	Kyle Durbin	0.327	111	339	2015-16
10	Conner Linebarger	0.323	150	464	2017-19

 *Minimum 250 at-bats
 
BARKLEY CONTINUING STELLAR DEBUT CAMPAIGN: Redshirt freshman Dylan Barkley has been a consistent presence in MSUB's rotation, making 13 starts and throwing 65 innings on the season. He has struck out 56 hitters while walking just 14, and he carries a 4.98 earned run average. Barkley is also No. 2 in the GNAC in victories with seven this spring, and he is coming off a season-high 6 2/3 innings pitched last week in the conference-tournament clinching win over Saint Martin's.
 
WINSLOW SEALS CHAMPIONSHIP WINS: Senior Jared Winslow was fittingly the final man on the mound to close the GNAC Championships, as he pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth to seal the Yellowjackets' 8-5 win over SMU. Winslow became the first player in MSUB history to appear in four GNAC Championship tournaments, as he also pitched in the 2016, 2017, and 2018 conference tournament for MSUB. Winslow's 118 career strikeouts are seventh most in school history, and his 14 career victories are third most.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
 
No. 3 Seed #24 Point Loma Nazarene University Sea Lions
Thursday, May 16 – 7 PM – Triton Baseball Field – La Jolla, California
2019 Record: 30-19
Head Coach: Justin James, 1st season
PacWest Record: 18-13, 3rd Place
All-Time Against MSUB: 0-0 (First Meeting)
 
The Sea Lions snapped a four-game losing skid on their final day of the regular season, beating No. 1 seed Azusa Pacific University twice to roll into the regional championships with some momentum.
 
PLNU is led by first-team all-PacWest outfielder Micah Pries, who carries a slash line of .322/.401/.684 with 18 home runs and 46 RBIs. Michael Palos is another top hitter for PLNU, at .319 despite being limited to 113 at-bats in 38 games played. Justin Ledgerwood is the Sea Lions' other notable power hitter, with eight home runs and 29 RBIs while holding a .284 batting average.
 
As a team PLNU hits .280, slugs .417, and reaches base at a clip of .365, while averaging 5.3 runs per game.
 
The Sea Lions have a stellar pitching staff, ranking in the top-30 in the NCAA with a team ERA of 4.02. Noll, the PacWest Conference Pitcher of the Year, has a 3.14 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 77 1/3 innings pitched over 13 starts. Noll's nine victories are tied for the most in the region, and the opposition is hitting .245 off of him.
 
Stirling Strong and Jerry Quemada have each also made 13 starts for PLNU, holding ERAs of 3.89 and 4.66, respectively. Strong has 52 strikeouts against just 16 walks in his 74 innings of work, while Quemada ranks second on the team with 67 punch outs in 65 2/3 innings pitched.
 
The Sea Lions have one of the strongest bullpens in the region, with three different pitchers holding 3.00 ERAs or better and recording multiple saves. Steven Elliott has four saves over 18 appearances, with a 2.38 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 34 innings. John Balliet leads the team with five saves, while holding a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings pitched. Nicholas Cornelius has also been utilized in high-leverage situations, and has a 2.45 ERA in a team-high 20 appearances while striking out 19 in 25 2/3 innings pitched.
 
The Series: Thursday will mark the first-ever meeting between the Sea Lions and Yellowjackets.
 
No. 2 Seed #10 University of California San Diego Tritons
Friday, May 17 – 3:30 PM OR 7 PM – Triton Baseball Field – La Jolla, California
2019 Record: 35-12
Head Coach: Eric Newman, 8th season
CCAA Record: 30-10, 1st Place
All-Time Against MSUB: 0-0 (First Meeting)
 
Eric Newman, the two-time reigning American Baseball Coaches Association West Region Coach of the Year, piloted the Tritons to their second-straight California Collegiate Athletic Association regular-season title this spring. UCSD will look to rebound this week after a disappointing showing at the conference tournament, as it lost 3-2 to tournament champion Cal Poly Pomona and 5-1 to San Francisco State University in the early exit.
 
UCSD has been one of the most consistent teams in the NCAA this season, and is ranked No. 10 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association top-25 released Monday.
 
CCAA Player of the Year Shay Whitcomb highlights a solid UCSD lineup, which has a team slash line of .283/.406/.458. The Tritons average 6.9 runs per game, and are the top slugging team in their conference with 49 home runs on the year.
 
Whitcomb has started all 47 games as the team's shortstop, and leads the squad with a .335 batting average. His 23 doubles are tied for the third-most in the NCAA, and he has also homered eight times leading to a stellar slugging percentage of .600.
 
Blake Baumgartner and Aaron Kim are tied for the team lead with 11 home runs apiece, with the former pacing the squad at 44 RBIs and the latter leading with a .629 slugging percentage. Alex Eliopulos is another key hitter with a .317 batting average, 12 doubles, six homers, and a team second-best 42 RBIs.
 
The Tritons are one of the best defensive teams in the country, entering the week at No. 8 in the NCAA with a team fielding percentage of .974.
 
CCAA Pitcher of the Year Brandon Weed headlines a solid UCSD pitching staff, which ranks No. 6 in the NCAA with a staff ERA of 3.17. Weed has gone 9-1 in his 10 starts, with 48 strikeouts against just 10 walks in 69 1/3 innings pitched. One of the toughest arms in the country, Weed holds a 1.95 ERA and a sub-1.00 WHIP with just 67 baserunners allowed (0.97). The opposition hits just .219 off of Weed, and he has allowed only one home run this year.
 
Luke Mattson, Preston Mott, and Noah Conlon have been the other main starting pitchers for the Tritons this year. Mott has gone 7-1 with a 2.80 ERA, and has 55 strikeouts in 61 innings pitched. Ted Stuka has started five games and pitched in 12 overall, and he leads the team with 56 strikeouts this year.
 
The Series: Friday will mark the first-ever meeting between the Tritons and Yellowjackets.