Eastern Oregon University softball players haul in all-conference honors
May 6—LA GRANDE — Coming off one of the most successful regular seasons in program history, the Eastern Oregon University softball program was well represented in the Cascade Collegiate Conference award selections.
Five Mountaineers earned all-conference honors, while two players were named to the conference first team.
Eastern pitcher Amanda Smith, who finished the regular season second in the conference with 17 wins, earned a first-team nod after an excellent season in the pitcher's circle. Infielder Grace Gaither, who started in all 52 games for the Mountaineers, also earned a first-team selection. Gaither hit .300 on the year, with 21 RBIs and 27 runs scored.
Infielder Caitlin Crist earned a spot on the second team after leading Eastern with 41 runs scored in the regular season. Crist also was tied with Hannah Tyree and Kayla Berg for most RBIs on the team with 30. The junior led the way with 82 total bases and crushed six home runs.
Outfield duo Shelby Starr and Karsyn Zaragoza both earned honorable mentions. Starr hit .327 on the year across 107 at-bats and recorded 39 total bases. She scored 16 runs and knocked in 15 RBIs during the regular season. Zaragoza was second on the team with 31 runs and totaled 21 RBIs on the year. She hit .301 across 123 at-bats and tallied 37 hits.
The Mountaineers finished the regular season with a 39-13 record, going 24-6 in conference play. Eastern is just two wins away from tying the program record for wins in a season at 41, which was set in 1999 under now-athletic director Anji Weissenfluh's coaching.
The Mountaineers hit their stride late in the year, taking three consecutive conference wins over No. 3 Oregon Tech on the weekend of Friday, April 22. The series propelled Eastern to a tie for first place in the conference standings at the time.
Upon completion of the regular season, the Mountaineers finished in third place in the competitive Cascade Collegiate Conference. Eastern is set to travel to Klamath Falls for the conference tournament, with the team's first-round matchup scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Friday, May 6 — the game was completed after The Observer's print deadline. The conference championship game is scheduled for May 8 at 1:30 p.m.
