2021 Softball Notebook (Week 6)

GAME COVERAGE: Every game this weekend will be covered with Live Video on the Yotes Digital Network. Fans can purchase a single game pass for $7.99, a day pass for $8.99 or a season pass for $29.99. Live Stats will be provided on the C of I Stretch Internet Portal for all home games.

COMPLETE MEDIA GAME NOTES
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW - EASTERN OREGON: The Mountaineers have won back-to-back series to begin conference play, taking two out of three counting contests against Warner Pacific and Carroll. Jordan Henley (.442 BA, 2 HR, 14 RBI), Haley Ebner (.405 BA, 2 HR, 15 RBI) and Makenzie Chambers (.383 BA, 6 2B, 1 HR, 13 RBI) lead the offensive attack for EOU. Amanda Smith (3-0, 5.74 ERA, 16 K) has appeared in 10 games to lead the team in appearances in the circle.
 
CONTINUING THE WIN STREAK: C of I has won nine straight games in a row, which is approaching the longest streak in program history, which is 12 set back in 2012.
 
BEST CONFERENCE START EVER: The six consecutive victories to begin the Cascade Conference slate is the best start to league play for the Yotes in program history. C of I went 4-0 to start CCC action in 2009, 2014 and 2019. 
 
400 WINS: Head coach Al Mendiola is the winningest coach in C of I softball program history with 403 wins. Mendiola reached 400 with a win in the opener at Providence, which put him in company with his wife Liz Mendiola - the head volleyball coach - as the only women's sports coaches to eclipse the 400 wins threshold in school history.
 
POLSTER NAMED NAIA AND CCC PITCHER OF THE WEEK: College of Idaho pitcher Annie Polster has been honored as the both the NAIA National Pitcher of the Week and Embrace Health-Santiam Hospital Cascade Conference Pitcher of the Week. Polster was dominant in an 8-0 win over Providence on Saturday, pitching a perfect game as she faced the minimum 15 batters over five innings of work. The right-hander from West Richland, Wash. struck out seven hitters to improve to 4-0 on the season with a 1.48 ERA. The effort by Polster was the first perfect game for the C of I program since 2008. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS: The Yotes are 9-1 when scoring in the first inning this season and 15-0 when leading after the fourth inning. When C of I outhits the opposition, the squad is 15-1.
 
BALL MAGNETS: In the fourth game of the series against Providence, the Yotes were hit by six pitches, marking a new single-game record for the program.

MIKEL MASHES PROVIDENCE PITCHING: Freshman Hannah Mikel tied a program record with six RBI in the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday. Mikel hit a grand slam in the fifth inning which made the score 12-0.
 
SATURDAY SLAMS: In addition to the Hannah Mikel grand slam in the weekend finale, Haley Loffer hit one of her own in the first game on Saturday as part of an eight-run fourth inning of play.
 
MCNERNEY SETTLING IN: Junior pitcher Hannah McNerney followed up her CCC Pitcher of the Week efforts from the week prior against Providence, pitching two complete games against the Argos to improve to 6-3 on the season with a 2.18 ERA and 27 strikeouts. McNerney allowed just nine hits in 12 innings while striking out nine and not allowing an earned run.
 
DOMINANT EFFORT: Across the four games at Providence, C of I outscored the Argos 39-2 behind strong pitching, solid fielding and quality hitting.  
 
ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF LOPSIDED GAMES: The Yotes are 14-0 on the year when the game is decided by five or more runs.
 
STRONG FINISHERS: Over the final three innings of games, C of I has outscored opponents 65-19, including 53-15 in the fifth and sixth innings.
 
CLEAN FIELDING EQUALS WINS: When the Yotes make one or fewer errors in a game, the team has gone 14-3, including 8-2 when committing zero errors.
 
RANKING WELL: C of I sits in the top four in the conference in the six major statistical categories, including leading the league with 51 stolen bases and ranking second with 10 home runs .
 
CROFTS RECORD BOOK UPDATE: Senior Trystin Crofts has become one of the most productive players in C of I history since she arrived on campus, ranking first on the all-time record list for the program with 115 runs scored for her career. She is also third with 190 hits, second with 43 doubles, tied for first with 12 triples, sixth with 17 home runs, third with 121 RBI and ranks tied for fourth with 51 stolen bases.
 
LOFFER STOLEN BASE UPDATE: Shortstop Haley Loffer has now stolen 53 bases in her career, ranking her third on the program record list. Heather Kirtley tops the list, having stolen 78 bases in 90 attempts from 2004-07.
 
INNING BREAKDOWN: C of I is outscoring opponents in every inning of games this season. The most lopsided inning has been the third, which has seen the Yotes outscore the opposition 36-10.
 
STILL FOUR CONFERENCE UNBEATENS: Joining the Yotes with perfect 6-0 marks after two weeks of conference play are Oregon Tech, Southern Oregon and Corban. Eastern Oregon is 4-2.
 
YOTES PICKED FOURTH IN CCC PRESEASON POLL: The College of Idaho was picked to finish fourth in the 2021 Cascade Conference Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll that was released by the league office. Southern Oregon was picked by the coaches as the preseason favorite for the fifth year in a row. The Raiders finished 2020 ranked No. 1 nationally before COVID-19 shortened the season. SOU took home 100 points in the poll. Oregon Tech was selected second with 88 points and Corban finished third with 80 points. The Yotes were right behind the Warriors in the poll with 77 points. Carroll rounded out the top-five with 64 points.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: C of I continues a stretch of eight straight home games with a four-game set at Symms Field against Carroll on Mar. 26-27.
 
KEEP UP WITH THE YOTES: Fans can stay updated on all things related to C of I softball by visiting YoteAthletics.com.