Softball Weekly Release - Mar. 25

Complete Release

THIS WEEK:  Montana State Billings returns to the friendly confines of Cenex Stadium, Sat.-Sun., Mar. 28-29 for a pair of GNAC doubleheaders.  MSUB, who is ranked 30th in the NFCA NCAA Division II national poll, will take on Saint Martin’s.  Both days are set to start at 1:00 p.m.

SAINT MARTIN’S:  The Saints are 2-13 in the GNAC and 3-19 overall.  At the plate, Morgan Klemm has scored six runs, driven in six runs and is batting .362.  Kristine Kaneshiro has three doubles, one triple and one home run, scored 10 runs, driven in eight runs and is hitting .318.

MSUB leads the series 15-3.  They have won the last eight meetings.

NFCA NCAA DIVISION II
NATIONAL POLL
MARCH 25, 2009
   1     Angelo State (12)                          30-4        396    
   2     Alabama-Huntsville (4)               23-1        387    
   3     North Georgia                                27-3        359
   4     Southeastern Oklahoma              33-5        341
   5     Humboldt State                             21-7        336
   6     Ferris State                                      12-2        283
   7     Valdosta State                               27-5        272
   8     Metro State                                    22-4        270
   9     Lock Haven                                   15-4        260    
10     Lenoir Rhyne                                 22-3        248    
11     Hawaii Pacific                               23-3        213    
12     Kutztown                                        24-6        209    
13     Winona State                                 16-5        179
14     LeMoyne                                        12-4        178
15     California (PA)                              16-2        156
16     Abilene Christian                           24-9        139
17     West Florida                                   28-7        138
18     Dixie State                                      24-4        128
19     Francis Marion                              23-8        120
20     Georgian Court                              12-6        106
21     Lewis                                             21-10        102
22     Minnesota State Mankato          19-5          74
23     Nebraska-Omaha                         20-5          66
24     Rollins                                             28-4          64
25     West Texas A&M                       26-12          56

Others Receiving Votes: Florida Southern 32, Adelphi 24, Missouri Western 19, C.W. Post 13, Montana Billings 8, Wayne State (Mich) 8, Wingate 6, NYIT 4, Cal State Dominguez Hills 3, Indiana Univ. of Pa. 2, Wayne State (Neb.) 1

LAST WEEK:  Montana State Billings had a strong week winning four of six games. On Mar. 18, MSUB swept the University of Mary, 8-2 and 8-2.  On Mar. 21-22, the Yellowjackets split a four game series with Central Washington to remain in first place in the GNAC.

On the 21st, MSUB lost 3-2 in 11 innings and then bounced back to win 9-6.  On the 22nd they reveresed it winning the first 3-1 and losing the nightcap 3-2.

For the week, Terina Stacks had two doubles, scored six runs, drove in one run and hit .500 while Steph Gosselin had two doubles, one home run, scored three runs and batted .474.  Kelly Parsons had a strong week with three home runs, scored six runs, drove in six runs and hit .412.

On the mound, Lisa Moore was 2-0 and gave up 10 hits, three runs, walked eight and struck out 18 for a 1.17 ERA in 18 innings.  kasie Conder went 1-1 and gave up 11 hits, six runs, five of them earned, walked one and struck out 18 for a 2.62 ERA in 13 and 2/3rd innings.

RBI RECORD:  On March 18 against the University of Mary, the career RBI record was broken, tied and broken.  In the first game, Steph Gosselin drove in Terina Stacks in the first inning.  That was Gosselin’s 92nd career RBI breaking a three way tie.

In the second inning, Stacks doubles to drive in Kelly Parsons for her 92nd career RBI to tie Gosselin.  In the first innings of the second game, Gosselin drove in Stacks to take back the RBI mark with 93.

RECORD CHASERS:   The Yellowjackets are already hard at work rewriting the individual career record book.  Earlier this season, Terina Stacks became the all-time leader in hits (184) and total bases (271).  Four other records are being challenged as well.

Steph Gosselin is curently the all-time leader in RBI’s with 95 and Stacks is close behind at 92.  In addition, Gosselin has scored 103 runs tying the mark set by Joey Ehnes (2002-05).  Once again, Stacks is right behind with 102 runs.

Stacks has 731 putouts to break the career record of 727 while Leslie Davis has accumulated 270 assists and needs 30 to break the record of 299.

WEST REGION POLL:   Montana State Billings is currently ranked fourth in the NCAA Division II West Region Poll as of Mar. 25.  In paranthese is where they are ranked nationally.

         1.        Humboldt State (5)
         2.        Hawaii Pacific (11)
         3.        Dixie State (18)
         4.        Montana State Billings (30)
         5.        Sonoma State
         6.        Cal State Stanislaus
         7.        Grand Canyon
         8.        UC San Diego
         9.        Central Washington
        10.       Cal State Dominguez Hills (34)

FIRST-FIRST:  Montana State Billings currently leads the GNAC with a mark of 15-5.  In addition 11 times this season, the Yellowjackets have scored at least one run  in the first inning of a GNAC game.  MSUB is 11-0 in those games.

GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:  They should start calling it the GNAC MSUB Player of the Week Award.  The Yellowjackets have had at least one player been named POW five of the six weeks it has been awarded.  The latest recipient is Lisa Moore for the week of Mar. 23.

HOME COOKING:  They say there is no place like home.  That is definately true for Montana State Billings.  Since Cenex Stadium was built in 2002, the Yellowjackets have won 84 games against just 19 defeats.  That equates to a winning percentage of 815%.  In addition, MSUB has won its last eight games at Cenex.

GNAC POLL:  The bull’s-eye has been hung on the Montana State Billings’s softball team.  The Yellowjackets have been picked to win the GNAC according to the Preseason Softball Poll.  MSUB received 33 points to 32 points for defending champion, Western Oregon.

Both teams garnered three first places votes but MSUB got the edge with three second place votes to two seconds and one third for the Wolves.  Western Washington received 23 points to take third place.  Rounding out the poll was Central Washington (18), Saint Martin’s (13) and Northwest Nazarene (7).

After a slow start, MSUB caught fire, winning 21 of its last 27 games.  The Jackets finished 16-8, third in the GNAC and 28-21 overall.  The Yellowjackets returned 10 letterwinners including five all-conference selections.

“As far as being picked the preseason number one in the coaches poll, it’s no doubt a very high compliment,” Said head coach Anthony Stone.  “I have a tremendous amount of respect for the coaches in our conference, and I think it says something special not only for our team, but for the conference overall. The GNAC is highly competitive, and I think the rest of the coaches would agree with me that there are no “gimmes” here. You better come ready to play everyday, because the day you don’t is the day you can get beat by anyone. I think that’s what makes it so much fun, is that up and down the league, you have to play your best against everyone.”