COMING UP: at Simpson (DH), Saturday, 12 p.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Live Video of Saturday's doubleheader at Simpson will be available through the Simpson YouTube Channel, with Live Stats available through OIT's SIDEARM Sports Portal.
 
MULTIMEDIA: Photos from the 2024 season, including the Softball Media Day, have been posted online via the OIT Softball Flickr Page, with highlight clips posted online via the new OIT Softball YouTube Channel.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – SIMPSON: Saturday, the Lady Owls make the short trip to Redding for a regional match-up against Simpson University. The Redhawks (1-6) dropped their first five games of the season (two losses to both Eastern Oregon and Cal Poly Humboldt and a loss to Southern Oregon) before splitting a doubleheader with Corban – as the team has posted a .216 batting average, a 4.26 ERA and a .934 fielding percentage. Pitchers Jacquelyn Lujar (1-2 3.13 ERA, 14 K) and Kylee Pots (0-3 4.77 ERA, 12 K) have pitched the majority of the innings for SU, with the trio of outfielder Kayley Vailette (.400 0 HR 2 RBI), first baseman Cailey Rizzardo (.333 0 HR 1 RBI) and designated player Jillian Walker (.400 1 HR 2 RBI) the top offensive options.
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE REDHAWKS: The doubleheader between OIT and Simpson marks the 55th and 56th meetings between the teams, with the Lady Owls holding a 38-16 series edge – including a current 8-game win streak against the Redhawks. The teams met last season in Redding, with Tech claiming all three games – allowing just three total runs – improving their all-time record on SU's home diamond to 22-14.
 
OWLS FINISH ARIZONA TRIP 4-2: Playing a trio of Golden State Athletic Conference teams, the Lady Owls improved their overall record to 6-2, winning 4-of-6 games in the Phoenix metro. During the trip, OIT averaged nearly 10 hits per game – recording 12 doubles, two triples and a pair of home runs. Tech faces the top-two pitchers in the GSAC – recording nine hits against Hope International's Allie Puente (who has allowed nine total hits in 42 innings against all other teams minus OIT) and pounded out 12 hits against Arizona Christian's Savannah South (who earlier this season shutout College of Idaho).
 
MICK WINS WEEKLY AWARD: Five-year starting shortstop Kaila Mick continued her outstanding start to 2024 in Arizona, going a combined 10-for-21 in the six games – earning Cascade Conference Player of the Week honors. Mick scored five runs, had two doubles, a triple and drove in seven – improving her league-leading batting average to .519, while also pacing the CCC in hits (14), runs scored (11), triples (3) and RBI (13). In Saturday's opener vs. Arizona Christian, Mick was 4-for-4 – her second career 4-hit game (joining a 4-for-4 effort vs. Bushnell in 2021). She moved within three runs scored of breaking the career record of 201 runs scored and is one triple off the career mark of 17.
 
PERFECT STARTS: Corner outfielders Zoe Allen and Malia Mick have started the 2024 season as the lone Lady Owls to record a hit in every game they have played. Allen has hit safely in all eight games – going 8-for-23 on the road trip, scoring six runs, with three RBI and two stolen bases. Mick has hit safely in all six games she has played offensively (was in the flex position in two games) – going 6-for-11 in Arizona with a double, triple and four runs scored.
 
OFFENSE FROM THE INFIELD: Tech got production from every spot on the infield during the road trip, as second baseman Nita Cook, first baseman Puakea Milbourne and third baseman Addison Kachnik were key to the Owls success. Cook had a banner weekend, going a combined 8-for-20 with eight runs scored, recording two doubles, an inside-the-park home run, three walks and two stolen bases – posting a .520 on-base percentage. Milbourne was 6-for-20 in Arizona, recording a double and five RBI, with Kachnik ending the trip 6-for-20 with a double, triple, two RBI and three runs scored.
 
SHUTOUT SWEEP: OIT started their time in Arizona off with a bang, recording consecutive shutout wins over OUAZ. Kacie Schmidt limited the Spirit to three hits in six innings of work, striking out four – finishing the trip allowing just three earned runs in 19.1 innings (including a save on Saturday at Arizona Christian). Mckenzie Staub was equally impressive, throwing a complete game 4-hitter, striking out two – earning a second win in the desert on Saturday, holding ACU to one run in four innings of work.
 
GORDEN DOMINANT: Getting the start in the final game of the trip was junior Jenna Gorden, who threw six strong innings in the 6-2 win over Arizona Christian. The righty limited ACU to just three hits in picking up her third career victory – with two of the wins against the Firestorm.
 
A RARE SWEEP: The sweep by Hope International over the Lady Owls on Friday was an anomaly – as it marked the first sweep by an opponent in nearly two seasons. Tech was last swept in an April 2022 doubleheader at Eastern Oregon, with the last non-conference sweep occurring at Menlo in February of 2020.
 
OIT TOPS THE PRESEASON NAIA TOP-25: For the third time in program history, Oregon Tech has earned the No. 1 ranking in the Preseason NAIA Softball Top-25 Coaches' Poll, released in November by the national office. The Lady Owls were the unanimous selection by the 19 conference raters. Previously, OIT earned top-billing in the preseason NAIA poll in both 2012 and 2022, with the ranking the ninth time the Lady Owls have earned a No. 1 ranking. It is the Owls fifth-straight polling period as the No. 1-ranked team and the 20th-straight week in the Top-10. Interestingly, OIT was picked to win the CCC title in the annual league coaches' poll, but not a unanimous pick – receiving seven of the 10 first-place nods. Southern Oregon took two first-place votes and finished second, while College of Idaho took the final first-place vote and was third.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Outside of OIT, Corban was the lone team to leave the Northwest, finishing a trip to California with a 1-7 record – scoring just two total runs. Southern Oregon swept Division II Western Oregon, while Bushnell split with Division III Lewis & Clark and Warner Pacific dropped two to Division III Pacific. This week, SOU heads to Arizona for games vs. OUAZ, Arizona Christian and Park Gilbert, UBC meets Western Washington, Eastern Oregon meets Central Washington, with Bushnell and Corban playing Northwest Conference teams.
 
RECORD BOOK: Seven players currently sit inside the OIT career Top-25 record book (records do not include the 2020 COVID shortened season), led by Kaila Mick, who ranks among the Top-25 in 14 categories – No. 2 in stolen bases (65), triples (16) and runs scored (199), No. 4 in hit-by-pitches (30), No. 6 in walks (77) and hits (251), No. 7 in doubles (49), No. 8 in RBI (147), No. 9 in at bats (642), No. 12 in sacrifice flies (8), No. 15 in games started (193), No. 17 in games played (193), No. 24 in sacrifice hits (10) and No. 25 in home runs (14). Jayce Seavert holds the hit-by-pitch record (51), is No. 2 in sacrifice flies (11), No. 15 in RBI (111), No. 18 in sacrifice hits (11), No. 22 in home runs (16), No. 23 in doubles (32), while ranking No. 25 in runs scored (107) and triples (4); Lexi Klum is No. 5 in triples (11), No. 16 in sacrifice hits (12) and No. 17 in stolen bases (23); Zoe Allen is No. 10 in stolen bases (35) and No. 18 in sacrifice hits (11); with Nita Cook No. 10 in sacrifice hits (13). In the circle, Mckenzie Staub is No. 4 in wins (64), No. 5 in games started (79) and appearances (98), No. 6 in strikeouts (364), shutouts (11) and innings pitched (460.0), No. 8 in complete games (37) and No. 12 in saves (2); with Kacie Schmidt No. 8 in shutouts (10), No. 11 in strikeouts (251), No. 12 in wins (33) and saves (2), No. 13 in appearances (70) and complete games (23), No. 16 in innings pitched (269.1) and No. 17 in games started (41).
 
LOOKING AHEAD: Next weekend, the Lady Owls head to the Sacramento River Valley for a round-robin of games, meeting Jessup, Menlo and Simpson – the final non-conference match-ups of the season.