LA GRANDE, Ore. – Mountaineers Softball is home for the final time in the regular season this weekend when the team plays host to league leader and third-ranked Oregon Tech. It will also be Senior Weekend for Eastern Oregon and they will honor eight outstanding seniors on Saturday.

OPPONENT
No. 3 Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls (38-7, 22-2 CCC)

WHERE
La Grande, Ore. - Peggy Anderson Field 

WHEN
Friday-Saturday, April 22-23
Friday, April 22 - 2 & 4 p.m.
Saturday, April 23 - 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. 

First Pitch
• EOU (34-11, 19-5 CCC) will look to close out action at home on a high note, but has a tough challenge against reigning NAIA National Runner-Up OIT.
• The Mountaineers own a 7-3 record at home this season and have won two of their three conference home bouts.
• Eastern is already locked in for the CCC Tournament with two weekends left in regular season play. Seeding for the tournament is still to be determined.
• Following the home finale weekend, the Mounties will hit the road for Montana. They wrap up the 2022 regular season at Carroll College 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
• EOU currently has the third most wins in program history with 34 and is seven away from tying the school record.
• With their ticket punched, the Mounties have made the CCC Tournament each of the last two seasons under head coach Nicole Christian.
• Entering the weekend, the Mounties still sit third in the CCC standings.
• Eastern continues to receive votes in the latest NAIA Top-25 Poll.

2022 Seniors
• The Mountaineers will honor eight seniors on day two between game three and four for their contributions to the softball program.
• Being honored on Saturday is Kayla Berg, Taylor Dow, Abby Giles, Natalee Hall, Rhyanne Oates, Jenna Gray, Amanda Smith, and Shelby Starr. 

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• EOU swept the weekend series over the Northwest Eagles on the road, 4-0, with two wins coming in five innings.
• Day one saw the Mounties sweep the Eagles thanks to a home run in each game. A grand slam from Kayla Berg in game one lifted EOU to a 9-1 win in five frames over NU.
• In game two, Eastern was locked in a 3-3 tie entering the seventh. Madison Stateler then hit a solo shot to give the Mounties the 4-3 win and a CCC series win. 
• In the circle, Amanda Smith pitched a complete game in the opener to move to 14-4. In the second game, Kaylin Winans (1-1) threw five shutout frames in a relief effort for the win.
• Day two saw EOU hit another home run in game three to secure a 9-5 win. Delivering the homer was Hannah Tyree who had a three-run shot to center field.
• In the finale, EOU secured a 10-1 victory to complete the weekend sweep. A nine-run fourth inning was key in the Mounties run-ruled win.
• Kayla Berg won game three in the start while Abby Giles earned the save. In the finale, Mckenna Stallings earned the win as she pitched a complete game.

CCC Team of the Week
• For their efforts, EOU was named the CCC Team of Week for the Week of April 11-17.Eastern Oregon picked up its sixth CCC series win over the weekend against a pesky Northwest University team.
• Despite Mother Nature slowing the Mounties' departure, they still made it to Bellevue, Wash. to take down the Eagles, 4-0. For EOU, its 4-0 sweep brings the team's overall record to 34-11 overall and 19-5 in league play.
• The Mountaineers' 34 wins are now the third most in a single season and a career best in a season for third-year head coach Nicole Christian.

Series History vs. Oregon Tech
• Last season, OIT swept the series over EOU in Klamath Falls. 
• Since 2006, the Hustlin' Owls have a 41-7 record over the Mounties.
• In La Grande, EOU is just 5-17 against OIT since 2006.

A Season for the Record Books 
• The Mountaineers have reached 30 wins in a season for the first time since 2005.
• In CCC play, EOU has swept five series, 3-0, and has won 4-0 overall in those five.
• The Mountaineers tied their 11-game winning streak from 2018, after winning the series opener over SOU.
• Currently, Eastern is on a seven game winning streak entering the weekend.

Comin' Out Swingin'
• Kayla Berg leads the bats with a .342 average in 45 games played this season. 
• Berg leads the way in RBI with 29. Hannah Tyree is second with 25.
• Caitlin Crist and Haley Ebner are tied for third in RBI with 23, respectively.
• Berg leads the way in doubles hit with 15, while Tyree is second behind her with 13. 
• Crist has scored the most runs with 35 and leads the way in homers hit with five.
• Karsyn Zaragoza has drawn a team-high 24 walks. Second in walks with 21 is Grace Gaither.

Swing and a Miss!
• Through 45 games, the Mounties have fanned 1214 batters and allowed just 67 walks.
• Eastern has a 2.38 team ERA and is holding batters to a .243 average.
• Amanda Smith leads the team in strikeouts with 103 and is 14-4 on the year with a 1.75 ERA.
• Smith has pitched 14 complete games and earned three saves.
• Mckenna Stallings is second in strikeouts with 49 and is 8-4 with a 2.43 ERA.
• Abby Giles has an ERA of 1.80 in 15 games played and 46.2 innings pitched.
• Kayla Berg is third strikeouts with 33 in 35.0 innings pitched.

Stat Leaders (As of April 21)
• The Mounties are second in the CCC in team ERA with a 2.38.
• Amanda Smith is fourth in ERA at 1.75, while Abby Giles is fifth at 1.80.
• Kayla Berg is second in the CCC in doubles hit with 15. 
• Caitlin Crist is tied for fourth in stolen bases with 22 on 25 attempts.
• Smith is third in the league in strikeouts with 103. She is second in wins with 14. 
• Hannah Tyree is tied for third in doubles hit with 13 on the year.

Scouting the No. 3 Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls
• The reigning NAIA National Runner-Up in OIT comes to La Grande with a 38-7 overall record and are 22-2 in CCC play.
• Tech also comes into the weekend series currently ranked No. 3 in the latest NAIA top-25 coaches' poll.
• The Hustlin' Owls are currently hitting .352 as a team. They have scored 339 runs, tallied 295 RBI, and hit 33 home runs.
• In the circle, OIT has a 1.85 ERA that leads the CCC. They have 277 strikeouts, are holding batters to a .210 average, and have allowed just 12 homers.
• Defensively, OIT has a .979 fielding percentage. They have committed 25 errors and turned five errors.
• Mckenzie Staub leads the bats with a .414 average. She has scored 33 runs, tallied 28 RBI, and hit two home runs.
• Kaila Mick is second in batting average at .413. She has 25 RBI and has scored a team best 56 runs.
• Kennedi Jantzi leads the team in RBI with 48. She is second in home runs with seven and has hit 12 doubles.
• Leading the way in home runs is Jayce Seavert with 10. She has 41 RBI as well to go along with 41 runs scored.
• Sarah Abramson leads the pitching staff with 171 strikeouts, which is the most in the CCC. She is 22-2 with a 1.64 ERA and has pitched 21 complete games.
• Mckenize Staub is second in strikeout with 83. She is 13-4 with a 2.48 ERA and has pitched five complete games.

Up Next
• The Mountaineers will wrap up the regular season next weekend, April 29-30, at Carroll College. Day one action begins at 1 p.m. PT. Day two will get underway at 10 a.m. PT.

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