BILLINGS, Mont. – Opening up Great Northwest Athletic Conference play this weekend, the reigning champion Montana State University Billings baseball team is set for a four-game series at No. 19 Northwest Nazarene University.
 
The Yellowjackets are the two-time defending regular-season champions, are the reigning GNAC tournament champion, and have won four of the last five GNAC regular-season titles dating back to the 2015 season. "We are really looking forward to starting off with NNU, and we know that they're going to be competitive," said starting pitcher Dylan Barkley. "It's nice to get back into conference play, and it kind of elevates our game. It's the same goal for us as it was in 2019 and last year. We are a real capable group, and morale is high even though we haven't gotten the start that we wanted."
 
This Week's Schedule
MSU Billings at No. 19 Northwest Nazarene University – Nampa, Idaho – Vail Field
Friday, March 12 – 3 PM Doubleheader
Saturday, March 13 – 12 PM Doubleheader
Live Video Stream - https://vimeo.com/event/681319
Live Statistics - https://nnusports.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
 *Per GNAC mandate, no fans allowed at conference schools in the spring of 2021.
 
This weekend's series marks the start of a 32-game conference season, as the race to the 2021 GNAC Baseball Championships begins. This year's tournament is scheduled for May 20-21 at Vail Field in Nampa, Idaho, with the top-three teams in the GNAC regular-season standings earning a spot in the conference tournament. The winner of the GNAC Championships will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA West Region Championships, scheduled for May 27-30 at a site to be determined. "The guys are excited, and we know NNU a little bit better than some of the opponents we have played," said MSUB head coach Derek Waddoups. "They got off to a good start last year, and they are playing good baseball right now too. Our defense played better last weekend, and the longer we play, the better we are going to play catch. We also had some really great quality starts, and the pitching staff is coming around too."
 
MSUB (0-8) is coming off a four-game series at UC Colorado Springs and lost four close ballgames on the road against the Mountain Lions. The 'Jackets will look to right the ship this week, playing against their second nationally-ranked opponent of the year after a pair of games against No. 5 Colorado Mesa University on Feb. 26.
 
CIPRIANO BREAKS RECORD, EARNS AWARDS: Senior slugger Daniel Cipriano broke the MSUB career home run record last week, as he went yard three times to up his total as a Yellowjacket to 29. He surpassed the previous mark of 27, held by Ryan Myers ('18), with a grand slam in the third game of the series against UC Colorado Springs. Cipriano hit another home run in the series finale, moving him into a tie for second on the GNAC all-time home run list with Jamie Nilsen of Central Washington ('08). The GNAC career record for home runs is 43, held by Chandler Tracy of Saint Martin's University ('15).
 
Cipriano also became the MSUB and GNAC all-time leader in both on-base percentage (.502) and slugging percentage (.825), by virtue of reaching the career minimum threshold of 250 at-bats last week. Cipriano's .392 career batting average is highest in MSUB history and is tied for second in GNAC history. Nilsen is the GNAC career leader in batting average at .399.
 
Cipriano's achievements last week earned him his fifth career GNAC Player of the Week honor and fourth career National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association West Region Player of the Week award. Sean McDonald of Northwest Nazarene University has the most career GNAC Player of the Week awards with six.
 
"He has meant a lot," Barkley commented on Cipriano. "I've gotten to play with some awesome players over the last four years, and he is one of them for sure. He brings so much more to this team than just hitting, and as a leader and a friend he is a great guy."
 
RILEY STAYS HOT AT TOP OF ORDER: Will Riley, who earned the previous GNAC Player of the Week award, put together another productive series at the top of the batting order for the 'Jackets. Riley went 5-for-13 with three RBIs, and did not strike out in 16 plate appearances in the series. Riley is the team's leading hitter so far at .452, and is reaching base at a clip of .541 while slugging .806.
 
ARPAN GOES YARD AGAIN: Senior Chris Arpan hit his third home run of the spring, and the 17th of his career in the finale against the Mountain Lions. Arpan is now tied for eighth in school history in career home runs, and on the season owns a slash line of .400/.438/1.000.
 
GREEN EMERGES OFFENSIVELY: In his second series as a Yellowjacket, newcomer Carson Green broke through at the plate as he went 4-for-9 against UCCS. His opening game was his best so far in an MSUB uniform, as he went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and came up a home run shy of hitting for the cycle. Through his first six games, Green has gotten on base at a clip of .412 while ranking third on the team with seven runs scored.
 
BABCOCK-BARRIE NOTCHES FIRST HIT: True freshman catcher Ethan Babcock-Barrie doubled in his first collegiate at-bat, as he made his debut behind the plate last weekend. Babcock-Barrie started two of the four games in Colorado Springs, scoring a pair of runs and handling all 13 chances behind the plate without an error.
 
REDMOND IMPROVES BETWEEN STARTS: The second start in an MSUB uniform for Connor Redmond showed improvement from his first, as the right-hander allowed zero earned runs in five solid innings of work against UCCS. Redmond threw 96 pitches in his most recent start, and has 12 strikeouts through his first nine innings pitched this spring.
 
ELLIOTT STRONG OUT OF 'PEN: Right-hander Tyler Elliott contributed 3 1/3 innings of standout relief in the second game against the Mountain Lions, giving up just one unearned run to help keep MSUB in the game. Elliott struck out four and walked none, scattering two hits in his most recent appearance.
 
BARKLEY IMPROVES COMMAND IN SECOND START: Left-hander Dylan Barkley displayed improved command in his most recent outing, striking out five and walking none in six-plus innings on the hill. Barkley retired the first 13 batters he faced in his outing, before settling for a no-decision. "For our pitchers we just need to challenge a little better, go out and get ahead of hitters," Barkley commented on the pitching staff's mindset. "I think that's what you're seeing now with our starters going a little deeper and our relievers having more success."
 
No. 19 Northwest Nazarene University Nighthawks
 
NNU cracked into the NCBWA top-25 after going 6-2 over its first two weekends of play in 2021. The Nighthawks took 3 of 4 from College of Idaho, with their lone loss in that series being a 5-4 setback in 12 innings. NNU followed by winning 3 of 4 games in Grand Junction, Colorado, including an 18-6 win over No. 5 Colorado Mesa University and a pair of lopsided triumphs against New Mexico Highlands.
 
John Gonzalez leads the GNAC with five home runs through his first eight games of the year, while Ryan Dearing is batting .548 with 16 runs scored to highlight the NNU offense. As a team the Nighthawks are batting .330 and have stolen 17 bases in 21 attempts.
 
Ben Johnson has been the top starter for NNU, holding a 1.17 ERA with eight strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings pitched over his first two starts of the season. The Nighthawks have a solid 3.64 team ERA and have 74 strikeouts against just 26 walks as a staff this spring.
 
Series History: MSUB holds a narrow 56-49 advantage in the all-time series between the teams, who have met 105 times dating back to the 2006 season. The Yellowjackets are 29-24 in road games against the Nighthawks. MSUB won 6 of 8 games during the 2019 season, marking the last time the teams met.