Yellowjackets Sting Their Way To D2 Championship

As the end of the school year creeps ever closer, so too does the end of the collegiate season.

MSUB performed well this year on the diamond, with softball seeing its first postseason since 2015 and baseball earning a spot at the NCAA D2 Championship for the second time in program history. 

Softball

MSUB Softball went 16-28 (11-11) on the season, earning the #4 seed in the GNAC and gaining 7 more wins than last year’s total and the most conference wins since 2018. On the way they hit 50 homers, the eighth most in a season in program history. The final game for the seniors of the team was at the GNAC Championship Tournament, where they lost to Simon Fraser. Lauren Blaschak graduates from the team with the second most steals in program history at 35, as well as top-15 in both doubles and runs. Jazlyn Kalehuawehe also joins the record books, with 28 career home runs putting her at the #8 spot.

Baseball

32-20 (21-11) is the resume for MSUB Baseball, and with a 2nd place at the GNAC tournament in addition the MSUB Baseball program will see their second invite to the NCAA D2 Baseball Championship in program history.

Alongside the tournament invitation comes a host of awards: 11 players earning All-Conference, Sam Coxen earning the GNAC Freshman of the Year, and coach Derek Waddoups bringing home the 4th GNAC Coach of the Year honors in program history. Coach Waddoups also ranks second in career wins with 117 after his first 30-win season, just 20 wins behind the current leader Rob Bishop (2011-2016).

Baseball Championships

The Yellowjackets will be in familiar company at the D2 Championship, as they’ll face the #1 Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks (40-13) yet again. The two teams will face off for the 11th time in the year, splitting the regular season 4-4 and the Nighthawks winning both of the team’s postseason matchups thus far.

MSUB will start off their NCAA Division II title hopes taking on the #4 seeded Point Loma Nazarene University out of San Diego. The two teams are 2-2 historically, the last series played in 2020. PLNU will be playing in their fourth straight postseason, and they come into this year’s West Regional as the regional defending champions. After going 31-10 in the regular season, the Sea Lions were eliminated by Hawai’i Pacific 6-7 in the PacWest semifinals. #17 (Senior) Jake Entrekin, C leads the Sea Lions at the plate, batting .419 on the season and an OPS of 1.390. With 21 homers on the year, he’ll be a force at the plate against the arms of MSUB.

You can find more details on the West Regional here.