Lady Jackets Host Hawaii Pacific Saturday and Sunday (Apr. 7, 2004)

BILLINGS, MT – The MSU Billings softball team returns to Cenex Stadium this weekend after a successful showing at the Easton Tournament of Champions in Modesto, Calif., last week.  After going 1-3 in round robin play, the Yellowjackets rallied on Sunday to advance all the way to the Silver Bracket championship game, where they lost to ninth-ranked Humboldt State. 

“I think we turned the corner last week,” said Yellowjacket head coach Jeff Aumend.  “We’ve really been as competitive all year as we were at the tournament, but we found ways to close the door on teams.  We have played a very tough schedule all season, and I hope that has prepared us for this final 13 game stretch against three very good opponents.”

The Jackets’ first opponent of that stretch run will also be their first PacWest Conference home opponent of the season.  Hawaii Pacific visits Billings on Saturday, April 10, and Sunday, April 11 for PacWest doubleheaders each day.  The Sea Warriors are in third place in the PacWest with a 6-2 conference record.  They are 15-8 overall and ranked third in the latest NCAA West Region poll. 

HPU is one of the most explosive offensive teams in the PacWest, leading the league in batting average, slugging percentage and on base percentage.  The Sea Warriors are batting a blistering .326 as a team and hit .338 at last week’s ETOC.  Five of the top six individual batting averages in the conference belong to HPU players, led by Brandy Choy Foo’s .408.  Holly Garcia is batting .390, and Jamie Reyes is hitting at a .375 clip.  Sea Warriors also hold the top six slugging percentages in the PacWest, led by Jennifer Baron’s .592.  Baron leads the league with four home runs entering the week.

On the mound, HPU’s Jessica Parra has a 5-2 record and is second in the PacWest with a 1.51 ERA.  Malia Sullivan is 6-3 with a 1.82 ERA.  Hawaii Pacific will play four games at conference frontrunner Western New Mexico on Wednesday and Thursday before flying to Billings.  Western New Mexico captured the ETOC Gold Bracket championship, winning all seven of its games at the tournament. 

“If you look at the numbers, Hawaii Pacific has to be considered one of the most dangerous teams in the region,” said Aumend.  “They’re hitting the ball great.  Their pitching is solid.  I won’t be surprised if they knock off Western New Mexico once or twice this week.  It’s definitely going to be a great challenge for us, but I think we’re up to it.”

The Yellowjackets, 16-26 overall and 0-12 in the PacWest, have won seven of their last 11 games, including a 3-1 win over conference rival Hawaii-Hilo at the ETOC.  That win avenged four losses to the Vulcans in Hawaii at the beginning of February. 

Yellowjacket juniors Cami Rainey and Sara Hanley are each batting over .300, with Rainey at .319 and Hanley at .311.  Rainey also leads the team in total bases (57), slugging percentage (.479), doubles (10) and home runs (3).  She has scored 20 runs and driven in 15 RBI.  At shortstop, Rainey has a .920 fielding percentage with 90 assists and 60 put outs.  Hanley has 13 RBI and has scored 18 runs.  She has five doubles, two triples and is second on the team for total bases (50).

Junior pitcher Joey Ehnes has become the Yellowjackets’ workhorse.  She has a 13-15 record and has appeared in 31 of the Jackets’ 42 games.  Her 2.13 ERA is sixth in the PacWest, and she is second in the league for opposing batting average (.221), innings pitched (171) and strikeouts (190).  Ehnes was named to the ETOC all-tournament team after posting a 3-2 record and a 1.70 ERA in 33 innings.  She struck out 35 against just eight walks. 

MSU Billings will also rely on juniors Stephanie Cochrun and Megan McCrae to provide important innings on the mound.  Cochrun has a 2.27 ERA in nine appearances while McCrae has a 4.45 ERA in 15 apperances. 

After Rainey and Hanley, the Yellowjackets have six players batting between .212 and .290.  Junior Layne Pavey is hitting .290 with 18 RBI and 15 runs scored.  She has seven doubles and two home runs.  At last week’s ETOC, she led the team with a .333 batting average.  Ehnes is batting .268 and leads the team with 23 runs scored.  She has driven in 21 RBI and has eight doubles, a triple and a home run. 

Sophomore Anna Henderson is batting .256 with 12 RBI and 11 runs scored in her first season with the Yellowjackets.  Sophomore Christy Wankel is batting .237 and has scored 20 runs and driven in 16 RBI.  She is tied for the team lead with three home runs.  Freshman Aysha Blatter is hitting .214 and has scored ten runs.  Cochrun is batting .212 with 14 RBI, two homers, five doubles and a triple.

Junior Theresa Campbell has started to find her swing after a tough start to the season.  Through the first 14 games of the season, she was batting .098 with only four RBI and no runs scored.  A second team All-PacWest selection last year, Campbell has improved her average to .185 and has 17 RBI, two home runs and 23 runs scored.  In the last 11 games, Campbell has batted .267 with a .400 slugging percentage. 

“Soup really struggled at the beginning of the season,” said Aumend.  “She started to come around when we were at Western New Mexico and now she’s hitting the ball well.  In the last few weeks, her outs have been well hit balls right at people.”

Saturday’s doubleheader with the Sea Warriors starts at 3:00 p.m. at Cenex Stadium.  Sunday’s doubleheader, originally scheduled for a noon start, has been pushed back to 1:30 p.m.  After the weekend set against HPU, the Jackets play at Northern Colorado on April 21 before hosting BYU-Hawaii on April 24 and 26 in their final four PacWest Conference games.  MSU Billings will host Northern Colorado on May 1 and 2 at Cenex Stadium to wrap up the 2004 season.