MSUB SPORTS – No matter how you stack them up, the batting order for the Yellowjacket all-decade baseball team ends up being dangerous from top-to-bottom.
 
The two coaches who managed for the majority of the decade submitted their version of the starting lineup, while the all-decade committee created one as well yielding three potential options for a batting order.
 
A Gold Glove team was also selected, recognizing the top defensive player at each of the nine positions on the field as well as a Platinum Glove winner representing the top overall defensive player of the decade.
 

Day	Release
Monday, November 9, 2020	Pitchers & Catchers
Tuesday, November 10, 2020	Infielders
Wednesday, November 11, 2020	Outfielders
Thursday, November 12, 2020	Lineups & Gold Glove Team
Friday, November 13, 2020	Full All-Decade Roster

 

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Lineup	Name	Position
1	Jalen Garcia	Right Field
2	Luke Reinschmidt	Center Field
3	Brody Miller	Second Base
4	Kaleo Johnson	Third Base
5	Ryan Myers	Designated Hitter
6	Daniel Cipriano	First Base
7	Landon Peterson	Catcher
8	Casey Merritt	Left Field
9	Colby Robison	Shortstop

 

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Lineup	Name	Position
1	Luke Reinschmidt	Center Field
2	Brody Miller	Second Base
3	Kaleo Johnson	Third Base
4	Ryan Myers	Designated Hitter
5	Colby Robison	Shortstop
6	Daniel Cipriano	First Base
7	Jalen Garcia	Right Field
8	Landon Peterson	Catcher
9	Casey Merritt	Left Field

   

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Lineup	Name	Position
1	Luke Reinschmidt	Center Field
2	Brody Miller	Second Base
3	Kaleo Johnson	Third Base
4	Daniel Cipriano	First Base
5	Ryan Myers	Designated Hitter
6	Jalen Garcia	Right Field
7	Colby Robison	Shortstop
8	Landon Peterson	Catcher
9	Casey Merritt	Left Field

 

Luke Reinschmidt and Brody Miller, the anchors of the program's first championship teams, are fixtures at the top of all three batting orders. Coach Sutton's lineup features perhaps the most daunting stretch of power, with his 2-through-6 hitters combining for 117 home runs. Daniel Cipriano, Ryan Myers, and Kaleo Johnson in any combination creates an unstoppable power threat.
 
The committee's lineup placed the speedy Jalen Garcia – the program's all-time steals leader – at the top of the order as his combination of speed in power goes hand-in-hand with Reinschmidt's. The coaches meanwhile each elected to slot Casey Merritt into the No. 9 position, supplying the bottom of the order with plenty of speed and on-base potential ahead of Reinschmidt and Miller a second time through.
 
While Landon Peterson's primary presence as a starter is for his glove and ability to handle the pitching staff, he is a solid bottom of the order hitter with a knack for getting on base in clutch situations. Similarly, Colby Robison's versatility with speed, contact, and power, makes him a perfect fit at any spot in the lineup.
 
Three different aces were also selected – one each with the starting lineups. Muller got the nod for Bishop's lineup, as the lefty was the top starter of the early years in the decade. GNAC Pitcher of the Year Steen Fredrickson was picked as Sutton's starter, and career strikeout king Cody Cooper earned the start on the committee's lineup.
 

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Right Fielder
Jalen Garcia – Platinum Glove Award Winner
Career Stats (All-Time Ranking At Position/Overall)
Fielding Percentage: .980 (2nd/13th)
Total Chances: 307 (2nd/24th)
Putouts: 295 (1st/15th)
Assists: 6
Errors: 6
Double Plays Turned: 2
 
The strongest throwing arm combined with the ability to make the spectacular catch anywhere in the outfield gave Garcia the nod as the decade's Platinum Glove award winner. With a .980 career fielding percentage and six outfield assists, Garcia ran down virtually everything hit in his direction whether he was playing center or right. One of the most remarkable defensive plays of the decade came on a deep fly ball to him in right field, where he launched a throw that carried 250 feet in the air to third base to cut down Central Washington's leadoff hitter who was attempting to tag up from second on the play.


 

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Catcher
Landon Peterson
Career Stats (All-Time Ranking At Position/Overall)
Fielding Percentage: .979 (3rd/18th)
Total Chances: 891 (1st/1st)
Putouts: 780 (1st/1st)
Assists: 92 (2nd/17th)
Errors: 19
Double Plays Turned: 3
Stolen Base Against Percentage: .737 (4th/25th)
 
The program's all-time leader in chances, putouts, and runners caught stealing, Peterson was a rock behind the plate during parts of five seasons during his collegiate career. He also caught for eight of the 10 pitchers selected to the all-decade team.
 

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First Baseman
Kevin Toon
Career Stats (All-Time Ranking At Position/Overall)
Fielding Percentage: .993 (1st/2nd)
Total Chances: 767 (2nd/5th)
Putouts: 680 (2nd/3rd)
Assists: 82 (1st/20th)
Errors: 5
Double Plays Turned: 59 (1st/3rd)
 
Committing just five errors in 767 total chances, Toon got the majority of his plays at first base although he played all over the infield. He also has the distinction of being a part of both of the triple plays turned by MSUB during the decade, recording the final putout each time.

 

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Second Baseman
Brody Miller
Career Stats (All-Time Ranking At Position/Overall)
Fielding Percentage: .944 (1st/52nd)
Total Chances: 840 (1st/2nd)
Putouts: 316 (1st/11th)
Assists: 477 (1st/1st)
Errors: 47
Double Plays Turned: 88 (1st/1st)
 
A four-year starter in the infield made Miller the program's all-time leader in assists and double plays turned, and he did it while maintaining a highly-respectable .944 fielding percentage at second base. Miller always got the job done up the middle, and started the team's highlight-reel game-ending triple play.


 

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Third Baseman
Kyle Durbin
Career Stats (All-Time Ranking At Position/Overall)
Fielding Percentage: .954 (1st/44th)
Total Chances: 285 (1st/30th)
Putouts: 132 (3rd/45th)
Assists: 140 (1st/10th)
Errors: 13
Double Plays Turned: 9 (4th/32nd)
 
Durbin got a handful of reps at shortstop at the very beginning of his career, where he turned a 6-3 triple play with Toon at the outset of the 2015 season. After giving way to Corey Morris and finding home at third, Durbin was the most solid hot corner man of the decade with a .954 career fielding percentage and the 10th-most assists in school history with 140.


 

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Shortstop
Corey Morris
Career Stats (All-Time Ranking At Position/Overall)
Fielding Percentage: .941 (1st/56th)
Total Chances: 408 (4th/16th)
Putouts: 127 (2nd/25th)
Assists: 257 (4th/6th)
Errors: 24
Double Plays Turned: 44 (4th/9th)
 
Morris won an NWAC gold glove during his time at Walla Walla Community College, hinting that the 'Jackets were about to get one of the top defensive shortstops in the Pacific Northwest. Remarkably consistent in his 93 games at short, it took Morris just two years to amass the sixth-most assists in school history with 257. He was part of 44 double plays and was the middle man on the triple play that Miller started.
 

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Left Fielder
Casey Merritt
Career Stats (All-Time Ranking At Position/Overall)
Fielding Percentage: .995 (1st/1st)
Total Chances: 197 (3rd/40th)
Putouts: 190 (2nd/26th)
Assists: 6
Errors: 1
Double Plays Turned: 0
 
Possessing the best fielding percentage in school history, Merritt committed just one error in his four-year career in left field. The lefty made every routine play and many above-average catches, while recording six outfield assists as well.


 

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Center Fielder
Luke Reinschmidt
Career Stats (All-Time Ranking At Position/Overall)
Fielding Percentage: .975 (3rd/24th)
Total Chances: 322 (1st/22nd)
Putouts: 306 (1st/12th)
Assists: 8
Errors: 8
Double Plays Turned: 1
 
Reinschmidt's speed made him the prototypical centerfielder, as he chased down everything hit in his direction with a .975 career fielding percentage. Reinschmidt's 306 total chances are most every by a primary centerfielder, and he added in eight outfield assists.

 

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Pitcher
Brady Muller
Career Stats (All-Time Ranking At Position/Overall)
Fielding Percentage: .951 (1st/47th)
Total Chances: 82 (4th/80th)
Putouts: 12
Assists: 66 (1st/23rd)
Errors: 4
Double Plays Turned: 2
Stolen Base Against Percentage: .767 (12th/35th)
 
It always helps when your staff ace is exceptional at fielding his position, and no pitcher did it better than MSUB's all-time wins leader. Muller's 66 career assists are not only the most ever by an MSUB pitcher, but they put him in the top-25 of anyone to ever play in the program. Muller had just four miscues among his 82 chances, while turning a pair of double plays.
 

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About the MSUB All-Decade Team Project
The top student-athletes from each of Montana State University Billings' current varsity athletic teams from 2010-2019 have been selected, and 14 all-decade teams will be revealed throughout the course of the fall of 2020. Each sport's all-decade team is comprised of the top-performing student-athletes, with weight given to individual athletic achievement and accolades, team achievement, academic achievement, as well as community service. For more information on MSUB's all-decade project, and to view each sport's all-decade teams, view the all-decade project webpage online here.