Lady Jackets among National Stats Leaders (May 18, 2005)

BILLINGS, MT – Following an impressive showing at the NCAA West Regional, the MSU Billings softball team remained near the top in several categories in this week’s NCAA statistical rankings.  The final rankings will be released by the NCAA following the national finals where the eight regional winners will meet this weekend.

As a team, the Yellowjackets are ranked eighteenth in Division II for batting average and 27^th for win-loss percentage.  The Jackets finished the season with a 36-14 overall record for a .720 winning percentage.  They hit a combined .324 as a team through 50 games, including the four games at the regional tournament.

Senior Cami Rainey (Terreton, ID) is poised to finish the season ranked in the top 50 in three different offensive categories.  She is currently twelfth for doubles per game (0.41), 46^th for batting average (.409) and 47^th for runs per game (0.96).  She set a school single season record for runs scored this year with 47 and earned first team All-PacWest and second team All-West Region honors. 

Joey Ehnes (Sr., Great Falls, MT) set every pitching record at the school in her four year career, capped by likely top 20 rankings in victories and strikeouts this year.  She is ranked seventh nationally this week for victories (29) and fifteenth for strikeouts per seven innings (8.6).  Both numbers should be good enough to hold in the top 20 when the final stats are released.  Ehnes was named the PacWest Conference Pitcher of the Year and was selected to the All-West Region second team.

Senior designated hitter Theresa Campbell (Great Falls, MT) remained in the top 25 for home runs and slugging percentage.  Her conference record 15 home runs rank her eleventh nationally for home runs per game (0.31), and her .772 slugging percentage is 21^st in the country.  Campbell finished her career with a school record 23 homers and earned first team All-PacWest and first team All-West Region honors this season.

The Jackets’ top newcomer, Rachel Quarnburg (So., Billings, MT) batted a school record .463 this season and ranks fifteenth nationally this week for batting average.  She was named to the All-PacWest and All-West Region first teams.