LA GRANDE, Ore. – Mountaineers Softball has a quick turnaround as the team will hit the road for their next six games following a six-game homestand. Eastern Oregon heads to Portland this weekend for four games and then will wrap up the road swing with two games in Idaho.

OPPONENTS
Warner Pacific Knights (5-19, 3-12 CCC)
No. 5 College of Idaho Yotes (28-6, 14-3 CCC)

WHERE
Portland, Ore. - Erv Lind Stadium (WPU)
Caldwell, Idaho - Symms Field (C of I)

WHEN
Friday, April 1, 1 & 3 p.m. - vs. WPU
Saturday, April 2, 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. - vs. WPU
Tuesday, April 5, 1 & 3 p.m. - vs. C of I

First Pitch
• The Mountaineers (21-10, 10-4 CCC) will look to get back on track this weekend after dropping its first two games at home this season.
• Eastern Oregon heads into the weekend currently sitting fourth in the league standings. They are also one of five teams in the CCC with 10-plus road wins this season.
• Entering the weekend, EOU owns a 10-7 mark in true road games this season. They are 7-2 in conference road contests this season as well.
• Following the six-game road swing, EOU will return home for a four-game series against Corban University, April 8-9.

How to Watch/Follow
• Live video coverage for this weekend's series and the Tuesday series can be found on the Mountie Sports Network at www.eousports.com/watch. The games at Warner Pacific will be free to view, while the doubleheader at C of I will be Pay-Per-View at $9 a game.
• Live stats coverage for this weekend and next Tuesday 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 Mountaineers will match-up against the Knights for the second time ever this weekend.
• Eastern wrapped up its longest homestand of the season, going 4-2.
• The Mountaineers will look to snap a two-game skid following a 2-0 loss to the Yotes.
• EOU's six-game road swing is their longest of the season in conference play.

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• The Mountaineers wrapped up a six-game homestand, going 4-2 at Peggy Anderson Field.
• EOU swept Providence, 4-0, over the weekend before dropping a doubleheader to C of I, 2-0, this past Tuesday.
• Against the Argos, Eastern went 4-0 with two of their wins coming in run-ruled fashion on day one. They played a nine-inning contest in game one of day two, with EOU winning 2-1.
• Against the Yotes, EOU battled in two close games but ultimately came up short, falling 1-0 and 3-0.

Series History vs. Warner Pacific/College of Idaho
• Last season, EOU and WPU squared off for the first time ever. They split the series, 2-2, while Eastern won the CCC portion at 2-1.
• This season, the Yotes have the edge on EOU at 2-0 and have secured the CCC series win after winning 1-0 and 3-0 this past Tuesday. 
• Eastern last defeated C of I back in 2019, taking the series opener. Since 2010, the Yotes own a 29-15 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 swept its first two series, 3-0, and has won 4-0 in three of the four after the series sweep over Providence.
• 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 (.330), Madison Stateler (.312), and Hannah Tyree (.301).
• Tyree leads the way in RBI with 18 and is third in hits with 28.
• Berg is tied for the lead in doubles with Tyree at 11 apiece. She has a team best three home runs. 
• Caitlin Crist also has three homers on the year and leads the way in runs scored with 22.
• Grace Gaither has drawn a team-high 14 walks. Second in walks with 12 is Karsyn Zaragoza.

Swing and a Miss!
• Through 21 games, the Mounties have fanned 133 batters and allowed just 45 walks.
• Eastern has a 2.64 team ERA to start the year and is holding batters to a .252 average.
• Amanda Smith leads the team in strikeouts with 70 and is 10-3 on the year.
• Smith has pitched 10 complete games and earned three saves.
• Mckenna Stallings is second in strikeouts with 30 and is 5-4 with a 3.05 ERA.
• Abby Giles has an ERA of 1.06 to lead the team in 10 games played and 33.0 innings pitched.
• Kayla Berg is third strikeouts with 18 in 20.2 innings pitched.

Stat Leaders (As of March 30)
• EOU is third in the CCC in team ERA at 2.64 and fourth in total strikeouts with 133.
• Defensively, the Mounties are fourth in the league in fielding percentage at .958. 
• EOU's fielding percentage is tied for 47th in the NAIA. The team ERA ranks 45th in the NAIA.
• Abby Giles still owns the top ERA in the CCC at 1.05 in 10 game appearances.
• Hannah Tyree and Kayla Berg are tied for third in doubles hit with 11, respectively.
• Amanda Smith is fourth in the league in strikeouts at 70. She is third in innings pitched at 92.0.
• Smith also ranks sixth in the CCC in ERA at 1.98. She is tied for third in wins with 10. She leads the league in saves with three.
• Caitlin Crist is seventh in the league in stolen bases with 13.
• Grace Gaither ranks ninth in walks drawn with 14.
• Kayla Berg is ninth in the CCC in slugging percentage at .602.

Scouting the Knights
• Warner Pacific enters the weekend with a 5-19 overall record and is 3-12 in league action. At home they are 4-8. WPU is also currently on a three-game winning streak. 
• As a team, the Knights are batting .250 overall. They have tallied 143 hits, scored 85 runs, and racked up 190 RBI. They have hit seven home runs this season so far.
• The Knights boast a team ERA of 7.46. They have totaled just 47 strikeouts and walked 79 batters. They have also given up 17 home runs.
• Defensively, WPU has a team fielding percentage of .926. They have committed 48 errors and turned just two double plays.
• Payton Hergert is the top hitter at .366 and has nine RBI on the year. She has 26 hits and smacked a home run. She has scored a team best 13 runs.
• Carrigan Foster is second in hitting with a .333 average. She has eight RBI and scored nine runs. 
• Paityn Willoughby has drawn a team-high 11 walks and is hitting .313. She has scored 10 runs and tallied six RBI.
• Emma Foster is the team leader in RBI with 22 on the year. She is batting .241 and has hit a team best six home runs. She is second in runs scored with 11.
• In the circle, Abby Carlson leads the way in strikeouts with 17 on the year. She is 3-9 with a 7.86 ERA in 57.0 innings pitched. 
• Foster is second in strikeouts with 15 in 38.2 innings. She is 1-3 and has a team best ERA of 4.71.

Scouting the No. 5 Yotes
• College of Idaho is 28-6 overall following a 4-0 sweep of Carroll College and 2-0 sweep over EOU. They are 14-3 in CCC games and 12-0 at home this year.
• In the latest NAIA Softball Coaches' Top-25 poll, C of I is ranked No. 5
• The Yotes currently bat .311 as a team and have scored 222 runs. They have tallied 261 hits, hit 17 home runs and racked up 191 RBI.
• Defensively, C of I boasts a .970 fielding percentage. They have committed just 27 errors this season and turned 10 double plays.
• In the circle, the Yotes own a 2.58 team ERA. They have struck out 142 batters and allowed just nine home runs. They are holding opposing batters to a .244 average.
• Tanner Higgins powers the offense with a .425 batting average and has a team-high 33 RBI. She has tallied 37 hits, 10 doubles, three triples and smacked one homer.
• Kaily Christensen is second in hitting with a .385 batting average. She has hit a team best 10 doubles to go along with three homers. She has 30 RBI on the year.
• Hattie Hruza is the team leader in home runs with six. She bats .372 and is third on the team in total RBI with 28.
• Katelyn Wilfert leads the pitching staff with 55 strikeouts in 65.1 innings. She is 9-2 and boasts a 1.29 ERA. 
• Hannah McNerney is second in total strikeouts with 47. She is tied with Wilfert in wins with a 9-2 record and has a 3.43 ERA. She leads the way in innings pitched at 71.1.
• Annie Polster is 6-1 on the year with a 1.76 ERA. She has 24 strikeouts in 43.2 innings of work. 

Up Next
• Following the six-game road trip, EOU will return home to Peggy Anderson Field April 8-9 to host in-state foe Corban University. Day one first pitch will be Friday at 2 p.m., with day two action starting at 11 a.m.

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