MONMOUTH, Ore. – A vintage Dylan Barkley postseason start and a big day at the plate by leadoff hitter Carson Green led the Montana State University Billings baseball team to a 5-2 win over host Western Oregon University in the opening game of the 2022 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships on Thursday at the WOU baseball field.
 
The senior left-hander allowed two runs – one earned – on six hits while striking out three in seven stellar innings of work to earn his sixth victory of the year. "Being back in the playoffs, it's a completely different atmosphere," said Barkley, who earned the win at the 2019 GNAC Championships in the title-clinching game the last time the Yellowjackets reached the postseason. "You can tell everyone is excited to be here. It's electric and it's fun."
 
The teams had to endure a nearly six-hour rain delay, as Thursday's game was initially scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and kick off a slate of three ballgames. Instead, first pitch occurred at 3:56 p.m. (Pacific) and it was the lone game of the tournament played Thursday. "It was a long day with the delays, but at the end of the day our guys showed the resilience they have all year and I am proud of them," said MSUB head coach Derek Waddoups, after his first-career playoff game and victory. "It's postseason baseball, and anything can happen. I was just excited to see our guys compete to their capabilities. It was a good team win today with different guys stepping up at different times."
 
Green reached base in 3 of 4 plate appearances, including his eighth home run of the year in the top of the seventh inning to extend MSUB's advantage to 5-2. "I was pretty excited, and after the delay all day we had to pump the guys up," said Green, who missed the final day of the regular season with a significant leg injury sustained last Friday. "I just grinded through, and I knew I wasn't going to miss this game no matter what. I was happy just get out there after not being able to play for a week. It was a good team win, everyone was jacked up the whole game, and Barkley and (Connor) Redmond pitched well. It was a lot of fun."
 
The Yellowjackets (26-25) will play No. 1 Seed Northwest Nazarene at 9:30 a.m. on Friday morning with the winner earning a spot in the championship game. By virtue of Thursday's win, MSUB is guaranteed at least one game on the final day of the tournament on Saturday. Live video will be available online here and live statistics will be available online here.
 
2022 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Baseball Championships
May 12-14 – Western Oregon University Baseball Field – Monmouth, Oregon (all times listed Pacific)
Thursday, May 12
Game 1 – No. 3 Seed MSU Billings 5, No. 2 Seed Western Oregon 2
Friday, May 13
Game 2 – 9:30 a.m. – No. 3 Seed MSU Billings vs. No. 1 Seed Northwest Nazarene
Game 3 – 12:30 p.m. – No. 2 Seed Western Oregon vs. No. 1 Seed Northwest Nazarene
Saturday, May 14
Game 4 – Noon
Game 5 – 3 p.m. (If Necessary)
 
The Yellowjackets beat GNAC Pitcher of the Year Arturo Alvarez, who suffered his first defeat of the season on Thursday and fell to 7-1. The righty, who was also named the GNAC Newcomer of the Year, gave up four runs – one earned – on three hits with four strikeouts and a walk in his 5 1/3 innings of work. Justyn Herzog and Derek Maiben each had a pair of hits, while Logan Ho drew three walks to lead the Wolves at the plate. WOU fell to 31-18 on the season with the loss.
 
The Wolves struck first, stringing together three consecutive base hits to pull ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning. Barkley handled the early pressure well, ending the threat with back-to-back strikeouts to strand runners on the corners and get out of the jam. The missed opportunity was to be a recurring theme for WOU, which stranded a dozen baserunners throughout the game. "I have pitched against Western Oregon a lot, and each time Coach (Matt) Hape has had an excellent gameplan," said Barkley, who made his eighth career start against WOU and got through seven innings for the third time. "They got runners on base, but I felt that if I could make good pitches and was confident in my abilities that I'd get out of it. I also have a fantastic defense behind me, and they made a lot of big plays to get out of innings."
 
The Yellowjackets took advantage of a defensive miscue by WOU to start the third inning, and scored three unearned runs to take their first lead of the tournament. Green drove in the first run with a base hit up the middle, before James Anderson followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home Justin Lutz from third. Perhaps the biggest play of the inning was Green stealing his 10th base of the season, as it set up a two-out, RBI-single off the bat of Cooper Dulich to cap the scoring. "I just knew I needed to put the ball hard in play," Green commented regarding his base hit to open the scoring. "Lutz and Babs did good job of getting on base, I got a good pitch to hit, and it ended up working out."
 
WOU answered back immediately however, with an MSUB error prolonging the bottom of the third long enough for John Stark to rip an RBI-single into the left-field corner to make the score 3-2. The Wolves threatened to pull even in the fifth with back-to-back singles to start the inning, but Barkley once again got out of trouble by retiring the next three hitters including his third strikeout of the day. "We had so many delays today, I didn't feel great and didn't have my best bullpen," Barkley said on a rollercoaster ride of preparation for the important start. "I got on the mound, found a couple things that worked well, and went with it. After that second inning my stuff felt great, and I was good after that."
 
The 'Jackets created breathing room in the top of the sixth, again manufacturing a run thanks in large part to a stolen base this time by Dulich. The GNAC Freshman of the Year's swipe of second with two outs was followed by an RBI-single by Tyler Godfrey that made the score 4-2. Godfrey's clutch knock came off reliever Sebastian Boivin, who replaced Alvarez with one out in the sixth and gave up one run on two hits with three strikeouts and a walk.
 
A string of seven straight hitters retired by Barkley ended with a one-out walk in the bottom of the seventh drawn by Herzog. The Wolves brought the tying run to the plate, but Barkley stranded a pair for the third time by coaxing a pop up off the bat of Jackson Holstad to keep the three-run advantage intact. "Barkley was outstanding today, and when he had opportunities to minimize innings he did," said Waddoups, after Barkley threw 111 pitches in the victory. "The composure he pitches with is huge. He did a good job of controlling his emotions, especially giving up the one early. That inning could have snowballed, but he kind of rolled after that and kept going. He did fantastic, and had some of his best stuff he's had all year."
 
The final blow was delivered by Green with one out in the seventh, with his long, solo home run to left field coming on an 0-2 pitch from Boivin. "He got ahead of me with two fastballs that I swung through, and then he tried to challenge with a third," Green said, describing the at-bat. "Right off the bat I kind of knew it was gone. I was really fired up, and am glad I got the opportunity to do that for our guys. I am glad we came out with a first-game win."
 
"He's been our sparkplug all year, and I am just excited to have him in the lineup," Waddoups said on Green, whose 34 RBIs are fourth-most on the team. "He took some really good at-bats and kept it moving for us. The home run late really energized us, and it was good to push a run across to extend the lead."
 
Bryce Bond kept the deficit manageable for WOU late, striking out the side in the top of the eighth and retiring all six hitters he faced to give his team a chance at a comeback.
 
After making 20 starts in MSUB's rotation over the last two seasons, senior right-hander Connor Redmond came out of the bullpen for the first time in his MSUB career and for the first time since the 2018 season to collect a two-inning save. The Yellowjackets avoided disaster in the top of the ninth, when a chance to turn a double play slipped past Godfrey and into right field. WOU's Derek Maiben lost his footing rounding the bag at second however, and the 'Jackets were able to nab the speedster to avoid bringing the tying run to the plate. Redmond completed the win by beating Holstad to first base on an assist from Anderson.
 
BARKLEY'S POSTSEASON SUCCESS CONTINUES: Making his third-career playoff appearance, Dylan Barkley continued his stellar record in the playoffs with another quality start. "Everyone is super happy for him, and he pitched well and attacked hitters all game," said Green, who made four catches in center field behind the Yellowjacket ace. "He made them put it in play. I am just really happy Barkley got to pitch well in one of his last outings."
 
 
Dylan Barkley Postseason Game Log

Date	Opponent	Event	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	P	Dec.
5-10-19	Saint Martin's	GNAC Championships	6.2	6	1	0	0	1	98	Win
5-17-19	UC San Diego	NCAA West Regional	2.0	1	0	0	1	3	30	N.D.
5-12-22	Western Oregon	GNAC Championships	7.0	6	2	1	4	3	111	Win
Totals			15.2	13	3	1	5	7	229

 Record: 2-0 | ERA: 0.57 | WHIP: 1.15
 
All-Time in the GNAC Championships: Western Oregon holds a 6-4 all-time record in the 10 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
2022 – MSUB 5, WOU 2
 
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: 7 (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022)
GNAC Championships Titles: 1 (2019)
GNAC Championships All-Time Record: 8-10
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)
2022 (No. 3 Seed): MSUB 5, WOU 2
 
THE BUZZ: Barkley was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…Barkley finished the day with 195 career strikeouts, continuing to rank fourth in MSUB history…the win was the 15th of Barkley's career, moving him into sole possession of third place in MSUB history…Green's home run was just the second allowed on the season by Boivin, who made his 22nd appearance of the year out of the bullpen on Thursday…Redmond made 16 appearances out of the bullpen during his career at NCAA Division I Cal Poly from 2017-18, but Thursday was his first collegiate save…MSUB is now 4-6 all-time in the playoffs against Western Oregon…WOU holds a 5-4 lead in the season series between the teams.
 
NEXT UP: The Yellowjackets will look to snap a five-game losing skid against the Nighthawks, who swept MSUB in a four-game series in Nampa, Idaho on April 29-30 in their last appearance on the field. A win puts MSUB into the championship tilt, while a defeat still grants the 'Jackets a chance to compete for the title in an elimination game Saturday.
 

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No. 1 Seed Northwest Nazarene University Nighthawks
Friday, May 13 – 9:30 a.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.
 
Pitching Forecast: After using Barkley and Redmond in Game 1 on Friday, the natural choice to start for the Yellowjackets will be senior right-hander Matthew Houlihan. Houlihan had a quality start his first time against the Nighthawks, going the distance in NNU's narrow 3-2 win on March 25. 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."