NAIA ALL-AMERICA LIST

ASHLAND – The battery that powered Southern Oregon University to another NAIA Softball World Series was rewarded with All-America plaudits on Tuesday.

Senior pitcher Katie Machado and junior catcher Piper Love were both selected to the third team by the NAIA Softball Coaches' Association All-America Committee, the national office announced. They made the Raiders one of three teams in the country with a pitcher-catcher combination of honorees.

Machado and Love are the 10th and 11th players in SOU history to make an All-America team. Their progress encapsulated the Raiders' valiant effort to repeat after losing several all-stars from their 2023 national championship team: A year ago at the World Series, Machado didn't pitch an inning and Love didn't get an at-bat.

Machado, a right-hander from Petaluma, Calif., went 26-7 with four saves and a 1.82 ERA during her final season. The three-time All-Cascade Conference selection led the circuit in complete games (29) and innings pitched (230 1/3), ranking top-five nationally in both categories. She allowed more than three earned runs just once over her final 34 starts, and in national tournament play she posted a 1.93 ERA over 40 frames.

Love started all 60 games and led the Raiders with a .380 batting average. The Corvallis product recorded 16 doubles, five home runs and a triple, driving in 39 runs and scoring 40. She ranked third among CCC players in total hits with 70 and in total runners caught stealing with eight.

The Raiders finished 41-19 and were one of the last seven teams standing at the World Series.

The Player of the Year award went to Sarah Giles of Jessup (Calif.) and the Pitcher of the Year was Cassandra Valdez of NAIA champion Our Lady of the Lake (Texas).