COMING UP: Season Complete
 
OPENING ROUND RECAP: The Lady Owls hosted the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round on May 12-15, welcoming four teams to the Basin – with Tech finishing as the bracket runner-up. OIT opened the tournament with a 4-2 win over Jamestown (N.D.), before dropping a 12-10 slugfest to Midland (Neb.) – despite a 4-for-4, four RBI game from Addison Kachnik. The hosts won consecutive elimination games – getting a seventh inning game-tying homer from Gina Allen and a walk-off RBI single in extra innings from Puakea Milbourne to eliminate Southeastern (Fla.), while three pitchers combined on a 3-hit, 2-0 shutout of Midland, to force a winner-take-all title game. In the chipper, a 3-run fourth inning rally erased a 2-1 OIT lead, as Midland claimed a 5-3 victory and a trip to the NAIA Softball World Series. In the tournament, Allen (8-for-13, five RBI) and Seavert (7-for-15) led the way for the Lady Owls. Both Southern Oregon and Eastern Oregon won their respective Opening Round brackets – with EOU finishing third at the World Series and SOU winning seven elimination games to claim their fourth NAIA title.
 
STREAKS CONTINUE: OIT finished the 2025 season with a 45-11 record, their fifth-straight season with 45-or-more wins. Prior to the start of the streak, the Owls had posted just two 45-win seasons (1997 and 2015). Tech qualified for the NAIA Tournament for the 11th-straight season (second longest active streak, as Oklahoma City has recorded 12-straight trips), with the Owls advancing to the bracket championship game each season, including six trips to the World Series.
 
2,000 GAMES: The NAIA Tournament win over Midland marked the 2,000th game in program history, with the Lady Owls heading into the 2026 season with an all-time record of 1,333-666-2.
 
SCHMIDT CAPS AWARD-WINNING CAREER: Kacie Schmidt closed out her OIT career with a banner senior season, going 24-6 with a 1.84 ERA, recording a career-high 207 strikeouts on the year – earning first-team NAIA All-America honors and adding first-team Academic All-America honors as well. The 3-time All-American finished her career with an 82-18 overall record (No. 2 all-time in wins) with a 1.78 ERA, ranking No. 2 in program history with 630 strikeouts.
 
COOK REPEATS AS ALL-AMERICAN: For the second-straight season, second-baseman Nita Cook earned All-America honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, earning third-team accolades. The junior, who was named Cascade Conference Player of the Year, hit .362 on the year, recording 68 hits, 57 runs scored and 27 RBI, while setting a new OIT single-season record with 44 stolen bases. Cook was also key defensively, recording a .991 fielding percentage for a second-straight year on 225 chances.
 
SENIOR SUCCESS: It was a stellar final season in an OIT uniform for seniors Zoe Allen, Jayce Seavert and Marla Goodspeed – each capping their careers in their fourth-straight NAIA Tournament. Allen led the Lady Owls with a .365 batting average on the year, posting career-highs with 10 doubles and 25 RBI. Seavert hit .358 on the year with a team-high 15 doubles, adding three triples and 34 RBI. Goodspeed, in her first season as an everyday starter, hit .310 with 13 doubles and 25 RBI and led CCC outfielders with nine assists.
 
SEASON RECAP: The 2025 season was another banner campaign for the Lady Owls, recording a share of their fourth-straight CCC title and advancing to the NAIA Tournament for the 11th-straight year. Tech had one of their tougher preseason slates in program history – traveling to Oklahoma for six games, all against NAIA Tournament opponents, including wins over World Series foes Midland and Grand View, a 2-1 loss to NAIA runner-up Oklahoma City and a 4-0 win over No. 2-ranked Science & Arts. The Owls played well throughout CCC play, including a series win over No. 1-ranked Southern Oregon – rattling off 16-straight wins to close league play to secure a portion of the regular-season crown and host site for the CCC Tournament. OIT placed third in the CCC event for a second-straight year and finished as the runner-up in the NAIA Opening Round. As a team, the Owls hit .331 on the season, recording 111 doubles and 106 stolen bases, with the pitching staff posting a 2.19 ERA and the squad ranking No. 3 in the NAIA in fielding percentage (.979).
 
RECORD BOOK: Three players cracked the OIT single-season Top-10 list, while six players can be found on the career Top-10 list. Nita Cook set a new single-season record for stolen bases (44), Jayce Seavert ranked No. 6 in single-season hit-by-pitches (11), with Kacie Schmidt ranking No. 4 in single-season saves (4), No. 5 in strikeouts (207), No. 8 in wins (24), pitching appearances (40), pitching starts (30) and shutouts (7), ranking No. 9 in innings pitched (201.1). Seavert set new all-time career records for hit-by-pitches (68) and sacrifice flies (19), ranking No. 2 in games played (256) and games started (254), No. 3 in doubles (60), No. 4 in at bats (721), No. 7 in RBI (178) and No. 10 in triples (9). Cook is No. 2 all-time in stolen bases (83) and No. 10 in runs scored (157); Allen is No. 4 in stolen bases (66), No. 5 in games played (225) and walks (74), No. 6 in runs (174) and No. 10 in on-base percentage (.441); with Puakea Milbourne No. 10 in RBI (159). In the circle, Schmidt holds the all-time record for saves (8), is No. 2 in strikeouts (630), wins (82) and appearances (148), No. 3 in starts (101), innings pitched (660.2) and shutouts (25), ranking No. 5 in complete games (61), with Alli Parker No. 9 in saves (5).
 
ACADEMIC HONORS: Eight players were selected to the NAIA Scholar-Athlete Team (3.50 cumulative GPA and sophomore academic standing) – Marla Goodspeed, Jenna Gorden, Addison Kachnik, Malia Mick, Carli Moore, Kacie Schmidt, Jayce Seavert and Olivia Sprague – with Zoe Allen and Alli Parker joining those eight on as Academic All-CCC picks.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Owls will return their entire infield in 2026 – soon to be junior shortstop Gina Allen (.342 2 HR 36 RBI) and senior third baseman Addison Kachnik (.306 3 HR 41 RBI), senior second baseman Nita Cook (.362 0 HR 27 RBI) and senior first baseman Puakea Milbourne (.357 6 HR 55 RBI) – all named to the All-CCC team in 2025. Senior centerfielder Malia Mick (.262 1 HR 26 RBI) is back as is senior Sawyer Stenson (.303 4 HR 23 RBI), who served as the everyday designated player. Three pitchers are back – seniors Jenna Gorden (6-2 2.31 ERA) and Carli Moore (6-2 2.91 ERA) were key, along with junior Alli Parker (9-1 2.66 ERA).