COMING UP: vs. Warner Pacific (DH), Friday, 2 p.m.; vs. Warner Pacific (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 – WARNER PACIFIC: The Lady Owls return home this weekend, meeting one of the three one-loss teams in the Cascade Conference, a much-improved Warner Pacific squad. The Knights (10-8, 5-1 CCC) started the season 1-7, but have won 9-of-10 games, including a 4-game weekend sweep of Corban. WPU is averaging 6.4 runs a game and posting a solid .304 team batting average, led by Division I transfer Ryleah Torres (.480 2 HR 21 RBI) and freshmen Brylee-Rose Demello (.415 4 HR 19 RBI) and Madelyn Lahey (.356 0 HR 8 RBI) and returning All-CCC pick, Noe Barawis (.419 1 HR 6 RBI, 13 SB), who set a new CCC record for stolen bases in 2025. Two-way player, Kili Makanani (.255 2 HR 10 RBI, 4-4 5.45 ERA) is the No. 1 pitcher, part of a staff that has a 6.05 team ERA, recording 64 walks and 51 strikeouts. The Knights look to Kaylee Porkorny (5-3 5.88 ERA) as their Game 2 starter. OIT has faced WPU 21 previous times since the Knights started their program, with the Owls holding a 20-1 series lead.
 
TOP STARTS: The 2026 team is the sixth Lady Owls squad to open a season with a 19-3 or better overall record through 22 games. Both the 1998 and 2025 teams started 19-3, with the 2021 team beginning 21-3, the 2022 team at 22-3 and the 2006 team starting the season 26-3.
 
OWLS CLIMB TO NO. 4: The 19-3 start to the year helped OIT climb to No. 4 in the first NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll of the 2026 season – the sixth-straight season that the Lady Owls have been a part of the Top-5. Tech is one of three CCC teams in the Top-5, as Southern Oregon remains at No. 1 and Eastern Oregon jumped to No. 2.
 
SUCCESS AT HOME: The Lady Owls return home this weekend, putting a 4-0 record at Stilwell Stadium on the line. The yard has been one of the more difficult places in the NAIA for opponents to play since it opened in 2019, as OIT is a combined 131-23 on the Stilwell Stadium turf, an 85% win percentage.
 
HANDCUFFING THE SIMPSON BATS: Pitching was the key for the Lady Owls in Redding, as Tech won 3-of-4 games at Simpson, improving to 5-1 in league play. OIT arms held the Redhawks to 11 total hits (one extra base hit) in the 4-game series, with SU limited to just four earned runs in the set. For the season, the Owls have limited opponents to five hits or fewer in 12 of the 22 games.
 
SCHMIDT EARNS WEEKLY AWARD: A stellar weekend in the circle netted Kristine Schmidt weekly honors, as the right-hander was named Cascade Conference Pitcher of the Week. The junior did not allow an earned run in three appearances, earning a win and a save to help the Owls cause. Schmidt pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning to preserve a Game 1 win, while tossing five and a third innings in relief in Game 2, allowing just one hit and striking out seven. She capped the week with a complete game 3-hitter in the series clincher, striking out four. For the year, Schmidt now holds a 7-0 record with a 1.46 ERA.
 
MORE ARMS: The Lady Owls got quality starts from both Alli Parker and Carli Moore in the Simpson series, both helping Tech secure the series win. Parker earned the ball in Game 1 and tosses six strong innings, striking out eight, to improve her season record to 6-0 – with her 58 strikeouts on the season ranking No. 3 in the CCC. Moore was dominant in the Game 4 victory, throwing a 1-hit shutout, striking out five in the win – her second shutout of the season.
 
GETTING ON BASE: Four OIT players currently have double-digit streaks in consecutive games reaching base – putting pressure on opponents on the base paths. Puakea Milbourne has reached in 17-straight contests (including a current 9-game hit streak), dating back to the trip to Arizona, while both Nita Cook and Gina Allen have reached in 12-straight games and Brooklyn Loose has reached base in 10-straight contests.
 
BIG SERIES FROM SENIORS: Leading the way in the Simpson series was seniors Malia Mick and Puakea Milbourne, both providing big hits in the four California games. Mick finished the trip 7-for-16 with two runs scored and six RBI, including a key bases-clearing triple in the Game 4 win. Milbourne continued a strong season, going 6-for-13 in the series, scoring six runs, adding three doubles, a homer and four RBI. Both players share the team lead with 20 RBI.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE: Last week, two teams earned weekend sweeps in the CCC, as Eastern Oregon took four games from Bushnell and Warner Pacific swept aside Corban. Southern Oregon traveled to Caldwell and earned a key series win at C of I, winning 3-of-4. This week, UBC comes off their bye weekend, traveling to SOU, Eastern Oregon makes the long trip to Simpson, with Corban playing at rival Bushnell.
 
TEAM LEADERS: Batting Average – Oregon Tech .358, Eastern Oregon .350, College of Idaho .341, Southern Oregon .320, Warner Pacific .310; Runs Per Game – Eastern Oregon 8.3, College of Idaho 7.0, Oregon Tech 6.9, Warner Pacific 6.6, Southern Oregon 5.8; Home Runs – College of Idaho 26, Eastern Oregon 11, Warner Pacific 10, Oregon Tech 9, Bushnell 7; Stolen Bases – Southern Oregon 37, Eastern Oregon 32, College of Idaho 32, Warner Pacific 26, Oregon Tech 18; ERA – British Columbia 2.13, Eastern Oregon 2.25, Oregon Tech 2.55, Southern Oregon 2.84, Corban 5.07; Fielding Percentage – British Columbia .972, Southern Oregon .963, Oregon Tech .960, Eastern Oregon .959, College of Idaho .953
 
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS: Batting Average – Lexi Grumbois (EOU) .500, Kina Watts (CI) .485, Nita Cook (OIT) .453, Mckenna Hanson (CRB) .450, Puakea Milbourne (OIT) .449; Runs Scored – Kamryn Ham (CI) 30, Watts 29, Milbourne 24, Grumbois 23, Cook 23; Hits – Vanessa Lang (SOU) 39, Cook 34, Watts 33, Kalea Thomas (SOU) 31, Milbourne 31, Addison Kachnik 31, Ham 31; Home Runs – Watts 7, Madelyn Powell (CI) 5, Milbourne 4, Gina Allen (OIT) 4, Ham 4, Grumbois 4, Brylee-Rose Demello (WPU) 4; RBI – Powell 28, Watts 27, Brooke Nordahl 21, Kelly Monaghan (EOU) 21, Milbourne 20, Malia Mick (OIT) 20; ERA – Carleen Murray (UBC) 0.64, Camille Schmitz (EOU) 1.36, Hannah Ebner (EOU) 1.40; Kristine Schmidt (OIT) 1.46, Natalie Dimitrov (EOU) 2.20; Strikeouts – Murray 87, Ayla Davies (SOU) 78, Alli Parker (OIT) 58, Schmidt 57, Maliyah Mann (EOU) 45.
 
RECORD BOOK: Seven 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 (93), No. 5 in runs (180), sacrifice hits (23) and defensive assists (387), No. 8 in walks (66), No. 10 in triples (9), No. 11 in hit by pitches (15), No. 12 in chances (766), No. 13 in hits (230), No. 18 in at bats (599), No. 22 in doubles (34) and No. 24 in RBI (108). Puakea Milbourne ranks No. 2 in defensive putouts (1,325) and chances (1,364), No. 5 in hit-by-pitches (24) and RBI (180), No. 7 in sacrifice flies (9), No. 8 in home runs (26), No. 9  in sacrifice hits (19), No. 14 in at bats (628), No. 16 in runs (141), hits (226) and doubles (37), ranking No. 19 in stolen bases (26); Addison Kachnik is No. 8 in defensive assists (310), No. 11 in doubles (45), No. 17 in at bats (601), No. 18 in RBI (115), No. 20 in triples (6), No. 23 in hits (189), ranking just outside the Top-25 in walks (41); Alli Parker is No. 3 in saves (7),  No. 20 in strikeouts (132) and wins (17) and No. 24 in pitching appearances (47) and innings pitched (131.0); Jenna Gorden is No. 23 in shutouts (2) and appearances (47), ranking No. 25 in wins (13) and innings pitched (129.0); Malia Mick No. 13 in triples (8) and No. 16 in hit by pitches (12); with Carli Moore No. 23 in shutouts (2) and just outside the Top-25 in appearances (37) and strikeouts (71).
 
NEXT WEEK: The Lady Owls make their longest conference road trip next weekend, traveling to Canada for a 4-game series at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.