Yellowjackets Look to Secure Regular Season Title at MSUB

MSUB Leads GNAC, Eyes Playoff Berth

MSUB Baseball is currently on a 7-game winning streak and showing no signs of stopping. 22-10 on the year and top of the GNAC, the Yellowjackets are flipping the script after being ranked #4 in the preseason polls. MSUB searches for a 5th regular season champion title, the first since 2019.

Pitching

Currently #2 in the league (based on ERA), the Yellowjackets bullpen has been lights-out this year. While opposing teams are batting .294 against the Yellowjackets, they’ve struck out 259 batters and allowed fewer than 30 home runs on the year. Jackson Betancourt leads the arms with a 3.29 ERA on 52 innings with 19 earned runs, including a 5-1 complete game victory against Central Washington. Andy Evans has been the top reliever in the league with 6 saves, doubling the next closest at 3. Evans boasts a 1.74 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) with 18 strikeouts. 

"Brian Greisman (pitching coach) has done an outstanding job of preparing guys for their different roles and helping them develop" said MSUB Head Coach Derek Waddoups. "You have to have a bullpen that can come in and win games for you, and Andy's done an outstanding job of that."

Batting

Just one look at the “Stat Leaders” category shows the explosiveness behind the MSUB bats this year. 6 of the top 10 in slugging, 5 of the top 10 in on-base percentage, and 6 of the top 7 in hits… it keeps going. The .312 team average is only .001 behind the #1 team (Central Washington) with almost 100 more at-bats, and the Yellowjackets top the charts in team runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage, and more. 2024 First-team All-conference Junior Jack Nehler leads the team in batting average with .392, with Ryker Fortier close behind at .390. Kaden Kirshenbaum is holding a 1.109 OPS with 38 runs scored, the second best in the league.

"We have a different guy stepping up every weekend" said Coach Waddoups. "This last weekend Blaszak had a huge day with three homeruns. Kirshenbaum had a great weekend before, Jack Mayer tore the cover off the ball. Wright's been amazing. Brian Jeffrey has been amazing. It's our philosophy as a team, it's just next man up."

Penultimate Weeks

The bats are hot and the arms are humming as the Yellowjackets 22-10 (13-3) enter the last stretch of the season. Their next series will be at home at Dehler Park against Northwest Nazarene University. NNU is #2 in the GNAC, only a single win behind the Yellowjackets at 23-10 (12-3). The two teams split their series earlier in the year 2-2, with the first two games going into extra innings (split 1-1) and the second two being blowouts. Only 16 games are left in the Yellowjackets’ season, all in conference over 4 series.

"It's just continuing to do what we're doing, that's what got us here. Quality starts, good bullpen action, playing catch defensively and impacting the baseball and putting it in play." said Coach Waddoups. "We have some tough series coming up and it'll be fun to compete."