COMING UP: at Simpson (DH), Sunday, 12 p.m.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Sunday's doubleheader in Redding will have a live video stream through the Redhawks YouTube Channel, with Live Stats provided through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
MULTIMEDIA: Photos from the 2025 season, including the recent Media Day photoshoot, will be posted online through the OIT Softball Flickr Page, while highlight clips from the season will be posted on the OIT Softball YouTube Channel.
 
OPPONENT INFORMATION – SIMPSON: The new season begins against regional rival, Simpson, as the Redhawks (21-28 in 2024) are coming off a trip to the California Pacific Conference Tournament title game. The new club opened the season last week, dropping games to Southern Oregon (11-0, 7-4) and will play Corban prior to meeting the Lady Owls. All-conference performers Madyson Welch (.351 1 HR 25 RBI) and Nicolena Holen (.308 2 HR 15 RBI) anchor the Redhawks attack, with outfielder Kayley Vailette (.257 0 HR 10 RBI) and catcher Ariel Schulzkump (.255 0 HR 12 RBI) are returning starters. In the pitching circle, Jacquelyn Lujan (6-11 3.56 ERA) is the top returner.
 
HISTORY VS. THE REDHAWKS: Tech and Simpson have played every season since 2009 (in 2021, SU opted out of competition due to COVID-19), with the Lady Owls posting a 47-16 all-time series lead, including a 22-14 record in Redding. OIT takes an 11-game win streak against the Redhawks into Sunday's doubleheader, including 7-0 and 8-0 wins last April in Klamath Falls.
 
AGAINST WHAT WAS THE CAL PAC: Simpson is a longtime member of the California Pacific Conference – with the league now featuring three softball playing schools (Simpson, La Sierra, Westcliff) and by next season – will have just four total members (Simpson, Westcliff, Providence Christian, Pacific Union). Tech has a 156-42-1 all-time record against Cal Pac teams – with five schools (Holy Names, Saint Katherine, Antelope Valley, Bethany, Patten) shuttering their doors in the last decade, three schools (Menlo, Jessup, Dominican) moving to the Division II, with Embry-Riddle moving to the NAIA's Great Southwest Athletic Conference. This season, the Cal Pac regular-season winner will compete in the Continental Athletic Conference (independent schools) tournament as a path to the NAIA Championships.
 
SEASON OPENERS: The Lady Owls ended a 2-game losing streak in season openers in 2024, sweeping a doubleheader from Pacific University. Since 1994, OIT is a combined 17-14 in their opening game of a season.
 
EARLIEST STARTS: 2025 marks the 21st-straight year the Lady Owls will begin their season in February. The Feb. 8 start date is tied for the eighth earliest start, with OIT playing games on Feb. 1 in 2020 and Feb. 2 in both 2019 and 2023, along with starting seasons on Feb. 4 twice, Feb. 5 and Feb. 6.
 
CALIFORNIA DREAMIN': In the recorded history of OIT softball (since 1994), the Lady Owls have played games in California in every season – including playing tournaments in the Golden State 26 times (tourneys in Linfield, Redding, Turlock, Arcata, Fremont and Atherton). The two games OIT plays in California this season will be the fewest in program history – with the 2006 team playing a pair of doubleheaders in the Bay Area.
 
LADY OWLS RANKED NO. 5: OIT will open the 2025 season ranked No. 5 in the NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll, released in November. It is the 21st-straight polling period that the Lady Owls have been ranked in the Top-10 and the 26th-straight poll the team has been rated in the Top-25. Defending national champ, Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) holds the No. 1 spot, followed by Science & Arts (Okla.), Cumberlands (Ky.), Southern Oregon and OIT. The Lady Owls have seven teams ranked in the Top-25 on their schedule – No. 2 USAO, No. 4 SOU, No. 7 Central Methodist, No. 8 Oklahoma City, No. 13 Eastern Oregon, No. 15 Midland and No. 16 College of Idaho.
 
TECH PICKED SECOND IN CCC POLL: For the 11th-straight year, the Lady Owls were ranked in the Top-2 of the Cascade Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, claiming the No. 2 spot in the balloting. OIT received three first-place votes, finishing one point behind Southern Oregon in the tabulation, with College of Idaho, Eastern Oregon and British Columbia rounding out the Top-5.
 
LAST YEAR IN CURRENT CCC FORMAT: The 2025 season marks the final year of the current Cascade Conference configuration – as the 10-team league will move to eight teams in 2026 (as Providence and Carroll will compete in a newly expanded Frontier Conference). The current format has teams playing one 3-game league series against each other (a fourth, non-conference game is also scheduled), with the Top-6 teams in the standings advancing to the CCC Championships. With the change in format, the 2026 season will feature only the CCC Tournament champion earning an automatic bid to the NAIA Championships (2025 will be the final year with the CCC receiving two automatic bids).
 
AROUND THE CCC: Three teams have opened their 2025 seasons – as Southern Oregon swept a doubleheader at Simpson, Providence split four games at the Minot State Bubble Tournament, with Carroll traveling to Arizona for games against GSAC clubs. This week, two team make long road trips – UBC heads to Texas for the Southern Collegiate Sports Invite and SOU travels to Hawaii for games against Division II teams. Bushnell and Warner Pacific open against Division III teams, Eastern Oregon hosts Central Washington, with Corban heading to Simpson.
 
STREAKS ON THE LINE: The Lady Owls open the 2025 season with a pair of streaks on the line - looking to win their fourth-straight Cascade Conference regular-season title, looking to advance to their 11th-straight NAIA National Tournament, with the team hoping to become the first team in the current playoff format to advance to 6-straight NAIA World Series.
 
PREVIEWING THE LADY OWLS: A complete, position-by-position season preview, chronicling the 12 returning players and the six newcomers to the program, along with quotes from head coach Greg Stewart, can be found at the following link (OIT Softball Preview).
 
RECORD BOOK: Heading into the 2025 season, seven Lady Owls rank among the Top-25 in the OIT career record book. Jayce Seavert holds the all-time record for hit-by-pitches (57) and sacrifice flies (14), ranking No. 4 in defensive chances (947), No. 7 in defensive put outs (772), No. 10 in doubles (45) and RBI (144), No. 14 in games started (200), No. 16 in games played (202) and sacrifice hits (13), No. 18 in triples (6), No. 20 in runs scored (122), No. 21 in hits (180), home runs (17) and walks (48), No. 22 in at bats (548) and No. 25 in stolen bases (20); Zoe Allen is No. 4 in stolen bases (50), No. 7 in sacrifice hits (16), No. 13 in both runs scored (137) and walks (57), ranking just outside the Top-25 in hits (167); Nita Cook is in No. 7 in stolen bases (39), No. 10 in sacrifice hits (15), No. 12 in triples (7), No. 13 in defensive assists (232) and No. 24 in hit-by-pitches (9); Puakea Milbourne s No. 6 in defensive put outs (782), No. 11 in defensive chances (802), No. 13 in hit-by-pitches (13), No. 23 in RBI (104) and No. 25 in home runs (16); with Addison Kachnik No. 24 in defensive assists (183). In the circle, Kacie Schmidt ranks No. 3 in shutouts (18), 4 in strikeouts (423), No. 5 in wins (58) and appearances (108), No. 7 in saves (4), games started (71) and innings pitched (459.1), ranking No. 8 in complete games (41); while Alli Parker is No. 3 all-time in saves (5).
 
NEXT WEEK: The Lady Owls will head to the Portland metro area for a pair of doubleheaders against Division III opponents – meeting Pacific (Feb. 15) and Lewis & Clark (Feb. 16) – the final tune-up before making the trip to the prestigious NAIASB Invitational in Oklahoma.