NOTE: Throughout the rest of the spring, student-athletes from SOU's softball and track and field teams whose seasons ended prematurely will be profiled. While none of them will be charged a season of competition this spring and will have the option of returning for 2021, some may choose to end their careers upon graduating.

Along with All-American pitcher Gabby Sandoval, four others have been around for the duration of the richest four-year period in the existence of Southern Oregon University softball: position players Mackenzie Evangelisti, Paige Leeper, Kristen Mauroschadt and Hannah Wessel. Together, they've earned two Cascade Conference regular-season titles, three CCC Tournament crowns, three trips to the NAIA World Series and, of course, the team's first national championship.

While elevating the Raiders on the field, where they've posted a combined record of 172-41 (.808) since their debuts in 2017, they did the same academically. All four are perennial members of the Academic All-Cascade Conference team – Evangelisti as a business administration and public accounting double-major, Leeper as a business management major, and Mauroschadt and Wessel as health and P.E. majors – and Evangelisti and Leeper are Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athletes. They've helped the Raiders achieve NAIA Scholar Team status every season.

Leeper – who began her career as a third baseman and took over shortstop duties in 2019 – is responsible for the most consequential and celebrated swing ever for a Raider. In the first inning of the winner-take-all NAIA World Series finale last May against Oklahoma City, she launched a bases-loaded offering deep over the center field fence for a grand slam that proved to be all the offense SOU needed in an 8-3 victory. She also homered in the first game of the tournament and was ultimately selected to the All-World Series team.

Leeper's career batting average stands at .302. She posted eight multi-hit games to bat .308 this spring, and in 2019 hit .318 while providing stellar glove work. In addition to going 5-for-16 at the World Series, she went 5-for-9 in the 2019 CCC Tournament as the Raiders also secured that crown.

In 2018, Wessel made a convincing case as the circuit's top defensive center fielder and was rewarded with CCC Gold Glove accolades. While range in the outfield made her a standout, she added pop in the heart of the SOU lineup with 12 doubles and four triples.

A year later, a knee injury forced her away from her natural defensive position, but instead of opting for surgery she continued to produce as a first baseman and designated player. Wessel batted .386 overall in 2019, including a .400 average in conference play that ranked sixth among all CCC players. And from April 5 on, over her final 24 games, she went 22-for-47 (.468). A 3-for-4 outing in SOU's final game of 2020 brought her career average to .312.

Evangelisti broke through as a regular starter in left field for the first time in 2020 and impacted the lineup with a .289 average and six stolen bases in as many attempts. Including her time as a reserve, she committed just one error over four seasons in the outfield.

Likewise, Mauroschadt has gone four seasons without a defensive miscue as a reserve outfielder. Mauroschadt has also acted as a pinch-running specialist, totaling 43 runs scored and 19 stolen bases during her career. At the plate, she's a .304 lifetime hitter and went 3-for-7 in 2020.