2021 Softball Season Review

COMING UP: Season Complete
 
MOST WINS IN PROGRAM HISTORY: The Yotes concluded a memorable 2021 season with a school-record 44 wins, eclipsing the previous high of 40 that was set in 2019.
 
POSTSEASON RECAP: A never say die attitude lifted C of I to long runs in both the Cascade Conference Championships and the NAIA Championships. After falling 7-3 to Oregon Tech in the first game of the conference tournament, the No. 2 seeded Yotes worked their way back from the opposite side of the bracket with three straight wins against Eastern Oregon, Warner Pacific and No. 1 seed Southern Oregon to earn a rematch with the Owls. OIT would come away on top 1-0 in the title tilt, with the Owls, Raiders and Yotes all going on to earn spots in the NAIA Championship Opening Round. All three won their respective opening round brackets, highlighted by C of I winning four games in less than 24 hours in Missouri to earn a spot in the NAIA World Series. The hot streak continued for the Yotes in Georgia, starting with a 4-2 defeat of No. 5 seed Ottawa (Kan.) and a 6-4 win against No. 1 Southern Oregon to earn another contest against Oregon Tech for a spot in the championship series. The Owls and SOU took the next two games against C of I, as all three final teams in the NAIA World Series were representatives of the Cascade Conference. SOU won the title, OIT finished as the runner-up and the Yotes claimed third.
 
ALL-TOURNAMENT SELECTIONS: Following a third-place finish for at the NAIA World Series, two Yotes were named to the All-Tournament team, as sophomore outfielder Hattie Hruza and junior pitcher Katelyn Wilfert were each selected. Hruza went 4-for-10 at the plate over the four World Series games, highlighted by smashing a pair of home runs in a win over No. 1 seed and eventual champion Southern Oregon. Hruza also drove in four while scoring four runs and playing strong defense in the outfield. Wilfert appeared in all four games in the circle during the World Series, going the full seven innings in the opening win over Ottawa (Kan.) and also picking up the win in relief against SOU. She pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings against Oregon Tech. In 18 1/3 innings, Wilfert allowed just three earned runs while striking out 10.
 
SETTING RECORDS: In addition to winning the most games in a season in school history, the 2021 Yotes finished the season on top of 14 team categories including on-base percentage (.392), games played (63), at bats (1,642), runs scored (420), hits (517), doubles (98), runs batted in (349), total bases (746), times hit by a pitch (63), sacrifice flies (19), stolen bases (110), saves (8), innings pitched (396) and putouts (1,188).
 
HIGHEST RANKING IN PROGRAM HISTORY: By finishing the 2021 campaign No. 3 in the NAIA Top-25 Coaches Poll, C of I secured the highest ranking in the poll in school history.
 
CROFTS FINISHES A STANDOUT CAREER: Senior third baseman Trystin Crofts went .361 with 15 doubles, a triple, a home run, 40 RBI and 18 stolen bases in her final season on the hot corner for the Yotes. Crofts finishes her career as the leader in several program statistical categories including games played (214), games started (211), at bats (635), runs scored (141), hits (232), triples (13), RBI (143) and total bases (362).
 
LOFFER NAMED HONORABLE MENTION NAIA ALL-AMERICAN: Shortstop Haley Loffer was named an honorable mention selection to the 2021 NAIA Softball All-America Team. The junior from Coeur d'Alene is the sixth player in program history to earn All-America honors. Loffer hit .359 at the plate this year with a team-high 11 home runs to go along with 15 doubles, five triples and 34 RBI. She was tied for the team lead with 28 stolen bases and set a single-season program record by scoring 68 runs. Over the course of the season, Loffer also made multiple web gem plays at shortstop, including an incredible catch in the first game of the NAIA World Series in which she robbed an Ottawa batter of a hit. By earning the recognition, Loffer joins Colette Robert (2019) and Jody Zillner (2009) as the only honorable mention picks in program history. Destiny Turner (2016, 2017), Nickayla Skinner (2014) and Katie Zillner (2008) were each chosen as second-team picks.
 
CHRISTENSEN A FORCE: Freshman Kaily Christensen stepped into the middle of the order in her first season at the collegiate level and excelled, hitting .362 with 17 doubles, a home run and 50 RBI on her way to earning NFCA NAIA All-Region III selection.
 
WILFERT A WELCOME ADDITION: Junior Katelyn Wilfert joined Christensen as an NFCA NAIA All-Region III pick after going 19-6 with a 1.90 ERA and 127 strikeouts in her first season in Caldwell.
 
POLSTER PERFECT: Freshman right-hander Annie Polster threw the first perfect game for C of I since Katie Zillner on Mar. 28, 2008 by blanking Providence on Mar. 13. Following the game, Polster took home NAIA Pitcher of the Week honors.
 
MILLER MASHES PITCHING AT NAIA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Senior first baseman Lacie Miller hit safely in eight of nine games at the NAIA Championships, including a pair of multi-hit efforts to raise her average 48 points over the final two weeks of the season. In total, Miller went 11-for-29 with two home runs and six RBI between the NAIA Opening Round and the NAIA World Series.
 
FORTUNE PERFORMS WELL: Senior outfielder Micha Fortune hit .374 with four doubles, one triple and 28 stolen bases as the primary starter in left.
 
ZACHRY CLUTCH: Sophomore catcher Sydney Zachry handled the pitching staff well behind the plate in addition to providing a major impact at the dish, going .348 with a pair of doubles and 11 RBI in 66 at bats. Zachry and fellow catcher Mallory Copeland combined to throw out 13 runners attempting to steal this season.
 
SMITH SACRIFICES HER WAY TO A RECORD: Senior second baseman Kylie Smith tallied 20 sacrifice hits to pass the previous single-season record of 16 for the program that was set in 2005 by Tiffany Mathews. In addition to earning a Gold Glove from the conference, Smith went .319 with 15 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 36 RBI at the plate. Smith is tied for seventh in C of I history with 175 games played, is seventh with 172 games started, third with 547 at bats, tied for third with 109 runs scored, sixth with 165 hits, fourth with 34 doubles, seventh with six triples, fifth with 96 runs batted in, eighth with 223 total bases and ninth with 39 walks.
 
ALEAH FINISHES CAREER: Senior right fielder Aleah Mendiola wrapped up her career in the purple and white by hitting .285 with five doubles, two home runs and 21 RBI.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS: A total of four Yotes filled out the first and second-teams, tying a program record that had previously occurred in 2007, 2009, 2014 and 2019. Haley Loffer, Kaily Christensen and Katelyn Wilfert were each selected to the first-team, while Trystin Crofts was a second-team pick. Second baseman Kylie Smith was recognized by the conference for her defense with a Gold Glove.
 
TRIO OF PITCHERS POSTS DOUBLE-DIGIT WINS: The starting pitching group of Katelyn Wilfert (19-6, 1.90 ERA), Annie Polster (11-2, 2.36 ERA) and Hannah McNerney (14-9, 2.63 ERA) was outstanding, as the Yotes were the only team in the NAIA to have three pitchers post double-digit win totals.
 
STRONG ACADEMIC GROUP: A total of 19 current or former C of I softball student-athletes were named to the Cascade Conference All-Academic Team including Payton Bates, Charmayne Bennett, Mallory Copeland, Reylene Cortes, Trystin Crofts, Micha Fortune, Lauren Garman, Nichole Giesy, Alyssa Goff, Lauren Gordon, Hattie Hruza, Haley Loffer, Hannah McNerney, Aleah Mendiola, Lacie Miller, Lexi Navarrete, Kylie Smith, Brielle Stephens and Sydney Zachry. The student-athletes honored were at least a sophomore in academic standing and have maintained a 3.20 cumulative grade point average at the College.
 
REGIONAL COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR: The coaching staff for College of Idaho softball of head coach Al Mendiola and assistants Bobby Wright and Justine Callen was named the 2021 NFCA NAIA Region III Coaching Staff of the Year. Mendiola, the winningest coach in C of I program history with 432 wins, had previously been named NAIA Region I Coach of the Year in 2007. He also led the way for the NFCA West Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 2014. Mendiola won his 400th game leading the C of I softball program against Providence in March.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Yotes return all three pitchers who started a game this past season to give the program strong stability in the circle to go along with a talented core group of position players, including multiple pieces who have the opportunity to step into starter roles after making key impacts off the bench this past season.