CALDWELL, Idaho - The College of Idaho softball team is on the road this week, taking on No. 3 Southern Oregon in Ashland, Ore. The games were originally scheduled for Friday and Saturday, but they have been pushed back to Sunday at 12 p.m. PT and Monday at 11 a.m. PT due to weather.
Games are scheduled to be played at University Field, but a turf field at U.S. Cellular Park in Medford is reserved in case of poor field conditions.
The Yotes are off to a stellar start in 2018 with a 9-2 start that includes sweeps of Ottawa, Arizona Christian and Willamette. Most recently, they used the run rule to win all three of their games against Willamette in less than six innings.
Live stats for Sunday's game are available
here.
Offense
Freshman
Jordan Maddox - who, along with
Delaney Atkins,
Lacie Miller and
Kylie Smith, has started all 11 of the Yotes games this season - is making a statement to start the season. Over the Yotes first 11 games, Maddox has had 19 hits - four doubles, one triple and four home runs - and 11 RBIs. She has a batting average of .568. On defense - where she plays first base - she leads the team in putouts with 60 and in double plays with five.
Courtney Ellis is also starting strong for the Yotes on offense with a batting average of .457. She leads the team in runs with 13, triples with two and stolen bases with four.
Atkins ranks third on the team for hits with 15. Miller is tied for third - with
Kristin Paulazzo and Angelina Romera - in runs scored with nine.
Kylie Smith leads the team in runs batted in with 13, is second with runs scored with 10 and fourth in hits with 14.
Defense
Taylor Eakle - appearing in nine games for the Yotes as a catcher - ranks second on the team in putouts with 42 on 48 chances. Smith and
Mallory Copeland are tied for third in putouts with 20 each. Smith also leads in assists with 22 and fielding double plays with five.
Pitching
Colette Robert leads the Yotes in pitching with a 6-0 record. She has struck out a team-leading 32 batters while allowing 37 hits and 11 runs.
Ali Longoria,
Haylie Hudson and
Sadee Sorensen have also picked up wins for the Yotes this season. Sorensen ranks second in strike outs with six and Longoria ranks third with three.
About Southern Oregon
The Raiders were picked to finish first in the Cascade Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll and were ranked third in the nation in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Poll. Last season, they finished second in the regular season and won the CCC Tournament by beating Corban twice. They made it in the Hattiesburg Bracket of the NAIA Opening Round, where they won four consecutive elimination games to earn their first spot in the NAIA World Series. They went 2-2 at the final site and were one of the last six teams standing, finishing 46-15 overall with a school-record win total.
The Yotes are 7-2 this season and have split their two games against ranked opponents. Last weekend, they went 2-2 as they split their double header with Menlo on Friday before splitting their double header with William Jessop on Saturday.
They are led by NAIA All-Region selection Kelsey Randall. Randall is a two-sport athlete - she also helped the Raiders win their first Cascade Conference soccer title this year - who led her team in batting average with .392 and hits with 74.
Success at Home
A year ago, C of I finished their home season with a 13-11 record - the 11th-straight season the Yotes have recorded a .500 or better record at Symms Field. During the 11-year stretch, C of I has a combined 160-82 record on their home diamond.
Looking Forward
After winning the 2017 CCC Championship, Southern Oregon was picked first in the CCC Preseason Coaches' Poll while the Yotes were picked fourth. The College of Idaho returned to the CCC playoffs after a two-year hiatus and advanced to the semi-finals.
The Yotes will face a tough conference schedule with two teams returning from a trip to the NAIA World Series and two teams in the top-five nationally.
The Lady Yotes have made seven postseason appearances in the 17-year history of the program - advancing to the CCC Championships in 2006, 2013, 2014 and 2017 - winning the title in 2013. The team qualified for the 2007 and 2008 NAIA Region I Tournaments - winning the 2008 title and losing in the title game in 2007.
Playoff Structure
The CCC Championships will once again be played at the home site of the regular-season champion – with the host receiving one of two automatic bids to the NAIA National Championships. The six-team tournament will be determined by the 27-game round-robin schedule – with the tourney champ earning the league's second bid to Nationals.
