2/4 p.m. Friday – Carroll at #9 SOU – Live Stats | Live Stream
11 a.m./1 p.m. Saturday – Carroll at #9 SOU – Live Stats | Live Stream

ASHLAND – The No. 9-ranked Southern Oregon softball team will welcome Carroll (Mont.) to town for its final home series of the regular season, but the Raiders can significantly improve their chances of returning to University Field for postseason play if all goes well.

The Saints (27-13 overall, 13-8 Cascade Conference) are the second of three teams in the upper half of the standings that round out SOU's schedule. The Raiders (34-11, 16-5) split the first of those series with Oregon Tech last week, dropping two of three CCC counters, and the Saints enter the week having won three consecutive series. They'll start doubleheaders at 2 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday.

The Home Stretch, Explained: The Raiders are locked in first place with Corban and one game in front of Oregon Tech with six conference contests to play. SOU and Corban have the same opponents left – the Warriors host fourth-place Eastern Oregon this weekend, and they and the Raiders will swap foes and hit the road next week – while Oregon Tech will finish against two five-win teams. To further complicate matters, if it comes down to it, SOU owns a head-to-head tiebreaker over Corban; OIT owns a tiebreaker over SOU; and Corban owns a tiebreaker over OIT. Meanwhile, Carroll can clinch its spot in the six-team, double-elimination CCC Tournament with a single win. The tourney will be hosted by the top seed May 4-6.

Opening Round Update: Contrary to the date originally published by the national office, the NAIA National Championship Opening Round host sites will be announced on Wednesday, following the publication of the next NAIA Top 25 poll. The national tournament consists of 40 teams, and the 10 teams announced next week will receive automatic bids to host four-team, double-elimination tournaments May 14-16 for the right to advance to the 10-team NAIA World Series. The host selection process takes into account geography, facilities, student-athlete experience and national rankings. This year, for the first time, the NAIA would not certify a facility without field lighting as a host site, and SOU's bid is therefore attached to Medford's U.S. Cellular Community Park.

Short Hops:
– Harlee Donovan's on-base streak of 26 games is now the longest in team history. Her on-base percentage of .588 ranks third in the NAIA – it's .651 in CCC play – and her 41 walks rank first. Her 18th career home run last week moved her into second place on SOU's all-time list, two behind the record established by Tanisha Burch (2005-06).
– Freshman Olivia Mackey is working on an eight-game hitting streak, during which she's gone 12-for-24 with seven runs scored and raised her average from .368 to .402.
– SOU's average of 3.1 steals per game is the third-highest in the NAIA. Kelsey Randall ranks second with 42 and Hannah Shimek eighth with 28 on the individual leaderboard. Randall needs three more to tie SOU's single-season record – she already owns the career record with 141 – and Shimek has already stolen more consecutive bases without being caught than anyone in SOU history.
– Tayler Walker is also among SOU's high-producing freshman with a .345 average, and she went 8-for-18 with three extra-base hits last week.
– In CCC games, Donvan has allowed fewer stolen bases (7) and caught more runners stealing (8) than any other regular catcher.
– Randall needs one more RBI to become the third Raider to ever reach 100 in a career. Donovan has already taken the record (114) in just two seasons.
– In conference action, SOU has a .345 batting average and Corban (.311) is the only other team over .290. SOU's 2.19 earned-run average is the third-best in CCC games behind Oregon Tech (1.78) and Corban (1.80).

About Carroll:
– The Saints' softball program is in its fourth season of existence and has already established a new record for wins in a season. Over their last 11 games, they went 9-2 and held opponents to two or fewer runs eight times.
– Sophomore pitcher Allison Williams (12-6, 2.02 ERA) leads the team in innings pitched and has tossed four shutouts. Junior Tess Easton (10-1, 1.79) is coming off her first loss of the season on Sunday against Providence.
– Senior first baseman Allison Bayer (.389, 4 HR, 12 2B, 21 RBI) anchors a lineup that collectively bats .307. Anna ApRoberts (.361, 10 2B, 2 HR), a returning all-conference infielder, and Williams (.344, 5 HR, 24 RBI) are the others to watch at the plate.
– SOU is 5-1 in the series against Carroll, which dates back to 2016. The Raiders took three of four last year in Helena.