COMING UP: vs. College of Idaho (DH), Friday, 1 p.m.; vs. College of Idaho (DH), Saturday, 11 a.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: All Cascade Conference softball games will be carried live on the Urban Edge Network, with Live Stats through the OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – COLLEGE OF IDAHO: Tech opens defense of their four-straight Cascade Conference titles against the team they ended league play against in 2025, hosting longtime rival College of Idaho. The Yotes (11-3) are coming off their sixth-straight NAIA Tournament appearance and feature one of the more potent lineups in the CCC, entering the week with a .382 team batting average, a .603 team slugging percentage and a CCC-best 17 home runs. Outfielders Kamryn Hall (.489 3 HR 9 RBI) and Madelyn Powell (.467 5 HR 24 RBI), shortstop Kina Watts (.476 2 HR 16 RBI) and catcher Hallie Campbell (.441 1 HR 7 RBI) are off to tremendous starts to pace the C of I offense. In the circle, the Yotes have a 4.00 ERA, posting 56 walks against 49 strikeouts, with three right-handers – Rylee Smith (3-0 3.63 ERA), Drew Williams (5-2 3.72 ERA) and Grace Neer (2-1 3.85) throwing the bulk of the innings. OIT holds an 83-34 all-time series lead, including 7-straight wins in Klamath.
 
LEAGUE SEASON BEGINS: The 9-week Cascade Conference schedule begins this weekend, as the new look league looks to defend a NAIA national title. Last season, five teams (Southern Oregon, Eastern Oregon, Oregon Tech, C of I and British Columbia) qualified for the NAIA Tournament, SOU and EOU reaching the NAIA World Series, with SOU winning the crown. Gone from the league are Carroll and Providence – now part of a 6-team Frontier Conference circuit, while Simpson has joined the CCC as an affiliate member. With a 9-team league, only the CCC Tournament champ will receive an automatic bid to Nationals.
 
HOME OPENER: The Lady Owls open a 16-game home schedule at Stilwell Stadium on Friday, one of the tougher venues to play at in the NAIA. Since the facility opened in 2019, OIT is a combined 127-23 on the turf, an 85% win percentage.
 
OWLS BATTLE ELEMENTS IN REDDING: Typically, a trip down I-5 to Redding is an easy one, with mild temperatures awaiting teams. This season, Tech faced a February snowstorm, turning a 2-hour drive into a 4-hour marathon, with early games last Thursday rescheduled. The Owls battled through temperatures in the 30's and 40's, topping all teams in the 6-team event with a 5-1 record, improving to 12-2 on the season. OIT finished the year a perfect 3-0 vs. Arizona Christian and 2-0 vs. Park Gilbert.
 
BATS IN CALIFORNIA: Tech started slowly at the plate at Simpson, combining for 19 hits over the first three games, but regained their swagger in the final three games – powering 35 combined hits. For the season, the Lady Owls have a .343 team batting average.
 
COOK MAKES MOST OF NEW SPOT: During the trip, Nita Cook moved from the leadoff spot in the order to the No. 2 position – and the Owls received immediate dividends. The senior was 11-for 19 in the tournament, but finished 9-for-11 (including three consecutive 3-hit games) with three runs scored, from the second spot in the order.
 
MORE AT THE PLATE: The Owls got production throughout their lineup in Redding, as Leah Huffman, Puakea Milbourne and Addison Kachnik had quality weekends. Huffman was 5-for-14 at the plate, including a pair of doubles and three runs scored; Milbourne finished 6-for-16 with a double and three RBI; with Kachnik going 9-for-17 with two doubles and two RBI.
 
ARMS DOMINANT: The OIT pitching staff continues to be stout, as the group has yet to allow more than seven hits in a game. During the Simpson tournament, the Lady Owls allowed two earned runs or less in all six games, while in the final four games of the event, Tech walked just two batters and struck out a combined 32.
 
HUGE TRIP FOR PARKER: Headlining the pitching staff was Ali Parker, who made three dominant appearances in Redding. The junior combined to throw a team-best 14.1 innings, allowing just two runs on 10 hits, while striking out 23 batters. Parker closed the tournament with a complete game win over Simpson, striking out a career-high 10 batters, while earning a win in relief vs. Park Gilbert.
 
MOORE TOSSES GEM: Tech got a huge boost from senior pitcher Carli Moore, who tossed the first shutout of her collegiate career. Moore handcuffed the Arizona Christian offense, limiting the Firestorm to five singles, walking none and striking out six, for her first win of the season.
 
SCHMIDT IMPRESSES: The stellar start to the season for transfer pitcher Kristine Schmidt continued, as the right-hander improved to 6-0 on the season with a pair of wins. The junior threw 12 innings in Redding, allowing just four runs, walking three and striking out 13, entering the weekend with a team-best 1.57 ERA.
 
AROUND THE CCC: The conference schedule (back-to-back doubleheaders with the first three games counting in the CCC standings) starts Friday, with big match-ups up and down the list. Southern Oregon hosts Eastern Oregon – as SOU is coming off a 6-2 trip to Oklahoma, including five Top-25 wins, with EOU sweeping four games vs. Providence and Carroll. Warner Pacific is at Bushnell, as WPU swept a Sunday doubleheader with Puget Sound, while British Columbia plays for the first time in two weeks, traveling to winless Corban.
 
PRESEASON RANKINGS: OIT opens the 2026 season ranked No. 10 in the preseason NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll, the 32nd-straight polling period the Lady Owls have been in the Top-25. Two other Cascade Conference teams – No. 1 Southern Oregon and No. 3 Eastern Oregon – are in the Top-25, while College of Idaho and British Columbia each received votes. In the CCC Preseason Poll, SOU took 8-of-9 first-place spots and holds the top spot, ahead of Tech, Eastern Oregon, C of I and UBC.
 
RECORD BOOK: Six current players rank among the Top-25 in the OIT career record book, including Nita Cook, who is No. 2 all-time in stolen bases (85), No. 5 in sacrifice hits (23), No. 7 in defensive assists (375), No. 8 in runs scored (169), No. 11 in walks (64), No. 12 in triples (8), No. 14 in hit-by-pitches (14), No. 15 in defensive chances (740), No. 16 in hits (217), No. 20 in at bats (571), No. 24 in RBI (104), ranking just outside the list in doubles (31). Puakea Milbourne ranks No. 2 in defensive putouts (1,275) and chances (1,311), No. 5 in hit-by-pitches (23), No. 7 in sacrifice flies (9), No. 8 in RBI (171), No. 9 in home runs (24) and sacrifice hits (19), No. 16 in at bats (602), No. 17 in hits (211), No. 19 in stolen bases (26), ranking No. 20 in runs scored (127) and doubles (34); Addison Kachnik is No. 8 in defensive assists (300), No. 15 in doubles (39), No. 20 in triples (6), No. 21 in at bats (574), No. 25 in RBI (102), ranking just outside the Top-25 in hits (177) and walks (38); Alli Parker is No. 3 in saves (7),  No. 20 in strikeouts (109), No. 24 in both wins (13) and pitching appearances (43), ranking just outside the Top-25 in innings pitched (114.0); Jenna Gorden is No. 23 in shutouts (2) and appearances (45), ranking No. 25 in wins (12) and just outside the Top-25 in innings pitched (122.0); with Malia Mick No. 14 in triples (7) and No. 16 in hit by pitches (12).
 
NEXT WEEK: Lady Owls make a return trip to Redding to play Simpson in the Redhawks first-ever Cascade Conference series.