2021 Softball Notebook (Week 5)

GAME COVERAGE: Live Video in Great Falls is expected to be provided on the University of Providence Softball Facebook Page. Live Stats will be on the Providence DakStats Portal.

COMPLETE MEDIA GAME NOTES
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW - PROVIDENCE: The Argonauts started the 2021 season with a four game series against Oregon Tech in which the Owls won all four games. McKenzie Staats (.444 BA, 3 2B, 1 RBI) and Taylor Matthews (.400 BA, 2 2B, 4 RBI) are the top bats for Providence through four games. The pitching staff allowed 15 runs per game against  the high-powered OIT offense last week.
 
BUILDING A WIN STREAK: C of I has won five straight games in a row for the first time since the 2019 team won five consecutive from Apr. 12-19.
 
HRUZA WITH A STREAK OF HER OWN: Sophomore outfielder Hattie Hruza has posted a six-game hitting streak. During that span, Hruza is 8-for-17 at the plate with a double, three RBI and two walks.
 
CROFTS NOW THE ALL-TIME LEADER IN RUNS: Senior Trystin Crofts has become one of the most productive players in C of I history since she arrived on campus, moving into first on the all-time record list for the program with 110 runs scored for her career after scoring three last week. She is also third with 185 hits, second with 42 doubles, tied for first with 12 triples, sixth with 17 home runs, third with 119 RBI and ranks fifth with 50 stolen bases.
 
ONE MORE WIN: Head coach Al Mendiola is the winningest coach in C of I softball program history with 399 wins. In his 15th season, Mendiola is now just one win away from 400, which would 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.
 
MCNERNEY NAMED CCC PITCHER OF THE WEEK: College of Idaho pitcher Hannah McNerney was honored as the Embrace Health-Santiam Hospital Cascade Conference Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced on Monday. McNerney was outstanding in two starts against Northwest last weekend, pitching a complete game one-hit shutout with seven strikeouts on Friday before working four more innings on Saturday in which she allowed just one run while striking out two. McNerney was the winning pitcher in each game to improve to 4-3 on the season with a 2.85 ERA in 39 1/3 innings.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: The Yotes are 8-1 when scoring in the first inning this season and 11-0 when leading after the fourth inning. When C of I outhits the opposition, the squad is 11-1.
FORTUNE AMONG CONFERENCE LEADERS: Senior outfielder Micha Fortune is hitting .486 this season through 16 games, which is good for the second best batting average in the Cascade Conference behind the .531 mark of McKenna Armantrout of Oregon Tech. Fortune is fourth in the CCC in stolen bases with eight in nine attempts.
 
POLSTER PITCHING WELL: Freshman right-hander Annie Polster has begun her collegiate career with multiple strong starts in the circle. The product of West Richland, Wash. is 3-0 with a miniscule 1.87 ERA in 18 2/3 innings across four appearances, including a five inning effort in which she struck out eight against Northwest last week. Polster has the third best ERA in the conference.
 
HIGGINS HITS EAGLES HARD: Over the course of five plate appearances on Saturday, Tanner Higgins went 4-for-5 with seven RBI and two runs. Her day was highlighted with a pinch hit grand slam in the fourth inning of the first game on Saturday.
 
LOFFER KEEPS RUNNING: Shortstop Haley Loffer has now stolen 52 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 for the season except the second, which has seen the Yotes plate six runs and opponents also score six. The Yotes have plated 33 runs in the third inning so far this year to just 10 for the opposition.
 
ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF LOPSIDED GAMES: The Yotes are 10-0 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 52-18, including 42-14 in the fifth and sixth innings.
 
RANKING WELL: C of I sits in the top four in the conference in the six major statistical categories, including leading the league with 41 stolen bases.
 
FOUR CONFERENCE UNBEATENS: Joining the Yotes with perfect 3-0 marks after a week of conference play are Oregon Tech, Southern Oregon and Corban. Eastern Oregon took two out of three conference contests against Warner Pacific.
 
C OF I ENTERS SEASON RANKED NATIONALLY: For the second consecutive season and the sixth time in program history, The College of Idaho softball program entered the season ranked in the NAIA Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll, earning the No. 17 spot in the poll. C of I has been ranked in the preseason poll previously in 2008 (No. 14), 2010 (No. 15), 2014 (No. 13), 2015 (No. 21) and 2020 (No. 19) The Yotes received 235 voter points in the poll, while fellow Cascade Conference opponents Southern Oregon and Corban were each ranked as well. SOU took home 15 first-place votes and was the preseason selection as the No. 1 team in the country. Corban earned 118 voter points to slide in at No. 23. Oregon Tech also received votes in the poll.
 
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 returns home for eight straight games at Symms Field, starting with a four-game set against Eastern Oregon on Mar. 19-20.
 
KEEP UP WITH THE YOTES: Fans can stay updated on all things related to C of I softball by visiting YoteAthletics.com.