PORTLAND, Ore. – After becoming the Great Northwest Athletic Conference alltime career starts leader with his 41st on Friday, Montana State University Billings senior left-hander Brady Muller has been selected as the GNAC Pitcher of the Week announced by the conference office Monday.
 
Muller was lights out against Saint Martin's in Game 1, going the distance and not allowing an earned run in a narrow, 2-1 victory for MSUB Friday. Muller struck out six and scattered six hits, while walking just two in the 9-inning effort. He entered the ninth with a shutout intact, and SMU's only run came after a batter reached base on a dropped fly ball.
 
"Brady is just stingy, and he knows how to give up the fewest runs with the stuff he's got that day," commented MSUB head coach Rob Bishop. "In Game 1, that was important as we only scored two runs and didn't have much to work with. Facing SMU's Josh Moss, we knew it was going to be a low-scoring game. Both had thrown well down the stretch, and Brady stepped up and delivered."
 
The victory kicked off a four-game sweep for MSUB, that ultimately clinched the GNAC regular-season title and hosting rights for the GNAC Championships. MSUB also set a GNAC record for fewest runs allowed in a four-game conference series, as the 'Jackets surrendered just two runs and only one was earned.
 
Muller is now the GNAC leader in strikeouts with 74, and his wins total of six is the second-highest in the GNAC.
 
In addition to being the conference's alltime starts king, Muller ranks No. 3 in GNAC history in career strikeouts (236), and No. 4 in innings pitched (272 1/3) and in wins (20).
 
Muller becomes the eighth GNAC Player of the Week honoree from MSUB baseball this season, and the third pitcher from MSUB's staff to receive the honor. Tanner Johnson, Trevor Nix, Brody Miller (twice), Kyle Durbin, Cody Cooper, and Luke Reinschmidt have each also earned GNAC Player of the Week this season.
 
Reinschmidt was an honorable mention selection this week for GNAC Player of the Week, after batting 6-for-14 with two doubles, five runs scored, and three stolen bases.
 
The Yellowjackets will host the 2015 GNAC Baseball Championships, running Thursday and Friday at Dehler Park in Billings, Mont. MSUB is scheduled to play the No. 3 seed Northwest Nazarene at 4 p.m. Thursday and the No. 2 seed Western Oregon at 7 p.m. that evening.