Thursday, April 16, 2015

PORTLAND, Ore. – With the season quickly coming to a conclusion, second-place Montana State Billings will host conference-leader Western Oregon in a crucial five-game series this weekend.

The Yellowjackets (17-18 overall, 12-7 GNAC) have won their last three series and are coming off a four-game home-stand where they averaged 11.5 runs per game. Fourteen of those runs were off the bat of second baseman Brody Miller who earned National Collegiate Baseball Writers Associations (NCBWA) West Region Player of the Week honors.

Miller slugged four of his teams seven home runs, including two grand slams, in the series win over Central Washington. MSUB batted .411 as a team in the series.

Miller and the GNAC’s top offense will be facing their biggest challenger of the year, Western Oregon, starting Friday.

The Wolves (21-19 overall, 16-7 GNAC), who are one of the best pitching teams in the conference, have also been on a roll as of late winning the season-series against the NAIA’s 19th-ranked team Lewis-Clark State and sweeping Saint Martin’s last week. Their current five-game win-streak is the third longest in the GNAC this season behind their own six-game streak and MSUB’s seven-straight wins.

Western Oregon has produced the last two GNAC Pitchers of the Week in Jesse Pratt and Darrien Moran, who each threw complete games in their starts.

Over the last two conference series, the Wolves have held opponents to a .259 batting average while striking out 48 batters. In the eight games, five WOU starters have pitched 5.2 innings or more while holding teams to a mere 3.6 runs each contest.

Western Oregon will maintain control of the conference lead if it wins two or more games, as it would also clinch a spot in the GNAC tournament. MSUB can significantly narrow the Wolves lead however, or even take control of the GNAC, with a good showing this weekend.

So far this year, the Yellowjackets are 6-2 at home while the Wolves are 10-18 in road matchups.

This series is actually a four-game matchup as the fifth game, being played Friday at 1 p.m., was carried over from a suspended dual March 14. The game will resume with MSUB leading 1-0 in the top of the 1st with the bases loaded and no outs.

Notes:

• Miller becomes the second Yellowjacket this season to be named the NCBWA West Region Player of the Week and fourth GNAC player overall. Teammate Luke Reinschmidt received this honor Feb. 16-22 after hitting four home runs. SMU’s Carl Svanevik and NNU’s Tyler Davis each won the award in consecutive weeks from March 16-29.
   
• CWU’s Kasey Bielec recorded his 100th RBI in the first inning of the Wildcats first loss to the Yellowjackets Saturday. His 100 RBI's rank 14th all-time in the GNAC.
   
• NNU’s rubber-match against cross-town rival College of Idaho, which was moved to Wednesday because of weather concerns, ended with the Crusaders blanking the Coyotes 12-0. The Crusaders finish 12-9 in their nonconference games.
   
• With five free passes in the WOU series, SMU’s Chandler Tracy moved up to 3rd in the nation in walks with 35. His .92 walks per game rank fifth in the nation as well.
   
• WOU’s Eric Huson threw a GNAC-record 10 walks in the Wolves 13-4 win over SMU Sunday. Huson, who made just his second appearance of the year, received the win as he allowed only two runs to cross the plate.

• Montana State Billings Miller was named the GNAC Player of the Week after one of the best statistical weeks in conference history. The second baseman slugged four home runs, two of them grand slams, while reaching base in 14 of 22 plate appearances. His 14 RBI’s are the most by a GNAC player in a weekend series this season. Pitcher of the Week honors went to Western Oregon’s Moran who won his fourth game in a one-run complete-game over SMU. In his nine innings pitched, Moran face four batters or less in five innings while holding the Saints to a .182 batting average.