2021 Softball Notebook (Week 8)

GAME COVERAGE: The weekend series in Eugene will be covered with Live Video on the Bushnell Stretch Internet Portal. Fans can also follow Live Stats on the Bushnell SIDEARM Stats Portal.

COMPLETE MEDIA GAME NOTES
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW - BUSHNELL: Slow starts have hurt the Beacons this season, as opponents have outscored them 109-21 in the first two innings. Miranda Jensen (.456 BA, 2 HR, 14 RBI) and Noel Balderston (.371 BA, 5 RBI) are a pair of bats to watch in the lineup. Jensen (5-8, 5.45 ERA) is also the top pitcher for Bushnell.
 
IN EUGENE: The Yotes have enjoyed great success over the years in Eugene, holding an overall record of 17-7 at Bushnell, including seven series sweeps, two splits and two series in which the Beacons won. Bushnell has won four of the previous six contests between the two sides in Eugene however.
 
RECORD WIN STREAK: C of I won 16 straight games in a row from Feb. 28 through Mar. 27, which set a new program record, eclipsing the 12 wins in a row that the 2012 team strung together.
 
MOST RUNS IN THE NAIA: The Yotes have scored the most runs in the NAIA through 30 games, tallying 240 runs for the season.
 
SPEED TO BURN: Of all NAIA programs, C of I ranks fourth with 64 stolen bases. Three Yotes have swiped double-digit bases, including Micha Fortune (14), Haley Loffer (13) and Trystin Crofts (11).
 
POLSTER NAMED CCC PITCHER OF THE WEEK: College of Idaho freshman Annie Polster was honored as the Embrace Health-Santiam Hospital Cascade Conference Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced on Monday. This is the second time this season that Polster has taken home the honor. Polster, a right-hander from West Richland, Wash., struck out a career-high 11 batters in the series opener against Carroll and followed that effort up with a five-inning complete game in which she allowed just three hits and two runs on Saturday. The Friday effort was a complete game four-hit performance in which the Fighting Saints did not bring across an earned run. Polster is now 7-0 on the season.
 
HARD TO HIT: In addition to taking home the CCC Pitcher of the Week accolades, Annie Polster ranks 11th in the NAIA with a .160 opponent batting average against. Overall, opponents are hitting just .219 against the Yotes.

LETHAL LINEUP: Six primary starters for C of I are hitting .300 or above this season, led by the .492 clip of Micha Fortune. Two additional starters are hitting above the .290 mark. C of I has a .338 team batting average.
 
LEADING IN SACRIFICE HITS: The Yotes top the CCC in total sacrifice hits with 39. Of those, 26 have been sacrifice bunts and 13 have been sacrifice flies.
 
LIMITING RUNNING CHANCES: Opponents have stolen a league-low nine bases against C of I, with the Yotes throwing out eight runners in 17 attempts. Southern Oregon has the best percentage of runners caught stealing, gunning down 10 in 16 tries.
 
CONSISTENT PITCHING: The C of I pitching staff has held 12 straight opponents to three runs or fewer.
 
STARTING CONFERENCE HOT: The 12 consecutive victories to begin the Cascade Conference slate is the best start to league play in program history. C of I went 4-0 to start CCC action in 2009, 2014 and 2019. The 22-8 overall record to begin the season equals the second-best start to a campaign in program history (2007 also went 22-8). The 2019 team started 26-6. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS: The Yotes are 14-1 when scoring in the first inning this season and 22-0 when leading after the fourth inning. When C of I outhits the opposition, the squad is 22-1.
 
ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF LOPSIDED GAMES: The Yotes are 21-0 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 79-22, including a 40-9 edge in the fifth inning.
 
CLEAN FIELDING EQUALS WINS: When the Yotes make one or fewer errors in a game, the team has gone 20-3, including 10-2 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 64 stolen bases, ranking second with eight runs scored per game and also sitting in second with 16 home runs. The pitching staff has moved the Yotes into second in the CCC with a miniscule 1.99 ERA.
 
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 121 runs scored for her career. She is also third with 198 hits, second with 45 doubles, tied for first with 12 triples, sixth with 17 home runs, third with 128 RBI and ranks tied for fourth with 51 stolen bases.
 
LOFFER STOLEN BASE UPDATE: Shortstop Haley Loffer has now stolen 58 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 59-13.
 
DOWN TO ONE CONFERENCE UNBEATEN: After Oregon Tech took a game against Southern Oregon last week, C of I is now the lone remaining unbeaten in Cascade Conference play. 
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Yotes return home on Apr. 9-10 to host Corban in a four-game set. All games will be broadcast live on the Yotes Digital Network.
 
HOME HEAVY STRETCH: Starting with the Corban series, the Yotes play 12 of their final 16 regular season games at Symms Field.
 
KEEP UP WITH THE YOTES: Fans can stay updated on all things related to C of I softball by visiting YoteAthletics.com.