KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the second ranking in a row, the Mounties have broken program history. The Eastern Oregon University women's softball team sits at its highest-ever ranking, No. 2 in the nation, as announced by the NAIA on Wednesday morning.

The Mountaineers earned a total of 481 points, securing the second-highest ranking among teams in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. Southern Oregon University leads the conference at No. 1, while Oregon Tech is ranked No. 4. College of Idaho and University of British Columbia also received votes in the rankings.

The NAIA Top 25 rankings are determined by a panel of head coaches from various conferences and independent groups. Coaches assign points based on their rankings, with 30 points given for a first-place vote, 29 for second, and so on. Each team's highest and lowest votes are excluded, and its score is adjusted by adding an extra point for every ballot it appears on. Teams with only one point are not considered in the rankings.

Eastern Oregon comes off an opening weekend of Cascade Collegiate Conference play after taking the series against the highly respected No. 1 Southern Oregon Raiders. The Mountaineers continue conference play this weekend with their home opener against the Bushnell University Beacons at 12 and 2 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at Peggy Anderson Field.