LIVE COVERAGE: Live Video and Live Stats for the games on Thursday and Friday in Surprise will be provided on the OUAZ
Stretch Internet Portal. Live Video and Live Stats for the Saturday and Sunday doubleheaders in Waddell are expected to be on the Embry Riddle
Stretch Internet Portal. Live Video and Live Stats on Monday in Glendale will be on the ACU
Stretch Internet Portal.
COMPLETE MEDIA GAME NOTES
LOCATION INFORMATION: The doubleheaders on Thursday and Friday will be played at Willow Canyon High School located at 17901 West Lundberg Street in Surprise. The Saturday and Sunday action will be hosted at Canyon View High School in Waddell, which is located at 6024 North Perryville Road. Arizona Christian's home field is at the Dream City Christian School at 21000 North 75th Avenue in Glendale.
OPPONENT PREVIEW - PARK U. GILBERT: C of I begins the season on Thursday against the Buccaneers, who are embarking on their inaugural season.
OPPONENT PREVIEW - OUAZ: The Spirit were picked fifth in the preseason poll in the Golden State Athletic Conference, Senior pitcher Bailey Coronado posted a 2.85 ERA and struck out 115 batters last season. OUAZ went 17-28 in 2019.
OPPONENT PREVIEW - HOPE INTERNATIONAL: After winning 46 games last year and advancing to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round, the Royals enter the season ranked No. 11 in the Preseason NAIA Top-25 Coaches Poll. New head coach Holly Monahan brings back 14 players from that team, including the .444 batting average of Melanie Okazaki and sophomore pitcher Olivia Candelas, who finished with a 7-2 record and a 1.87 ERA last year.
OPPONENT PREVIEW - EMBRY-RIDDLE: Christie Ambrosi led the Eagles to a 17-25 record in her first season and brings back primary pitchers Mikaeli Davidson (11-12, 3.72 ERA, 94 K) and Carly Carlsen (6-11, 5.19 ERA, 87 K).
OPPONENT PREVIEW - ARIZONA CHRISTIAN: The Yotes conclude the 10 game slate in Arizona against the Firestorm, who received votes in the Preseason NAIA Top-25 Coaches Poll. The games will be played in Glendale at the Dream City Christian School. Elsy Guzman (.383, 6 HR, 45 RBI) and Paige Church (.365, 9 HR, 36 RBI) are the leading returning hitters, while Emerald Grijalva (15-9, 2.84 ERA) is back on the bump as the ace.
YOTES IN ARIZONA: This will be the fourth trip ever to Arizona for the program, with C of I holding a record of 16-5, including a perfect 6-0 trip last year against Arizona Christian, OUAZ and Benedictine Mesa. The other trips to the desert included 2005 when the Yotes went 4-3 in the Tucson Invitational Games and 2018 where the team went 6-2 playing eight games in four days.
JANUARY SOFTBALL: C of I has played in January during three prior seasons, including going 3-0-1 in the Bay Area in 2016, posting a 6-2 mark in Arizona in 2018 and finishing 6-0 in the Grand Canyon State last season. The Yotes have an impressive 15-2-1 mark in the month of January in program history.
CARDIAC YOTES: A year after going 1-11 in games decided by one run, C of I went 8-4 in one-run games in 2019, a huge key in an 18-win improvement in the one year span.
POSITIONAL PREVIEW - PITCHERS: Runs were hard to come by for opponents of The College of Idaho in 2019, something which is expected to remain the case as the team embarks on the 2020 season. A year after posting the second lowest ERA in the Cascade Conference at just over two runs a game, C of I brings back four pitchers who saw time in the circle last season, giving 15th year head coach
Al Mendiola plenty of strong options on the mound.
Hannah McNerney anchors the rotation after going 9-5 with a 2.82 ERA in the No. 2 starter role behind All-American
Colette Robert (23-7, 1.39 ERA, 155 K) a season ago. McNerney, a 5-foot-11 right-hander, started 17 games in 2019 and appeared in five additional contests out of the bullpen. Three additional pitchers saw game action last season for the Yotes. Junior
Nichole Giesy appeared in 10 games and went 3-2 with a 2.84 ERA in 32 innings. The righty also held opponents to a .232 batting average. Junior
Loryn Fonger saw action in 12 games and went 2-1 with a 4.09 ERA, while sophomore
Reylene Cortes went 2-1 with a 3.23 ERA in eight appearances. Right-hander
Kendyl Boltz did not see game action last year, but will compete for time in the circle The overall depth of the pitching staff will be a key against some of the upper echelon competition in CCC play, with freshmen
Natalie Sell and
Lexi Navarrete teaming with transfer
Brianna Hoffman to give the Yotes plenty of options. Sell, an in-state product from Coeur d'Alene High, had an impressive prep career that was highlighted by throwing a no-hitter in the season opener for the Vikings against Asotin last year. Navarette served as the ace of the pitching staff for Ontario all four years of her high school career and is the fourth generation in her family to attend the C of I. She went 8-6 with a 2.72 ERA as a senior for the Tigers. After spending one season at Benedictine College in Kansas where she posted a 3-5 record with a 5.57 ERA in 15 appearances, Hoffman heads to Caldwell with the potential to be a key innings eater.
POSITIONAL PREVIEW - CATCHERS: As many as six players have the ability to fill the catcher role for the Yotes, who will be tasked with replacing the production of starting catcher
Taylor Eakle, who hit .289 with seven home runs and 20 runs batted in last year. After missing last season due to injury,
Mallory Copeland will bring an immediate boost behind the dish for C of I. The powerful bat of junior
Brielle Stephens has the ability to be a key piece at the catcher spot as well. Stephens appeared in nine games as a sophomore after missing much of her freshman campaign due to injury. The Durham, Calif. product hit .600 with nine homers as a senior in high school and set the California state record with 23 doubles in 2015 as a sophomore. Transfer
Melice Rodriguez joins the Yotes after spending two seasons at Geneva College where she hit .250 each year in 36 total games. Beyond the returners and Rodriguez, freshmen
Sydney Zachry,
Lauren Gordon and
Jalyssa Beamer will add depth behind the plate. Zachry and Gordon will also add depth to the infield.
CCC PRESEASON POLL: The College of Idaho was picked to finish third in the 2020 Cascade Conference Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll. Southern Oregon was selected as the preseason favorite to take the conference crown after posting a record of 52-8 during a national championship run last year. The Raiders have also won the CCC tournament title three times in a row. SOU received nine first-place votes and earned 99 total points. Oregon Tech (91) was the other representative to receive first-place votes with two. The Owls went 44-17 a year ago. C of I followed in third with 81 points, with Corban (72) and Carroll (66) rounding out the Top-5.
NATIONAL RESPECT: For the fifth time in program history, The College of Idaho softball team will enter the 2020 season ranked in the NAIA Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll, earning the No. 19 spot in the poll that was released by the national office. The ranking marks the first time since 2015 that the Yotes have landed in the preseason edition of the poll, with that team being ranked No. 21. C of I has been ranked in the Top-20 in the NAIA Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll on three other occasions, including 2014 (No. 13), 2010 (No. 15) and 2008 (No. 14). Head coach
Al Mendiola's team received 225 voter points in the poll, with fellow Cascade Conference foes Southern Oregon (529) and Oregon Tech (406) each earning spots in the Top-10. The Raiders were ranked No. 1 and the Owls No. 8.
POSITIONAL PREVIEW - INFIELDERS: The infield is expected to continue to be a strength of the club, with all four primary starters from a season ago back. All-CCC selection
Trystin Crofts hit .415 with five home runs, 42 runs batted in and 19 stolen bases last year and will man the hot corner once again for the Yotes. Joining Crofts on the left side of the infield will be sophomore
Haley Loffer, who helped fill in at catcher early last year due to injuries, but will have the opportunity to be the everyday shortstop from day one this time around. Loffer batted .370 with four home runs, 13 runs batted in and a school-record 32 stolen bases last season. The double play duo up the middle is completed by
Kylie Smith, who batted .272 with 18 runs batted in during the 2019 campaign. C of I converted 29 double plays a year ago. After using last season as a redshirt year,
Martha Tooley will be back in the mix at first base, providing C of I with a powerful bat and a quality glove. Tooley played in 28 games in 2018 as a sophomore, hitting .316 with a pair of homers, four doubles and 13 runs batted in. The first base rotation will also feature
Lacie Miller, who started 32 games a year ago, while
Hannah McNerney will continue to be an option in the field when she is not pitching. Additional infield depth will be provided by
Sydney Zachry and
Lauren Gordon, who can each fill in at other spots on the field as well.
POSITIONAL PREVIEW - OUTFIELDERS: In the outfield, C of I graduated a trio of players who played key roles last year including All-CCC performer
Marissa Maddox (.344, 13 HR, 54 RBI), team leader
Delaney Atkins (.290, 3 HR, 36 RBI, 11 SB) and defensive specialist
Emily Aspden. Freshman
Hattie Hruza will step into the shoes of Atkins as the starting centerfielder after earning All-SIC honors as a senior at Vallivue High last year. Returners
Aleah Mendiola (.276, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 9 SB) and
Alyssa Goff (.360) are each strong defensive options in the corner outfield spots that have proven the ability to set the table for some of the power bats in the lineup for the Yotes.
Micha Fortune,
Charmayne Bennett and
Payton Bates each saw game action for C of I last season and are competing for increased roles with the departures of Maddox, Atkins and Aspden. In addition to Hruza, two more new faces are in the outfield mix, with the additions of
Lauren Garman and
Malybu Gantz. Garman hit .427 during her senior campaign at Vallivue, driving in 23 runs and slugging seven doubles. Gantz earned All-SRV honors after a strong senior year at Payette, a local school that C of I has had multiple players come from in recent history.
SUCCESS AGAINST OPPONENTS: In 14 previous contests against the five schools that C of I will face in Arizona, the Yotes have a combined record of 12-2 overall. The two losses came in the most recent games against Embry Riddle and Hope International, with the Eagles winning 9-5 in 2018 and the Royals taking the victory by a final of 9-1 during the 2015 campaign.
COMING UP NEXT: Following the 10 games in Arizona, C of I has a long stretch between action, beginning conference play on Feb. 21-22 at home against Carroll. The Yotes then head to Klamath Falls on Feb. 28-29 for a series with Oregon Tech.
A SEASON FOR THE BOOKS: C of I set new standards or matched previous school-best performances for team and individual statistics in 13 categories in 2019, including the most wins in a season in program history (40). Multiple individuals cracked the single season record book - including a pair of returners - as
Haley Loffer finished with 47 runs scored and 32 stolen bases and
Trystin Crofts posted 73 hits, 21 doubles and 119 total bases. In her senior season,
Marissa Maddox set a school record with 54 RBI.
LOOKING FOR ANOTHER HOT START: The Coyotes came out of the chutes fast in 2019, jumping out to an 8-0 start after racing out to a sizzling 10-2 record to begin the 2018 season. C of I has posted a winning record in non-conference action each of the last two years after going 1-2 during a rain-shortened 2017 preseason schedule.
MENDIOLA NEWS: College of Idaho head coach
Al Mendiola was chosen as the Idaho State Director of Fastpitch Northwest this offseason. The mission of Fastpitch Northwest is to bring the best fastpitch players forward in their pursuit to play beyond high school. More information about the program can be found by visiting
faspitchnw.com.
