Jackets Face St. Mary’s (4/27/06)

BILLINGS, MT – The Montana State-Billings baseball team is set to host St. Mary’s April 28 and 29 at Cobb Field.   Both Friday and Saturday’s games are Heartland Conference doubleheaders with each day’s early game starting at 3:00 p.m.  Following the weekend’s four-game outing against the Rattlers, the Jackets will wrap up their season hosting league-leader University of the Incarnate Word May 5 and 6.

St. Mary’s swept the Jackets (13-29, 11-21) in San Antonio, Texas earlier in the season and are currently third in the conference at 22-10, and are 30-15 overall.  The Rattlers’ John Alvarez leads the team with a .399 batting average and has poked six balls over the fence.  Alvarez has 35 runs, 38 RBI and has hit 16 doubles.  Michael Brzezinski (.352) has 41 runs off 44 hits and has driven in 29 RBI.  Brzezinski is also a perfect 14-14 in stolen bases.  Both David Ramirez and Caleb Staudt lead the Rattler pitching staff.  Ramirez (8-4) has an earned run average of 5.83 in 63.1 innings.  He has allowed 45 runs off 74 hits, striking out 49 batters.  Staudt (7-1) is posting a team-low 3.74 ERA and has pitched the team’s only shut out of the season.  Staudt has given up 38 runs off 72 hits in 77 innings, and has struck out a team leading 70 batters.

Yellowjacket pitcher Kyle McBride (Jr., Billings, MT) has made a fiery comeback from his 0-4 start to the season to win the last four outings in a row.  McBride will start game two against the Rattlers and has lowered his earned run average to 4.62, pitching three shutouts this season.  He has allowed just 28 runs off 49 hits and has struck out 38 batters, the most for a Jacket.  Nathan Herbig (Jr., Noxon, MT) will start game one and is coming off a shutout victory over last week’s opponent Oklahoma Panhandle.  Both David Ducharme (Sr., Hamilton, MT) and Ben Lewerke (Jr., Mason City, IA) will be the starting pitchers in Saturday’s doubleheaders. 

Nick Hoskyn’s (Jr., Oelwein, IA) stats will fool you until you look closely.  He has been able to get the job done both at the plate and on base.  Hoskyn (.241) hit his first homerun against the Aggies to ice the win for the Jackets.  He also has 22 runs off 33 hits, 25 RBI and has hit six doubles, and one triple.  Hoskyn is also a modestly perfect 5-5 in stolen bases.  Willie Crtalic (Jr., Billings, MT) has been consistent all season long and continues to better his numbers.  Crtalic has 27 runs off 35 hits, eight doubles, one triple and leads the team in stolen bases with 14 of 15 attempts.

Friday is Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day at Cobb Field.  Those faculty and staff with a current MSU Billings ID card will be admitted free along with their families.