PORTLAND, Ore.- After dropping the first game of the series, the Montana State University Billings baseball team bounced back to win three straight, securing a 3-1 series victory over Western Oregon. This strong performance earned the Yellowjackets the GNAC Team of the Week award. Key contributions came from
Jack Nehler, who was named GNAC Player of the Week, and
Brennen Chappell, who was honored as GNAC Pitcher of the Week.
HEAR FROM COACH WADDOUPS: "Four quality starts, and great bull pen outings defined the weekend for us. Our offense continues to put the ball in play and put up runs which is a great combination for success. It was a great team effort this weekend with multiple different guys stepping up and making plays."
Nehler, who holds the highest career batting average in GNAC history at .407, had another outstanding week, leading MSUB's offensive attack. "Jack just knows how to square up the ball," said head coach
Derek Waddoups. "He's a tough hitter to pitch to and was phenomenal all week. He had great at-bats in all four games and showed off his power with a couple of doubles and a triple." The Gresham, OR native went 11-for-17 (.647) with a .882 slugging percentage and a .706 on-base percentage. Nehler also scored seven runs, drove in seven RBIs, and recorded two doubles, one triple, and 33 putouts with zero errors on defense. The highlight of his weekend came in game three, when he went a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate, scoring three runs. Nehler's season average now stands at .430, and he leads the GNAC in both batting average and total hits (46).
The Yellowjackets' pitching staff, which recorded four quality starts over the weekend, was anchored by
Brennen Chappell's stellar performance in game two. Chappell threw a complete game shutout, tossing seven innings with six strikeouts and allowing just five hits. He earned his second win of the season, posting a WHIP of 1.00 while throwing 95 pitches. "Chappell defines a complete pitcher," said Waddoups. "He's aggressive in the zone and consistently delivers quality starts. He controlled the game against a tough Western Oregon team and didn't allow them to string anything together." Chappell's shutout marked the first complete game for the Yellowjackets since Trevor Cassell did it on April 22, 2023, against Saint Martin's.
Other strong pitching performances came from senior ace
Jackson Betancourt, who tossed six innings with six strikeouts, allowing three runs on five hits in the opening game of the series. Chappell's complete game was followed by
Sam Coxen's strong outing in game three, where he gave up just two earned runs on seven hits, striking out six in six innings.
Cy Miller capped off the series with a dominant performance in game four, allowing only three hits and one unearned run over seven innings while striking out five.
Offensively, the Yellowjackets are led by a strong lineup with five players hitting over .300. MSUB ranks first in the GNAC in slugging percentage (.462), on-base percentage (.410), and triples (10). They also sit second in batting average (.314), runs (206), RBIs (187), doubles (58), and home runs (20).
Ryker Fortier follows closely behind Nehler with a .393 average, 10 doubles, and a team-high eight stolen bases.
Bodee Wright leads the GNAC in triples with a .371 batting average, while
Ryan Jeffrey leads the team with 28 RBIs and is hitting at a mark of .366. In the four hole, Kaden Kirshenabaum ranks first in the conference in doubles (12), third in slugging percentage (.629), and second in home runs (5).
UP NEXT: The Montana State University Billings baseball team heads to Ellensburg, WA for a four game conference series against the Central Washington Wildcats on March 28 at CWU Baseball Field. Live statistics for the matchup can be found
here, and the live stream link can be found
here.
