COMING UP: Host NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round – Klamath Falls Bracket, Monday-Thursday.
TOURNAMENT LANDING PAGE: Click Here for all up-to-date information (schedule, scores, stats, broadcast links) for the Klamath Falls Bracket.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION: All eight (or nine) games from the Klamath Falls Bracket will be carried live on the
Urban Edge Network, with Live Stats of all games available through
Presto Stats. All games will also be broadcast live in the Klamath Basin on 104.3 & 960 Sports with Mike Safford and Josh Eldredge on the call. Gates will open one hour prior to the first game of the day (10 a.m. on Monday-Tuesday, 12 p.m. on Wednesday-Thursday), with ticket prices $15.00 for adults, $12.00 for seniors/military, $5.00 for students for each day (an all-tournament pass of $30.00 for adults and $24.00 for seniors/military will be available). $10 Meal Deals will be available each day – Pulled Pork Sandwiches from Smokin' H Barbeque on Monday-Wednesday, Smash Burgers on Tuesday.
WHAT'S AT STAKE AT THE OPENING ROUND: The winner of the 5-team Klamath Falls Bracket will earn an automatic bid to the NAIA Softball World Series, set for May 21-27, at the South Commons Softball Complex in Columbus, Ga.
HISTORY OF THE NAIA OPENING ROUND: In 2013, the NAIA moved from a 32-team final site (Pool Play with eight pods of four teams and an 8-team single-elimination bracket) to a 40-team tournament with 10 Opening Round sites with four teams – with the winners advancing to the NAIA Softball World Series. Last year, the tournament expanded further, with 48 teams in the field – with eight Opening Round sites hosting five teams, while the Top-2 seeds in the tournament hosting 4-team brackets.
OPENING ROUND SITES: Along with Klamath Falls, other venues picked to host the Opening Round include Williamsburg, Ky. (Cumberlands), Oklahoma City, Okla. (Oklahoma City), Chickasha, Okla. (Science & Arts), Ashland, Ore. (Southern Oregon), Fayette, Mo. (Central Methodist), Lakeland, Fla. (Southeastern), Columbia, Ky. (Lindsey Wilson), Mobile, Ala. (Mobile) and Hattiesburg, Miss. (William Carey).
MEET THE TEAMS - #2 SEED OUR LADY OF THE LAKE (39-10): One of the powerhouses of NAIA Softball heads to the Basin for the first time, the Saints, from San Antonio, Texas, are the 2024 NAIA national champs. OLLU is making their fifth-straight tournament appearance and looking to rebound after losing to Eastern Oregon in their own Opening Round final in 2025. The squad played a competitive preseason schedule, earning wins against No. 1-seeds USAO, Mobile and William Carey, finishing second in the Red River Athletic Conference standings, but topping LSU-Alexandria in the tournament final. Division I transfer Annika Litterio (25-7 1.84 ERA) was the RRAC Pitcher of the Year, while a trio of All-RRAC picks - outfielders Adrianna Alejandro (.434 2 HR 36 RBI) and Marisa Rosales (.362 4 HR 36 RBI) and designated player Lilly Rocha (.398 5 HR 29 RBI) power an offense hitting .354 and averaging seven runs a game. OLLU is 11-7 all-time in the Opening Round.
MEET THE TEAMS - #3 SEED ST. THOMAS (31-20): The 2026 season marks the third-straight postseason trip for the Bobcats, from Miami Gardens, Fla., and the second time in three seasons the team heads to the Klamath Basin. STU finished third in a highly competitive Sun Conference that featured a pair of teams (Southeastern and Keiser) that were No. 1 seeds in their respective Opening Round brackets - with the team earning a win against Southeastern. The Bobcats have hit 30 home runs this season and have a team batting average of .299, with 2-way player Christina Ortiz (.372 7 HR 36 RBI, 8-8 1.95 ERA) earning All-Sun honors. The offense is helped by All-Sun first baseman Bailey LeGere (.353 6 HR 31 RBI) and outfielder Emma Edwards (.315 6 HR 32 RBI). It is STU's fourth trip to the national tournament, with the Bobcats posting a 4-6 all-time in the Opening Round, having finished 2-2 last season in the Lawrenceville (Ga.) Bracket.
MEET THE TEAMS - #4 SEED ARIZONA CHRISTIAN (36-13): A season ago, the Firestorm was an upset winner in the Great Southwest Athletic Conference Tournament and made an appearance in Klamath in the Opening Round. The 2026 ACU team built on the experience and had a fabulous regular-season, winning the GSAC regular-season title and qualifying for the national tournament for the third time. The Glendale school averages 5.8 runs per game, with the team posting a .309 batting average. Two-way player Dayna Herrera (.527 8 HR 51 RBI, 14-6 2.91 ERA) leads the NAIA in batting average and was selected as GSAC Player of the Year honors, while Alyssa Grinstead (15-4 2.31 ERA) earned GSAC Pitcher of the Year honors. All-GSAC catcher Christy Grubb (.400 2 HR 28 RBI) is key in the Firestorm line-up. ACU is searching for their first-ever NAIA tourney win, looking to improve on an 0-4 record.
MEET THE TEAMS - #5 SEED DICKINSON STATE (40-12): The Blue Hawks, from Dickinson, N.D., return to the Opening Round after a one-year hiatus, making their eight appearance and looking to head to the World Series for the first time since 2015. In their first season in the Frontier Conference after the North Star Athletic Association disbanded, DSU claimed the regular-season (24-4 league record) and tournament titles behind an offense that averages over seven runs per game and has a .352 team batting average. FC Player of the Year, catcher Brooke Lijeweski (.436 11 HR 62 RBI), is the leader of the Blue Hawks offense, along with third-baseman Kiley Hubby (.384 6 HR 48 RBI) and shortstop Stocktyn Stevenson (.399 2 HR 29 RBI, 25 RBI). The pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.21, with FC Pitcher of the Year, Hope Fath (12-1 3.40 ERA) and Reagan King (11-4 2.81 ERA) the top arms. DSU is 6-12 all-time in the Opening Round, with the current team 1-3 this season against NAIA Tournament opponents.
AGAINST THE FIELD: Of the 48 teams in the NAIA Tournament, the Lady Owls have faced 23 of the clubs at one point or another in program history. Tech has played all four teams in the Klamath Falls Bracket – going 7-1 against Arizona Christian, 3-0 vs. Dickinson State, 1-0 vs. St. Thomas and 0-1 vs. Our Lady of the Lake. Five Cascade Conference teams are in the 48-team field – as Southern Oregon is the top seed in their own Opening Round bracket, Eastern Oregon is the No. 2 seed in Mobile, College of Idaho is a No. 3 seed in Fayette, Mo., with UBC a No. 4 seed in Oklahoma City.
BACK IN THE NAIA TOURNAMENT: By virtue of their selection as a host site for the Opening Round, Tech claimed an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament – as the Lady Owls will compete at Nationals for the 12th-straight year. OIT and Oklahoma City are the only two teams who have competed in each of the last 11 NAIA Tournaments (OCU has played in all 12 Opening Rounds since they began in 2013). During that time, OIT has advanced to six NAIA World Series.
HISTORY IN THE POSTSEASON: Tech are competing in their 15th-straight postseason and make their 30th postseason appearance in the last 33 years. Since 1993, the Lady Owls are a combined 113-81 in postseason games – recording a 40-24 mark in CCC Tournament play, 17-28 in NAIA Region I Tournament play and 56-29 in the NAIA National Tournament.
40-WIN SEASON: With their win in Game 4 of the April 24-25 doubleheader at Eastern Oregon, the Lady Owls clinched their seventh-straight (non-COVID year) 40-win season and head into the Opening Round with a 41-8 record. OIT has logged 14-straight years with 30-or-more victory, with the team posting 50-or-more wins in 2022 and 2023.
TECH ENDS SEASON RANKED #2: Tech closed the year ranked No. 2 in the final NAIA Top-25 poll – the third time the Owls have been in the Top-2 nationally heading into the postseason (were ranked No. 1 in 2023 and No. 2 in 2025). OIT has six wins this season against current No. 6-ranked teams (four vs. Southern Oregon, two vs. Eastern Oregon).
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 147-26 all-time on the artificial turf field, heading into the tournament with a 20-3 mark on their own diamond.
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT RECAP: The Lady Owls finished 1-2 at the Cascade Conference Championships – earning a 1-0 victory in Game 3 of the tournament, as
Kristine Schmidt tossed a 4-hit shutout against College of Idaho, with the lone run scoring on a
Puakea Milbourne fielders choice. In the semifinals, Tech was topped by Southern Oregon, 4-1, as an
Addison Kachnik home run provided the Owls lone run. Facing C of I for the second time – with a trip to the title game on the line – OIT had leads of 3-0 and 4-2, but were unable to hang on, stranding the tying run at third in the seventh in a 7-6 loss. Southern Oregon went on to sweep their way through the tournament, defeating C of I, 9-1, in the championship game.
SCHMIDT NAMED NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: OIT transfer
Kristine Schmidt was honored by the CCC coaches as Newcomer of the Year, sharing the honor with College of Idaho's Kina Watts. The junior had a banner season in leading Tech to the CCC regular-season title, going 18-4 with a 1.73 ERA, striking out 151 batters in 141 innings – while leading the team with five shutout victories.
STEWART NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR FOR 12TH TIME: The dean of CCC softball coaches,
Greg Stewart, earned his fifth-straight CCC Coach of the Year honor and the 12th Coach of the Year award in his OIT career. Stewart led Tech to a share of their fifth-straight CCC regular-season title and their 12th-straight NAIA Tournament appearance – while picking up his 800th career win in February.
TECH DOMINATES ALL-CCC TEAM: Along with
Kristine Schmidt, three other OIT players earned first-team All-CCC honors –
Nita Cook,
Addison Kachnik and
Alli Parker – while
Puakea Milbourne and
Malia Mick earning second-team nods,
Sawyer Stenson an honorable mention pick, with Cook, Kachnik and
Gina Allen earning Gold Glove honors. Cook earns All-CCC honors for a third-time and is a 3-time Gold Glove pick. The two-time NAIA All-American heads into the NAIA Championships hitting a team-best .436 with 12 doubles and 26 RBI. The senior second-baseman has 26 stolen bases and recently broke OIT's career stolen base record. Kachnik earns All-CCC honors for the second-straight year and Gold Glove honors for the first time. The third-baseman has had a breakout season, hitting .396 with career-highs of 15 doubles, eight home runs and 48 RBI. Parker was selected as an All-CCC pitcher for the first time, as the junior enters the NAIA Tournament with a 12-1 record and a 1.89 ERA, striking out 105 batters in 89 innings. Milbourne, Mick and Stenson have each had outstanding senior seasons for the Lady Owls. Milbourne is hitting .355 with nine home runs and 42 RBI, Mick is hitting .352 with 28 RBI, with Stenson hitting .370 with 13 doubles and 31 RBI. Allen, a junior shortstop, was honored for the first time as a Gold Glove pick, having posted just six errors in 139 defensive chances at one of the most-difficult spots on the diamond.
RECORD BOOK: Eight current players rank among the Top-25 in the OIT career record book, including
Nita Cook, who is No. 1 all-time in stolen bases (109), No. 2 in runs scored (205) and defensive assists (441), No. 3 in games started (230), No. 4 in games played (230) and walks (78), No. 5 in sacrifice hits (25), No. 6 in hits (268) and at bats (710), No. 8 in defensive chances (869), No. 9 in hit by pitches (17), No. 10 in triples (9), No. 16 in doubles (42) and No. 18 in RBI (121).
Puakea Milbourne ranks No. 1 all-time in defensive putouts (1,515) and defensive chances (1,564), is No. 3 in games started (230), RBI (201) and sacrifice flies (11), No. 4 in games played (230), No. 5 in at bats (715) and hit-by-pitches (26), No. 6 in home runs (30) and sacrifice hits (23), No. 8 in hits (251), No. 11 in runs scored (160), ranking No. 16 in doubles (42) and stolen bases (31);
Addison Kachnik is No. 3 in games started (230), No. 4 in games played (230), No. 8 in doubles (50) and defensive assists (349), No. 11 in at bats (687) and RBI (146), No. 15 in triples (7) and sacrifice flies (8), No. 18 in hits (218), No. 21 in home runs (18) and No. 24 in walks (45);
Alli Parker is No. 3 in saves (7), No. 15 in pitching appearances (60), No. 17 in strikeouts (179), No. 19 in wins (23) and No. 23 in innings pitched (178.2);
Jenna Gorden is No. 19 in pitching appearances (55), No. 23 in wins (16), No. 24 in shutouts (2), ranking just outside the Top-25 in innings pitched (149.0);
Malia Mick is No. 10 in triples (9), No. 12 in hit by pitches (15), No. 19 in walks (52) and No. 24 in stolen bases (23);
Carli Moore is No. 15 in saves (2), No. 21 in strikeouts (89), No. 24 in shutouts (2) and No. 25 in pitching appearances (47); with
Kristine Schmidt No. 15 in saves (2), No. 17 in shutouts (5), No. 19 in strikeouts (151) and No. 21 in wins (18).
NEXT WEEK: If Tech wins the Klamath Falls Bracket, the Lady Owls will head to Columbus, Ga., for the NAIA Softball World Series, May 21-27.
