LA GRANDE, Ore. – Mountaineers Softball closes out the 2022 regular season this weekend with a four-game tilt in Montana. Eastern Oregon heads into the final week currently tied for first in the Cascade Collegiate Conference standings and controls their own fate in winning a conference title.

OPPONENT
Carroll College Saints (13-29, 10-17 CCC)

WHERE
Helena, Mont. - Centennial Park

WHEN
Saturday-Sunday, April 30-May 1
Saturday, April 30 - 10 a.m. & 12 p.m. PT
Sunday, May 1 - 10 a.m. & 12 p.m. PT

First Pitch
• The Mountaineers (37-12, 22-5 CCC) already have a spot secured the CCC Championships, presented by U.S. Bank. They have a chance to win the league title this weekend.
• Eastern is currently tied for first with No. 3 Oregon Tech, but has the head-to-head favor with a 3-0 CCC series sweep last weekend.
• The race for the CCC Title is a tight one. Depending on how the weekend plays out across the league, EOU can finish anywhere from first to fourth.
• Following the four-game tilt at Carroll College, EOU will wait and see where they land in the CCC Tournament, with the hopes of being the host.

How to Watch/Follow
• Live video coverage for this weekend's series can be found on Carroll College Athletics YouTube channel. Fans can access the game here or by clicking the respective link above. 
• 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 are available On-Demand through the Mountie Sports Network at www.eousports.com/watch. All EOU home games are 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.
• Live stats coverage for EOU Softball games this season can be accessed at www.eousports.com/livestats.

Story Lines
• EOU has a chance to win its first CCC Regular Season Title since 1999. They just have to win all three league games vs. the Saints.
• The Mounties are coming off their biggest upset of the season, sweeping No. 3 OIT in league play last weekend at home. 
• If Eastern wins the regular season crown, they will host the CCC Tournament for the first time in program history.
• The Mounties are just four wins away from tying for the most in a single season, since the 1999 campaign.
• The last time EOU won a regular season title (1999), Nicole Christian was a player on the team and Anji Weissenfluh was the head coach.

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• The Mounties dispatched the No. 3 Hustlin' Owls 3-1 at home last weekend to cap Senior Weekend on a high note. All three wins for EOU came in league play.
• On day one, EOU won in walkoff fashion both times, taking the games by scores 4-3 and 3-2. In the circle Amanda Smith took game one, while Mckenna Stallings won game two.
• Day two saw EOU and OIT split, 1-1, but Eastern took game three, 7-3, to secure the CCC series sweep. Amanda Smith once again picked up the win in the circle.
• At the plate, Grace Gaither was superb with three home runs hit against the best pitching staff in the CCC. 

CCC Team of the Week
• With the big upset at home last weekend, Mounties Softball was tabbed the Under Armour CCC Team of the Week for the second consecutive week.
• Eastern earned the weekly honor once again thanks to a 3-1 home series win over No. 3 Oregon Tech. All three wins were in league play to move EOU into a tie for first.

CCC Player & Pitcher of the Week
• For their efforts in the big upset, Amanda Smith and Grace Gaither swept the weekly CCC awards. Smith was named Pitcher of the Week, while Gaither was tabbed Player of the Week.
• In the circle, Smith went 2-0 in two starts and pitched complete games in both. She fanned six batters over the two games to improve to 16-4. 
• At the plate, Gaither hit three home runs, with two coming on day one. She had multiple hits in the three CCC games and at least one in every game. She finished with five RBI, and scored four runs.

A Season for the Record Books 
• The Mountaineers have reached 30 wins in a season for the first time since 2005.
• Eastern's 37 wins this year is tied for second most in a single season.
• In CCC play, EOU has swept six series, 3-0, and has won 4-0 overall in five.
• The Mountaineers tied their 11-game winning streak from 2018, after winning the series opener over SOU.
• Eastern nearly matched their win streak of 11, winning 10 straight before falling in the finale to OIT.
• The Mounties are just four wins away from tying the single season program record of 41 set in 1999.

Comin' Out Swingin'
• Four players are batting over .300 in Kayla Berg (.328), Haley Ebner (.303), Caitlin Crist (.301), and Grace Gaither (.300)
• Berg leads the way in RBI with 29. Hannah Tyree is second with 27.
• Caitlin Crist is third in RBI with 25 and leads the team in runs scored with 38.
• Berg leads the way in doubles hit with 16, while Tyree is second behind her with 13. 
• Crist leads the way in home runs with five, while Berg, Tyree, and Gaither are tied for second with four.
• Karsyn Zaragoza has drawn a team-high 26 walks. Second in walks with 21 is Gaither.

Swing and a Miss!
• Through 49 games, the Mounties have fanned 225 batters and allowed just 70 walks.
• Eastern has a 2.47 team ERA and is holding batters to a .243 average.
• Amanda Smith leads the team in strikeouts with 109 and is 16-4 on the year with a 1.78 ERA.
• Smith has pitched 16 complete games and earned three saves.
• Mckenna Stallings is second in strikeouts with 53 and is 9-4 with a 2.30 ERA.
• Abby Giles has an ERA of 2.33 in 16 games played and 51.0 innings pitched.
• Kayla Berg is third strikeouts with 33 in 35.0 innings pitched.

Stat Leaders (As of April 28)
• The Mounties rank second in the CCC in team ERA at 2.47, which is 41st in the NAIA. 
• Eastern is fourth in the league in fielding at .956 and fifth in hitting at .291.
• Amanda Smith now ranks third in ERA at 1.78 and is still third in strikeouts at 109.
• Mckenna Stallings and Abby Giles are sixth and seventh in ERA 2.30 and 2.33, respectively.
• EOU is the only team in the CCC with three pitches ranked in the top-10 for ERA.
• Kayla Berg still sits second in doubles smacked with 16. 
• Hannah Tyree is tied for fifth in doubles with 13, while Grace Gaither is tied for ninth with 12.
• Caitlin Crist is tied for seventh in the CCC in runs scored at 38. She is sixth in stolen bases with 22.
• Karsyn Zaragoza is tied for third in walks drawn with 26. Gaither is tied for seventh with 21. 
• Smith is second in wins with 16 and fourth in innings pitched with 138.0.
• Smith is also tied for third in shutouts with five and is third in saves with three.
• Giles, Stallings, and Kaylin Winans are tied for fourth in saves with two, respectively.

Scouting the Carroll College Saints
• The Saints enter the weekend series with a 13-29 overall record and own a 10-17 mark in league play. At home this year, they are 7-11.
• As a team, Carroll College is batting .286. They have scored 175 runs, tallied 157 RBI, and hit nine home runs. They are 36-46 in stolen base attempts.
• In the circle, the Saints sport a 6.56 team ERA. They have fanned 245 batters, but allowed 141 walks and surrendered 28 home runs.
• Defensively, Carroll has a .942 fielding percentage. They have turned 11 double plays but have committed 66 errors this season.
• Kenna Thomas leads the bats with a .375 average. She has scored 21 runs, has 18 RBI and is 7-8 in stolen base attempts.
• Kirsten Norris is the team leader in both RBI and home runs. She has driven in 24 and smacked three homers. Seh bats .365 and leads the way in doubles with 11. 
• Amber Brewer has scored the most runs with 25 and is batting .287. She is a perfect 5-5 in stolen base attempts.
• Kaitlynn Ayers is third in hitting with a .346 average. She has drawn a team-high 11 walks, and has 13 RBI.
• Abby Hanley has been the go-to option in the circle. She has a team best 137 strikeouts in 186.0 innings and boasts a 4.03 ERA. She is 11-16 on the year and has pitched 24 complete games.
• Josie Barker is second in strikeouts with 24. She has a 10.87 ERA and is 1-10 on the year. 

Up Next
• The CCC Championships, presented by U.S. Bank. The tournament will be May 6-8 and will be hosted by the CCC Regular Season Champion.

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