Oregon Institute of Technology Athletics

COMING UP: vs. Bushnell (DH), Friday, 2 p.m.; vs. Bushnell (DH), Saturday, 11 a.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
LIVE LINKS: The 4-game series with Bushnell will have Live Video and Live Stats for fans unable to make it to the Basin. Live Video will be available through OIT's Stretch Live Portal, with Mike Safford providing the play-by-play, while Live Stats will be available through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Platform.
 
PLAYOFF PICTURE HEADING INTO THE FINAL WEEK: Though four of the six teams have been determined for the Cascade Conference Championships, the title picture is extremely cloudy, as is the race for the final two spots. Eastern Oregon has their championship destiny in their hands – as following their CCC series sweep of OIT, the Mounties can win the league crown with a series sweep at Carroll College. For the Lady Owls, Tech is needing a series sweep of Bushnell to guarantee at share of the league title, earning the outright crown with an EOU loss. Southern Oregon hopes to get in the mix, as the Raiders sit a game back of OIT and EOU, while College of Idaho is two games behind the leaders. If EOU, SOU and OIT each finish tied in the standings – Eastern will win the No. 1 seed and host bid for the CCC Championships due to head-to-head record among the tied teams. Three teams have been eliminated from playoff contention – Northwest, Providence and Warner Pacific – as British Columbia, Corban, Bushnell and Carroll all are battling for the final two spots. UBC clinches a spot with two wins this weekend or a Bushnell loss; Corban and Bushnell are separated by a game (with BU holding the tiebreak), while Carroll is hoping for the teams in front to lose – needing to sweep a series at home vs. Eastern to vault into postseason contention.
 
IN THE POSTSEASON: The Owls have secured a postseason berth for an 11th-straight (non-COVID shortened) season and will be one of six teams to compete in the CCC Championships. Since 2002, OIT has claimed four CCC Tournament titles (2006, 2011, 2012, 2021) and 16 CCC regular-season titles (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015) will be searching for their eighth-straight bid to the NAIA National Championships.
 
OPENING ROUND HOST?: With OIT ranked No. 3 in the most-recent NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll, it is likely that the Owls will earn one of 10 NAIA Softball National Tournament Opening Round host sites – which was to have been released today, but the NAIA has pushed the announcement to next Monday. Tech put in a bid to host the 4-team bracket (which would include an automatic bid to the 40-team tournament) – to be held May 16-18, which will determine a berth to the NAIA Softball World Series.
 
40-WIN SEASONS: Tech is one win away from their tenth 40-win season in program history and the third-straight (non-COVID shortened) season with 40 wins. Last season, OIT established a new school record with 48 wins, surpassing the previous mark of 47 victories in 1997 and 2015. The 2022 season marks the 11th-straight (non-COVID shortened) season with at least 30 wins.
 
SENIOR DAY: Saturday will mark the final home regular-season games for four OIT senior student-athletes – pitcher Sarah Abramson, catcher McKenna Armantrout, first-baseman Kennedy Jantzi and third-baseman Aubrie Businger. The quartet will be honored in an on-field ceremony during the doubleheader.
 
TOUGH WEEKEND IN LA GRANDE: Things did not work out the way the Lady Owls hoped at Eastern Oregon, as the Mountaineers won 3-of-4 games in the key weekend series – including all three CCC counting games. The OIT offense was handcuffed by Eastern in the first three games – as Tech was held to just four hits in two of the losses – their lowest hit totals of the year, while the Owls were 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position, 3-for-31 with runners on base and just 1-for-21 with two outs. In the series finale, a 9-6 OIT win, the Owls were 7-for-12 with RISP, 10-for-17 with runners on base and 7-for-15 with two outs.
 
TIGHT GAMES, 6-RUNS THE KEY: OIT has played in 11 games this season decided by one run, posting a 5-6 mark in the close games, while scoring six runs has been the key for the Lady Owls success – as Tech is 31-1 when scoring 6-or-more runs, but 8-9 when scoring 5-runs-or-less.
 
MAINSTAYS IN THE ORDER: Four Lady Owls have been in the starting line-up in all 49 games this season – including three players who have played the same position in every game. Third-baseman Aubrie Businger, shortstop Kaila Mick and first-baseman Kennedy Jantzi have been penciled in the order in every contest, while catcher McKenna Armantrout has caught 48-of-49 games, serving as the designated player in one game.
 
ARMANTROUT LEADS THE OFFENSE: Speaking of McKenna Armantrout, the OIT catcher had an outstanding offensive weekend at Eastern Oregon, going a combined 8-for-15 with four runs scored, two stolen bases and two RBI. The senior recorded her sixth 3-hit game and season and her 16th 3-hit game of her career – improving her on-base percentage to .486.
 
SEAVERT RETURNS HOME: It was a homecoming for Owls second-baseman Jayce Seavert, who returned to La Grande where she won a pair of 4A state titles at La Grande High. Seavert smashed her 11th home run of the season on Saturday – the 21st time an OIT player has hit 11-or-more homers in a season, with the second-year player the 19th Lady Owl to hit double-digit homers in a year.
 
ABRAMSON CLOSING IN ON CCC MARKS: Pitcher Sarah Abramson continued her march towards a pair of CCC records – needing 71 strikeouts to tie the all-time league record of 911 set by College of Idaho's Nickayla Skinner from 2011-14. In addition, Abramson is five wins away from becoming just the second CCC pitcher to win 100 career games – looking to join former rival, Southern Oregon right-hander Gabby Sandoval.
 
CONFERENCE NUMBERS: As a team, the Owls continue to lead the CCC in ERA (2.16) and fielding percentage (.979), with Sarah Abramson leading the league in wins (22), strikeouts (184), appearances (33) and shutouts (8). Kaila Mick ranks No. 3 in both hits (66) and runs scored (58), while Kennedy Jantzi is No. 2 in the CCC in RBI (58), as is Jayce Seavert in home runs (11).
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE: League play starts Thursday, as College of Idaho plays a tripleheader at Providence, while Friday-Saturday series include Corban at Southern Oregon, Warner Pacific at UBC and Bushnell at OIT. A Saturday-Sunday series will close the slate, as Eastern Oregon treks to Carroll.
 
SUCCESS AT THE STADIUM: Since the opening of John & Lois Stilwell Stadium in March of 2019, OIT has a 43-10 all-time record in the facility. This season, the Lady Owls have been near unbeatable, going 13-1 on their own diamond.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – BUSHNELL: The conference schedule closes with a 4-game series with Bushnell, as the Beacons (15-29, 11-16) are 9-8 over their last 17 games to keep their postseason hopes alive. Outfielder Anabel Mendez (.495 6 HR 40 RBI) is among the top hitters in the league, posting a stellar .593 on-base percentage, with outfielder Alyssa Ferreira (.385 0 HR 8 RBI) and Jordan Kuykendall (.318 1 HR 19 RBI) key offensive options. The duo of Sam Silver (8-11 3.71 ERA) and Aliyah Kelly (6-14 4.53 ERA) have logged the bulk of the innings for the Beacons.
 
NEXT WEEK: Tech will compete in the 6-team CCC Championships, presented by U.S. Bank – with the schedule and location to be determined late Sunday night.