CORVALLIS, Ore. – The 2024 Cascade Collegiate Conference softball postseason awards were announced Thursday by the conference office.
Kaila Mick of No. 5-ranked Oregon Tech was named the Rize Laboratory Player of the Year. No. 10-ranked Eastern Oregon University's
Kaylie Hoskins earned Pitcher of the Year. Newcomer of the Year was awarded to
Lolo Walker of No. 15-ranked College of Idaho. Oregon Tech's head coach
Greg Stewart was named the Coach of the Year. University of British Columbia received the Team Sportsmanship Award.
Mick, a graduate student shortstop from Klamath Falls, Ore., had a remarkable final season for OIT. After leading the Owls to its third consecutive title, she is heading into the postseason with a .484 batting average, .818 slugging percentage, and a .536 on base percentage, which all rank 2nd in the conference. She also leads the CCC in runs scored (57), hits (77), doubles (18), triples (10), and total bases (130). Mick helped Oregon Tech remain ranked on the NAIA Coaches' Poll throughout the year, ending conference play with a 24-3 record. This season, she earned CCC Player of the Week three times and was named the NAIA Player of the Week.
Hoskins had another outstanding season on the mound, helping Eastern Oregon finish 2nd in the conference. She led the CCC in pitching, boasted a 0.69 ERA while holding opponents to a .141 batting average. The Lake Stevens, Wash., native struck out an impressive 252 batters, only allowed 13 earned runs, and recorded 13 total wins. Hoskins helped EOU remain ranked on the NAIA Coaches' Poll throughout the year, ending conference play with a 22-5 record. This season, she earned six CCC Pitcher of the Week honors.
Walker transferred from University of New Mexico and quickly became an integral part of the C of I lineup in her first season as a Yote. The Meridian, Idaho, native leads the CCC in several categories including batting (.491 avg), slugging (1.027%), on base percentage (.623), home runs (16), and walks (38). Walker helped College of Idaho remain ranked on the NAIA Coaches' Poll throughout the year, ending conference play with a 20-7 record. She also received a CCC Player of the Week award this season.
In his 20th year as the helm of the OIT program, Greg Stewart led the Owls to its third consecutive regular-season conference championship. Oregon Tech has remained in the top 10 of the NAIA Top-25 poll all year. Under Stewart, the Owls boast the best batting average (.366) and fielding percentage (.976) in the conference. This will be the 10th straight year OIT has made a National Championship appearance. This marks his 10th time winning the CCC Coach of the Year honor.
OIT earned five while C of I, EOU, and SOU all had three First Team All-Conference selections. University of British Columbia received two and Carroll College and University of Providence each saw one representative on the All-Conference First Team.
A complete list of the 2024 All-Conference Teams and Gold Glove honorees (awarded to the top defensive players at each position) as voted on by the CCC softball head coaches can be found
HERE.