ASHLAND, Ore. – The 2021 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Softball Championships, presented by U.S. Bank, are right around the corner (May 7-9), and the CCC's culminating event will feature some of the NAIA's best softball programs. The Corban University softball team will look to upset the crowded field of competitors, entering the tournament as the No. 4 seed.

Tournament Central

The tournament will be hosted by top-seeded Southern Oregon University, which is also ranked No. 1 in the NAIA.

As the defending NAIA National Champions and the first team in CCC history to complete the conference schedule with just one loss, the Raiders (45-3, 26-1 CCC) are the favorite to win this weekend's event.

Second-seeded and 23^rd-ranked College of Idaho (35-14, 22-5 CCC) has different plans, breaking onto the scene in 2021 and establishing itself as a legitimate contender for the conference tournament crown. By virtue of their seeding, both the Raiders and the Yotes will receive first-round byes in this weekend's tournament.

Ranked No. 6 in the NAIA, third-seeded Oregon (38-8, 21-6) is the only squad to claim a CCC triumph over the top-ranked Raiders this season, and the Owls will look to run the table against their archrivals at this weekend's event. Oregon Tech's first matchup of this weekend will be against No. 6-seeded Warner Pacific University.

Finishing the 2021 campaign with a 25-21 overall record (16-11 CCC), the Warriors' first contest of the tournament will be against fifth-seeded Eastern Oregon University at 9 a.m. on Friday, and the winner of the matchup will advance to face SOU at 2 p.m. on the same day.

Fans can watch all of this weekend's games HERE.

CLICK HERE to track the tournament action via live stats.

Corban took three of four from the Mountaineers when the two teams met at Warrior Field on April 2-3, and the Navy and Gold has claimed eight of the squad's last 10 matchups, dating back to 2018.

The Mounties possess one of the conference's best defenses—ranking third in fielding percentage at .955—but pitching has been a weak spot for the squad in 2021. With a team ERA of 6.13, EOU struggled to shut down opposing offenses.

They'll be going up against a potent Warrior lineup, which averaged 5.87 runs a game in 2021 and slugged at an impressive .488 clip. It all starts at the top for the Navy and Gold, as Makiah Johnson leads the team in virtually every major statistical category—average (.420), OPS (1.113), hits (66), RBI (42), and slugging (.675)—out of the leadoff spot.

It doesn't get any easier for opposing pitchers after Johnson, however, as Kaylee Buhrkuhl (.373, 5 HR, 31 RBI), Ivey Uppinghouse (team-high 8 HR, 11 2B), Madison Wyllie (.346, 4 HR, 29 RBI), and Megan Rybar (.369, 5 HR, 28 RBI) have been relentless run-producers in the heart of the Warrior lineup.

Meanwhile, Tabby Humphrey has quietly put together a career year, batting .409 and swiping a team-best 25 bags (27 attempts) to spark the offense from the bottom of the order.

Expect to see the bulk of the pitching duties handled by Warrior ace Ally Crakes, who touts a 3.66 ERA for the 2021 campaign. She was dominant in 13 innings against the Mountaineers this season, allowing just one run total on eight hits. Fellow southpaw Holly Gonzales has also been a reliable option for the Navy and Gold, compiling a 3.96 ERA in 88.1 innings pitched.

The most likely projected starter for EOU is Amanda Smith, who went 6-6 on the season with a team-best 4.03 ERA. In 10 and one-third innings against the Warriors this spring, Corban racked up 21 hits and nine runs.

Offensively, the Mounties are led by Jordan Henley, who enters this weekend's tournament with a .423 average, five long balls, and 27 RBIs. Makenzie Chambers (.387, 26 RBI) and Haley Ebner (.314, 29 RBI) have also been valuable assets to EOU head coach Nicole Christian's batting order.

As mentioned previously, the victor from Friday morning's matchup will play again later in the afternoon against top-seeded SOU, while the loser will drop to the elimination bracket, playing at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday in a win-or-go-home matchup.

The winner of this weekend's tournament will claim the CCC's second automatic berth to the NAIA National Tournament. Should the winner be CCC Regular-Season Champion SOU, the bid would defer to the tournament runner-up.