CORVALLIS, Ore. – The 2023 Cascade Collegiate Conference Softball Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank, is set to begin Friday, in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Four of the six-team tournament field remained nationally ranked all season, resulting in a highly anticipated conference championship that is destined to dominate the diamond.
Tournament Central
No. 1-ranked Oregon Tech was named host site after claiming the regular-season conference championship title for the second consecutive year. No. 4-ranked Southern Oregon University picked up the second seed after taking a tiebreaker over No. 6-ranked College of Idaho, which enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed. No. 24-ranked Eastern Oregon University lands as the fourth seed while completing the ranked conference teams. University of British Columbia and Carroll College round out the tournament as the fifth and sixth seeds, respectively.
The action begins Friday morning with the Mountaineers taking on the Thunderbirds at 9 a.m. Eastern Oregon kicks off the tournament with a 31-17 overall and 19-11 CCC record while maintaining a national ranking throughout the season. EOU leads the conference in batters struck out (357) with the help of new star Kaylie Hoskins who has had a dominant season, sitting with a 1.17 ERA. Eastern Oregon's offense also features six hitters who have plus .300 averages.
The Mounties defeated the T-Birds in five innings during their first conference matchup this season. However, UBC came back to take the last two victories to achieve the series advantage. British Columbia enters the tournament for the sixth straight season with a 24-19 overall and 17-13 CCC record as the fifth seed. Two batters have over a .400 batting average for the T-Birds and their starting pitcher, Shae Sever, has collected NAIA Player of the Week accolades this season while holding a 1.92 ERA. The winner of this game will face the number one team in the Nation,
Oregon Tech, at 2 p.m.
Oregon Tech enters the postseason with an impressive 43-6 overall record and won the regular-season championship with a 29-1 mark. After another incredible record-breaking season, OIT is looking to take the tournament trophy for the third straight year. The Owls have been atop the NAIA Poll for four straight weeks, capturing 17 first-place votes in the final ranking of the season. As a team, Oregon Tech leads the CCC in fielding percentage (.973), walks (169), and doubles (96), while having the highest on-base percentage (.444) and most runs batted in (342) in the NAIA. The winner of EOU vs. UBC will attempt to stop Oregon Tech’s 22-home game win streak.
The Coyotes and Fighting Saints follow the first game at 11:30 a.m. College of Idaho enters the tournament for the fourth straight year with a 43-6 overall and 25-5 CCC record while slowly moving up the NAIA rankings all season. They tied with SOU in conference records but lost the series against the Raiders, resulting in a third-place seeding. Three Yotes hold a top-10 batting average in the CCC. The C of I softball team leads the CCC in stolen bases (117), and the NAIA in triples (28). They also have the second-best slugging percentage in the CCC (.521) and ERA in the NAIA (1.49). 2013 was College of Idaho’s sole tournament title.
College of Idaho swept Carroll College during the regular season. Three of the four wins ended with the mercy rule. Carroll clinched its sixth seed with its final regular season sweep over Bushnell University to end with a 20-26 overall and 13-17 CCC record. At the plate, four Saints bat over .300. On the mound, Carroll pitchers have struck out the second most batters in the conference (307). After a four-year hiatus, Carroll is searching for its first-ever tournament title. The winner of this game will face the No. 4-ranked team in the NAIA,
Southern Oregon at 4:30 p.m.
Southern Oregon earned the second seed after holding the head-to-head tiebreaker over C of I and go into the postseason boasting a 40-9 overall and 25-5 CCC record. The Raiders are an offensive threat with the highest batting average (.380) and most runs scored (395) in the NAIA. They also lead the CCC in slugging percentage (.549), hits (516), and home runs (42), while holding the second-best fielding percentage (.969). The winner of C of I vs. CC will attempt to defeat the Raiders, who are on their quest for a fourth tournament championship.
All of the CCC Championship games will be streamed live on the
Owls Sports Network ($10.00 per game or $25.00 for a tournament pass).
Oregon Tech has already secured a spot in the NAIA Softball National Championship by winning the CCC regular-season title. The winner of the conference tournament will secure the other automatic qualifier from the conference. If OIT wins the tournament, the tournament runner-up will earn the second bid.