COMING UP: vs. British Columbia (DH), Saturday, 11 a.m.; vs. British Columbia (DH), Sunday, 11 a.m.
 
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.
 
SERIES MOVED TO KLAMATH: Due to an atmospheric river set to hit the mainland of British Columbia over the next 72 hours, the Cascade Conference shifted the 4-game series between Oregon Tech and British Columbia from Vancouver to Klamath Falls. UBC will remain the home team in each game played at Stilwell Stadium.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – BRITISH COLUMBIA: The Thunderbirds (14-8, 5-1) have become the nomads of the CCC and will play the first 30 games of the season away from Vancouver - including consecutive trips to Southern Oregon, OIT and Simpson. Despite the travel, UBC is tied for the league lead in the loss column - thanks to a stellar pitching staff anchored by All-CCC righty Carleen Murray (9-3 0.82 ERA), who has walked just seven and struck out a league-best 99 batters. The T-Birds average four runs per contest, but make up for it with a defense that has committed just 18 errors. First baseman Jessica Heutink (.377 0 HR 16 RBI) is the big bat in the middle of the order, with Jillian Matsubara (.310 2 HR 14 RBI) an extremely tough out.
 
SECOND BEST START: SECOND BEST START: The 2026 team is the second Lady Owls squad to open a season with a 23-3 or better overall record through 26 games, joining the 2026 team that started, 26-3. The current team surpassed both the 1998 and 2025 teams that started 19-3, with the 2021 team beginning 21-3 and the 2022 team, which opened 22-3.

OWLS CLIMB TO NO. 2: The Owls 23-3 start to the year helped the club climb two spots to No. 2 in the latest NAIA Top-25 poll, released on March 18. Oregon teams hold the Top-3 spots – with Eastern at No. 1, Tech at No. 2 and Southern at No. 3. It is the sixth-straight year OIT has earned a Top-2 ranking and the 16th time the Owls have been ranked either No. 1 or No. 2.
 
SUCCESS AT HOME: The Lady Owls return home this weekend, putting an 8-0 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 135-23 on the Stilwell Stadium turf, an 85% win percentage.
 
DOMINANT SWEEP: A first-place match-up with Warner Pacific was lopsided in OIT's favor, as the Lady Owls outscored the Knights, 34-4, in the 4-game sweep. While Tech hit seven home runs and added 11 doubles in the series, the Owls pitching staff handcuffed a WP offense that had averaged over six runs a game, holding the Knights to 12 total hits.
 
HOME RUN RECORD TIED: The Owls closed the series with an offensive explosion, tying a school record with five home runs – all solo blasts. It was the 13th time an OIT team has hit five homers in a game and first time since the 2021 season. Tech entered the weekend with just nine home runs on the year but nearly doubled the number in the 4-game set.
 
SENIORS HAVE BIG SERIES: Seniors paced the way for the Lady Owls vs. Warner Pacific, getting big production from Addison Kachnik, Malia Mick, Hayden Rockwell and Sawyer Stenson. Kachnik continued her big season, going 6-for-14 with three home run and eight RBI – moving five hits away from 200 for her OIT career. Mick was 4-for-11 with three runs scored and two stolen bases, with Rockwell finishing 4-for-6 with three walks and three runs scored. Sawyer continued to get on base, going 5-for-11 – including four doubles.

ALLEN GOES DEEP TWICE: Shortstop Gina Allen joined an elite club, becoming the 31st OIT player to hit two home runs in a game, recording the Lady Owls 55th all-time 2-homer game. The junior finished the series 6-for-12 at the plate with five runs scored and six RBI – adding a pair of doubles in the Game 2 victory.
 
FRESHMAN'S FIRST HIT MEMORABLE: True only true freshman on the OIT roster, Maggie Pizano, made the most of her first collegiate hit – hitting a long home run in the Game 4 victory. Pizano, a 2025 4A all-state pick from Mazama High, has seen action in seven games this season.
 
SCHMIDT NO-NO HIGHLIGHTS BIG WEEKEND: Junior Kristine Schmidt has elevated to the No. 1 spot in the Lady Owls pitching rotation after another dominant weekend in the circle – extending a string of innings without allowing an earned run to 25. The transfer tossed the 21st no-hitter by an OIT pitcher since 2000 in the Game 1 win, followed by retiring all six batters to earn a Game 2 save. Schmidt won her ninth game of the season in Game 3, holding Warner Pacific to two hits. For the week, the righty pitched 11 innings, allowing two hits and striking out 20, lowering her ERA to 1.21.
 
PARKER STAYS STEADY: Alli Parker continued an outstanding junior season, allowing just three hits in two appearances spanning seven innings – including her seventh win of the season. Parker combined for eight strikeouts in the two games, improving to 7-0 with a 2.32 ERA on the year.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE: Eastern Oregon joined OIT in the sweep column, taking all four games at Simpson – sitting atop the league standings with the Owls, while UBC took 2-of-3 league games at Southern and Corban took 2-of-3 league counters at Bushnell. This week, along with Tech hosting UBC, SOU is at Corban, with Simpson at Warner Pacific
 
TEAM LEADERS: Batting Average – Oregon Tech .368, Eastern Oregon .353, College of Idaho .341, Southern Oregon .311, Bushnell .304; Runs Per Game – EOU 8.68, OIT 7.12, C of I 7.04, Warner Pacific 5.50, SOU 5.37; Home Runs – C of I 26, OIT 16, EOU 14, WPU 17, Simpson 7; Stolen Bases – EOU 43, SOU 37, C of I 32, OIT 28, WPU 27; ERA – British Columbia 1.89, EOU 2.23, OIT 2.31, SOU 2.62, C of I 5.34; Fielding Percentage – UBC .969, SOU .965, OIT .963, EOU .954, C of I .953.
 
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS: Batting Average – Lexi Grumbois (EOU) .492, Kina Watts (CI) .485, Mckenna Hanson (CRB) .444, Allison Baumgart (EOU) .444, Nita Cook (OIT) .443; Runs Scored – Kamryn Ham (CI) 30, Watts 29, Grumbois 29, Puakea Milbourne (OIT) 28, Cook 26; Hits – Vanessa Lang (SOU) 39, Cook 39, Addison Kachnik (OIT) 37, Kalea Thomas (SOU) 35, Milbourne 35; Home Runs – Watts 7, Gina Allen (OIT) 6, Milbourne 5, Madelyn Powell (CI) 5, Hope Burke (EOU) 5; RBI – Powell 28, Watts 27, Grumbois 27, Brianna Lopez-Cortez (SU) 26, Kachnik 25, Allen 25; ERA – Carleen Murray (UBC) 0.73, Camille Schmitz (EOU) 1.11, Kristine Schmidt (OIT) 1.21, Hannah Ebner (EOU) 1.91, Alli Parker (OIT) 2.32;  Strikeouts – Murray 99, Ayla Davies (SOU) 85, Schmidt 77, Parker 66, Maliyah Mann (EOU) 57.
 
RECORD BOOK: Eight 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 (97), No. 5 in runs (183), sacrifice hits (23) and defensive assists (392), No. 8 in walks (68), No. 10 in triples (9), No. 11 in hit by pitches (15), No. 12 in hits (235) and defensive chances (780), No. 17 in doubles (35), No. 18 in at bats (612) and No. 20 in RBI (111). Puakea Milbourne ranks No. 2 in defensive putouts (1,343) and chances (1,382), No. 5 in hit-by-pitches (24) and RBI (184), No. 7 in home runs (27) and sacrifice flies (9),  No. 9  in sacrifice hits (19), No. 11 in at bats (642), No. 13 in runs (145), No. 14 in hits (230), No. 16 in doubles (39), ranking No. 18 in stolen bases (28); Addison Kachnik is No. 8 in defensive assists (313), No. 11 in doubles (45), No. 17 in at bats (615) and RBI (123), No. 20 in triples (6), No. 22 in hits (195), ranking just outside the Top-25 in walks (41); Alli Parker is No. 3 in saves (7),  No. 19 in strikeouts (132), No. 20 in wins (18), No. 23 in pitching appearances (49) and No. 24 in innings pitched (138.0); Jenna Gorden is No. 23 in shutouts (2) and wins (14), ranking No. 24 in appearances (48) and No. 25 in innings pitched (129.0); Malia Mick is No. 13 in triples (8) and No. 16 in hit by pitches (12); Carli Moore is No. 23 in shutouts (2), No. 25 in strikeouts (74) and just outside the Top-25 in appearances (39); with Kristine Schmidt No. 23 in shutouts (2) and No. 24 in strikeouts (77).
 
NEXT WEEK: Tech closes out a 12-game homestand next weekend, hosting Corban in a 4-game series – with doubleheaders set for March 27 (2 p.m.) and March 28 (11 a.m.)