COMING UP: vs. Simpson (DH), Tuesday, 2 p.m.; at Warner Pacific (DH), Saturday, 11 a.m.; at Warner Pacific (DH), Sunday, 10 a.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Both the Simpson and Warner Pacific games will have Live Stats through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal, with the Simpson doubleheader streamed for free via the Owls Sports Network. Of note, the series at WPU will be played at Milwaukie High School.
 
OPPONENT INFORMATION – SIMPSON: The Lady Owls move away from conference play on Tuesday, hosting Simpson University in the back end of a home-and-home series. OIT opened the season with 12-4 and 4-3 wins over the Redhawks (21-16) in Redding, with SU coming into the doubleheader winners of 4-straight as they compete as an independent in the Continental Athletic Conference. The Redhawks are hitting a solid .313 as a team and averaging five runs per game, with the lineup led by Brianna Lopez-Cortez (.417 7 HR 31 RBI), Nicolena Holen (.361 3 HR 32 RBI), Madyson Welch (.378 2 HR 21 RBI) and Kassandra Soria (.314 3 HR 16 RBI). The pitching staff is paced by a pair of durable arms in Jacquelyn Lujan (10-7 2.20 ERA) and Lily Rojas (6-4 2.55), with SU recording a 3.75 team ERA and a .941 team fielding percentage. The two teams have met 59 previous times, with OIT holding a 43-16 series edge, including wins in 13-straight games.
 
OPPONENT INFORMATION – WARNER PACIFIC: This weekend, Tech heads to Portland for a rare Saturday-Sunday conference series, facing a Warner Pacific club coming off back-to-back conference series splits. The Knights (9-24, 6-12 CCC) lost 20 of their first 25 games – but stunned College of Idaho in consecutive games and split the 4-game road series at Carroll. WPU is hitting just .207 and averaging three runs a game, but speedy table-setter Noe Barawis (.299 1 HR 13 RBI, 39 SB) keys the attack, with Maddie Gamble (.242 0 HR 10 RBI) and Nikki O'Reilly (.227 2 HR 8 RBI) key offensive options. Kili Makanani (.279 5 HR 23 RBI; 3-10 5.61 ERA) is one of the top 2-way players in the CCC, with Briana Munoz leading a pitching staff that has posted 120 walks against 98 strikeouts in 2025. The teams have met 17 times, with OIT holding a 16-1 series edge, including wins in the last 16 meetings.
 
30-WIN SEASONS: Tech heads into the weekend with a 28-6 record, two wins shy of their 13th-straight 30-win season. The Lady Owls have recorded 23 seasons with at least 30 wins, recorded 12 seasons with at least 40 wins, while logging 50-or-more wins in both 2022 and 2023.
 
MARATHON STRETCH TO END: Tuesday's doubleheader ends a wild stretch of games for the Lady Owls – playing 16 games over a 14-day stretch. OIT is 11-3 over the first 14 games of the run – with 10 of the contests played on the road.
 
10-INNING WIN VS. NO. 1: The Lady Owls and rival Southern Oregon have played epic games over the season – but last Wednesday's conference series finale marked the longest game ever between the foes. Tech scored four runs in the tenth inning – getting two squeeze bunts and a 2-run Jayce Seavert triple – to knock off the No. 1- ranked Raiders, 5-1, clinching the league series win. Kacie Schmidt went the distance for the Owls, becoming the ninth OIT pitcher to throw 10-or-more innings in a game. It was the 24th game in program history lasting 10-or-more innings, with the Owls 17-7 in those games. Tech's longest game in program history was a 17-inning marathon against Concordia in 2004.
 
DEFENSE THE KEY: Outstanding defense has helped the Lady Owls to a tremendous start in 2025, as Tech continues to lead the NAIA in fielding percentage (.979). OIT has 21 total errors in 34 games – with the team 2-3 this season when recording 2-or-more errors in a game.
 
COOK NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: A banner week earned second baseman Nita Cook Cascade Conference Player of the Week honors. The junior recorded multiple hits in each of the Lady Owls six games last week, finishing 13-for-23 at the plate with nine runs scored, including a 4-for-9 performance in the doubleheader vs. No. 1 ranked Southern Oregon. She added six stolen bases on the week, improving to 29-for-29 on steal attempts in 2025 and 68-of-68 in stolen base attempts for her career.
 
ALLEN CONTINUES HOT STREAK: During the 14-game stretch since the beginning of Spring Break, Zoe Allen has been a difficult out for OIT opponents, with the senior a combined 21-for-39 (.538) with 13 runs scored. The senior left fielder finished last weekend 10-for-19 at the plate with two doubles and four RBI – with her batting average climbing from .208 to .341 during the 2-week barrage.
 
SCHMIDT CONTINUES TO SHINE: No. 1 starter Kacie Schmidt finished last week 3-0 in the circle, claiming a win at No. 1-ranked SOU, adding two wins vs. UBC – both surrendering just two hits. The senior ranks second in the CCC in ERA (1.35), wins (14) and strikeouts (117).
 
LADY OWLS RANKED NO. 2: A 28-6 start to the season, including wins against five different Top-25 teams, helped the Lady Owls remain at No. 2 in the third NAIA Top-25 poll of the regular-season. Rival Southern Oregon holds the No. 1 spot, with Science & Arts, Cumberlands and Oklahoma City rounding out the Top-5. Two other CCC teams – No. 13 Eastern Oregon and No. 20 College of Idaho are in the Top-25.   
 
AGAINST THE TOP-25: Tech will play 16 games during the regular-season opponents in the poll, opening the year with a 7-5 record against ranked foes – including wins over the No. 1 and No. 3 ranked teams in the NAIA.
 
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 117-19 all-time on the artificial turf field, including wins in 97 of their last 108 home games. OIT has a 9-3 mark on their own diamond this season.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Both Eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon swept their league series – but dropped the non-conference games to College of Idaho and Corban. The Carroll-Warner Pacific and Providence-Bushnell match-ups ended in series splits. EOU holds a one-game lead on SOU and a three-game lead on OIT with nine CCC counters left – with SOU headed to UBC, EOU hosting Carroll, Providence traveling to C of I and Bushnell meeting Corban.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: Batting Average – Sarah Kerling (SOU) .491, Kailer Fulton (SOU) .474, Raygun Klippert (EOU) .434; Home Runs – Violet Richardson (BU) 8, Kili Makanani (WP) 5, Emily Barry (EOU) 5; RBI – Ari Williams (SOU) 33, Emily Barry (EOU) 30, Puakea Milbourne (OIT) 28; Stolen Bases – Noe Barawis (WP) 39, Kailer Fulton (SOU) 30, Nita Cook (OIT) 29; ERA – Ayla Davies (SOU) 0.80, Kacie Schmidt (OIT) 1.35), Kylie Parsons (EOU) 1.65; Pitching Wins – Ayla Davies (SOU) 20, Kacie Schmidt (OIT) 14, Abbey Brooks (CI) 10; Pitching Strikeouts – Ayla Davies (SOU) 154, Kacie Schmidt (OIT) 117, Kennedy Venner (CAR) 93.
 
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 (64) and sacrifice flies (16), is No. 2 in games started (232), ranking No. 3 in defensive chances (1,149) and games played (234), No. 4 in defensive put outs (964), No. 8 in doubles (49) and RBI (165), No. 9 in sacrifice hits (17), No. 10 in at bats (649), No. 11 in triples (8), No. 15 in hits (209), No. 16 in runs scored (135) and walks (53), No. 20 in home runs (18), ranking No. 25 in stolen bases (22); Zoe Allen is No. 4 in stolen bases (54), No. 5 in sacrifice hits (20), No. 7 in walks (69), No. 9 in runs scored (154) and No. 19 in hits (198); Nita Cook is No. 3 in stolen bases (68), No. 7 in defensive assists (303), No. 8 in sacrifice hits (19), No. 11 in triples (8), No. 15 in hit-by-pitches (12), No. 17 in runs scored (134), ranking just outside the Top-25 in hits (165); Puakea Milbourne is No. 3 in defensive put outs (1,005), No. 4 in defensive chances (1,044), No. 10 in hit-by-pitches (15) and sacrifice hits (16), No. 16 in RBI (122), No. 20 in home runs (18) and just outside the Top-25 in runs scored (104), hits (169), doubles (26) and stolen bases (20); with Addison Kachnik No. 15 in defensive assists (228). In the circle, Kacie Schmidt ranks No. 2 in saves (6) and pitching appearances (131), No. 3 in shutouts (23) and strikeouts (540), No. 4 in pitching starts (88), No. 5 in wins (72) and innings pitched (573.1), ranking No. 6 in complete games (52); while Alli Parker is No. 4 all-time in saves (5) and just outside the Top-25 in wins (10), strikeouts (61) and pitching appearances (28); with Carli Moore just outside the Top-25 in pitching appearances (33) and strikeouts (57).
 
NEXT WEEK: The Lady Owls close out the home portion of their regular-season schedule with games Thursday (April 17) and Friday (April 18) against Carroll College. Following next Friday's doubleheader, the OIT softball senior class will be recognized in a postgame ceremony.