BILLINGS, Mont. – Getting set for its final road trip of the season, the Montana State University Billings softball team will play a four-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference series this weekend at Western Washington University.
 
MSUB (5-15, 1-3 GNAC) will have 12 straight home games to close out the 2021 regular season after this weekend's series in Bellingham. The Yellowjackets are currently tied for fourth place in the GNAC standings after the opening series of the year. The top-four teams in the GNAC standings at the end of the regular season advance to the 2021 GNAC Softball Championships, scheduled for May 6-8 at the Western Oregon University softball field in Monmouth, Oregon.
 
Weekend Schedule
Location: Bellingham, Washington – Viking Field
Friday, April 2, 2021 – 12 PM Doubleheader
Saturday, April 3, 2021 – 12 PM Doubleheader
Live Video – https://www.youtube.com/user/WWUVikingsAthletics
Live Statistics – https://wwuvikings.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
 *Per GNAC mandate, no fans allowed at softball games during the spring 2021 season.

"We are excited to get back out on the road and go play another conference opponent," Yellowjacket head coach Lisa McKinney said. "I'm hoping we can do what we did against Humboldt in those first couple of games in coming out strong offensively, pitching well, and playing some good defense. Western Washington has always been a good hitting team and they have a really strong pitcher right now. The most important thing is to stay within ourselves, look for strikes, and play solid defense behind our pitchers."
 
"I'm super excited," said freshman infielder Kilee Imada. "Western Washington is a great team defensively and offensively, but we are ready to go head-to-head against them. They will be some good competition, and I think we can pull out some wins."
 
MSUB is coming off a 3-1 series defeat against Humboldt State University at home last weekend, as the team had a week off from conference play. The Yellowjackets opened their GNAC schedule on March 21-22 with a 3-1 series defeat against Central Washington University at home. "I believe we can pull out as many wins as we believe we can, and we are going to put 100 percent effort into everything that we do," Imada said. "Each team (we play) is good competition, but since we have drive and passion it will put us on top."

The 'Jackets will close the campaign with home series against Western Oregon, Saint Martin's University, and Northwest Nazarene University after this weekend's series against the Vikings.
 
GREGERSON HOMERS WAY TO GNAC HONOR: Senior rightfielder Hailee Gregerson picked up her first-career GNAC Player of the Week award, after hitting four home runs in MSUB's six games last week. Gregerson led the team with 10 RBIs, while slugging 1.056 and striking out zero times in 20 plate appearances. Gregerson's big offensive output upped her season batting average to .304, and she ranks third on the team with four home runs and 11 RBIs.
 
"Hailee had an amazing week, and it has been great watching her up at the plate these last couple of weekends," said McKinney. "It looks like she's really building her confidence and we look to see that continue building into this weekend series."
 


ETHERIDGE TOSSES 1-HITTER: In MSUB's 13-0, five-inning win over Humboldt State, junior right-hander Alyssa Etheridge was nearly untouchable as she authored a one-hit shutout. It was the second shutout in Etheridge's career, and she had three strikeouts while allowing just three baserunners in the game. Etheridge lowered her season ERA to a team-leading 5.47, and she paces the squad with 25 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings pitched.
 
"Alyssa did an amazing job of continuing to mix her pitches and keeping the Humboldt batters off-balance," McKinney said regarding Etheridge's second-career shutout. "We knew their batters were aggressive, and Alyssa did a good job of going right after them."
 
POLLARD REMAINS AMONG GNAC LEADERS: Sidney Pollard kept her season batting average at .400 after last week's games, and she ranks ninth in the conference entering the series against the Vikings. Pollard had three hits including a bases-clearing, three-run double, and she became the fourth player on the team to reach double figures in RBIs this season. Pollard has shown outstanding discipline at the plate, drawing seven walks while striking out only six times in 49 plate appearances.
 
FRAZIER DAZZLES IN CENTER: Freshman centerfielder Brie Frazier continued to put on a masterful defensive display last week, highlighted by a leaping over-the-shoulder catch on a dead sprint in the series against Humboldt State. In her first year with the 'Jackets, Frazier has committed just one error in 40 chances in center, while chipping in a pair of outfield assists. Hitting in either the leadoff or No. 2 spot in the lineup, Frazier holds a .316 batting average with a team-leading five doubles.


 
NO. 25 FOR FISHER: Senior slugger Brittanee Fisher hit the 25th home run of her career last week, moving her into a tie for No. 6 on the MSUB all-time home runs list. Fisher ranks second on the team and third in the GNAC with five home runs this spring, and her 16 RBIs are eighth most in the conference.
 
MSUB Softball Career Home Run Leaders (as of April 1, 2021)

Rank	Player	Home Runs	Career
1	Cameron Cassinelli	40	2015-18
2	Kelly Parsons	35	2008-11
3	Kelsey Devlin	30	2014-17
	Emily Osborn	30	2012-15
5	Meg Harasymczuk	29	2011-12
6	Stephanie Gosselin	25	2006-09
	Brittanee Fisher	25	2018-21
8	Theresa Campbell	23	2002-05
	Kaycee Hoffman	23	2010-11
10	Heather Tracy	21	2015-18
	Christy Wankel	21	2003-06

HUGHES LEADS GNAC IN HR: Senior Allie Hughes hit a pair of home runs in the series against the 'Jacks, upping her season total to six to lead the team and tie for the GNAC lead in that category. Hughes's 18 RBIs are also most on the team and rank her tied for sixth in the GNAC, and she is third on the team with a .333 batting average. Hughes broke into the top-20 in MSUB history, with the two home runs last week upping her career total to 16.
 
NORWOOD KEEPS SLUGGING: Senior first baseman Sydney Norwood continued the hot start to her season, collecting four hits in the series against Humboldt State. Five of Norwood's eight hits on the year have gone for extra bases, as she leads the team with a .895 slugging percentage and a .421 batting average.
 
IMADA FINDING HER WAY AT 2ND: True freshman Kilee Imada saw action in all four of MSUB's games against Humboldt State, playing second base and picking up her fourth hit of the season. Imada has started seven games thus far and has a double and a home run among her four collegiate hits. "It has been absolutely amazing, and I feel that I have 100 percent support from every single one of my teammates," said Imada on her first year with the 'Jackets. "The energy is just something like I've never had on a team before. It gets me excited for every single game and it's an amazing feeling."
 
"Kilee has been really strong defensively for us, and she's got really good range," McKinney commented on the freshman. "She does a good job at second base of getting to as many balls as possible, and she has also had some success at the plate throughout this year."
 
Western Washington University Vikings
2021 Record: 12-4, 3-1 GNAC
All-Time Series: MSUB 42, WWU 33
Series at Bellingham, WA: WWU 17, MSUB 16
Last Meeting: WWU 4, MSUB 0 (March 2-3, 2019)
 
It has been more than two years since the Yellowjackets and Vikings have met, with the 2020 series being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Vikings have won six games in-a-row dating back to the 2017 season.
 
WWU is led by star pitcher Anna Kasner, who threw the seventh perfect game in GNAC history and the third in WWU history on March 12 against Saint Martin's. Overall on the season Kasner ranks third in the GNAC with a 1.60 ERA, second in strikeouts with 60, and first in opponents batting average at .168. WWU has a team ERA of 2.50 and an opponents batting average of .218.
 
At the plate, Tatum Dow has been WWU's top hitter with a .471 batting average, three home runs, and 19 RBIs in her first 16 games of the year. Dakota Brooks is tied for the team lead with three homers, while Lauren Lo is batting .383. WWU holds a team batting average of .357 and is averaging 7.0 runs per game.