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

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: The 4-game series with Bushnell will be streamed live on the Owls Sports Network, with Live Stats for each game available through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
MULTIMEDIA: Photos from the 2025 season, including pictures from the series vs. Eastern Oregon, 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.
 
SCHEDULE UPDATE: The rainstorm in the Rogue Valley over the weekend postponed the highly anticipated match-up between No. 1 ranked Southern Oregon and No. 2 ranked Oregon Tech – the first-ever meetings between the clubs as the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the NAIA. The games have been rescheduled on back-to-back Wednesday's in Ashland – March 26 and April 2 – with first pitch of the doubleheaders set for 2 p.m. The two clubs have been ranked No. 1 and No. 2 simultaneously on a pair of occasions – in the 2021 NAIA postseason poll (SOU at No. 1, OIT at No. 2), along with the 2024 preseason poll (OIT at No. 1, SOU at No. 2).
 
OPPONENT INFORMATION – BUSHNELL: The Lady Owls make a quick pit stop at home before embarking on an 8-game road trip next week – hosting Bushnell for a 4-game series. The Beacons (6-13, 1-8 CCC) started the season 5-3 – including wins at Benedictine Mesa and Arizona Christian, but the club has lost 10 of their last 11 games. Bushnell has struggled offensively, entering the weekend with a .218 team batting average, scoring two runs or fewer in 12-of-19 games, with the team ranked No. 8 in the CCC in fielding percentage (.932) – leading to 42 unearned runs by their opponents. The top of the Beacons lineup does the damage – paced by third baseman Violet Richardson (.449 5 HR 16 RBI), along with first baseman Riley Peeler (.354 0 HR 5 RBI) and middle infielder Taylor Kenworthy (.333 0 HR 8 RBI), with shortstop Ashlyn Martin (.133 0 HR 10 RBI) a run producer. In the circle, the tandem of Emily Cole (2-8 2.10 ERA) and Sara Martin (4-3 2.13 ERA) each rank among the Top-10 in the CCC in ERA.
 
HISTORY VS. THE BEACONS: The series between OIT and Bushnell has become one-sided, with the Lady Owls taking a 29-game win streak against the Eugene school into the weekend series. Tech holds an 89-8 all-time series edge, including a 43-4 mark in Klamath Falls.
 
LADY OWLS CLIMB TO NO. 2: A 13-3 start to the season, including wins against four Top-25 teams, helped the Lady Owls climb to No. 2 in the first NAIA Top-25 poll of the regular-season. Rival Southern Oregon holds the No. 1 spot, with USAO (who Tech beat 4-0), Northwestern, and Oklahoma City (who topped Tech, 2-1) rounding out the Top-5. No. 14 Eastern Oregon, No. 21 Midland and No. 24 College of Idaho are in the Top-25, with three other opponents – Baker, Grand View and Freed Hardeman – all receiving votes. It is the 22nd-straight polling period that the Lady Owls have been ranked in the Top-10 and the 27th-straight poll the team has been rated in the Top-25.
 
AGAINST THE TOP-25: Tech will play 18 games during the regular-season opponents in the poll, opening the year with a 5-3 record against ranked foes – including a 4-0 win over No. 3 ranked USAO on Feb. 22. It was the highest ranked opponent the Lady Owls have toppled since defeating No. 1 ranked Southern Oregon on two occasions during the 2021 season.
 
SWEEP IN MONTANA: Tech last played March 8-9, making the nearly 1,000-mile, one-way trip to Great Falls, meeting the University of Providence for the final time in the regular-season (UP and Carroll will be leaving the CCC in softball next season, with the Frontier Conference sponsoring the sport for the first time). The OIT offense erupted in the Electric City, scoring 10-or-more runs in each of the four games – including a season-high 15-run outburst in the series finale. The Owls outhit the Argos, 47-16, in the four games – including 10 doubles and four home runs – helping the team batting average climb from .275 to .307.
 
DOMINANT DEFENSE: While the offense gets the accolades for the Lady Owls, the defense has carried the club in 2025. Despite playing on a difficult dirt infield with winds blowing consistently at 30 miles per hour throughout the series, OIT committed just one error on the trip, with the team combining for 10 total errors in 472 defensive chances on the year. The team .979 fielding percentage is tops in the Cascade Conference and ranks No. 3 in the NAIA.
 
WALKS TO STRIKEOUTS: A glaring discrepancy between walks and strikeouts between OIT and their opponents is a key to the Lady Owls success this season. Through 16 games, Tech batters have walked 36 times and drew 15 hit-by-pitches, while striking out a combined 41 times. On the contrary, OIT pitchers have walked 44 batters and hit nine, while striking out a combined 112 batters – a 2.5-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio.
 
ALLEN NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Playing in her first CCC road series at OIT, transfer Gina Allen was outstanding in the Treasure State, combining to go 8-for-14 at the plate, driving in 10 runs – earning Cascade Conference Player of the Week honors. The sophomore scored six runs, added a triple and home run, while stealing three bases along the way. Allen takes a 6-game hit streak into the Bushnell series, while leading the club with a .422 batting average.
 
HUFFMAN MAKES IMPACT IN DEBUT: Making her collegiate debut in Montana, true freshman Leah Huffman took advantage of the opportunity, going 6-for-9 in the Providence series. The outfielder added a double and a pair of RBI, while scoring six runs – and earned starts in the Game 3 and Game 4 victories.
 
MORE WITH THE BATS: The Owls got production up-and-down the batting order in Montana – from leadoff hitter Nita Cook, to middle of the order standouts Puakea Milbourne and Sawyer Stenson, with Marla Goodspeed providing a boost in the bottom third of the line-up. Cook has hit safely in 6-straight games, going 5-for-11 in the series, scoring five runs, adding three stolen bases and three RBI. Both Milbourne and Stenson lived on base – Milbourne going 7-for-14 with seven RBI, adding a double, two walks, six runs scored and three stolen bases, while Stenson was 6-for-12 with six RBI and scored five runs, including two Game 1 homers, becoming the 30th OIT player to hit two home runs in a game. Goodspeed was 4-for-11 in the series, adding three walks and six runs scored, launching her first career homer in Game 1 of the series.
 
IN THE CIRCLE: Each of the Lady Owls four pitchers had success on the trip, limiting a Providence team that had scored 31 runs in their previous league series. Kacie Schmidt logged a pair of wins, holding the Argos to six hits over 11 innings of work, striking out 18 batters. Both Carli Moore and Alli Parker earned victories in the series – Moore tossing 3.2 innings in a Game 2 win, while Parker struck out five in five innings of work during the trip. Jenna Gorden made two relief appearances, allowing two hits and no earned runs in 3.1 innings in the circle.
 
SUCCESS AT HOME: Stilwell Stadium has been a house of horrors for opponents, since the top venue in the Cascade Conference was opened in 2019. The Lady Owls are a combined 110-18 all-time on the artificial turf field, including wins in 90 of their last 100 home games.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: The top half of the league continues to play well, as College of Idaho takes a 10-game win streak into the weekend after sweeping both Corban and Bushnell, Eastern Oregon is riding a 7-game win streak after wins over Corban and UBC, while Southern Oregon has won 10-straight. This weekend, Providence makes the long journey to SOU, UBC treks to C of I, Warner Pacific is at Eastern, Corban heads to Carroll, with Bushnell meeting OIT.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: Batting Average – Brynn Cullen (UP) .481, Kailer Fulton (SOU) .478, Faith Moultrie (SOU) .464, Sarah Kerling (SOU) .460; Home Runs – Violet Richardson (BU) 5, Sawyer Stenson (OIT) 3, Hannah Tyree (EOU) 3, Kenna Thomas (CAR) 3; RBI – Piper Love (SOU) 22, Hallie Campbell (CI) 20, Ari Williams (SOU) 18, Violet Richardson (BU) 16; Stolen Bases – Noa Barawis (WP) 19, Nita Cook (OIT) 12, Kailer Fulton (SOU) 12, Vanessa Lang (SOU) 11; Wins – Ayla Davies (SOU) 13, Kacie Schmidt (OIT) 6, Abbey Brooks (CI) 6, Carleen Murray (UBC) 5; Strikeouts – Ayla Davies (SOU) 105, Carleen Murray (UBC) 65, Kacie Schmidt (OIT) 62, Shae Sever (UBC) 50.
 
WIN NUMBER 1,300: The Lady Owls first victory on March 9 at Providence was the 1,300th in program history – dating back to 1975. Over the 50-year span, Tech has a 1,301-659-2 all-time record.
 
RECORD BOOK: 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 (59) and sacrifice flies (15), ranking No. 3 in defensive chances (1,058), No. 5 in defensive put outs (876) and games started (215), No. 8 in games played (217), No. 9 in RBI (151), No. 10 in doubles (46), No. 12 in triples (7), No. 13 in sacrifice hits (14), No. 14 in at bats (598), No. 18 in hits (193) and runs scored (125), No. 19 in walks (49), No. 21 in home runs (17), ranking No. 25 in stolen bases (20); Zoe Allen is No. 4 in stolen bases (51), No. 7 in sacrifice hits (19), No. 10 in walks (61), No. 13 in runs scored (141) and No. 25 in hits (177); Nita Cook is in No. 4 in stolen bases (51), No. 8 in sacrifice hits (18), No. 12 in triples (7) and defensive assists (262), No. 17 in hit-by-pitches (11), No. 25 in runs scored (112), ranking just outside the Top-25 in hits (144); Puakea Milbourne is No. 4 in defensive put outs (890), No. 5 in defensive chances (926), No. 10 in hit-by-pitches (15), No. 13 in sacrifice hits (14), No. 17 in RBI (114) and No. 25 in home runs (16); with Addison Kachnik No. 21 in defensive assists (197). In the circle, Kacie Schmidt ranks No. 3 in shutouts (20), saves (5) and strikeouts (485), No. 5 in wins (64) and appearances (118), No. 6 in complete games (46) and pitching starts (79), ranking No. 7 in innings pitched (508.0); while Alli Parker is No. 3 all-time in saves (5).
 
NEXT WEEK: OIT will have a busy Spring Break week – playing at Pacific (March 25) and at Southern Oregon (March 26), before traveling to Corban (March 28-29) for a 4-game series.