ASHLAND – The Southern Oregon University softball team's players and staff received regional awards from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association for their efforts in 2026, the NFCA office announced.

SOU's was named the NAIA Region III Staff of the Year following a 45-15 campaign and the team's eighth World Series berth in nine years. Led by 11th-year head coach Jessica Pistole, the Raiders' staff includes assistants Cheyenne Bricker, Harlee Crown, Bill Rowe, Hannah Clavelle and Kim Budd. The same group was voted the top staff in the nation in 2025.

Four Raider players were recognized as All-Region III performers: sophomore pitcher Ayla Davies, senior second baseman Vanessa Lang and redshirt-freshman right fielder Kalea Thomas made the first team, and junior first baseman/pitcher Lexi Ramirez made the second.

Each of those Raiders was also selected to the All-Cascade Conference team earlier this month.

Davies, a 2025 All-American, finished her second season with a 27-9 record and a 1.96 ERA. She threw 28 complete games, accumulated 224 2/3 innings pitched and registered 192 strikeouts.

Lang batted .379, scored a team-high 52 runs, had 16 extra-base hits and 38 RBIs in her second and final year with the team. Thomas completed the spring as SOU's hottest hitter, landing on a .413 batting average after going out with an 18-game hitting streak. She had 85 hits, scored 50 runs, drove in 24 and stole 27 bases.

Ramirez, in her first season with the team, was the only Raider to be featured prominently in the circle and at the plate. As a pitcher, she went 12-5 with a 2.71 ERA over 118 2/3 innings. With the bat, she hit .336 with 14 extra-base hits and 34 RBIs. She also won a CCC Gold Glove award.

The Raiders had a 16-game hitting streak before getting eliminated with back-to-back losses on Monday in Columbus, Ga. They spent some of the season with the NAIA's No. 1 ranking, celebrated a Cascade Conference Tournament championship, and went into the World Series as the No. 3 overall seed.