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MSUB Softball Weekly Release - April 30, 2009
Complete Release
THIS WEEK: The battle for the GNAC championship comes down to Fri.-Sat., May 1-2 at Cenex Stadium. The Yellowjackets are playing Central Washington in a four game series and need just one win to capture the GNAC crown and earn a bid to the NCAA Championships. Both days are scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.
CENTRAL WASHINGTON: The Wildcats are 26-10 in the GNAC and 30-19 overall. At the plate Holly Rossman has 17 doubles and 10 home runs, scored 36 runs, drove in 44 runs and is batting .410. On the mound, Linse Vlahovich is 21-7 with 200 strikeouts and a 2.17 ERA in 193 and 1/3rd innings.
NFCA NCAA DIVISION II NATIONAL POLL
April 30, 2009
TEAM W-L PTS
1 Alabama-Huntsville (9) 42-4 367
2 North Georgia (5) 43-3 361
3 Lock Haven (1) 40-5 346
4 Angelo State 41-8 327
5 Valdosta State 44-6 296
6 Ferris State 32-6 289
7 Southeastern Oklahoma 50-11 273
8 Kutztown 43-8-1 261
9 Winona State 36-11 240
10 Dixie State 34-10 231
11 Humboldt State 37-16 216
12 Abilene Christian 41-11 179
13 Metro State 36-10 170
14 USC Aiken 34-14 147
15 Bloomsburg 33-8 144
16 LeMoyne 34-10 138
17 Rollins 39-8 130
18 Hawaii Pacific 36-10 122
19 Ashland 34-10 107
20 C.W. Post 30-16 97
21 Wayne State (Mich.) 34-12 76
22 Florida Southern 37-12 72
23 California (PA) 33-8 38
24 Francis Marion 32-19 32
25 Nebraska-Omaha 39-12 30
Others Receiving Votes: Central Missouri, Minnesota State-Mankato - 29, Georgian Court - 27, Colorado School of Mines - 26, Lenoir-Rhyne - 25, Saginaw Valley State - 19, Montana State Billings - 9, Caldwell - 8, Missouri-St. Louis - 4, Nova Southeastern - 3, West Florida - 2, Augusta, Missouri Western, NYIT, Sonoma State – 1
LAST WEEK: Montana State Billings took one step closer to winning its first league championship ever. Heading into the week, the Jackets led by just one game over Central Washington. However, MSUB went 5-1 while the CWU was 3-3. The Yellowjackets now need just one win for the title.
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 (205) and total bases (301). Stacks was the all-time leader in runs with 107 until Steph Gosselin passed her against Western Oregon. Gosselin now has 117 runs.
Gosselin is currently the all-time leader in RBI’s with 108 and home runs with 24.
Stacks has 826 putouts to break the career record of 737 while Leslie Davis has accumulated 92 assists and needs eight to break the record of 299. Stacks also broke the at-bat record with 534.
HOME RUN RECORD: Steph Gosselin is chasing both the school and GNAC single season record for home runs. She currently has 13 with the GNAC being 14 by Brandi Harrison (Humboldt State) and Mallory Holtman (Central Washington), both in 2006. The school record is 15 by Theresa Campbell in 2004.
WEST REGION POLL: Montana State Billings is currently ranked fourth in the NCAA Division II West Region Poll as of Apr.22. In parentheses is where they are ranked nationally.
1. Humboldt State (11)
2. Dixie State (10)
3. Hawaii Pacific (18)
4. Cal State Stanislaus
5. Montana State Billings (32)
6. Sonoma State (38)
7. UC San Diego
8. Cal State Monterey Bay
9. San Francisco State
10. Cal State Dominguez Hills
FIRST-FIRST: Montana State Billings currently leads the GNAC with a mark of 29-7. In addition 23 times this season, the Yellowjackets have scored at least one run in the first inning of a GNAC game. MSUB is 23-0 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 nine of the 11 weeks it has been awarded. The latest recipients are Kasie Conder and Bekah Tsatsa for April 29.
HOME COOKING: They say there is no place like home. That is definitely true for Montana State Billings. Since Cenex Stadium was built in 2002, the Yellowjackets have won 93 games against just 20 defeats. That equates to a winning percentage of .825. In addition, MSUB has won its 17 of it’s last 18 games at Cenex.
GNAC POLL: The bull’s-eye has been hung on the Montana State Billings’ 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.”
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