Seventh 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)
Part 6: Catcher Brittney Sanders (April 16, 2015)

MSUB SPORTS – Meet halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego and you'll find yourself in the Southern California town of Temecula. Located roughly 90 minutes north of the border to Mexico, its winding dirt roads extend far into the distance and fresh grapes are in abundance in what is referred to often as wine country.
 
More than a decade ago, twin brothers Brett and Bryant Conceicao were growing up in their parents' tract home, experimenting with whatever sports they could and playing in the dirt every opportunity they got.
 
Following close behind was their little sister Aubrey Conceicao, who only ever wanted to do what her brothers did and have fun alongside them. Soccer and tee ball were there for Conceicao from as early an age as she can remember, but she also got involved in horseback riding until a broken pinky prevented her from gripping a saddle properly.
 
When her requests to her father Mike of creating a girls' football league so that she could play too fell through, she settled for a Honda XR70 dirt bike so she could keep up with her brothers. When her brother suffered injuries in a crash, it was the end of the dirt bike line as Aubrey's mother Linda Conceicao asserted her authority.
 
"After that crash my mom said we weren't allowed to ride anymore," Conceicao said. "I just stuck with softball and soccer as my main two sports from there."
 
Conceicao's days of horse showing and dirt bike riding with the boys had come to an end, but she was about to embark on a whole new career and a fresh start with softball.
 
Since then, she has put together one of the most memorable careers in Montana State University Billings softball history, and is still composing her final chapter as she leads the Yellowjackets into the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships this weekend.
 
STARTING AT FIRST, MOVING TO SECOND
 
Conceicao began playing travel softball when she was 12, electing to explore a new sport and commit to it instead of pursuing her soccer career. Her father had been her coach every step of the way and her mother had been at every practice from tee ball through travel ball.
 
"When I got older my dad let the other coaches take over," Conceicao said. "Then they became the team parents. They have always been so supportive. We would have tournaments every weekend and they would drive me everywhere."
 
As she learned the fundamentals of the game, Conceicao knew that if she wanted to differentiate herself and excel, that she would have to commit to her travel ball team and be willing to find the position that fit her best.
 
For the first few seasons, Conceicao started in the outfield and experimented at first base. She built a strong skill set and felt herself progressing, but it was during her 14-year-old season when she remembered the first jolt of energy that ignited her passion in the game.
 
"I had a coach named Brian Turang who came in for one season and moved me to second base," Conceicao said. "He started teaching us some really cool things, and it sparked my interest for the game."
 
Turang, who played 78 games with the Seattle Mariners during the 1993-94 seasons, saw something in Conceicao that no one else had to that point. The ex-Major League Baseball infielder brought Conceicao's potential to the surface, albeit only temporarily as she shifted back into the outfield the following season.
 
When her senior teammate at Great Oak High School tore her ACL, the freshman Conceicao took over at first base and became a fixture over the next four seasons. By the time Conceicao reached her senior year, she had her choices for college narrowed down to schools in San Francisco, Hawaii, and Billings.
 
"I had three schools looking at me, but when I went on a visit to MSUB I became more interested," Conceicao said. "I was more sold on the team and the camaraderie compared with the other schools that I looked at."
 
During Conceicao's recruiting visit to MSUB, she was asked to slide over and play second base. While Conceicao had grown comfortable at first base and running down balls in the outfield, she remembered the excitement she got out of the position during her brief stint there under Turang's guidance.
 
"It was definitely a learning curve for me my freshman year learning the ins and outs of second base," Conceicao said. "Jenna VanEykeren was a senior who helped me a lot. I definitely tried to follow in her footsteps."
 
TOUGHEST TO STRIKE OUT
 
The move to second base ended up being a natural fit for Conceicao, as she embraced her new position and had no problem handling the challenge of playing a middle infield spot.
 
"Aubrey was so successful because she asked so many good questions and was eager to learn," said MSUB head coach Lisa Allen. "Jenna did a really good job of mentoring Aubrey in that position, and they worked well together. She helped Aubrey get comfortable at second and to know where she needed to be on every play."
 
While Conceicao played in just 10 games as a freshman behind VanEykeren, her .364 batting average (8-for-22) hinted that she was about to become a cornerstone in MSUB's lineup over the next four seasons.
 
Four hundred at-bats later, and Conceicao holds the third-highest career batting average in MSUB history at .367, and her 153 hits are eighth-most in Yellowjacket history.
 
As a sophomore in 2013 not only did Conceicao hit .336 with two home runs and 26 RBIs, but she struck out just one time in 135 plate appearances. That mark led all of the NCAA Division II, as she was honored with the NCAA's Toughest to Strike Out award.
 
"I hadn't realized she had only struck out once until it was brought up, and I don't think Aubrey even knew," Allen said. "She is still such a tough person to get out, and when she strikes out it's a surprise. She battles so well and is good at putting the ball into play."
 
Entering this week's GNAC tournament, Conceicao has struck out just 15 total times in 465 career plate appearances for the Yellowjackets, a figure that averages out to one strikeout every 31 times to bat.
 
Conceicao's toughness at the plate is a trait she developed as a child, as she learned how to face adversity through her family growing up. When Aubrey was in fifth grade, her mother Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer.
 
"That was hard to go through as a kid," Aubrey said. "Looking back it is kind of fuzzy and it was hard for me to fully understand what was going on. Even now I go with my mom to appointments for checkups and support her."
 
Linda is now cancer free, as the support she received from her daughter and family helped her overcome the disease.
 

BECOMING SAAC PRESIDENT
 
With as much as Conceicao has contributed to the MSUB softball program on the field, it's difficult to find a player who has shown more dedication to the success of her team as a whole. That being said, it has always been within Conceicao's nature to go the extra mile, and put forth a further effort to better herself and those around her.
 
In her very first season with the 'Jackets, Conceicao was selected to represent her team on MSUB's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which is an organization that serves as the liaison between student-athletes and students on campus.
 
Each team at MSUB has representatives on SAAC, with one student-athlete serving as president of the organization and representing the school as a whole for conference-wide and regional SAAC meetings.
 
Conceicao was quickly interested in the creative community service projects that SAAC is tasked with developing, as she helped coordinate canned food drives at home basketball games. As a junior last year, Conceicao had the opportunity to travel to the GNAC SAAC retreat in Burnaby, British Columbia, convening with SAAC representatives from the other nine schools in the conference and brainstorming ideas for projects at their schools.
 
This year, Conceicao has served as the president of SAAC at MSUB, a role she has taken in stride but one she admits pushed her outside of her comfort zone. "Never in a million years did I ever think I would be president of SAAC," Conceicao said with a smile. "It has definitely pushed me out and taught me how to speak in public, and it has taught me a lot of life lessons."
 
Through her leadership role, Conceicao spoke this year at the MSUB Scholarship Dinner Auction in the fall and also at the Yellowjacket Hall of Fame and Distinction induction ceremony in February. Her considerate words provided audiences with a first-hand perspective of the importance of being a student-athlete, and her dedication to her position as president has made her a role model for teammates and fellow student-athletes alike to aspire to follow.
 
"Aubrey has shown that you can be a good student, a leader on the field, a SAAC president, and be involved in many community events all while keeping a good GPA," Allen commented. "Without SAAC and everything she is involved with, she might not be the confident, humble, and resilient person that she is today."
 
Maintaining a 3.40 grade point average while studying psychiatric rehabilitation, Conceicao was recently inducted into MSUB's Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society, which recognizes students who participate in a varsity sport and maintain a 3.40 cumulative GPA. She was also picked as an academic all-GNAC honoree for the third year in a row this season.
 
"The leadership shown by Aubrey through SAAC over the past four years is a true testament to what being a Yellowjacket is all about," commented MSUB athletic director and SAAC adviser Krista Montague. "It has been a pleasure watching Aubrey excel on the field, within the classroom, and among her peers as a leader of SAAC. We want to sincerely thank her for her dedication to the overall student-athlete experience, and we will miss her leadership among the entire university. She is a true role model and no doubt has made a positive impact on those around her."
 
AROUND THE HORN

 
"She's the quiet storm. She's always there, and you never hear her, but she's always just doing what she needs to do." – MSUB head coach Lisa Allen on senior second baseman Aubrey Conceicao
 
As Conceicao prepares to lead the Yellowjackets into the GNAC Championships, she has all of the tools possessed by a humble and respected leader. She commands the respect of her teammates by setting a prime example, whether it be snagging ground balls or doing her part academically as she pursues her degree.
 
As a wide-eyed freshman in 2012, Conceicao looked on as the Yellowjackets stormed to the GNAC regular-season title and advanced to the NCAA West Region Championships. "When we were freshmen, we had a big group of seniors who had a big impact on us," Conceicao remembered. "We are hoping to have the same impact on our underclassmen."
 
Now back in the postseason, it is Conceicao's turn along with her fellow seniors to put on display what they have learned growing together over the past four seasons.
 
Beside her is Jessica Campbell, the Montana native who Conceicao met on her recruiting visit and spent her freshman year rooming with, and fellow pitcher Mary Grace Bywater who she has lived with the last two years.
 
In the circle is first-team all-GNAC pitcher Jessyka MacDonald, who has comfortably pitched to contact knowing Conceicao's capabilities of handling anything hit in her direction.
 
To her left is Emily Osborn, the first baseman who has caught more throws from Conceicao than any other through her four years.
 
Behind the plate is catcher Brittney Sanders, whose voice Conceicao could recognize anywhere after countless times hearing it bark out defensive instructions and situations.
 
Up the middle is Taylor Hoke, the sure-handed shortstop who has grown into the GNAC Player of the Year, and who Conceicao has turned countless double plays with.
 
And in the dugout, looking on just as Conceicao did as a freshman, is second baseman Myrissa Prince. Whether she knows it or not, there is a lot of Aubrey Conceicao in her, and she represents the next generation of Yellowjacket elite who this year's one-of-a-kind class will pass the torch on to next.