EUGENE, Ore. – The Northwest Christian University softball team will begin their Cascade Collegiate Conference schedule this week, traveling to face Corban University at a neutral site before heading north to take on University of British Columbia and Northwest over the weekend.
 
The Beacons have been off for a week and a half, due to consistently difficult weather conditions, but the unintentional break came at a great time for the squad, who opened up the season with a 4-14 mark in pre-season competition.
 
The team has seen plenty of ups-and-downs during the first month of the schedule, something Head Coach Julie Strand says is to be expected. "That is why you play in preseason tournaments and schedule plenty of games early on," she said. "Scheduling tough preseason competition is definitely intentional as it helps to prepare us for our difficult conference. This team continues to improve every day and we are excited to get into meaningful CCC games."
 
The 2016 NCU squad has a strong balance between seasoned veterans of the program, strong transfers, and freshman contributors, all of whom are playing a key role in bringing the team together and, hopefully, moving the program to the next level.
 
Among the returners, senior Parker Fritter has picked up right where she left off after her junior season. The outfielder is on the cusp of a number of NCU records and has already firmly planted herself in the record books in numerous statistical categories. She is hitting a career-best .366 this season and leads the team with seven doubles. Earlier this season she became the tenth player in school history to collect 100 hits and she needs just three RBI to become the first player to break the century mark in that category.
 
Another returner who has firmly established herself as a potent hitter in the middle of the lineup is sophomore catcher/infielder Ashlee Cole. With five homers this season in just 18 games, Cole has moved into eighth place on NCU's career list (8). She leads the team with 16 RBI, 12 runs, and nine extra-base hits. At her current pace, she should shatter the NCU single-season record for slugging percentage.
 
Another key set of returners are four pitchers (senior Sarah Lawhorn and juniors Janieve Boyles, Katie Walker and Breanne Johnson) who have combined for over 481 innings on the mound over their careers. That experience seems to be paying off as this year's staff is striking out one more batter per two innings then last season. Boyles has already broken her career best with 21 strikeouts in 29 innings of work so far. She also owns the team's best ERA at 3.07.
 
One newcomer also joined the staff this season, freshman Madi Jones. Jones is slowly being worked into the rotation during her first campaign and coach Strand is excited for what the future holds. She said, "Madi brings in a good mix of pitches. She is the type of kid that you want on the mound because no matter what happens, she is a stone-faced work horse. She will go out and always give 110%. Once she continues to get some innings under her belt, she'll be an intricate part of the staff."
 
Jones isn't the only new player making an impact right away. In all, nine new players joined the team this season. Coach Strand said, "The newcomers have come in and worked their tails off. They have pushed the returners hard which has made the entire team better."
 
The biggest impact seen on the field has been in the infield where all four positions have seen major changes. Kiara Vasquez, a junior transfer from Clackamas CC, plays third base. Coach Strand says that a power arm and a power bat will be a valuable asset to the team. "She broke the home run record at Clackamas and I can't wait to see what happens during her career with us."
 
The middle infield has seen a pair of freshman take up residence in Paige Griffith and Kyndle DelCollo. Griffith leads the team with a .367 batting average over the early part of the season. DelCollo has nine hits and five runs so far and has developed the ability to draw lots of pitches. She has been hit by a pitch three-times already, and she has struck out just once in 37 at bats. "Kyndle and Paige come in with great experience because they played on highly competitive summer ball teams," said Strand. "They are fitting right into the mix on this team and should adapt quickly to the level of play in our conference."
 
Perhaps the paramount impact from the new players this year has come at first base where freshman Jessica Garner has already found her stride. Garner leads the team with 16 hits and six stolen bases and she is second with nine runs scored. Coach Strand said, "I am really excited for what Jessica is doing for us. She has great speed and reads defenses really well as a slap hitter. She is smart and aggressive and is starting out what should be a great career."
 
In the outfield, returning regulars Fritter and Anita Singh have been joined by a number of players in the rotation, namely Kelsey Hansen a junior transfer who played her first two seasons at NCAA D.III George Fox University. Hansen has shown a consistent bat in the early goings and has committed just one error in the field. "Kelsey brings experience in the outfield which is huge for us," said Strand. "She has a great ability to put the ball in play and I'm excited to see what she continues to do in the lineup."
 
The 4-14 start to the season hasn't diminished the desire and the goal to do something that hasn't been done before; qualify for the CCC postseason. Coach Strand said, "Our goal is to make the playoffs and we have set some specific, practical benchmarks that we will be striving towards in each game that we believe will be our keys to getting into the playoffs. It has given us a plan of attack for what we need to do this season."
 
The road to the post-season will be different this season than any before as the landscape of the conference, along with the footprint, has dramatically changed. The CCC added four new members in 2016. Full-fledged new member Walla Walla joined, along with associate members Carroll College, University of Great Falls and University of British Columbia. Carroll and Great Falls were former members of the Frontier Conference while UBC was an independent institution.
 
The addition of four teams and the loss of former member Concordia University Portland changed the total membership number to 11 schools. The added teams, along with the expansion north to Canada and east to Montana also meant the creation of two divisions. UGF, Carroll and Walla Walla play in the North along with Eastern Oregon and The College of Idaho. UBC joins a stacked southern division with Northwest, NCU, Corban, Southern Oregon, and Oregon Tech.
 
Six teams will make the post season: The top-three from the West Division, the top two from the East Division and a "wild card" selection.
 
The path to the playoffs will begin for the Beacons against Corban on Wednesday with a neutral-site double-header hosted by the Warriors at Hood View Park in Happy Valley. The Warriors (14-7) are ranked 17th in the NAIA and are one of the front runners to win the CCC title.