Corban Softball Earns Verizon Team of the Week
LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Corban softball team has been named the “Verizon Team of the Week” in the Cascade Collegiate Conference, the conference office announced Sunday.
The Warriors (25-9, 10-6 Cascade Conference) picked up a weekend home sweep over No. 5 Oregon Tech. Corban has won six straight games, and eight of its last 10. The Warriors also swept Southern Oregon in Salem during the week. Corban equaled the school record for wins in a single season with its sweep over OIT. The Warriors have eight games left in the regular season.
“It is exciting to be named the conference team of the week because any success or honors we achieve speaks to so much more than just athletic ability or a couple of wins,” Corban head coach Nathan Ohta said. “This is a special group of young ladies that God has brought to Corban, and really the glory belongs to Him. That really is the motivating factor for all the hard work they have put in, and it is exciting to see that coming to fruition.
“It has been difficult to maintain momentum this year with all the challenges we have faced in terms of weather, cancellations, and rainouts, but the team has been very resilient, and has steadily been building momentum for the last couple of weeks. Right now we are playing as good of softball as we have all season, our bats have really come alive, our pitchers are having quality outings every time they enter the circle, and our defense has been outstanding. As a result, the team is playing with a high level of confidence and is really enjoying the game and each other. It is a great place to be from a mental and physical standpoint as we approach the last couple weeks of the regular season.”
On Saturday against Tech, the Warriors topped Tech, 8-5 in the first game, and 7-2 in the second. Abbie Pynch and Emma Winckler along with Chynna Sandhop each collected three hits on the afternoon, while Rachel Conard was 2-for-5 with a run scored and five runs batted in. Corban had a combined four home runs in the two games that included a pair of grand slams off the bat of Conard and Pynch. Four other Warriors – Conard, Stephanie Nippert, Brittany Chestnut, and Courtney Castronovo – each registered two hits.
“Oregon Tech is a program that has achieved a lot of success in recent years, but for us isn't as much about beating them, or winning two important conference games as it is about playing good softball against a quality opponent, and validating our efforts to consistently be recognized as one of the top teams in the country,” Ohta said. “We have a number of quality wins this year against some of the nation's top teams, and this weekend was yet another great opportunity for us to be challenged to bring the type of focus and effort it takes to be one of the country's best teams. I was very pleased with how the team responded to that challenge, and to see them playing a very high caliber of softball.”
Friday at Warrior Field, Corban cruised past Southern Oregon, 10-1 in five innings, and 9-0 in six innings. Corban was led offensively by Chestnut, Conard, and Nippert that had four-or-more hits each, while Pynch was 3-for-5 in the sweep. The six home runs for the Warriors came off the bats of Nippert, Conard, Erica Fitzgerald, Sandhop, Castronovo, and Lounette Jackson.
The Warriors are currently tied with Concordia for second place in the conference standings. Corban and Concordia will play each other in a pair of doubleheaders in the next two weeks. The top three teams in the conference advance to the CCC tournament.
“I have said all year that the Cascade Conference is as good as any conference in the country this year,” Ohta said. “That opinion has been backed up by how well our conference has done all season against some of the best teams from around the country. Knowing that, we have been preparing for a battle all the way to the end of the regular season for the conference championship and for the three playoff spots. That is still how I see it playing out.
“That being said, our focus isn't on what is happening around the conference, what we have to do to make the playoffs, or how to move up in the national rankings. Our goal is simply to focus on the process and let the results take care of themselves. For us, that means having quality at bats every time we come to the plate, making quality pitches to every hitter, and making every defensive play we have the opportunity to. This is a talented team, and we believe that if we focus on those things, that the rest will work itself out. Our goal is to be the best we can be every time out, and let the chips fall where they may.”
Ohta will join Ron Callan on Northwest Sports Tonight radio show on Portland’s KPAM 860 AM Monday night. The show can be heard live on the worldwide web as well. Stay tuned to CascadeConference.org for the time of the interview.
Previous Verizon Team of the Week awardees.