University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Sunday, February 25
Greeley, Colo.
12 pm
University of Northern Colorado
vs
Montana State University Billings
Preview: @NCBearsBaseball Hosts Montana State Billings in Home Opener
2/22/2018 7:31:00 PM | Baseball
UNC and Montana State Billings faceoff to start the Bears home schedule
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado baseball is set for its home opener this weekend, after splitting its season-opening series at San Jose State last week. The Bears (2-2) host Montana State Billings (4-3) for three games, from Saturday, Feb. 24 – Monday, Feb. 26. All three games have a scheduled 12 pm first pitch.
There will be live stats for all three games, and video stream on Pluto TV channel 203 for Sunday and Monday's game.
UNC will look to continue its strong at-bats and starting pitching from last weekend that helped the team go 2-2. The Bears offense hit .301 last week including four batters hitting above .400, while the starting arms all went at least 5.0 innings.
Scouting the Yellowjackets
Montana State Billings is coming off a 1-2 series against College of Idaho last week, but are still gaining national respect in the Division II polls. MSUB is ranked by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association in the west region rankings at No. 7 overall.
The Yellowjackets picked up a pair of quality wins in the first week of the season, going 2-1 against then No. 15 nationally ranked Dixie State. MSUB's bats have been a big reason for the solid early start, averaging 11.3 runs per game. Six of the team's seven regulars in the starting lineup are hitting above .300, led by infielder Conner Linebarger's .393 batting average and five walks. The big-hitting duo of Andrew Schleusner and Jalen Garcia have driven in 25 of the teams 68 runs this season, with Garcia scoring a team-leading 10 runs as well.
On the mound, MSBU will lean on the arms of Sam Wong and Steen Fredrickson. The pair of pitchers has won back-to-back GNAC Pitcher of the Week honors for the team. Wong is 1-0 on the season with a 4.35 ERA and a 6-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Meanwhile, Fredrickson posts a 6.52 ERA in his pair of starts with a 1-0 record. Fredrickson is set to throw on Sunday and Wong Monday for the Yellowjackets.
Series vs MSUB
Northern Colorado is a perfect 10-0 against Montana State Billings. The two teams met for three straight years from 2008 through 2010 with the Bears winning the 10 games by an average of 4.7 runs.
Bringing the Bats
Northern Colorado brought its bats with them over the opening weekend, hitting .301 as a team. Not only was the team making a good contest, but also drew 28 walks. The quartet of Matt Burkart (.455), Tyler Yamaguchi (.438), Dean Lawson (.417) and Jack Pauley (.412) all hit above .400 for the team against the Spartans. Burkart, not only got on base with hits but drew a team-leading five walks.
Strong Arms
Northern Colorado's starters all put together strong performances against San Jose State. Troy Watson, Keenan Lum, Aaron Hamilton and Baxter Halligan combined to pitch 23.0 innings allowing 10 earned runs while striking out 22 batters. Troy Watson and Keenan Lum recorded career-highs in strikeouts with eight and seven, respectively.
Jackson Magic
Northern Colorado looks to keep the Jackson Magic rolling again in 2018 with the home opener this weekend. The Bears went 14-6 at home last season and will play 27 games at home this season.
What's Ahead?
The Bears continue its homestand with a four-game series against North Dakota State. UNC and NDSU's series begins on Friday, March 2 with a doubleheader scheduled for March 3 and concluding on March 4.
To stay up to date with all things UNC baseball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Twitter at @NCBearsBaseball.
There will be live stats for all three games, and video stream on Pluto TV channel 203 for Sunday and Monday's game.
UNC will look to continue its strong at-bats and starting pitching from last weekend that helped the team go 2-2. The Bears offense hit .301 last week including four batters hitting above .400, while the starting arms all went at least 5.0 innings.
| Game | Probable Pitchers | Game Links |
| Saturday, Feb. 24 at 12 pm | RHP Troy Watson (0-1, 4.50 ERA) vs LHP Tanner Cantwell (0-0, 11.42 ERA) | Live Stats |
| Sunday, Feb. 25 at 12 pm | LHP Keenan Lum (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs RHP Steen Fredrickson (1-0, 6.52 ERA) | Video | Live Stats |
| Monday, Feb. 26 at 12 pm | TBD vs LHP Sam Wong (1-0, 4.35 ERA) | Video | Live Stats |
Scouting the Yellowjackets
Montana State Billings is coming off a 1-2 series against College of Idaho last week, but are still gaining national respect in the Division II polls. MSUB is ranked by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association in the west region rankings at No. 7 overall.
The Yellowjackets picked up a pair of quality wins in the first week of the season, going 2-1 against then No. 15 nationally ranked Dixie State. MSUB's bats have been a big reason for the solid early start, averaging 11.3 runs per game. Six of the team's seven regulars in the starting lineup are hitting above .300, led by infielder Conner Linebarger's .393 batting average and five walks. The big-hitting duo of Andrew Schleusner and Jalen Garcia have driven in 25 of the teams 68 runs this season, with Garcia scoring a team-leading 10 runs as well.
On the mound, MSBU will lean on the arms of Sam Wong and Steen Fredrickson. The pair of pitchers has won back-to-back GNAC Pitcher of the Week honors for the team. Wong is 1-0 on the season with a 4.35 ERA and a 6-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Meanwhile, Fredrickson posts a 6.52 ERA in his pair of starts with a 1-0 record. Fredrickson is set to throw on Sunday and Wong Monday for the Yellowjackets.
Series vs MSUB
Northern Colorado is a perfect 10-0 against Montana State Billings. The two teams met for three straight years from 2008 through 2010 with the Bears winning the 10 games by an average of 4.7 runs.
Bringing the Bats
Northern Colorado brought its bats with them over the opening weekend, hitting .301 as a team. Not only was the team making a good contest, but also drew 28 walks. The quartet of Matt Burkart (.455), Tyler Yamaguchi (.438), Dean Lawson (.417) and Jack Pauley (.412) all hit above .400 for the team against the Spartans. Burkart, not only got on base with hits but drew a team-leading five walks.
Strong Arms
Northern Colorado's starters all put together strong performances against San Jose State. Troy Watson, Keenan Lum, Aaron Hamilton and Baxter Halligan combined to pitch 23.0 innings allowing 10 earned runs while striking out 22 batters. Troy Watson and Keenan Lum recorded career-highs in strikeouts with eight and seven, respectively.
Jackson Magic
Northern Colorado looks to keep the Jackson Magic rolling again in 2018 with the home opener this weekend. The Bears went 14-6 at home last season and will play 27 games at home this season.
What's Ahead?
The Bears continue its homestand with a four-game series against North Dakota State. UNC and NDSU's series begins on Friday, March 2 with a doubleheader scheduled for March 3 and concluding on March 4.
To stay up to date with all things UNC baseball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Twitter at @NCBearsBaseball.
Players Mentioned
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INF
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