CORVALLIS, Ore. – In one day, six teams will compete in the Cascade Collegiate Conference Softball Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank, at University Field on the campus of Southern Oregon University.
No. 1-ranked SOU grabbed hosting duties after winning the regular-season conference championship and top seed. No. 15-ranked College of Idaho grabbed the second seed and will get a first-round bye with the Raiders. No. 17-ranked Oregon Tech picked up the third seed, while Corban University enters the tournament as the fourth seed. Eastern Oregon University and Warner Pacific University round out the field as the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds, respectively.
Action begins Friday morning with the Warriors and Mountaineers squaring off at 9 a.m. The Owls and Knights follow at 11:30 a.m., with the winners of those games playing the top seeds that afternoon.
SOU (45-3, 26-1 CCC) has been the top-ranked team in the NAIA from the beginning and swept the CCC postseason awards. As a team, SOU ranks in multiple statistical categories in the NAIA, including: No. 1 in hits per game (12.021), runs scored per game (8.667), RBIs per game (7.604), batting average (0.418), total hits (577), and total runs scored (416). From the circle, the Raiders have a solid arsenal and boast a 1.72 team ERA.
College of Idaho (35-14, 22-5 CCC) enters the postseason riding a five-game winning streak and moved up eight spots in the final NAIA rankings. The Coyotes boast the third-best team batting average (.324) and keep opponents on their toes with the highest stolen bases and stolen base attempts (91-106) on the year.
Oregon Tech (38-8, 21-6 CCC) also enters the tournament coasting a winning streak after winning its last four games. Earlier this year, the Owls took the four-game series against WPU 3-1. As a team, OIT boasts a .367 batting average – second-best in the conference – and have some heavy hitters with 57 home runs so far – the most in the CCC. From the circle, the Owls boast a 1.85 ERA – also second in the CCC – and have the most strikeouts on the year at 292.
Corban (25-21,16-11 CCC) looks to shake off its final series of the regular season after dropping four games to the Raiders. The Warriors won the four-game series against the Mounties earlier in the year, 3-1. As a team, Corban boasts a .316 batting average and also is known to run with 77 stolen bases on 89 attempts. From the circle, the Warriors have a 5.18 team ERA.
EOU (16-30, 10-17 CCC) picked up the fifth seed and look to bounce back after dropping four games to then-ranked No. 6 Oregon Tech to close out the regular season. The Mounties go into the postseason batting .287 as a team and are one of the cleanest defending teams with a .955 fielding percentage – third best in the conference – and have turned the third-most double plays in the CCC.
WPU (19-23, 10-17 CCC) rounded out the six seeds in its first full season of CCC ball after bringing back the program in 2018. The Knights open their first-ever conference tournament against the Owls, who they took off a game earlier this season. As a team, WPU hits .247 and boasts a 4.67 ERA (fourth in the CCC). The Knights also field cleanly, boasting a .954 fielding percentage to rank fourth in the conference.
All games will be streamed live
here and fans can follow live stats
here. SOU has already secured a spot in the NAIA Softball National Championships by winning the CCC regular-season title. The winner of the conference tournament will secure the other berth from the conference. If SOU wins the tournament, the tournament runner-up will earn the second bid.
Due to Jackson County being in the "Extreme Risk" category and under SOU policies, only 75 fans will be allowed INSIDE University Field for each game. For all non-SOU games, seats will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For all SOU games, there will be 25 available for the visiting team on a first-come, first-serve basis and 50 reserved for a home team guest list. Fans are also welcome to watch the games free of charge from the areas outside of the large main fence down the left- and right-field lines. Fans must wear masks on SOU property at all times.
Tournament Central