Baseball | 5/4/2017 3:21:00 PM
ELLENSBURG, Wash. (May 4) – The Central Washington University baseball team closes out the regular season in Billings, Montana for a four-game stint against Montana State Billings.
"The guys are excited," CWU Head Coach
Desi Storey said. "We are in a good spot when you look at the conference tournament. We need to go out and take care of business against Billings, but we need to take it game by game."
This weekend's series will run Friday and Saturday, with 9-inning/7-inning doubleheaders scheduled for both days starting at 1 p.m. Live video with play-by-play commentary and live statistics will be available through
MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.
MSUB is coming off a 3-1 series win over Concordia University on the road last week, as the 'Jackets rallied to win three in-a-row after dropping the opener. It was the third time this year that the 'Jackets lost Game 1 and won the next three to take a series, including the second time against the Cavaliers.
Coming off a series split against GNAC-leading Western Oregon, the Wildcats have played 12 consecutive home games and are 7-5 during the last three series.
CWU currently occupies the No. 2 spot in the GNAC standings, and has locked up a postseason berth like the Yellowjackets.
Dylan Freyre is the top hitter in the GNAC, entering the final weekend of the year batting .383 with a conference-best 64 hits. The senior has 13 doubles and four home runs, while getting on base at a clip of .413 and slugging .545 for the 'Cats.
CWU has five other starters hitting north of .300, including
Conor Plaisance and
Jake Levin, who are tied for the team lead with 30 RBIs apiece. Plaisance is batting .333 with six home runs and a GNAC-high 15 doubles, while Levin is hitting .325 with a team-best seven home runs and a .571 slugging percentage.
Kyle Stahl is batting .322 and leads the team with nine stolen bases. He also has a team best 35 runs scored, and has nine doubles with 22 RBIs.
On the mound,
Mackenzie Gaul is one of the top starters in the GNAC, with a 2.97 ERA in 66 2/3 innings pitched over a dozen starts. He has a team-best 61 strikeouts and has tossed three shutouts, and has thrown into the sixth inning in each of his last two starts.
Levin is another key arm for CWU, holding a 3.06 ERA in a team-high 67 2/3 innings pitched.
Christopher Dalto is the team's closer, with six saves in 13 relief appearances.
Kyle Blankenship has also seen action in tight games, with four saves in 24 innings over 18 appearances out of the bullpen.
As a team, CWU ranks second in the league with a .293 batting average, and is scoring 5.6 runs per game. On the mound, the 'Cats hold a 4.77 ERA and have the second-most strikeouts in the league with 288 in 365 2/3 innings pitched.
MSUB is 39-44 all-time against CWU, and is 19-21 in games played in Billings. The 'Cats have won nine of the last 12 games between the teams, taking both series 3-1 last year and the first set of four played this season in Ellensburg, Wash.
The last time MSUB and CWU got together for a series, MSUB had a 7-3 lead entering the final inning in Game 2, but the 'Cats roared back to life with a six-run frame culminating with a three-run, walk-off home run by James Smith. MSUB then rallied for five runs in the top of the seventh inning to tie the series finale 5-5, before Levin launched a solo, walk-off home run in the bottom of the frame to give CWU the series win.
