2004 Softball Preview:  Experience Inspires Confidence as Yellowjacket Softball Team Readies for Season Opener
Fourth Season of Competition Expected to Be Best Yet

BILLINGS, MT – Even though there is snow on the ground and the temperatures have been below zero in Billings, the Montana State-Billings softball team will throw the first pitch of its 2004 season in just six days.  The Yellowjackets return the nucleus of last season’s 15-20 team, including five players who earned all-conference recognition.  For the first time ever, MSUB will have more upperclassmen (nine) than underclassmen (seven) on the roster, and that has both coaches and players feeling optimistic.

The Yellowjackets kick off the 2004 season at the Las Vegas Classic on February 5-7, playing six games in three days.  The tournament promises to be a good preseason test, with a Friday match-up against No. 12 Barry University on the schedule.  Including the game against Barry, MSU Billings has ten games this season against teams ranked in the NFCA Top 25 preseason poll.  Longwood, which the Jackets face on the opening day of the Las Vegas Tournament, might have also been a top 25 team had the Lancers not begun the transition to Division I this year.  The same goes for the Jackets’ final opponent of the season, Northern Colorado.

Following the Las Vegas Tournament, the Yellowjackets fly to Hawaii for their PacWest Conference season opener.  This year, they play four games at Hawaii-Hilo and four games at Chaminade.  MSU Billings was picked to finish fourth in the PacWest in a poll of league coaches.  Despite the fact that the Yellowjackets are beginning just their fourth year of NCAA competition, the return of five all-conference players has head coach Jeff Aumend optimistic about the Jackets’ chances in 2004.

“This should be a great test for us this season,” said Aumend. “We’ve increased our number of games to be more comparable to other schools in the West region. With a heavy class of juniors, we are starting to gel. We finished strong last season and expect that to carry over. Our pitching will be challenged with a tough schedule. Offensively, we had six hitters over .300 last year and we’re working on being the best offensive team in the region.”

With 31 road games on the schedule before their first contest in the friendly confines of Cenex Stadium, the Yellowjackets will have numerous opportunities to find out where they stack up in the region.  Aumend anticipates a better than usual start to the season as the eight games in Las Vegas are expected to be an added bonus in preparing for conference and regional play. 

Traditionally, the first games of the season for MSU Billings have been the conference openers in Hawaii in the middle of February.  Those games in the 80-degrees sunshine are often the first time the Jackets have played outdoors since the previous fall, providing the Hawaii schools with a distinct advantage.  In two years of conference play, the Yellowjackets are a combined 1-15 in Hawaii.  Coach Aumend’s crew intends to change that trend this year.

“The PacWest will continue to be tough,” said Aumend. “Western New Mexico is the favorite again with the two-time pitcher of the year (Angela Slaugh) returning as a senior. This will be our third year competing in the PacWest and I’d like to see us move into the upper tier.  Our pitching will have to take it to another level to do so.”

The Yellowjackets open PacWest play on February 11 and 12 at Hawaii-Hilo.  The Vulcans were picked second in the PacWest coaches’ poll behind Western New Mexico, mostly due to the return of sophomore pitcher Leo Sing Chow, who was the freshman of the year in the PacWest last season.  However, Sing Chow had off season surgery on her throwing elbow and is still questionable for the start of the season.  The Yellowjackets won three of four games against the Vulcans at the end of last season when UHH was still alive for an NCAA Tournament berth. 

MSU Billings follows the games in Hilo with four games against Chaminade in Honolulu on February 14 and 15.  The Silverswords were picked to finish last in the conference after finishing last in the league last year.  The Yellowjackets split four games with Chaminade in Billings last year.

After the trip to Hawaii, the Yellowjackets will enjoy two weeks off before playing at the Central Washington Invitational in Richland, WA on March 5-7.  Last year, the team left for Washington the day after returning from Hawaii.  The Jackets will face No. 15 Humboldt State in a double-header in Richland the day before the tournament begins, then open the tourney the following morning against the Lumberjacks.

The Jackets are scheduled for seven round robin games at the CWU Tournament, with possible bracket play on Sunday afternoon.  Six of the seven games will be against West Region opponents (Humboldt, Central Washington, Western Oregon, Seattle, Western Washington, and St. Martin’s).  The Yellowjackets will face preseason No. 1 North Dakota State on Friday afternoon of the tournament.  The Bison were national champions in 2000 and finished third at last year’s national tournament.

Following the Central Washington tourney, the Yellowjackets take an eight-game spring break road trip, with four games at Western New Mexico.  It will be the Jackets’ first-ever visit to Silver City since the two teams have played neutral site games in Colorado for the past two years.  The Mustangs will make a return trip to Billings for four games next season.

MSU Billings will play its home opener on March 19 at the fourth annual Yellowjacket Invitational.  The Jackets will host Valley City State, Northern State and Dawson CC in a two-day tournament.  Friday will be round robin play, with bracket elimination play on Saturday.

Following their first home stand, the Yellowjackets travel to Turlock, California for one of the nation’s biggest tournaments of the year, the Easton Tournament of Champions hosted by Cal State-Stanislaus on April 2-4.  MSU Billings will play four regional games on Friday and Saturday followed by bracket play on Sunday.  The Jackets face No. 25 Cal State-Dominguez Hills in Friday’s opening round.

Eleven of the Yellowjackets’ final thirteen games will be played at Cenex Stadium, beginning with double-headers against Hawaii Pacific April 10 and 11.  The Sea Warriors were picked third in the PacWest coaches’ poll.  BYU-Hawaii, which was picked to finish fifth in the league, comes to Billings for double-headers on April 24 and 26, and Division I Northern Colorado visits on May 1 and 2.  The Yellowjackets’ only road games during that stretch will be a double-header at Northern Colorado on April 21 and an exhibition double-header at Dawson CC on April 17.

The Yellowjackets will be anchored by a group of juniors who were part of Coach Aumend’s first recruiting class in 2001.  The heart of the lineup will be second team All-PacWest selections Theresa Campbell (Jr., DH, Great Falls, MT),  Joey Ehnes (Jr., P/2B, Great Falls, MT), Layne Pavey (Jr., C, Spokane, WA) and Stephanie Cochrun (Jr., 1B/P, Lake Stevens, WA). 

The Yellowjackets’ two leading hitters from last season, Campbell and Cochrun, return to lead an offense that ranked fourth in the league for batting average.  Campbell’s .341 batting average was the seventh highest in the PacWest and set a school single season record.  She also set a school record with seven doubles. 

Cochrun ranked ninth in the PacWest with a .339 average, which is second in school history for a single season.  Pavey was seventh in the PWC with a .493 slugging percentage and tied for eighth with four home runs, setting school records for both categories.  Ehnes struck out 54 batters, sixth in the conference, and also batted .277.  She holds the school career records for ERA (2.22), wins (12), strikeouts (107) and opposing batting average (.239). 

The Jackets other all-conference selection was Megan McCrae (Jr., P, Brandon, Manitoba), who earned all-conference honorable mention honors.  McCrae will be the Yellowjackets’ No. 1 pitcher this season after logging a school record 120.1 innings last year.  She was third in the PacWest with a school record 78 strikeouts as a sophomore and posted a 3.02 ERA.

Also returning in valuable roles for the Yellowjackets will be Cami Rainey (Jr., IF, Terreton, ID), Sara Hanley (Jr., OF, Kalispell, MT) and Christy Wankel (So., OF, Great Falls, MT).  Rainey has a career .316 on base percentage from the leadoff spot and is one of the Jackets’ best bunters.  Hanley is the school record holder for career RBI with 28, including 16 last season.  Wankel made an immediate impact in center field as a freshman last season, driving in 15 RBI and batting .282.  She came on strong at the end of the year, hitting three home runs in the final two weeks.

The top newcomers in 2004 are expected to be Aysha Blatter (Fr., C/Ut, Richland, WA) and Anna Henderson (So., OF, Frenchtown, MT).  Coach Aumend also expects contributions from Natalie Luehr (Fr., C/OF, Kalispell, MT), Cari Dunlap (Fr., 2B/OF, Billings, MT), and Caitlin Luehr (Fr., IF, Kalispell, MT).