Ehnes Making Most of Opportunity in Europe (July 18, 2005)
Former Yellowjacket Starring in Holland

BILLINGS, MT – In touting its emphasis on education, the NCAA’s newest ad campaign says that of its 360,000 student-athletes, “most are going pro in something other than sports.”  That’s about as close as one can get to truth in advertising since a minute percentage of NCAA athletes go on to compete as professionals.  Yet it does not highlight the numerous doors that can be opened to student-athletes because of sports.

Former Montana State University-Billings softball pitcher Joey Ehnes is a prime example of a student-athlete who has taken advantage of those athletic opportunities before she finally does turn pro in something other than sports.  The Yellowjackets’ ace, who led the team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance and a run to the regional semifinals in May, is currently playing semi-professionally for the club team Onze Gezellen in Holland. 

While she has been dominating the league’s hitters over the past two months, Ehnes has also made sure to take in as much of Europe as possible.  Those experiences and memories for the 22 year old Great Falls, Mont., native will last a lifetime, and she says they wouldn’t have been possible without her record-setting softball career at MSU Billings.

“I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to play with my wonderful teammates (at MSU Billings) and have such a great coach.  Coach (Jeff) Aumend is really the one who made this happen.”

Ehnes and her roommate Hannah Owings recently returned from a short trip to Paris, and have plans to visit much more of Europe before they return to the United States in September.  Owings is a native of Issaquah, Wash., and was a four-year starter at University of Virginia.  The power-hitting first baseman was an All-ACC selection as a senior for the Cavaliers.

“Paris was our first big trip,” said Ehnes.  “We went to the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Palace of Versailles.  I emailed a friend yesterday and told her that I thought the Palace of Versailles was probably bigger than the whole town of Belt (a small town just outside of Great Falls).”

Playing two games a week and practicing just two other days each week has given Ehnes plenty of time to see the Netherlands.  She lives in an apartment in Haarlem, roughly a 15 minute train ride outside of Amsterdam.  Onze Gezellen pays all of her expenses, plus she receives a cash stipend.

“It has gone so fast,” said Ehnes of her time in Holland.  “I feel like I just got here, and now it’s almost time to go home.  There’s just so much to do.  We go to Amsterdam and go to the museums and shopping centers and take paddle boat rides in the canals.  I really like Amsterdam.  The Dutch have been very nice.” 

Ehnes plans to see much more of Europe over the next six weeks.  Her next travel opportunity will come this week during the team’s midseason mini break when Ehnes and Owings will go to Spain and Italy.  The softball season concludes at the end of August, but Ehnes has already pushed her return ticket back to September 20 to allow her more time to travel.

“If you book flights far enough in advance, flying is really cheap here.  You can get a ticket for about 70 euros (approximately 85 dollars).  When the season ends we’re going to Amsterdam then to Dublin, London and Athens before flying back to Amsterdam.  Hopefully the terrorist attacks have ended by then,” said Ehnes in reference to the July 7 bombings of London’s transportation system.

Ehnes and Owings watched the news coverage of the attacks on television Thursday morning.  The bombings killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more during Thursday morning’s rush hour.

“Everyone here is very uneasy about the attack on London,” Ehnes said.  “When 9/11 happened, to the people over here it was a bit unreal because it was all the way in America.  Now that it is in Europe, it hits much closer to home.”

“The bus and train systems here are great,” she added.  “You can get anywhere on the bus or train.  But it (security) is so much looser than in the U.S.  You walk through security and they only half look at you.  We’re used to security that tells you, ‘Wait here and we’ll tell you when you can go through.’  Here you just kind of mosey through.”

As much as she has enjoyed the off the field experiences, Ehnes has excelled on the diamond even more.  The right handed pitcher is 9-2 since joining the club in May.  In the eight team league, Onze Gezellen was in seventh place when Ehnes got there.  The team is 15-3 since Ehnes arrived and has climbed to third place in the standings.

“I don’t think they won more than a handful of games before I got here,” said Ehnes of the team’s slow start.  “Right after I got here we lost twice to the first place team, but since then we haven’t lost when I’ve pitched.  I pitch every other game if it’s a doubleheader and every game if we’re just playing a single game.”

When she’s not pitching, Ehnes still contributes offensively just as she did during her four years as a Yellowjacket.  She has split time at shortstop and second base and is hitting in the third spot in the order.  In a recent game she hit two home runs, one traditional and one of the in-the-park variety.  The outfield fences are set at 72 meters, or about 236 feet.  Standard NCAA softball fences are 200 feet.  Ehnes said that her shot over the fence—which she did 14 times as a Yellowjacket—is a rarity in her current league.

Pitching only two games a week is a stark contrast to her career at MSU Billings.  The holder of every Yellowjacket pitching record (and numerous offensive records), Ehnes was a workhorse in her final two seasons at MSUB.  The diminutive 5-foot-5 righty logged 477 of the Yellowjackets’ 707 total innings in her junior and senior campaigns, appearing in 87 of 105 games.  As a senior she was named the MSU Billings Female Student-Athlete of the Year.

“I like being able to play the field every other game.  It is nice to relax a little and not have the stresses of pitching all the time.”

Once Ehnes finishes the season—and the tour of Europe—she plans to return to Billings to attend graduate school in the fall.  She will complete her final two classes for her bachelors degree in information systems and then start on a masters degree, possibly in business or health administration.

“I am really ready to begin working on my master’s degree and starting a career in my field,” concluded Ehnes.  “It’s exciting to start the next challenge.  Maybe I will consider a second season in Europe next summer.  Traveling around and learning the different cultures everywhere is an amazing learning experience, and being able to play softball at the same time is like a dream come true.” 

Joey Ehnes MSUB Honors
2004-2005 MSU Billings Female Student-Athlete of the Year
First Team All-PacWest (2004 & 2005)
Second Team All-PacWest (2002 & 2003)
Second Team All-West Region (2004-2005)
NCAA All-West Region Tournament Team (2005)
PacWest Pitcher of the Year (2005)

Joey Ehnes MSUB Single Game Records
4 hits (t-1^st)
3 runs four times (t-1^st)
3 doubles (1^st)
2 home runs two time (t-1^st)
11 total bases (1^st)
10 innings pitched (1^st)
15 strikeouts two times (1^st)

Joey Ehnes MSUB Single Season Records
177 at bats in 2004 (1^st)
.386 batting average in 2005 (3^rd)
43 runs scored in 2005 (2^nd)
56 hits in 2005 (3^rd)
12 doubles in 2005 (2^nd)
7 home runs in 2005 (3^rd)
.641 slugging percentage in 2005 (4^th)
31 RBI in 2005 (4^th)

13 game hitting streak in 2005 (2^nd)
45 pitching appearances in 2005 (1^st)
42 pitching appearances in 2004 (2^nd)
33 games started in 2004 & 2005 (1^st)
27 complete games in 2004 & 2005 (1^st)
245.1 innings pitched in 2005 (1^st)
232.0 innings pitched in 2004 (2^nd)
29 victories in 2005 (1^st)
21 victories in 2004 (1^st)
1.33 earned run average in 2002 (1^st)
1.48 earned run average in 2005 (2^nd)
1.90 earned run average in 2004 (3^rd)
2.79 earned run average in 2003 (4^th)
6 shutouts in 2004 & 2005 (1^st)
303 strikeouts in 2005 (1^st)
261 strikeouts in 2004 (2^nd)
7 consecutive victories two times in 2005 (1^st)

Joey Ehnes MSUB Career Records
.307 batting average (2^nd)
162 games played (1^st)
162 games started (1^st)
502 at bats (1^st)
104 runs scored (1^st)
154 hits (2^nd)
29 doubles (2^nd)
14 home runs (3^rd)
80 RBI (2^nd)
233 total bases (1^st)
44 walks (2^nd)
.367 on base percentage (1^st)
201 defensive assists (2^nd)
112 pitching appearances (1^st)
1.80 earned run average (1^st)
62 victories (1^st)
85 games started (1^st)
65 complete games (1^st)
607.2 innings pitched (1^st)
671 strikeouts (1^st)
.207 opponent batting average (1^st)
16 shutouts (1^st)