2020 Softball Notebook - Week 2

LIVE COVERAGE: Live Stats for the games against Carroll this weekend will be provided on the C of I Stretch Internet Portal. Live Video (weather permitting) will also be available on the Stretch Internet Portal.

COMPLETE MEDIA GAME NOTES
 
PAIR OF YOTES NAMED CCC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Pitcher Hannah McNerney and infielder Trystin Crofts were honored as Red Lion-Cascade Conference Players of the Week, the league office announced on Feb. 3. In the first eight games of the 10-game Arizona trip for the Yotes, McNerney threw 25 1/3 innings while allowing only two earned runs on her way to Pitcher of the Week honors. The tall right-hander finished the week with three complete games to go along with a 2-1 record and a 0.55 ERA, highlighted by a three-hit shutout of No. 11 Hope International on Saturday. Over the same stretch of action, Crofts was outstanding at the plate, crushing opposing pitching to the tune of a .480 batting average with two home runs and seven RBI to take home the Player of the Week accolades. Crofts came across the plate for 10 runs during the week and tallied 12 hits. The senior is coming off of a season in which she set C of I individual season records for hits (73), doubles (21) and total bases (119).
 
SOFTBALL/VOLLEYBALL DINNER AUCTION: The annual Dinner-Auction to benefit the College of Idaho softball and volleyball programs is set for Saturday, Mar. 7 in the Simplot Dining Hall of the C of I campus. Tickets are $50 per seat and include both dinner and an open bar. Eight-person tables are available as well. This is the main fundraiser of the year for the nationally-ranked softball and volleyball teams. Social hour starts promptly at 6 p.m,, with dinner beginning at 7 p.m. Enjoy the live, silent and dessert auctions throughout the night.
 
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. The Yotes have already played four one-run contests in 2020 and are 2-2 in those affairs.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW - CARROLL: The Fighting Saints played six games in the NAIA College Classic in Lake Elsinore, Calif. from Feb. 7-9 and went 4-2. Carroll finished the 2019 campaign 19-24 overall and 11-15 in the CCC. Anna ApRoberts highlights the offensive attack once again after leading the team with a .333 batting average, 3 homers and 25 RBI last year. Allison Williams (9-7, 3.86 ERA, 76 K, 21 BB) is the leading returner on the mound.

TOOLEY RETURNS: After missing the entire 2019 season, Martha Tooley made an immediate impact in her return to the lineup for the Yotes, going 10-of-29 at the plate with a home run and seven RBI in Arizona, including reaching base in nine of the 10 games.

MCNERNEY STEPS INTO THE ACE ROLE: Right-hander Hannah McNerney has taken over for Colette Robert at the top of the C of I rotation and been effective, going 2-1 with a 1.15 ERA in 30 1/3 innings. McNerney has struck out 15 and limited opponents to a .236 batting average.

FONGER DOMINANT OUT OF PEN: In 9 2/3 innings of work over five appearances this season, Loryn Fonger has shut down opponents, allowing just four hits and striking out seven while yielding no runs on her way to a 2-0 record with a save. 

MENDIOLA MASHING: Not much has slowed down outfielder Aleah Mendiola this year, with the junior crushing opposing pitching to the tune of a .433 batting average, four doubles, one home run and a team-leading 10 RBI.  Her three-RBI double cleared the bases and ignited a late C of I rally in a 7-4 win over Arizona Christian on Feb. 3. Mendiola has consistently been clutch when it matters most, hitting 7-of-14 with runners in scoring position.

FAST STARTS: C of I has jumped ahead of opponents in the first two innings of games with regularity, outscoring the opposition 7-2 in the first inning and 10-3 in the second inning this season. The Yotes are 6-1 when scoring first.

SWIPING BAGS: The Yotes are 17-of-18 on stolen base attempts this season, led by Haley Loffer with eight steals in nine attempts.

PITCHING SPLITS TO NOTE: Lefty bats have not had much success against Hannah McNerney, who has held them to a .182 batting average in 33 at-bats. Loryn Fonger, Nichole Giesy and Natalie Sell have each been tough against righty batters. Fonger has held righties to a .100 batting average in 20 plate appearances and Sell has a .167 average against her in 18 at-bats. Giesy has yet to give up a hit to a right-handed batter in nine at-bats.

A STAPLE IN THE LINEUP: Second baseman Kylie Smith is the only C of I player to start every game this year, filling the No. 2 spot in the batting order in all 10 games and getting the start at second each time. She has taken advantage of her opportunities at the plate, hitting .424 (14-of-33) with five RBI and a pair of stolen bases. Smith has went 6-of-9 with runners in scoring position and 4-of-6 with two outs.

NATIONAL RESPECT: For the fifth time in program history, The College of Idaho softball team entered the 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. 

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 AHEAD: Following the four-game set with Carroll this weekend, C of I heads to the road next Friday and Saturday to play Oregon Tech in Klamath Falls. The Owls went 5-1 against the Yotes during the 2019 campaign.

RECORD BOOK UPDATE: With 87 runs scored for her career, Trystin Crofts has moved into 10th on the all-time record list at the C of I. Her 151 hits ranks seventh, 34 doubles is third, eight triples is second, 17 home runs is sixth, 95 RBI is fourth and 34 stolen bases is tied for sixth. In just 65 career games, Haley Loffer has swiped 40 bases, moving her into the fourth spot in the career leaderboard. Hannah McNerney has the fifth best career ERA out of Yotes pitchers who have thrown a minimum of 25 innings, posting a 2.44 ERA over the course of 132 innings pitched.