SALEM, Ore. – After a shortened campaign in 2020, Rachel Martin will lead the No. 23-ranked Corban University softball team into a season filled with both uncertainty and opportunity.

The Warriors finished their 2020 season on a 13-game winning streak, eight of which counted towards the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) standings. Corban will look to pick up right where it left off, traveling south to battle (RV) William Jessup University, (RV) Simpson University, and Arizona Christian University this weekend.

The Navy and Gold will bring back a majority of its 2020 roster, with the NAIA rolling out a fifth year of eligibility for athletes whose sports occurred during the abbreviated spring season. Seniors Kaylee Buhrkuhl (.465 AVG, 17 RBI, 10 SB), Tabby Humphrey (2 SB) and Sarah Probasco (3-4 W-L, 4.62 ERA, 33.1 IP) will return to the squad in 2021.

The Warriors will miss the production of Sam Woodley (.418 AVG, 3 HR, 20 RBI), Kayla Bailey (.432 AVG, 2 HR, 17 RBI), and Tatum Prechtel (.462 AVG, 4 SB) this season, who have each graduated from the university.

The Corban outfield will remain mostly intact, as Makiah Johnson (.400 AVG, 3 HR, 18 RBI), Megan Rybar (.317 AVG, 2 HR, 11 RBI), Madison Wyllie (.259 AVG, 3 SB), Anastasia Iosia (.222 AVG, 2 RBI), and Humphrey remain among the ranks. Freshman Gracelyn Johnson will look to leave her mark on the program in her introductory campaign as another strong option in the grass.

Including Johnson, the Warriors brought in nine newcomers this offseason, several of which figure to be largely involved in the success of the 2021 season. The team's sole transfer this offseason, Holly Gonzales (Ohlone College), brings prior collegiate experience to the Navy and Gold roster. Newcomer Tatiana Liu will offer a catalytic presence as both a hitter and a pitcher, while Sarah Parker and Meri McElligott aim to help provide depth and potentially fill holes left on the infield by Woodley and Bailey.

The three-headed monster of Ally Crakes (5-0 W-L, 2.40 ERA, 57 K), Kaylee Brown (5-0 W-L, 2.67 ERA, 36.2 IP), and Probasco will be back in the circle for the Warriors as a proven strength for the Navy and Gold. With Gonzalez added to the mix, the Corban staff will be a tough one for CCC foes to handle.

The conference is expected to be as competitive as ever, as the Warriors' path to the top of the CCC will be hotly-contested. Among the premier programs in both the conference and the NAIA, Corban will keep a particularly close eye on two rivals from the Beaver State: No.1-ranked Southern Oregon and (RV) Oregon Tech. The Raiders will enter the 2021 season as the defending NAIA National Champions, given no 2020 champion was crowned because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following this weekend's season-opening games, the Navy and Gold will battle the Fightin' Owls of OIT in a non-conference doubleheader showdown in Klamath Falls, Ore. on February 13. Finishing out the non-conference preseason schedule, the Warriors will play a pair of doubleheaders against Lewis & Clark College and Linfield College on February 20 and 27, respectively.

Following the preseason slate, Corban will meet the Carroll College (Mont.) Saints at Warrior Field on March 5-6 to begin the CCC season. This will lead into a midweek back-to-back with NCAA Division I Portland State on Mar. 10, before going back to conference play against Warner Pacific—whose softball program debuted just a season ago—two days later.

The rest of the season will be full of challenges, including a highly-anticipated four-game set against OIT at Warrior field in mid-March, a CCC road trip to the College of Idaho on April 9-10, and a regular season-ending trip to Ashland, Ore. to face the defending NAIA National Champion Raiders.

The CCC Tournament is currently slated to occur on May 7-9, with the NAIA National Tournament scheduled to begin May 17. Discounting last season—which featured no national tournament—Corban has made an appearance in the NAIA Tournament in three-straight seasons.