Yellowjackets Set to Open Home Softball Season

BILLINGS, Mont. -  Finally, after 24 games on the road, Montana State Billings will have some games at home.  The Yellowjackets will open the home portion of the 2009 season, Friday, Jan. 13 against Northwest Nazarene.  MSUB will follow that with another doubleheader against NNU on Saturday, Jan. 14.  Both days are scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.

Home games are played at Cenex Stadium, located right off 27th Street and next to the Physical Education Building.  Ticket prices for the 2009 season are $5 for the general public and $3 for seniors (65+), students (7th-12th grade) and MSUB faculty/staff.  All students , K-6th grade and kids under the age of five are admitted free.  In addition, all MSUB students are admitted free with a current student ID.

Montana State Billings (9-3 GNAC, 16-8) heads into the weekend all alone in first place in the GNAC.  The Yellowjackets had been one game behind Western Washington going into last weekend.  After losing the first game 6-2, the Jackets came back with three straight shutout victories to move past the Vikings.

At the plate, MSUB has three players batting .350 or better.  Whitney Whittemore has scored 13 runs and leads the team with a .358 average.  Steph Gosselin has five doubles and seven home runs, scored 21 runs, driven in 22 runs, a slugging percentage of .697 and is batting .355.

Stacks has five double and three home runs, scored 14 runs, driven in 19 runs and is hitting .351.  As a team, the Yellowjackets are hitting .279 with 51 extra base hits while scoring 5.4 runs a game.  In GNAC action, MSUB is hitting .295 and scoring 6.2 runs a game.

On the mound, the Yellowjackets have used a balanced attack to lead the league in ERA at 2.08.  Lisa Moore is 4-1with a 0.98 ERA in 35 and 2/3rd innings.  Rebakah Tsatsa is 4-4, has a 1.42 ERA (54 and 1/3rd innings) and leads the team with 59 strikeouts and four shutouts.

Kasie Conder has had a solid freshman campaign so far.  She is 5-2 with 38 strikeouts and a 1.77 ERA in 47 and 1/3rd innings.  Josie Grotbo is 3-1 with 16 strikeouts in 21 innings of work.  MSUB has a 2-to-1 ratio in strikeouts to walk and have held opponents to hitting .210.

Northwest Nazarene is currently 2-6 in the GNAC and 4-10 overall.  At the plate the Crusaders are led by Arielle Chao and Vanessa Shaw.  Chao has two doubles, one triple and one home run, scored five runs, driven in 11 runs, and is hitting .361.  Shaw has two doubles, scored four runs, driven in four runs and is batting .324.

On the mound, the top pitcher is Cara Duckworth.  She is 2-5 with 28 strikeouts and a 5.96 ERA in 51 and 2/3rd innings of work.

Last season, Montana State Billings won four out of five meetings with the Crusaders.  In a tournament in Richland, Wash., on Feb. 28, MSUB blanked NNU 8-0.  On April 11-12, the Yellowjackets traveled to Nampa for the conference series.

Northwest Nazarene scored four runs in the seventh to win the opener 7-6.  MSUB returned the favor by winning the nightcap 9-5.  The following day the Jackets pulled off a sweep, winning 10-2 and 12-3.