Tuesday, April 18, 2023

PORTLAND, Ore. – Montana State Billings pitcher Trevor Cassell’s complete-game shutout against Northwest Nazarene on Friday has earned the GNAC Pitcher of Week selection as the NCBWA Division II West Region Pitcher of the Week.

The recognition marks the third consecutive week that a GNAC athlete has earned weekly honors from the NCBWA and is the fourth such honor for a conference player this season.

The junior from Enumclaw, Washington was dominant on the mound last week, throwing all seven innings in the second half of Friday’s doubleheader. He allowed just two hits and four walks while striking out nine batters to shut down the Nighthawks and improve to 3-1 on the season. Of the 96 pitches Cassell threw, 59 of them dropped in for strikes.

Cassell pitched the first five innings of the game in a 0-0 deadlock and didn’t allow a hit until the third frame. He retired NNU batters in order in four innings, including the last three. Four of those final nine outs came via strikeout. The ball never managed to leave the infield when the Nighthawks did manage to connect down the stretch as they grounded out each time.

For the season, Cassell leads Montana State Billings with three wins and ranks second on the team with a 3.41 ERA. He also leads the team with 42 ground-ball outs and is fourth with 26 strikeouts. Cassell is one of just eight pitchers in the GNAC to have thrown a complete game this season.

Selected by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, the West Region honoree recognizes the top pitcher from the GNAC, CCAA and PacWest conferences. Along with Cal State East Bay’s Cole Anderson, the West Region Player of the Week, and the other seven regional player and pitcher honorees, Cassell is now eligible to be selected by the NCBWA as the Division II National Pitcher of the Week.