ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University baseball team (11-17, 8-8 GNAC) embark on a road trip across the Rocky Mountains for a four-game series against Montana State Billings (14-13, 8-4, GNAC), as the Wildcats look to improve on their .500 conference record.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Saturday, April 4
Central Washington at Montana State Billings
Game One: 11:00 a.m PDT | Game Two: 2:00 p.m. PDT
Dehler Park
Billings, Mont.
WATCH:
HERE
LIVE STATS:
HERE
TICKETS:
HERE
Sunday, April 5
Central Washington at Montana State Billings
Game One: 10:00 a.m PDT | Game Two: 1:00 p.m. PDT
Dehler Park
Billings, Mont.
WATCH:
HERE
LIVE STATS:
HERE
TICKETS:
HERE
LAST WEEKEND:
The Wildcats battled GNAC-leading Northwest Nazarene to a four-game series split at the CWU Baseball Field, turning in a competitive weekend that featured tight finishes and plenty of offense. Central opened the series with an impressive 3-2 win on March 27, using timely hitting and strong pitching to hand the Nighthawks a rare conference loss. NNU responded later that day with a 12-1 victory, capitalizing on early offense to even the series.
Saturday's games showcased CWU's resilience. Despite falling 12-9 in the opener after NNU plated runs in multiple big innings, the Wildcats bounced back in dramatic fashion in the finale. Trailing late, CWU rallied for a 9-8 comeback win, as
Andre Garza delivered the decisive run in the seventh inning to secure the split.
Central saw several hitters step up in last weekend's series against NNU, topped by
Ethan Buckley, who led the Wildcats with a .538 average, seven hits and a .571 on‑base percentage.
Andre Garza added six hits and a team‑high five RBIs while batting .353, and
Ethan Swenson matched him with four RBIs of his own, finishing the series at .357.
Conrad Henkel also delivered a strong showing, hitting .385 with three RBIs and a .500 on‑base percentage.
Kaiden Hernandez,
Logan Blank and
Max Bledy each contributed three to four hits across the series, while
Jonathan Rominger provided a perfect 2‑2 performance in limited action. Freshman
Kellen Berg added three hits and two RBIs. The Wildcats' lineup combined for steady production throughout the order, with multiple players reaching base at a .350 clip or better during the four‑game set.
Central Washington relied on a mix of steady starting pitching and effective relief work on the mound during last weekend's games.
Austin Cupic led the Wildcats with a strong start, allowing two runs over 5.1 innings to earn his first win of the season. Cupic scattered seven hits, walked one and kept hitters off balance by inducing nine fly-ball outs. Out of the bullpen,
Braden Zadow delivered the most consistent results for CWU, pitching three scoreless innings in his primary appearance while giving up just three hits.
Jacob Nadeau and
Camdyn Martindale also contributed scoreless relief stints, combining to allow only two hits over 3.1 innings.
Kellen Berg picked up a win in relief, limiting damage to one earned run over two innings.
Several Wildcats saw heavy workloads over the weekend, including
Jackson Burtis, who logged five innings, and
Lance Mittelman, who worked 3.1 innings while allowing just two earned runs. Overall, Central Washington's pitching staff showed flashes of efficiency and depth, particularly from the bullpen, while continuing to look for consistency across longer outings.
SCOUTING THE YELLOWJACKETS:
Since facing Central Washington on Feb. 28, the Yellowjackets have gone 5-3.MSU Billings rolled past Saint Martin's in a four‑game home sweep March 6-7, outscoring the Saints 50-20 behind a string of high‑powered offensive performances.
After their series with WOU was canceled, MSUB returned to action on the road March 20-21 at Northwest Nazarene, where the Yellowjackets dropped three of four. After falling 11-8 and 5-0 in Friday's doubleheader, they bounced back with a 5-3 win to open Saturday before closing the trip with a 14-6 loss.
The Yellowjackets are led offensively by Kaden Bertram, who is hitting a team‑best .408 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs while starting all 27 games. Ryker Fortier and Jack Nehler have matched him with 40 hits apiece, each batting .385; Nehler leads the Yellowjackets with 36 RBIs, while Fortier has added a team‑high 15 stolen bases in as many attempts. Kyle Henington (.318), Nate McDonald (.313) and River Smith (.304) round out a deep core of regulars hitting above .300.
On the mound, Sam Coxen has anchored the rotation with a 3.64 ERA and a 3-1 record across seven starts, striking out 46 in 42 innings. Brennen Chappell has logged a team‑high 39⅔ innings while going 4-3 with a 5.22 ERA, and Cade Queen has added a 3-1 mark and a 4.61 ERA over six starts. The staff has combined for a 7.19 ERA while holding opponents to a .293 average.
Defensively, Nehler and Landon Carter have been standouts, each posting a .989 fielding percentage, while catcher Jason Wright has yet to commit an error in 37 chances. As a team, MSUB is fielding .950 and has turned 17 double plays.
The Wildcats and Yellowjackets face off starting Saturday, April 4. First pitch from Dehler Park is set for noon MDT.
