2019 Softball Season Review

COMING UP: Season Complete
 
OPENING ROUND RECAP: C of I traveled to Hattiesburg, Miss., to participate in the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round – picking up a pair of wins against No. 17-ranked and host William Carey, dropping a pair of games to No. 8-ranked Vanguard – including a 5-1 decision in the bracket championship. The Coyotes opened tournament play with a 4-1 victory over WCU – recording four doubles in the victory – while slugging three home runs in a 7-5 loss to VU in the semifinals. It marked the C of I's third trip to an Opening Round site, with the Yotes advancing to the title game in each of their three appearances.
 
ROBERT CAPS ALL-AMERICA SEASON: Colette Robert picked up two victories in the Opening Round, closing out one of the most dominating pitching seasons in program history – earning honorable mention NAIA All-America honors. The left-hander finished 2019 with a 23-7 record and a 1.39 ERA – the 23 wins the No. 3 mark in school history and the 1.39 ERA the No. 2 mark by a Coyote. Robert threw a staff-high 201 innings, striking out 155 batters (including three games with 10 strikeouts), while walking just 36 batters.
 
CROFTS AND LOFFER SET LOFTY MARKS: Both junior Trystin Crofts and freshman Haley Loffer had monster 2019 seasons – capping the year with quality efforts in Mississippi. Crofts had a pair of doubles in the opening victory over William Carey and finished the season hitting .415 with a school record 21 doubles, five triples, five home runs and 42 RBI – setting a new mark for total bases in a season with 119. Loffer reached base in nine of her 13 plate appearances in the Opening Round – including six walks – closing 2019 with a school record 47 runs scored and 32 stolen bases, ranking second all-time with 28 walks.
 
MADDOX CLOSES POWERFUL SENIOR YEAR: Right fielder Marissa Maddox completed the most productive offensive season – recording the second-high home run total in program history and establishing a new school record for RBI. The senior finished 2019 with 13 home runs, second only to the 18 home runs hit by Heather Dixon in 2009 – with Maddox clubbing two home runs in a game on a pair of occasions (at Corban, at Oregon Tech), joining Dani Villyard as the only player in program history to hit multiple home runs in a game three times. Maddox became the first C of I player to surpass the 50 RBI mark in a season, ending 2019 with 54 RBI (breaking Dixon's previous mark of 48 set in 2009). She had 11 games with multiple RBI, including five RBI vs. Providence and tying a school record with six RBI at Corban.
 
POSTSEASON REVIEW: Of the four Cascade Conference teams in the NAIA National Tournament, both C of I and Corban advanced to the championship game of their respective Opening Round Brackets – with Corban losing to host Mobile (Ala.) in the Gulf Shores Bracket final. Both Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon advanced to the NAIA Softball World Series – OIT going undefeated in the Marion Bracket, defeating Indiana Wesleyan in the title game, with SOU going undefeated in the Medford Bracket, stopping Hope International in the championship. At the World Series – OIT finished 1-2 to tie for seventh place, while Southern dominated their foes, eliminating defending champion, Science & Arts (Okla.) and stopping perennial power Oklahoma City in the national title game to win the championship.
 
YOTES FINISH NO. 20 IN TOP-25 POLL: With a runner-up finish in the Hattiesburg Bracket of the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round, the Yotes climbed two spots to No. 20 in the final Top-25 poll of the 2019 season. It was the fifth time in program history that C of I has ended a season nationally-ranked and the first time since 2014 that the squad was in the final poll of the season. In 2007, the Coyotes ended the season ranked No. 14, the 2009 team finished No. 23, the 2013 squad was No. 19, with the 2014 team ending the year No. 7 – the highest national ranking in program history.
 
40-WIN SEASON: For the first time in program history, the Yotes hit the 40-win mark, reaching the plateau with their second victory over William Carey in Mississippi. The 40-17 record marked the second time the team had an over 70-percent win percentage (2007 team finished 37-12), with the 57 games played were the second-most by a C of I team (the 2013 team played 59 games – finishing 36-23).
 
COYOTES SET NEW HOME WINS MARK: C of I played a record 30 games at Symms Field during the 2019 season, with the Yotes finishing the year 23-7 on their own diamond. The squad won all six Cascade Conference series' played at Symms Field – going 15-3 in countable games – with the 23 overall wins surpassing the previous mark of 19 established on two occasions.
 
LOOKING BACK AT 2019: Things started quickly for the Yotes, recording their best start in program history. C of I won all six games during a January tour of Arizona – beginning the season 8-0, extending that mark to 11-1 after a win over rival Northwest Nazarene and pushing the record to 16-2 after a win over the University of Providence. A second 8-game win streak, capped by a road win at Northwest, helped the Yotes improve to 26-6. The club won every home Cascade Conference series – including a series win over national champion, Southern Oregon (the only team to defeat SOU 2-time during the season), with C of I sweeping 4-game series against Northwest Christian, British Columbia, Northwest and Carroll.
 
GAME RECORDS: Haley Loffer established a single-game school record with five stolen bases vs. Eastern Oregon, with the Yotes swiping a record 10 total stolen bases in the victory. Three other single-game records were tied – as both Marissa Maddox (at Corban) and Trystin Crofts (at Benedictine-Mesa) scored four runs in a game; Maddox (at Corban) recorded six RBI in a game; with Maddox (at Corban, vs. Oregon Tech) hitting two home runs in a game.
 
SEASON RECORDS: Two team records fell during the 2019 season – as the Yotes established new marks for wins (40) and saves (7) in a season – with the team tying the mark for home runs (37). Individually, 10 players worked their way into the Top-20 record book, led by Trystin Crofts, who set new school marks for hits (73), total bases (119) and doubles (21), ranking No. 2 in games played (57), games started (57), triples (5) and defensive assists (111), No. 3 in at bats (176), No. 4 in runs scored (41), No. 6 in RBI (42), No. 7 in batting average (.415), slugging percentage (.676) and on-base percentage (.461), No. 8 in stolen bases (19) and No. 14 in hit by pitches (6). Haley Loffer set new records for runs scored (47) and stolen bases (32), ranking No. 2 in walks (28), No. 3 in games started (56), No. 4 in defensive assists (99), No. 5 in on-base percentage (.489), games played (56) and defensive chances (292), No. 6 in hits (57) and hit by pitches (8), No. 7 in triples (3) and total bases (86), No. 10 in doubles (11), No. 11 in at bats (154), No. 15 in batting average (.370), No. 16 in slugging percentage (.558) and No. 20 in defensive put outs (182). Marissa Maddox set a new mark for single-season RBI (54), while ranking No. 2 in home runs (13), No. 3 in games started (54) and total bases (101), No. 7 in games played (54), No. 8 in slugging percentage (.669), No. 12 in hits (52), No. 13 in at bats (151), No. 17 in doubles (10) and No. 19 in walks (16); Delaney Atkins finished No. 2 in games played (57), No. 3 in games started (56), No. 5 in at bats (162), No. 9 in RBI (36), No. 10 in triples (2) and doubles (11), No. 14 in hit by pitches (6) and No. 17 in stolen bases (11); Kylie Smith was No. 2 in games played (57) and at bats (180), No. 3 in games started (5) and defensive assists (109), No. 9 in sacrifice hits (9) and No. 10 in defensive chances (268); Taylor Eakle ranked No. 8 in home runs (7) and No. 10 in slugging percentage (.627); with Aleah Mendiola No. 10 in triples (2). In the circle, Colette Robert recorded the No. 2 ERA mark (1.39) for a season, ranking No. 3 in wins (23), shutouts (8) and saves (3), No. 4 in pitching starts (29) and complete games (26), No. 5 in pitching appearances (35) and innings pitched (201) and No. 8 in strikeouts, with Hannah McNerney No. 13 in shutouts (2), No. 16 in ERA (2.82), No. 17 in wins (9) and No. 20 in pitching starts (17).
 
CAREER RECORDS: A total of 13 players etched their names in the Top-20 of the C of I career record book, led by Delaney Atkins, who ranks among the leaders in 13 categories – including No. 3 in at bats (521), No. 6 in games played (175), games started (171), triples (5) and hit by pitches (16), No. 7 in hits (148) and doubles (31), No. 9 in runs scored (88), No. 13 in stolen bases (19), No. 14 in home runs (9) and sacrifice hits (14), ranking No. 20 in defensive put outs (239). Trystin Crofts heads into her senior season ranked No. 2 in triples (7), No. 3 in doubles (33), No. 5 in defensive assists (237), No. 6 in stolen bases (32), home runs (15) and RBI (88), No. 11 in defensive chances (514) and hit by pitches (12), No. 12 in runs scored (75) and hits (137), No. 18 in walks (31) and No. 19 in at bats (389), while Marissa Maddox capped her career ranked No. 2 in home runs (19) and slugging percentage (.650), No. 3 in batting average (.350), No. 6 in on-base percentage (.413), No. 10 in RBI (78), No. 16 in triples (2) and No. 20 in hit by pitches (8). Kylie Smith ranks No. 6 in defensive assists (198), No. 10 in sacrifice hits (13) and No. 16 in both triples (2) and defensive chances (444); Taylor Eakle is No. 4 in slugging percentage (.552), No. 10 in home runs (13) and No. 13 in defensive put outs (290); Aleah Mendiola is No. 16 in triples (2); Martha Tooley is No. 12 in defensive put outs (299); with Lacie Miller No. 17 in defensive put outs (248). Pitching wise, Colette Robert tied the school record for career saves (6), ranking No. 2 in wins (50), complete games (62) and shutouts (15), No. 3 in appearances (83), starts (71) and innings pitched (478.1), ranking No. 4 in ERA (1.95) and strikeouts (348); Hannah McNerney ranks No. 10 in shutouts (2), No. 11 in wins (9), No. 12 in complete games (6), No. 13 in starts (17) and innings pitched (101.2), No. 16 in strikeouts (44) and No. 19 in appearances; Loryn Fonger is No. 15 in appearances (27) No. 17 in both wins (4) and starts (11) and No. 19 in innings pitched (65.2); with Nichole Giesy No. 18 in complete games (2).
 
EXCITEMENT FOR 2020: The Yotes will bring back the bulk of their roster for the 2020 season – including their entire infield. No. 2 starting pitcher Hannah McNerney, along with key relievers Nichole Giesy and Loryn Fonger will return, along with five key infielders (Trystin Crofts, Haley Loffer, Kylie Smith, Aleah Mendiola, Lacie Miller) and catcher Brielle Stephens. Outfielders Alyssa Goff and Micha Fortune, who split time in left field, also return – as will 2018 starters Martha Tooley and Jordan Maddox, who each redshirted last season.