2005 Softball Preview: Senior Laden Squad Aims for PacWest Title

BILLINGS, MT – After winning 18 of their final 24 games in 2004—including six of eight conference games—the Montana State-Billings softball team has its sights set on a Pacific West Conference title run in 2005.  In the program’s fifth year of existence, head coach Jeff Aumend has nine seniors on the roster, including six of the Yellowjackets seven all-conference selections from last season.

Opposing coaches in the PacWest agree that the Yellowjackets are one of the contenders in the title chase this season.  In the recent conference coaches’ poll, MSU Billings was picked third in a poll that saw just ten points separating the top three spots.  Western New Mexico, the defending NCAA West Region champion, was tabbed as the favorite followed by Hawaii-Hilo and MSU Billings.  Western received three first place votes with UH-Hilo and the Yellowjackets each receiving one first place vote.

MSU Billings was 27-28 overall last season and 6-14 in conference play.  Eight of their conference losses came during an early season 12 game losing streak in February when the Jackets were playing their first games of the season outdoors.  They rebounded to go 23-14 from that point and finished the season with a wealth of confidence.

Coach Aumend believes that confidence will carry over to 2005 and help the Yellowjackets compete for a regional tournament berth.  If MSU Billings does advance to postseason play for the first time in school history, it will likely be done with an explosive offense.  The Yellowjackets led the PacWest and ranked 23^rd in the nation for home runs last season and return all nine players who homered in at least one game.

Leading the home run parade was Layne Pavey, a senior catcher from Spokane, WA, who led the PacWest with eight home runs.  Pavey was a second team All-PacWest and second team All-West Region selection after driving in 28 RBI with a .509 slugging percentage.  She also scored 24 runs and batted .307.

The Yellowjackets return three players who hit over .300.  Cami Rainey, a senior from Terreton, ID, led the team and ranked seventh in the PacWest with a .315 average.  She scored a team-high 29 runs and led the conference with 11 sacrifice bunts, earning second team all-conference honors.  Sara Hanley batted .308 with 23 runs and 18 RBI.  One of the toughest infield defenders in the PacWest, Hanley was named to the all-conference first team at third base.

Hanley and Joey Ehnes became the Yellowjackets’ first all-conference first team selections last year.  Ehnes, a senior from Great Falls, MT, is the Jackets’ top pitcher and one of the best clutch hitters in the league.  On the pitching rubber she set every school record last year as a junior.  She struck out 261 batters in 232 innings with a 1.90 ERA.  Ehnes batted .271 with a .328 on base percentage.  She led the team with 30 RBI and 29 runs scored and earned second team all-region honors.

Also earning all-conference honors for MSU Billings last year were first baseman Stephanie Cochrun and designated hitter Theresa Campbell.  Both were named to the honorable mention team.  Cochrun, a senior from Lake Stevens, WA, scored 21 runs and drove in 20 RBI with four home runs.  Campbell, a senior from Great Falls, MT, also hit four home runs with 23 RBI and 20 runs scored.

The Yellowjackets’ only underclassman to earn all-conference honors last year was sophomore Christy Wankel.  The outfielder from Great Falls, MT, will be a junior in 2005 after batting .262 last year.  She was named to the all-conference second team after scoring 21 runs with 16 RBI and three home runs.

Around the seven returning all-conference players, the Yellowjackets will field a strong supporting cast.  Five players return who saw significant playing time last year.  Anna Henderson, a junior from Frenchtown, MT, played in and started all 55 games last year as a sophomore.  She batted .265 with 16 runs and 14 RBI in her first year of NCAA softball after transferring from junior college.

The Jackets also return veterans Megan McCrae and Jordan Waverek, two senior pitchers who also started seeing significant action in the outfield last year.  McCrae (Brandon, Manitoba) made 21 pitching appearances and batted .200 in 30 games.  Waverek (Kalispell, MT) made five pitching appearances and played in 33 games in the field.

Aysha Blatter, a sophomore from Richland, WA, was the Jackets’ top recruit last year and did not disappoint on the field.  She batted .221 in 51 games and scored 19 runs.  By the end of the season Blatter had started 49 games as a freshman.  The other true freshman who saw playing time last season was Caitlin Luehr (Kalispell, MT) who batted .250 with a .417 slugging percentage in 19 games.

Aumend has added four new players to the roster this year.  Pitcher Rachel Quarnburg, a former Billings Senior HS standout, transfers from Colorado State-Pueblo and will have three years of eligibility remaining.  The Jackets’ top freshman will be Jenna Haacke, who starred for Billings Senior HS and had a great fall season for the Yellowjackets with four home runs.  Also joining the Yellowjackets are Jessica Frank, a freshman infielder from Great Falls, and Stephanie Rinehart, a freshman outfielder from Fox Island, WA.

The Yellowjackets start the season on February 26 and 27 at the St. Cloud State Indoor Tournament in St. Cloud, MN.  They will then make a spring break trip that takes them through Washington, including the annual Central Washington Tournament in Richland, WA.

The early season non-conference schedule will conclude with the home opener at Cenex Stadium on March 13 against Dickinson State.  From there, MSU Billings makes the critical PacWest Conference swing to Hawaii.  The Yellowjackets will play eight games on the trip, with four at Hawaii Pacific and four at BYU-Hawaii.  MSU Billings lost eight straight games in Hawaii last year, knocking them out of the PacWest race.  A successful week in the islands would place the Jackets in the conference title hunt. 

MSU Billings starts April at the annual Easton Tournament of Champions in Modesto, CA where they will have the opportunity to earn important wins against West Region opponents.  The Jackets shocked the 20-team tourney field last year as one of just four teams still playing in the final two games of the tourney.  MSU Billings finished as the Silver Bracket Runner-Up to national power Humboldt State University.  After this year’s trip to California, the Yellowjackets play the rest of their remaining games at friendly Cenex Stadium, where they hit 22 of their 36 home runs.

The month long home stand starts on April 5 and 6 when the Jackets host Chaminade University for four PacWest Conference games.  Hawaii-Hilo comes to town on April 10 and 11 for another pair of conference doubleheaders.  The Vulcans were picked to finish second in the league by the coaches.

After non-conference home dates against Albertson College and Minot State, the Yellowjackets wrap up the season on April 30 and May 1 against Western New Mexico.  If the Jackets are still in the conference race at that point, four home games against the Mustangs will provide them the opportunity to make their case for a tournament berth.