COMPLETE ALL-CCC AWARDS

ASHLAND – Seven Southern Oregon University softball players received postseason recognition Thursday when the All-Cascade Conference awards were announced by the CCC office.

Senior second baseman Deja Acosta, senior catcher Riley Donovan, senior pitcher/first baseman Cayla Williams and junior pitcher Katie Machado landed All-CCC first-team honors. Sophomore center fielder Sarah Kerling made the second team and sophomore shortstop Sammie Pemberton earned honorable mention.

Four Raiders also snagged Gold Gloves: Acosta, Kerling, Williams at pitcher and senior Lauren Weinberg at third base.

The kudos came after the Raiders went 40-9 in the regular season, holding at No. 4 in the NAIA Top 25 coaches' poll, and a day ahead of their stay in Klamath Falls for the CCC Championships presented by U.S. Bank. As the No. 2 seed, they'll make their debut in the double-elimination tournament at 4:30 p.m. Friday against the winner of an early game between No. 3 seed College of Idaho and No. 6 seed Carroll (Mont.).

Acosta, Donovan and Williams were all repeat members of the All-CCC first team, while Machado upgraded from the second-team honors she earned in 2022.

Atop the lineup, Acosta batted .412 and ranked top-five among CCC players in hits (68), runs scored (55), RBIs (44) and stolen bases (33). Her slick defensive work was awarded after she committed just six errors in the middle of the infield.

Donovan made a strong case to repeat as the CCC Player of the Year, an honor that ultimately went to C of I shortstop Haley Loffer. The two-time All-American and 2022 NAIA Player of the Year led the conference in batting average (.474), home runs (18), RBIs (71), total bases (130) and slugging percentage (.949) by wide margins.

Machado (16-2, 2.59 ERA) and Williams (17-5, 2.78 ERA) gave the Raiders a formidable one-two pitching punch throughout the season, combining for 12 shutouts. Williams took the Gold Glove for the second year in a row and had the Raiders' hottest bat during the final stretch of the regular season, finishing with a .454 average. 16 extra-base hits and 43 RBIs.

Along with her lauded range in the outfield, Kerling hit .349 and scored 35 runs from the No. 9 spot in SOU's lineup. Pemberton posted a .412 average over 34 games and had nine doubles.

Oregon Tech produced the Pitcher of the Year in Kacie Schmidt and the Coach of the Year in Greg Stewart. Eastern Oregon pitcher Kaylie Hoskins was named the Newcomer of the Year.