Oregon Institute of Technology Athletics

COMING UP: vs. Corban (DH), Friday, 1 p.m.; vs. Corban (DH), Saturday, 11 a.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
WATCH LIVE / LIVE STATS: All four games of the weekend series will be carried live on the Owls Sports Network with Mike Safford calling the play-by-play. Live Stats of the 4-game series will also be provided through the OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
HOME OPENERS: Since 1994, home openers have been kind to the Lady Owls, as Tech is a combined 27-2 in their first home game – including a string of 16-straight wins from 1994-2009. Friday's game vs. Corban is the earliest game ever played in Klamath Falls – surpassing the Feb. 25 first pitch thrown last season vs. Northwest. The latest home opener for OIT occurred in 2002, as the Owls played their first game on their own diamond on April 16.
 
HOME SWEET HOME: Since the opening of John & Lois Stilwell Stadium in March of 2019, OIT has a 53-11 all-time record in the facility. Last year, the Lady Owls were near unbeatable, going 23-2 on their own diamond, the most home wins in a single-season in program history.
 
CONFERENCE SEASON UPON US: This weekend opens the 30-game Cascade Conference schedule, with the 11 softball playing teams battling for six spots in the CCC Championships. Each team will play nine weekend series – with the first three games counting in the league standings (the fourth game will be a non-conference counter) – while the travel partners will play home and away doubleheaders. The regular-season champion, along with the tournament champion, will receive automatic bids to the NAIA National Championships.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – CORBAN: Tech welcomes Corban to the Basin, as the Warriors (1-7) look to rebound after a tough start to the 2023 season. The Salem squad was swept in doubleheaders vs. Vanguard, Jessup and Central Washington, while splitting a doubleheader vs. Menlo, with the team struggling offensively (.160 batting average, while averaging two runs per game) and in the circle (5.00 ERA, 41 walks against only 16 strikeouts). Catcher Morgan Gleeson (.400 0 HR 3 RBI), outfielder Jody Fischer (.261 0 HR 2 RBI) and second-baseman Samantha Martinez (.125 1 HR 4 RBI) have been the top offensive threats, with Alise Olson (1-2 3.23 ERA) and Vanessa Hulett Quinones (0-2 5.00 ERA) the top pitchers. OIT takes a 5-game win streak in the series into Friday's doubleheader, with the Owls holding a 60-32 all-time series lead, including a 31-12 mark at home.
 
AROUND THE CCC: Last week, both Eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon traveled to California – EOU going 3-3 on the trip, including a split with Jessup and dropping a doubleheader vs. Hope International, while SOU split a doubleheader at Simpson. Carroll and Providence traveled to North Dakota for a bubble series against Division II teams, combining to go 1-5. This week, both the College of Idaho at Carroll and Eastern Oregon at Providence series have shifted due to weather – one to be played in Caldwell, Idaho, the other in Hermiston, Ore. Bushnell will head to Southern Oregon and Warner Pacific will make their debut at Northwest, while British Columbia continues a week-long tour of California.
 
SCHMIDT NAMED PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Junior Kacie Schmidt was nearly unhittable in Redding and in the process, earned Cascade Conference Pitcher of the Week for the first time in her OIT career. The right-hander limited Menlo to one run on two hits, striking out 10 in a Saturday win and backed it up with a complete game 2-hitter, striking out a career-high 11, in a Sunday win over Simpson. Schmidt is 3-1 on the season with a 2.05 ERA, along with a staff-best 39 strikeouts.
 
STAUB STELLAR IN THE CIRCLE: It was a one-two punch for Tech in the circle, as Mckenzie Staub was equally dominant in the weekend series. The junior tossed complete games in both of her victories – combining to allow two runs on 12 hits, walking three and striking out nine in the process. Staub became the eighth OIT pitcher to reach the 40-win plateau for a career and heads into the weekend with a 1.38 ERA.
 
KLUM HONORED AS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Centerfielder Lexi Klum paced the OIT attack in Redding, earning CCC Player of the Week honors in the process. The junior finished the weekend 7-for-15 at the plate, with three doubles and four RBI – hitting safely in all four games. Klum did the majority of the damage on Saturday, going a combined 5-for-8 with three doubles.
 
MORE FROM THE OFFENSE: As a team, OIT has logged 9-straight games with 8-or-more hits and have a solid .324 team batting average through 10 games. The Owls got great production from their returners – as Jayce Seavert, Maggie Buckholz, Zoe Allen and Kaila Mick all played a key role in the weekend sweep. Seavert extended a hit-streak to nine games, going 5-for-13 with a double and three RBI, Buckholz was 7-for-13 with two RBI and three walks, Allen going 5-for-11 with a double, triple and four RBI, with Mick posting a 5-for-15 clip at the plate with five RBI and adding 15 defensive chances without an error.  Both Buckholz (.537) and Allen (.500) each have on-base percentages above the .500 mark.
 
SPPED AND MORE SPEED: The Owls have used speed on the basepaths to their advantage this season – stealing 11 bases during the 4-game series at Simpson – including four stolen bases in each of the Sunday wins. For the year, OIT has a solid 22-of-26 stolen base percentage – with Jayce Seavert, Lexi Klum and Zoe Allen each with four stolen bases. On the flip side, Tech opponents are just 2-of-6 in stolen base attempts, including 0-for-2 in the weekend series.
 
POWER OUTAGE: During the trip to Redding, the Owls combined for six doubles and one triple – but no home runs. Tech has yet to hit a home run through 10 games, with their last home run a Maggie Buckholz solo homer in Game 1 of the 2022 NAIA Opening Round championship series vs. Jessup.
 
AMONG THE BEST: In his 19th season at the helm, head coach Greg Stewart ranks No. 16 among active NAIA coaches with 652 career wins and is one of 18 active NAIA coaches with 600-or-more career victories. Stewart, the 8-time CCC Coach of the Year, ranks No. 18 on the all-time NAIA wins list.
 
NEARING 1,200 WINS: The Lady Owls are on pace to reach a team milestone in 2023, as the squad looks to surpass the 1,200-win mark in program history. Tech heads into the weekend with an all-time record of 1,192-636-2 – winning 65-percent of their 1,830 all-time games, including a 71-percent win percentage under current head coach, Greg Stewart.
 
RECORD BOOK: Six members of the Lady Owls currently rank among the Top-25 in the OIT career record book, led by Mckenzie Staub, who is No. 8 in wins (40), No. 10 in pitching starts (51), No. 11 in pitching strikeouts (234), No. 13 in pitching appearances (63) and in complete games (21), No. 14 in innings pitched (286.1) and in shutouts (5), ranking No. 22 in hit-by-pitches as a batter (9). Kaila Mick ranks No. 4 in triples (11) and in hit-by-pitches (23), No. 5 in stolen bases (40), No. 14 in defensive assists (211), No. 15 in runs scored (125), No. 20 in sacrifice hits (10), No. 24 in hits (167) and No. 25 in doubles (30); Maggie Buckholz ranks No. 14 in walks (50) and No. 24 in home runs (14); Jayce Seavert ranks No. 3 in hit-by-pitches (26) and No. 11 in sacrifice flies (7); with Jensen Becker No. 19 in triples (5) and Lexi Klum No. 23 in triples (4).
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Lady Owls hit the road next weekend for a Top-25 match-up at No. 13-ranked College of Idaho, with games set for Friday and Saturday in Caldwell, Idaho.