2006 Yellowjacket Baseball Wrap Up (6/2/06)

BILLINGS, MT – Dreams were fulfilled for many when Montana State University-Billings decided to renew its baseball program a year ago.  After a tumultuous 0-18 start of the season the Jackets roared back to finish the remainder of the season just under .500; not bad for a first year program.  The Jackets went 15-35 overall and 13-27 against Heartland Conference opponents.

The Jackets picked up their first win of the season at home against Northwest Nazarene after losing six in a row to the Crusaders with four of the losses coming on the road in Nampa, Idaho.  On the road, the Yellowjackets went on a four-game winning streak and went 5-8 overall against Oklahoma Panhandle and Lincoln University.  Back on the Jackets home mound they took the first two of four games against St. Edward’s University.  Five straight losses and barn-burning scores made the Jackets hungry for another win.  That win came against Lincoln University where the Jackets cruised to a 12-0 shutout against the Blue Tigers.  The Yellowjackets rounded out the season against University of the Incarnate Word where the Jackets had a 3-2 upset win in the second game of four.  Incarnate Word went on to win the Heartland Conference Championship and end their season in second place at the Division II South Central Region Tournament.

Sometimes the most difficult challenges are finding what works both offensively and defensively for your team.  In the process of figuring out the right combination the Jackets only winning pitcher emerged from the group.  Junior, right-handed pitcher Kyle McBride (Billings, MT) started the year 0-4 and ended the season with six straight wins to go 6-4.  McBride led the Jackets’ pitching staff with 11 strikeouts in a game against St. Mary’s University totaling 45 on the season. He was also the only pitcher to force a decision in all 10 games played and led the team with a 4.38 earned run average, pitching to three shutouts.  The Yellowjackets lone senior David Ducharme (P, Hamilton, MT) pitched a complete nine-inning game against Northwest Nazarene giving the Jackets their first win of the season.  In that 11-2 victory over the Crusaders, Ducharme allowed just four hits and struck out seven batters.

Designated hitter Mike Wardell (So., Billings, MT) proved himself at the plate leading the Jackets with a .333 batting average and a .430 slugging percentage.  Wardell drove in 18 RBI, hit four doubles, two triples and a home run off 38 hits.  True freshman Matt Kakalecik (1B, Billings, MT) started 45 of 50 games and was valuable both in offense and defense for the Jackets.  Kakalecik scored 21 runs off 28 hits, had four doubles and a team leading two home runs.  Defensively Kakalecik had 310 put-outs, 18 assists for a .982 fielding percentage.

As a team the Yellowjackets averaged .256 at the plate.  Offensively the team scored 210 runs, 172 RBI, forty-seven doubles, eight triples and six home runs.  The Jackets had 23 consecutive games in which they scored at least one run and had two double-digit margins of victory.

The Yellowjacket baseball program will play the 2007 season against Heartland Conference teams before Montana State-Billings makes the transition to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  Starting the 2008 baseball season the Jackets will play conference games against Northwest Nazarene, Central Washington, St. Martin’s, and Western Oregon.

Heartland Conference Team Rankings
Batting – 5^th (.256)
Pitching – 5^th (7.98 ERA)
Fielding – 5^th (.938)

Heartland Conference Individual Rankings
Earned Run Average – Kyle McBride, 9^th (4.38)
Batting Average – Mike Wardell, 14^th (.333)

Heartland Conference Individual Awards
Player of the Week Pitchers
Kyle McBride (Apr. 24, 2006, Apr. 17, 2006, Apr. 3, 2006)
David Ducharme (Mar. 27, 2006)
Ben Lewerke (Mar. 27, 2006)
Player of the Week Hitters
Matt Kakalecik (Apr. 3, 2006)

School Records, Individual Single Game
RBI – Jake Samuelson (5 vs. Northwest Nazarene)
Innings Pitched – David Ducharme (9.0 vs. Northwest Nazarene)
Strikeouts – Kyle McBride (11 vs. Oklahoma Panhandle)

School Records, Individual Season
(1^st place in each category)
At Bats – Nick Hoskyn (159)
Batting Average – Mike Wardell (.333)
Runs Scored – Willie Crtalic (27)
Runs Per Game – Mike Wardell (.595)
Total Bases – Willie Crtalic (53)
Hits – Kyle Pryor, Willie Crtalic (40)
Doubles – Kyle Slater, Willie Crtalic, Nick Hoskyn (8)
Triples – Doug Longfellow (3)
Home runs – Matt Kakalecik (2)
Slugging Percentage – Mike Wardell (.430)
Runs Batted In – Nick Hoskyn (26)
Stolen Bases – Willie Crtalic, Kyle Pryor (15)
Stolen Base Percentage – Nick Hoskyn (100%, 6/6)
Walks – Kyle Pryor (24)
Pitching
Appearances – Kevin Roberts (14)
Games Started – Nathan Herbig (12)
Completed Games – Kyle McBride (7)
Innings Pitched – Nathan Herbig (67.0)
Victories – Kyle McBride (6)
Saves – Ben Lewerke, Kevin Roberts, Jon Clark (1)
ERA – Kyle McBride (4.38)
Shutouts – Kyle McBride (3)
Strikeouts – Kyle McBride (45)
Miscellaneous
Consecutive Games Hitting Streak – Jake Samuelson (8)