Doug Pfeiler

Corban Softball looks to win its second-straight CCC Tournament Title this weekend, playing all games down south in Ashland. (Photo Credit: Doug Pfeiler)

Softball 5/3/2016 11:23:00 AM Danny Day, Sports Information Director

CCC Tournament Preview: Corban Softball Strives to Defend Tournament Title

ASHLAND, Ore. – Winning its first Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament Title was difficult. Winning the CCC Tournament Title two years in a row and defending the conference crown will be even harder. The Corban University softball team travels south in hopes of accomplishing that task this weekend in the 2016 CCC Softball Championship, presented by U.S. Bank, competing May 6-8.

Having earned the top spot in the West Division, Southern Oregon University (34-14, 15-5 West) will be the number one seed and the host of the double elimination tournament that features six teams, including three from the west and three from the east.

Earning the number one seed for the East Division is Carroll College (24-20, 7-5 East), followed by Eastern Oregon University (25-21, 6-6 East) as the No. 2 seed, and the University of Great Falls as the No. 3 seed (22-16, 6-6 East).

Oregon Tech (27-18, 13-7 West) is slated as the No. 2 seed in the West, while Corban (34-17, 13-7 West) is the third seed.

Games begin at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 6, at University Field in Ashland, Ore. The two teams that reach the CCC Tournament Championship game will earn the conference's automatic berths to the NAIA Softball National Championships.

Game Schedule for Day One – Friday, May 6

Game 1 @ 9:00 a.m. – #2 East- Eastern Oregon vs. #3 West- Corban

Game 2 @ 11:30 a.m. – #2 West-Oregon Tech vs. #3 East- Great Falls

Game 3 @ 2:00 p.m. – #1 West- Southern Oregon vs. Winner of game 1

Game 4 @ 4:30 p.m. – #1 East- Carroll vs. Winner of game 2

Saturday, May 7
Game 5 @ 9 a.m. – Loser of Game 2 vs. Loser of Game 3 (loser eliminated)
Game 6 @ 11:30 a.m. – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 4 (loser eliminated)
Game 7 @ 2 p.m. – Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4
Game 8 @ 4:30 p.m. – Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 (loser eliminated)

Sunday, May 8
Game 9 @ 11 a.m. – Loser of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8 (loser eliminated)
Game 10 @ 1:30 p.m. – Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 9 (championship)
Game 11 (30 minutes after completion of Game 10) – If necessary

Corban is led by junior Taylor Eilders (Cameron Park, Calif.) at the dish, as she leads the CCC in hits on the year with 71 while racking up a .410 batting average. She also blasted seven home runs and tied for the team lead with 18 doubles during the regular season. Providing consistency late in the year for the Warriors was sophomore Maddy Melton (Salem, Ore.), as Melton actually now leads the team with a .425 batting average, totaling 34 hits on the campaign. Junior Iris Rodriguez (Warden, Wash.) has also had a standout season for the Warriors, hitting .408 at the plate with five home runs and a team-leading 47 RBI.

Senior Jessica Holsinger (Eagle, Idaho) leads the way pitching for Corban, boasting a 2.25 ERA with 17 wins and eight complete games. In addition, junior Allie Mendez (Stockton, Calif.) owns a 2.68 ERA with 10 wins for the Warriors.

The Warriors face off against Eastern Oregon in game one on Friday after having won the regular-season series against the Mountaineers, three games to one. After defeating Eastern Oregon the first two times the teams faced off in early March, the Warriors defeated EOU on the road in late March 10-7, before falling to the Mounties 6-4 in the fourth game between the two sides. Whichever team wins Friday's contest will play top-seeded Southern Oregon.

Live stats will be available online via SOU's website, and be sure to follow @CorbanAthletics on Twitter for in-game Corban Warrior updates and 'Corban Athletics' on Snapchat for a behind-the-scenes look at the weekend. Watch the Promo Video: