LA GRANDE, Ore. – Mountaineers Softball will make its official home debut this weekend and has a Tuesday tilt on tap as conference play rolls on. Eastern Oregon will host Providence this weekend before playing host to I-84 rival College of Idaho the following week in a Tuesday showdown.
OPPONENTS
University of Providence Argos (0-14, 0-9 CCC)
No. 5 College of Idaho Yotes (22-6, 9-4 CCC)
WHERE
La Grande, Ore. - Peggy Anderson Softball Field
WHEN
Friday, March 25 - 2 & 4 p.m. (vs. Providence)
Saturday, March 26 - 11 & 1 p.m. (vs. Providence)
Tuesday, March 29 - 2 & 4 p.m. (vs. C of I)
First Pitch
• Eastern Oregon (17-8 7-2 CCC) will look to get back into the winner's circle after dropping a 3-1 road series at then No. 6 Southern Oregon.
• The Mounties will play six games at home before hitting the road for six straight games.
• EOU's games this weekend will be their first true set of home games in 2022.
• Following the six-game homestand, Eastern will head to Portland to face the Knights of Warner Pacific University next weekend.
How to Watch/Follow
• Live video coverage for this weekend's series can be found on the Mountie Sports Network at
www.eousports.com/watch.
• Live stats coverage for this weekend can be accessed by clicking the respective link above and by going to the EOU Softball schedule page.
• All home games this year will be webcast on the Mountie Sports Network at
www.eousports.com/watch. All EOU home games will be Pay-Per-View and can be purchased for $7.95 per game or $11.95 for a day pass. Fans can also purchase an Eastern Oregon All-Access pass to watch all 2021-22 EOU home sporting events for $100.
• Livestreams for all home games will begin 15 minutes prior to first pitch.
• Live stats coverage for EOU Softball games this season can be accessed at
www.eousports.com/livestats.
Story Lines
• The Mounties are still receiving votes in the latest NAIA top-25 coaches' poll.
• Eastern suffered its first conference losses last weekend, dropping two against SOU.
• The Mounties are currently tied for second in league standings entering the weekend.
• EOU's six-game homestand is their longest of the season.
Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• The Mounties took the series opener over Southern, winning 1-0, before dropping the next three on the road.
• EOU's game one win snapped a 10-game skid against the Raiders.
• In the lone win,
Amanda Smith pitched a complete game and fanned seven batters.
Madison Stateler led the bats, going 3-4 and scored the game's only run.
Series History vs. Providence/College of Idaho
• Last season, EOU swept Providence 4-0 at home. In the finale Eastern scored a season-high 23 runs and dominated the Argos for a 23-4 win on Senior Day.
• Since 2007, EOU is 29-15 against Providence and has won each of the last five match-ups. Eastern has also won each CCC portion of the series since 2016.
• Last season, the Mounties and Yotes squared off seven times with C of I winning each contest.
• Eastern last defeated C of I back in 2019, taking the series opener. Since 2010, the Yotes own a 27-15 record against EOU.
Off to a Memorable Start
• So far, the Mountaineers have picked up the series sweep against four opponents this season.
• In CCC play, EOU has swept its first two series, 3-0, and has won 4-0 two of the three.
• The Mountaineers tied their 11-game winning streak from 2018, after winning the series opener over SOU.
Comin' Out Swingin'
• Three players are batting over .300 in
Kayla Berg (.319),
Hannah Tyree (.312), and
Taylor Dow (.307).
• Berg and Tyree are tied for the lead in RBI with 15 apiece. Tyree leads the way in hits with 24.
• Berg leads the team in doubles with 11 and a team best three home runs.
•
Caitlin Crist and Tyree are both tied for the lead in runs scored with 16 each.
• Tyree is second in doubles hits with 10 and is tied for second in homers with Crist at two.
• Dow is tied for second in hits with Berg at 23. She has eight RBI
•
Grace Gaither has drawn a team-high 11 walks. Second in walks with 10 is
Karsyn Zaragoza.
Swing and a Miss!
• Through 21 games, the Mounties have fanned 109 batters and allowed just 38 walks.
• Eastern has a 3.00 team ERA to start the year and is holding batters to a .252 average.
•
Amanda Smith leads the team in strikeouts with 59 and is 8-2 on the year.
• Smith has pitched seven complete games and earned three saves.
•
Mckenna Stallings is second in strikeouts with 23 and is 4-3 with a 3.09 ERA.
•
Abby Giles has an ERA at 1.30 in nine games played and 27.0 innings pitched.
•
Kayla Berg is third strikeouts with 16 in 17.2 innings pitched.
Stat Leaders (As of March 24)
• The Mountaineers are second in team ERA in the CCC at 3.00.
• Eastern ranks fourth in fielding percentage at .957.
•
Abby Giles currently leads the CCC in ERA with a 1.30 in nine games played.
•
Kayla Berg now ranks second in doubles hit with 11.
•
Amanda Smith is tied for fourth in strikeouts with 59. She is third in wins with eight.
•
Hannah Tyree is tied for third in the league in doubles hit with 10.
•
Caitlin Crist is tied for fifth in the CCC in stolen bases with 12.
• Smith also leads the league in saves with three so far.
• Giles is third in the CCC in opponent batting average at .208.
Scouting the Argos
• Providence enters the weekend winless on the year with an 0-14 record and is 0-9 in CCC play. In true road games they have lost six games.
• The Argos are batting just .191 so far. They have tallied 58 hits, scored 17 runs, have 13 RBI and hit just one homer.
• Defensively, the team has a .911 fielding percentage and committed 32 errors. They have managed to turn just two double plays.
• In the circle, the Argos sport a 9.17 team ERA and have thrown only 22 strikeouts this season. They have surrendered 126 runs and allowed eight homers.
• Taylor Mathews is the top hitter with a .325 batting average. She has 13 hits, three doubles, tallied four RBI and scored three runs.
• Jaelena Trujillo is second in hitting at .250. She has knocked eight hits, scored two runs, and has two RBI.
• Carter Thornton leads the pitching staff with 15 strikeouts this year. She has pitched 34.0 innings to lead the team and has a 6.38 ERA.
Scouting the No. 5 Yotes
• College of Idaho is 22-6 entering the weekend series the team has with Carroll College. They are 9-4 in CCC games and 12-6 in true road games this season.
• The Yotes currently bat .323 as a team and have scored 200 runs. They have tallied 200 hits, hit 13 home runs and racked up 172 RBI.
• Defensively, C of I boasts a .970 fielding percentage. They have committed just 21 errors this season and turned eight double plays.
• In the circle, the Yotes own a 2.96 team ERA. They have struck out 116 batters and allowed just seven home runs. They are holding opposing batters to a .253 average.
• Tanner Higgins powers the offense with a .444 batting average and has a team-high 32 RBI. She has tallied 32 hits, eight doubles, two triples and smacked one homer.
• Kaily Christensen is second in hitting with a .382 batting average. She has hit a team best nine doubles to go along with two homers. She has 26 RBI on the year.
• Hattie Hruza is the team leader in home runs with six. She bats .371 and is second on the team in total RBI with 27.
• Katelyn Wilfert leads the pitching staff with 41 strikeouts in 47.1 innings. She is 7-2 and boasts a 1.77 ERA.
• Hannah McNerney is second in total strikeouts with 39. She is tied with Wilfert in wins with a 7-2 record and has a 4.05 ERA. She leads the way in innings pitched at 55.1.
• Annie Polster is 5-1 on the year with a team best 1.76 ERA. She has 21 strikeouts in 39.2 innings of work.
Up Next
• The Mountaineers will hit the road for their next six games following the homestand. They get the road trip started at Warner Pacific on April 1-2.
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