Sixth in a series of seven.
Part 1: Shortstop Taylor Hoke (Feb. 16, 2015)
Part 2: First Baseman Emily Osborn (Feb. 24, 2015)
Part 3: Pitcher Jessyka MacDonald (March 10, 2015)
Part 4: Pitcher Mary Grace Bywater (March 20, 2015)
Part 5: Pitcher Jessica Campbell (March 26, 2015)

MSUB SPORTS – In the mind of Montana State University Billings softball head coach Lisa Allen, the task of recruiting an NCAA Division II-level catcher comes down to a select few key traits.
 
She has to take care of the ball, have good arm strength, and most importantly be an inherent leader.
 
Having spent her collegiate playing career at Oregon State University as a catcher, Allen is more qualified than most when it comes to picking those key traits out in players she is recruiting. While she has no difficulty assessing tangible skills such as arm strength, the role of being a vocal leader is one that does not necessarily show up during a tryout.
 
Rather, it is something that a player grows into and needs to do so quickly in order to have success at the collegiate level.
 
When now-senior Brittney Sanders first suited up in catcher's gear nearly a decade ago, she knew the position was right for her. "I liked that I had control on every pitch," Sanders said. "It was cool that I got to be a part of every play."
 
This mindset of ownership is exactly what Allen was looking for in a catcher for the Yellowjackets. While Sanders possessed plenty of natural leadership ability entering her collegiate career at MSUB, she did not master command of the team as a freshman. By her sophomore year however she had found her true voice, taking on an invaluable leadership role and never looking back.
 
"I don't think I have seen a college athlete grow up as quickly as Brittney Sanders did," commented Allen. "The difference between her freshman and sophomore years was night and day. She came back as a sophomore leader at a young age, and not many student-athletes can say they did that."
 
While hitting a team second-best .326 in her second season, Sanders proved she was ready to be an asset offensively at the plate and defensively behind it as she played in 39 of the team's 41 games. As she looked to the infield, she commanded the respect of Aubrey Conceicao, Taylor Hoke and Emily Osborn, her fellow classmates.
 
In the circle, she put down signs for three more who were the same age as her in Jessyka MacDonald, Mary Grace Bywater and Jessica Campbell.
 
Now that the seven are four-year seniors in the program, the play-caller of the bunch is confident they are on track to get back into the NCAA postseason.
 
THREE AND ONE
 
Early on in the season, live scrimmages often occupy a large portion of softball practice for the Yellowjackets. The idea is to give hitters and pitchers alike a realistic, game-type situation and put exercises into practice. A catcher serves the dual role as umpire during such practices, and it was early on in a 2012 practice scrimmage when Sanders first made an impression on her teammates.
 
"I remember we were doing a live scrimmage and the catchers would call out balls and strikes," commented Campbell. "Brittney was not afraid to strike out a senior, and say, 'strike three you're out!' She didn't care."
 
The confidence from Sanders in her very first season caught the attention of her teammates, and especially helped her establish a bond with the three pitchers she would spend the most time with throughout her collegiate career. While the task was a large one having to acquaint herself with three brand new arms as a freshman, Sanders was quick to identify the strengths and weaknesses of all three.
 
"Brit kind of had her plate full coming in with three of us pitchers in the same grade," said Bywater. "She did a great job of getting to know us, and understanding that we are three different pitchers mentally and throwing wise. It didn't take her long to learn that."
 
While Sanders did not start and play every game her freshman season (19 starts, 23 appearances), she did not lose confidence when she wasn't on the field. Instead, she learned her pitching staff inside and out and made sure that when she was inevitably called upon to take command of the team that she was ready to take on the role in stride.
 
"All three of them really listen to what I have to say," Sanders said regarding MacDonald, Bywater and Campbell. "I am in charge of keeping them in line. They all listen really well and always agree."
 
When the time came for Sanders to step up, she didn't miss a beat. Midway through her debut season, Sanders began splitting starts at catcher, none of which was bigger than her start behind the plate at the NCAA West Region Championships in

Seaside, Calif. In the Yellowjackets' final game of the season, Sanders earned the start and got a taste of what competition was like at the next level.
 
"It was almost like when we won conference I didn't fully know it was a big deal," Sanders said. "I didn't realize how hard it is to get to regionals, but it is totally different when you go there. It's a completely unique feeling."
 
The feeling has evaded Sanders and her teammates the last two seasons, as the 'Jackets missed out on the GNAC Championships narrowly in 2013 and 2014. With one conference series remaining on the 2015 schedule, the Yellowjackets could punch their return ticket to the conference tournament with two more victories over Western Oregon next weekend in Billings. For Sanders and the 'Jackets, there is no other option.
 
"Our goal is to make the conference tournament, win it, and go back to regionals," Sanders said. "I know that we can do that, and we have a great team this season to do it."
 
Beating the No. 4 team in the nation, Cal State Monterey Bay in 3-0 shutout fashion at this year's Tournament of Champions in Turlock, Calif., was the latest indicator that MSUB has what it takes to compete at the highest level.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
 
Paralleling her growth as a vocal leader, Sanders has consistently improved her numbers each year of her career as well. At the plate she ranks ninth alltime at MSUB in hits with 143 and holds the seventh-best career batting average at .348. Her 30 career doubles rank No. 6 and her 86 RBIs are eighth most in program history.
 
Defensively, Sanders is on pace for her best season yet as she has a career-high 26 assists and has added 195 putouts to rank her No. 5 in that category. Sanders holds a career fielding percentage of .983, and this season has mowed down nine base stealers.
 
"Brittney's biggest asset has been her reliability both behind the plate and in the batter's box," Allen said. "She has become a brick wall back there and has done a really good job improving on framing pitches to help our pitchers get more strikes."
 
Sanders has also shown the ability to come up with the timely hit for the 'Jackets, as she hit a team-leading .462 with runners in scoring position her junior season.
 
The impression Sanders has made as a leader both statistically and vocally has rubbed off on her teammates young and old alike. "Brittney has been a leader to me and really took me under her wing," said freshman first baseman Cameron Cassinelli. "We started hitting together a lot and she has really helped me out. She has always been really vocal to the team, especially in practice. I have never had this good of a catcher before while playing first base."
 
A big reason for Sanders' success at the college level is due to her consistency as a catcher throughout her youth development. The Kelso, Wash., native has been in the squat since she was 12 years old, and credits much of her progression as a player to her stepfather and coach Brent Harris.
 
"My parents coached me my whole life, and both my mom and step dad were big role models to me," Sanders said regarding her mother Julie Harris. "My step dad was hard on me and that has helped make me the way that I am as a leader. I definitely get my character from my mom."
 
Now sporting an open batting stance at the plate, Sanders cited another early influential figure who helped her develop an approach at the plate. "I grew up hitting with Tim Mackin, the head coach at Lower Columbia Community College," Sanders said. "He is pretty much who formed my swing for me. I used to step over and close myself off, but now I stand much more open."
 
During her high school career, Sanders also had the unique opportunity to catch for her older sister Breanna, and the Sanders duo led Kelso High School to back-to-back state championships in 2009 and 2010. "I always played a year or two up with my older sister, and we used to go hit five or six buckets of balls in the cages each day," Sanders said. "Winning state with her was pretty cool."
 
BRIT'S GRIT
 
Before Sanders reached the top as an athlete in high school, she faced one of the most significant setbacks for an athlete when she tore her ACL as a freshman. Playing in the outfield in the first round of the state tournament at the time of her injury, Sanders continued on playing through the summer and into volleyball season the following fall as she initially thought it was just a sprain.
 
When Sanders went in for a second MRI after continuous discomfort, she learned that surgery would be required to repair the ligaments and that she would be sidelined.
 
"The doctors told me that because of the way that I tore my meniscus, I probably wouldn't be able to deep squat ever again," Sanders said. "When I first hurt it, I was more upset that I would miss the season than I was that I was in pain."
 
Despite a usual recovery time of 8-12 months, Sanders was back in the lineup just three months later playing third base. The expeditious recovery was a testament to Sanders' toughness, as she was determined not to let the setback take away from her development as a player. "It wasn't a question of 'if' I would play again, it was 'when,'" Sanders said. "I went to rehab and did as much as I could, and it has made me a stronger player and person. Taylor (Hoke) and I always joke that you would have to cut my leg off before I stop playing."
 
This season, Sanders has started all 41 games behind the plate for MSUB, and has conditioned herself well to handle the task of catching back-to-back doubleheaders in a weekend.
 
"In my mind Brittney is going to leave behind a benchmark for all catchers to come in the future of this program," Allen said. "She has brought up the defensive aspect to a higher level than it has ever been, and she has really been a perfect example of how you run a defense and a team."
 
AROUND THE HORN
 
"Brittney is a leader, not a boss. A boss says 'go do this,' and leaders say, 'let's go do this.' She always knows what needs to be done, and she does it with us." – Senior right-handed pitcher Jessica Campbell on senior catcher Brittney Sanders
 
Perk your ears at Avitus Group Stadium over the next two weekends when the Yellowjackets are at home, and it won't take long to recognize the distinct voice of MSUB's senior backstop.
 
Sanders' bellowing encouragement from the dugout while her teammates stand at the plate and the instructions she barks out to her defense with runners on first and third have become the trademarks of her playing career. At the same time, her ability to read her pitchers and offer the perfect words during a mound visit is a trait less obviously noticed to the average onlooker.
 
"Brit is really good at reading our pitches and understands how they work," MacDonald said. "She is never afraid to come to the mound and tell us what to work on. That is really helpful for me, because she knows better than anyone else what we need to do as pitchers."
 
As Sanders' collegiate career comes full circle, she and the Yellowjackets are peaking at the right time with one conference series left on the schedule. MSUB has won nine of its last 10 GNAC games and is poised to make a loud return to the conference championships.
 
"Personally, I just want to be consistent at the plate and help our team score runs," Sanders said. "I'm a cleanup hitter, that's my job."
 
Whether she's standing in the box in a crucial situation with runners in scoring position, or flashing down signs for any one of MSUB's five pitchers, when the 'Jackets look to No. 11 they know they are always in good hands.

Next: Part 7, Aubrey Conceicao, 2B