2021 Softball Notebook (Week 11)

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 DakStats Portal for all home games.

COMPLETE MEDIA GAME NOTES
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW - OREGON TECH: The Owls are second in the NAIA with 8.24 runs scored per game and third with a .380 team batting average. In addition to the high-powered offensive attack that has hammered a CCC-high 53 home runs this season, OIT also is second in the conference with a 1.98 team earned run average. Four regular starters are hitting above a .400 clip at the plate, led by McKenna Armantrout (.455 BA, 11 2B, 1 HR, 35 RBI). Aubrie Businger (.407 BA, 9 HR, 35 RBI) is a powerful bat in the lineup and is second on the team in homers behind the 13 hit by Kennedy Jantzi. Sarah Abramson (15-4, 1.80 ERA, 140 K) and Mckenzie Staub (17-2, 2.26 ERA, 89 K) are a dynamic one-two punch in the circle for OIT.
 
BATTLE OF THE BATS: C of I is second in the NAIA with 326 runs scored this season and OIT is third with 313. Both offenses should be tested this week against two of the top three pitching staffs in the CCC in team ERA.
 
CASCADE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT INFORMATION: The Cascade Conference regular season champion will host a six-team, three-day, double elimination tournament at their home site on May 7-9. Four teams have already clinched spots in the CCC Tournament, including Southern Oregon, College of Idaho, Oregon Tech and Corban. The winner of the regular season earns the first automatic qualifier to the NAIA Championships, with the winner of the tournament earning the second automatic qualifier. If the regular season and tournament champion are the same, the second automatic qualifier will go to the tournament runner-up.
 
YOTES AT HOME: Including the 18-2 mark at Symms Field this season, C of I is 44-10 at home dating back to the start of the 2019 campaign.
 
ALL ABOUT THAT BASE: The Yotes are third in the conference with 110 walks drawn at the plate and first with 55 hit by pitches, 25 more than the next closest team. C of I has a .416 team on base percentage and has only grounded into one double play. Haley Loffer has moved into third in program history with 58 walks for her career. Destiny Turner drew 86 from 2014-17.
 
SENIOR DAY: This Saturday will serve as Senior Day for the C of I softball team, with Mallory Copeland, Trystin Crofts, Loryn Fonger, Micha Fortune, Nichole Giesy, Aleah Mendiola, Lacie Miller, Kylie Smith and Brielle Stephens each set to be recognized between the two games.

THREE-HEADED MONSTER: The C of I trio of Katleyn Wilfert (12-4, 2.15 ERA), Hannah McNerney (10-5, 2.70 ERA) and Annie Polster (8-2, 2.85 ERA) has each started 10 or more games in the circle. Corban is the only other team in the league that has had three pitchers start 10 or more times.
 
LOFFER TURNING TWO: Junior Haley Loffer has been a part of eight double plays turned defensively this season, ranking her in a tie for third in the conference. As a team, the Yotes have turned 12 double plays, ranking in a tie for second in the conference.
 
CHRISTENSEN HAVING STANDOUT FRESHMAN SEASON: Freshman Kaily Christensen is just 14 RBI away from equaling the program single-season record of 54 that was set by Marissa Maddox during the 2019 campaign. She is hitting .398 with 11 doubles, 1 home run and 40 RBI. She has also been hit by a team-high 11 pitches, which is two away from equaling another program single-season record.
 
HIGGINS HOMERS: Junior Tanner Higgins hit a home run off SOU ace Gabby Sandoval in the second inning of the series opener on Friday for her second homer of the season. It was the first earned run scored against Sandoval since Mar. 27 at Oregon Tech. The right-hander had thrown four straight shutouts.
 
FONGER IN RELIEF: Senior Loryn Fonger has made 11 appearances out of the bullpen this season, which is the second most relief appearances of anyone in the conference behind McKenna Montgomery of Warner Pacific, who has seen time in 12 games.
 
LIMITING WALKS: The C of I pitching staff has allowed only 71 walks this season, which is the third fewest in the Cascade Conference. Warner Pacific leads the league with just 61 free passes issued.
 
APPROACHING 500: C of I has 476 wins in the history of the softball program, putting the Yotes 24 victories away from the 500 mark. Softball has been a sport at the school dating back to the 2002 campaign.
 
AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS: The Yotes have won three or more games against top-25 competition every year since 2017, including seven in the 2019 campaign. Overall, C of I is 48-111 against ranked opponents in program history.
 
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 127 runs scored for her career and first with 331 total bases. She is also third with 208 hits, second with 48 doubles, tied for first with 12 triples, sixth with 17 home runs, second with 135 RBI and ranks fourth with 56 stolen bases. Crofts is seven games played, 52 at bats, eight hits, five doubles and seven RBI away from equaling the program records in those categories.
 
LOFFER STOLEN BASE UPDATE: Shortstop Haley Loffer has now stolen 62 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. Loffer is two bases away from equaling the 64 steals of Anna Schroeder from 2004-07.
 
THE .300 CLUB: Eight players who have started at least 15 games for C of I this season are hitting .300 or above. C of I has a .333 team batting average.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: The Yotes are 18-2 when scoring in the first inning this season and 30-0 when leading after the fourth inning. When C of I outhits the opposition, the squad is 30-1.
 
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 69-25.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Yotes conclude the regular season with a four-game home series next Friday and Saturday at Symms Field against Warner Pacific.