BILLINGS, Mont. – The last time the Montana State University Billings baseball team played in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships, it hoisted the trophy in the spring of 2019 and earned the program's first-ever berth into the NCAA D2 West Region Championships by winning the event.
 
After the 2020 championship was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the Yellowjackets endured a tough 2021 season missing the tournament, MSUB is back in the GNAC Championships which kick off on Thursday morning on the West Coast. "After a few tough seasons with COVID, we are excited to return to the GNAC Championship tournament," said third-year head coach Derek Waddoups, who qualified for the tournament for the first time. "Our team has really worked hard to get to this point and I am proud of the group's resilience. We have had different players on both the pitching staff and as position players step up on different weekends throughout the season. The thing that stands out most to me about this group is our next-man-up philosophy. Our guys have really bought into the team approach and have celebrated the success of their teammates at different times throughout the season. We have a deep lineup and have had different guys perform for us throughout the season. I love our balanced offensive approach. We are excited to compete this weekend and look forward to postseason play."
 
2022 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Baseball Championships
May 12-13 – Western Oregon University Baseball Field – Monmouth, Oregon (all times listed Pacific)
Thursday, May 12
10 a.m. – No. 3 Seed MSU Billings vs. No. 2 Seed Western Oregon
1 p.m. – No. 3 Seed MSU Billings vs. No. 1 Seed Northwest Nazarene
4 p.m. – No. 2 Seed Western Oregon vs. No. 1 Seed Northwest Nazarene
Friday, May 13
12 p.m. – Game 4
3 p.m. – Game 5 (If Necessary)
 
The tournament format for the three-team event is double-elimination, with the winning teams on Thursday advancing to the championship games on Friday. If all three teams remain after Thursday's games, the No. 1 seed Northwest Nazarene earns an automatic spot in the championship game (Game 5).
 
The winner of the GNAC Championships earns an automatic spot in the NCAA D2 West Region Championships, which follow next week at the sites of the top-two seeds. Entering this week, NNU was ranked fifth and Western Oregon seventh in the latest NCAA regional rankings, with the top-six teams advancing to the regional playoffs.
 
"Having played both teams eight times already this season, we are all very familiar with each other," Waddoups said. "It will be a fun tournament with high quality baseball. I love how our guys have bounced back after adversity throughout the year. We finished the regular season strong and hope to continue with that momentum into the postseason."
 
The Yellowjackets finished the 2022 regular season with a record of 25-25 overall, and went 16-16 in conference play to secure their playoff berth. MSUB went 10-8 at home, 14-16 on the road, and 1-1 in neutral-site contests.
 
LIVE COVERAGE: All games at the GNAC Championships will be streamed live on YouTube online here. Live statistics will also be available online here. Ticket information is available online and tickets can be purchased online here.
 

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2022 GNAC Championship Opposing Teams
 
No. 2 Seed Western Oregon University Wolves
Thursday, May 12 – 10 a.m. (PST)
2022 Record: 31-17, 21-11 GNAC (T1st Place)
Head Coach: Kellen Walker, 10th season
2022 Head To Head: WOU 5, MSUB 3 (WOU 3, MSUB 1 at Monmouth, Ore. – March 4-5 | WOU 2, MSUB 2 at Billings, Mont. – April 8-9)
 
Team Synopsis: The perennial powerhouse Wolves claimed a share of their fourth GNAC regular-season title under the guidance of 10th-year head coach Kellen Walker, and have appeared in 8 of 9 conference tournaments since the inception of the event in the spring of 2013. WOU has four tournament titles, and is coming off a run to the NCAA West Region Championships in 2021.
 
WOU is led offensively by twins Jacob and Derek Maiben, who are hitting .342 and .296, respectively. The two are also at the top of the GNAC leaderboard with a combined 37 stolen bases in 43 attempts, while Derek Maiben is tied for the team lead with 33 RBIs. John Stark is WOU's top power hitter with nine home runs, but the Wolves offense as a whole is hitting just .245 while averaging 0.4 home runs per game.
 
The Wolves have the top pitching staff in the conference, boasting a team ERA of 3.99 and holding the opposition to a league-best batting average of .245. Arturo Alvarez has been WOU's top starter, with a 2.83 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings over his 11 starts. Reigning GNAC Pitcher of the Year Mike Peterson holds a strong 3.12 ERA in eight starts, and has 48 strikeouts against just 12 walks in 52 innings pitched. The deep WOU pitching staff has used 11 different arms in a starting role, and 10 different pitchers have thrown at least 13 innings on the season.
 
Head to Head in 2022: The Wolves won the first three games against the Yellowjackets in the opening series of the 2022 GNAC season, before MSUB got out of town with a 7-2 win on March 5. When the teams reconvened in Billings a month later, Tyler Godfrey was twice the hero with a pair of walk-off hits on Day 1 of the series. The Wolves rallied to take both ends of the doubleheader on Day 2 however, and claimed the season series between the teams 5-3.


 
Game 1 Pitching Forecast: The Yellowjackets may elect to go with senior ace Dylan Barkley in Game 1 of the tournament, as the veteran has by far the most experience against the Wolves. Barkley has made seven-career starts against WOU dating back to 2019, while averaging 5 1/3 innings pitched and 1.0 strikeouts per inning all-time against WOU. The Wolves may be wary of throwing their top statistical arm in Game 1, as Alvarez was tagged for five runs in just three innings his last time against MSUB – his shortest outing of the conference season.
 
Matchup Analysis: With six of the eight games between the teams being decided by five runs or less, and neither team scoring more than 10 runs in any game, expect a low-scoring, closely-contested affair to open the conference tournament. The exceptional Wolves pitching limited the Yellowjacket offense to six runs or fewer in six of the eight meetings, however MSUB had a knack for getting to WOU late with runs coming in the final inning of all three of its wins in the season series.
 
All-Time in the GNAC Championships: Western Oregon holds a 6-3 all-time record in the nine games played between the teams at the GNAC Championships.
2013 – WOU 7, MSUB 0
2015 – WOU 4, MSUB 3
2016 – MSUB 10, WOU 2 | WOU 18, MSUB 1
2017 – WOU 4, MSUB 2
2018 – WOU 14, MSUB 8 | MSUB 6, WOU 4 | WOU 8, MSUB 4
2019 – MSUB 10, WOU 0
 
Waddoups on the Wolves: "Western Oregon has a lot of quality arms that we are familiar with. We played a lot of tough and close games with them throughout the season coming out on both ends. They have a scrappy offense that keeps pressure on you with the run and bunt game. They play solid defense and can really track it in the outfield. They do not tend to give you a lot of freebies. We will find success against them by controlling the baseball and minimizing innings. Offensively we will need to put the ball in play and give ourselves chances to score so we can come through with the big hit."
 

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No. 1 Seed Northwest Nazarene University Nighthawks
Thursday, May 12 – 1 p.m. (PST)
2022 Record: 29-19, 21-11 GNAC (T1st Place)
Head Coach: Joe Schaefer, 4th season
Head To Head: NNU 6, MSUB 2 (NNU 2, MSUB 2 at Billings, Mont. – March 25-26 | NNU 4, MSUB 0 at Nampa, Idaho – April 29-30)
 
Team Synopsis: The Nighthawks advance to the conference tournament for the sixth time, and have two tournament titles under their belts (2016, 2021). NNU is coming off a run to the NCAA D2 World Series in 2021, after winning the GNAC regular-season title, conference tournament, and claiming the first west-region crown in program history. NNU followed last year's success by tying Western Oregon for the 2022 regular-season title and earning the No. 1 seed into this year's tournament.
 
NNU's balanced offense is led by leadoff man Parker Price, who is hitting .320 with seven home runs and a team-high 41 RBIs. Price reaches base at a clip of .407, while drawing 20 walks to offset 20 strikeouts in his 201 plate appearances. Grant Kerry leads the team with nine home runs, while Duke Pahukoa is close behind with eight long balls and a .306 batting average. Alex Salsman is also a centerpiece of the lineup, hitting .324 with five home runs in his 19 starts this spring.
 
On the mound, two-way man Haden Keller has been the top starter holding a 3.40 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 55 2/3 innings pitched. Keller has held the opposition to a .210 batting average, and is tied for the league lead with seven wins. At the plate, Keller is a .311 hitter with five home runs and 22 runs batted in. Spencer Schwehr has made 12 starts and holds a 3.72 ERA, and Kyle Etheridge has started 11 times with a 5.21 ERA. The top closer in the GNAC is NNU's Max Holtzclaw, who holds a team-best 2.05 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings while leading the league with 11 saves.
 
Head to Head in 2022: The teams split a four-game series in Billings in late March, before the Nighthawks closed the regular season by sweeping MSUB in four close games in Nampa the last time they were on the field. The Yellowjackets' 13 runs scored in the most recent encounter were their second-fewest in a four-game set this year.


 
Game 1 Pitching Forecast: If the Yellowjackets utilize Barkley in their opener against the Wolves, the two practical choices for Game 2 would be right-handers Matthew Houlihan or Connor Redmond. Houlihan had a quality start his first time against the Nighthawks, going the distance in NNU's narrow 3-2 win on March 25. Redmond meanwhile is coming off perhaps his best start of the season, allowing one earned run in six innings on Friday in MSUB's 9-8 win over Central Washington to close the season. Among NNU's three likely candidates to start against MSUB, Schwehr had the most success this year with a 3.27 ERA and eight strikeouts against three walks in 11 innings thrown against the 'Jackets. The Nighthawks however will also be considering their matchup against WOU at 4 p.m. on Thursday when it comes to their decision for their starter against the 'Jackets.
 
Matchup Analysis: Like their series against WOU, the Yellowjackets kept it close all year long against NNU with just one of the eight games being decided by more than five runs. Double figures in offense were reached just three times by the teams, which leads to an expectation for another low-scoring, close ballgame when the teams meet in Monmouth Thursday.
 
All-Time in the GNAC Championships: The Yellowjackets will seek their first-ever postseason win over the Nighthawks, as NNU won each of the previous three meetings between the teams at the GNAC Championships.
2015 – NNU 8, MSUB 6
2016 – NNU 4, MSUB 3
2017 – NNU 4, MSUB 3
 
Waddoups on the Nighthawks: "NNU has found a lot of success this season with timely hitting and the big inning. They have several guys that can change the game with one swing. The key for us will be to limit big inning opportunities. They have a well-balanced staff and can run several different styles of arms at our lineup. When given opportunities to score we need to take advantage of what the game gives us."
 

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Yellowjacket Baseball All-Time Postseason History
NCAA West Region Championships Appearances: 1 (2019)
NCAA West Region Championships All-Time Record: 0-2
NCAA West Region Championships All-Time Results
2019 (No. 6 Seed): #24 PLNU 10, MSUB 2 | #10 UCSD 7, MSUB 5 (0-2)
 
GNAC Championships Appearances: 6 (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
GNAC Championships Titles: 1 (2019)
GNAC Championships All-Time Record: 7-10
GNAC Championships All-Time Results
2013 (No. 3 Seed): WOU 7, MSUB 0 | CWU 6, MSUB 5 (0-2)
2015 (No. 1 Seed): NNU 8, MSUB 6 | WOU 4, MSUB 3 (0-2)
2016 (No. 2 Seed): MSUB 10, WOU 2 | NNU 4, MSUB 3 | WOU 18, MSUB 1 (1-2)
2017 (No. 4 Seed): WOU 4, MSUB 2 | NNU 4, MSUB 3 (0-2)
2018 (No. 1 Seed): MSUB 21, CU 11 | WOU 14, MSUB 8 | MSUB 10, CWU 6 | MSUB 6, WOU 4 | WOU 8, MSUB 4 (3-2)
2019 (No. 1 Seed): MSUB 4, SMU 2 | MSUB 10, WOU 0 | MSUB 8, SMU 5 (3-0)


 

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BARKLEY, AUSMUS LONE 'JACKETS WITH GNAC EXPERIENCE: Three years removed from playoff baseball, Barkley and fellow senior PJ Ausmus are the lone players on MSUB's 2022 roster who have playing experience at the GNAC Championships. Barkley started the clinching game in MSUB's 2019 title run, allowing one unearned run in 6 2/3 stellar innings in the championship win over Saint Martin's on May 10, 2019. Barkley also logged two shutout innings in MSUB's NCAA D2 West Region Championship game at UC San Diego, with the lefty holding a 0.00 career postseason ERA with four strikeouts, one walk and a 0.92 WHIP in 8 2/3 innings pitched. Ausmus meanwhile had two plate appearances at the 2019 GNAC Championships, drawing a walk and recording a putout in the field.
 
Since his strong debut as a freshman in 2019, Barkley has ascended into one of the top-five pitchers in MSUB history. Entering this week's tournament, Barkley ranks tied for second in MSUB history in starts (37), third in wins (14) and strikeouts per nine innings (8.68), fourth in strikeouts (192), fifth in innings pitched (199.0), sixth in fewest walks per nine innings (3.21), and ninth in opposing batting average (.279). This season, Barkley leads the GNAC in innings pitched (72.1) and starts (13), ranks third in strikeouts (65), and fifth in wins (5).
 
HOULIHAN, ZIMMER FIGURE TO FACTOR INTO THE EQUATION: While they did not compete at the championships in 2019, senior pitchers Brooks Zimmer and Houlihan were both on the roster as freshmen the last time the 'Jackets made the postseason. Houlihan has put together his best collegiate season yet, holding a 5.72 ERA while leading the GNAC in starts (13), ranking second in strikeouts (69), and fifth in innings pitched (61.1), and wins (5).
 
Zimmer, who was a major factor in the team's 2019 title as the closer before a season-ending arm injury, has rallied to put together a strong junior campaign. He has allowed just four earned runs in his last six outings, while striking out 12 hitters in 12 innings this season and earning a pair of victories.
 
DULICH HAVING A FRESHMAN CAMPAIGN TO REMEMBER: Cooper Dulich, the Yellowjackets' candidate for GNAC Freshman of the Year, leads the team and ranks third in the GNAC with a .346 batting average in his debut collegiate season. Dulich's .459 on-base percentage is also third in the conference, and he ranks in the top-10 in most offensive categories including first in times hit by a pitch with 13.
 
Dulich's batting average is the seventh-highest in GNAC history among freshmen who qualified for the batting title, and the third-highest in school history by a freshman behind only Matt Schoonover who hit .378 in 2007 and Ty Gilmore who hit .373 in 2012. If Dulich claims the conference's freshman of the year award, which will be announced Wednesday, he'd be the fourth player in league history to lead his team in hitting and be named the GNAC Freshman of the Year. The Yellowjackets have never won a GNAC Freshman of the Year award since joining the league during the 2008 season.
 
GNAC Freshman of the Year & Team Leader in Batting Average (League formed in 2002)

Player	School	Season	Batting Avg.
Thomas McCarthy	Western Oregon	2009	.461
Logan Parker	Northwest Nazarene	2011	.383
Chandler Tracy	Saint Martin's	2012	.329
Cooper Dulich	MSU Billings	2022	.346*

 *Projection: 2022 GNAC awards announced on May 11.
 
ANDERSON APPROACHING WALKS RECORD: First-year Yellowjacket James Anderson, who is a finalist for the GNAC Newcomer of the Year award, has put together a standout debut season at MSUB and is on the cusp of the school single-season record for walks. Entering Thursday's games, Anderson has walked 38 times this spring to put him two shy of the program record of 40 set by Kyle Pryor in 2007.
 
Anderson's discipline at the plate has led to a .455 on-base percentage, which ranks him fifth in the conference. Anderson is also a top-10 slugger in the league at .533 to rank eighth, thanks to 13 doubles and eight home runs on the season.
 
MSUB Single-Season Walks Leaders (as of May 10, 2022)

Rank	Player	Walks	Season
1	Kyle Pryor	40	2007
2	James Anderson	38	2022
3	Brody Miller	36	2015
4	Brody Miller	34	2014
	Zach Robinson	34	2017
6	Ryan Myers	32	2018
7	Kevin Toon	31	2016
	Kevin Toon	31	2015
9	Ty Gilmore	30	2012
10	Matt Dillon	29	2019
	Kade Hall	29	2018

WINTER LEADS GNAC IN HR: Bursting onto the scene midway through the year, third-year Yellowjacket Mitch Winter enters the conference tournament leading all players in the GNAC with 10 home runs this season. He is the 13th player in MSUB history to reach double figures in home runs in a season, and he has done so in just 100 at-bats as he has started 31 of 50 games.
 
GNAC Baseball 2022 Home Run Leaders (as of May 10, 2022)

Rank	Player	Home Runs	School
1	Mitch Winter	10	MSU Billings
2	John Stark	9	Western Oregon
	Austin Ohland	9	Central Washington
	Grant Kerry	9	Northwest Nazarene
5	Adam Fahsel	8	Central Washington
	Duke Pahukoa	8	Northwest Nazarene
	James Anderson	8	MSU Billings
	Tyler McClain	8	Central Washington

GREEN, FOLTZ THE TABLESETTERS: The Yellowjackets have relied day-in and day-out on leadoff hitter Carson Green and second-place hitter Hayden Foltz to kickstart the offense. Green enters the tournament second on the team with a .316 batting average, while adding nine doubles, four triples, seven home runs, and 32 RBIs. Foltz meanwhile ranks third on the team with a .307 batting average, while leading the squad with 43 RBIs and 16 doubles and adding three triples and three home runs. Green holds a .959 OPS while Foltz is close behind at .853, and the duo has combined to steal 12 of 14 bases on the season.
 
WAGENMANN WALKS IT OFF INTO PLAYOFFS: AJ Wagenmann's lone hit last weekend against Central Washington was a big one, being a walk-off home run in MSUB's 12-11, extra-inning win that clinched the team's playoff berth. The solo long ball, which broke an 11-11 tie in the bottom of the eighth, was Wagenmann's fourth home run in an MSUB uniform and first-career walk-off hit.