(Editor's note: MSUB Athletics release)
BILLINGS - Becoming the fourth All-American in program history, Montana State University Billings baseball senior Will Riley was an honorable mention selection by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association for the 2021 spring season.
Riley led the Yellowjackets with a .401 batting average this spring, becoming the third player in school history to eclipse the .400 mark over the course of an entire season. His 63 hits, 16 doubles, and 104 total bases were the most in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
“The honor of All-American for Will Riley speaks to his dedication as a student-athlete,” said MSUB head coach Derek Waddoups. “He performed both on and off the field. He is a tireless worker and an outstanding athlete. He is the complete package when you look at attitude – academics – ability. He was a driving force behind our offensive production and did an outstanding job playing shortstop improving our overall team defense.”
Boasting a combination of contact and power hitting at the top of MSUB’s lineup, Riley reached base at a clip of .484 while slugging .662, with both figures ranking him top-10 in the conference. His seven home runs and 33 RBIs were third-most on the team, and he stole three bases while scoring a team-high 42 runs.
Riley was 1 of 3 Yellowjackets to start all 40 games during the season, playing a variety of roles defensively with the majority of his reps coming at shortstop. Riley’s 61 assists were second most on the team, and he posted a .905 fielding percentage in 128 total chances.
A consensus first-team all-region selection, Riley was honored by the NCBWA, American Baseball Coaches Association, and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association among the top players in the NCAA D2 west region. In his second year in the program, Riley was named first-team all-GNAC and he took home a GNAC Player of the Week award on March 1.
Riley joined Daniel Cipriano, Kaleo Johnson, and Brody Miller as the fourth player in MSUB baseball history to earn All-America recognition.
