Softball Weekly Report

May 6, 2015 www.gnacsports.com (503-305-8756) Contact: Bob Guptill ([email protected]) Softball: Regionals Begin Thursday at St. George; Friday at Monterey GNAC Standings Saint Martin’s Western Washington Montana State Billings Western Oregon Central Washington Simon Fraser Northwest Nazarene W 20 17 14 13 11 5 2 L 4 7 8 9 13 19 22 W 41 30 29 21 20 17 9 L 18 18 21 28 23 30 37 H 16-4 9-3 9-5 10-4 8-4 5-11 5-17 A 12-8 11-7 9-8 6-6 6-15 6-14 2-13 N 13-6 10-8 11-8 5-18 6-4 5-6 2-7 champion Montana State Billings will first have to deal with some of the best Division II softball teams in the nation. The Saints (41-18) open their sub-regional tournament Thursday at St. George, Utah, against No. 2 seed Dixie State (44-7). The Red Storm are ranked fourth in this week’s NFCA national poll. NCAA West Regional #1 (at St. George, Utah): Thursday - #6 Chico State (28-20) vs. #3 California Baptist (40-9), 3 p.m.; #7 Saint Martin's (41-18) vs. #2 Dixie State (44-7), 5:30 p.m. Friday Games at 1, 3:30 and 6 p.m. Saturday - Games at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. (if necessary). Also competing in the St. George sub-regional are nationally 11th-ranked California Baptist (40-9) and unranked Chico State (28-20). Things won’t be any easier for the Yellowjackets (29-21) at Seaside, Calif., as MSUB opens against nationally fifthranked and No. 1 seed Cal State Monterey (47-10) and will also have to contend with 16th ranked Humboldt State (4117) and No. 27 Sonoma State (39-19). NCAA West Regional #2 (at Seaside, Calif.): Friday - #5 Sonoma State (39-19) vs. #4 Humboldt State (41-17), 3p.m.; #1 Cal State Monterey Bay (47-10) vs. #8 Montana State Billings (29-21), 5:30 p.m. Saturday - Games at 2 p.m., 4:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday Games at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (if necessary). MSUB, which is seeded eighth and is unranked, is making its fourth all-time NCAA appearance. In its three previous trips to the regional it won two of eight games, splitting four games in 2006 and losing two straight in both 2009 and 2012. GNAC Championships (April 30, May 1-2 at Yakima, Wash.): Thursday - #3 Montana State Billings 6, #2 Western Washington 1; #1 Saint Martin’s 8, #4 Western Oregon 5. Friday – Montana State Billings 4, Saint Martin’s 3; Western Washington 8, Western Oregon 3; Western Washington 6, Saint Martin’s 1. Saturday – Montana State Billings 9, Western Washington 5. The Yellowjackets played six of the seven regional qualifiers this spring, winning four of 14 games, including two of five against Saint Martin’s. POLLS: West Region (Final) – 1. Dixie State; 2. Cal State Monterey Bay; 3. Cal Baptist; 4. Humboldt State; 5. Sonoma State; 6. Saint Martin’s; 7. Chico State; 8. Hawaii Hilo; 9. Cal State East Bay; 10. Western Washington. Note: Final rankings taken prior to final weekend and don’t necessarily reflect playoff seedings. MSUB handed Cal State Monterey Bay one of its 10 losses March 27 at Turlock, Calif., winning 3-0. HITTING STREAKS (10 or more): 21 – Sam Munger, Saint Martin’s. 16 - *Sammy Morris, CWU. 14 - Amanda Evola, WOU. 12 - Bella Rovens, MSUB. 11 - Sam Munger, SMU; Amanda Evola, WOU. 10 – Austin Wilkerson, CWU; Lindsay Miller, SMU; Kailyn Campbell, CWU; Sammy Morris, CWU; Dani Wall, SMU; Kali Patterson, WWU. *Morris will take a 16-game streak into 2016 season. The ‘Jackets also split two games with Humboldt State by identical 6-3 scores, winning Feb. 13 in the Desert Stinger in Las Vegas and losing March 29 in the Cal State Stanislaus Tournament of Champions. ALL-TOURNAMENT: MSUB Stinger (Feb. 13-15) – Taylor Hoke, MSUB. CSUS (March 27-29) – Sam Munger, SMU; Makinlee Sellevold, WWU; Kailyn Campbell, CWU. GNAC (April 30-May 2) – Cameron Cassinelli, MSUB (MVP). MSUB also played Sonoma State to a near standoff, losing 6-5 at Las Vegas and 8-7 at Turlock. They also lost 9-1 to Chico State at Turlock and dropped a three-game series at St. George to Dixie State (6-0, 3-2, 9-0). GNAC Teams Open Against Top Seeds Outside of MSUB, Saint Martin’s is winless against the other regional qualifiers. It lost to both Cal Baptist (5-1) and Sonoma State (14-6) on Feb. 14 at Las Vegas. PORTLAND, Ore. – To reach the NCAA West Region Bestof-Three championship series next weekend GNAC regular-season champion Saint Martin’s and tournament 1