Softball | 02/20/20 | 12:14 PM
HELENA, Mont. -- The Carroll College Fighting Saints softball team opens up its conference season on Friday when it travels to Caldwell, Idaho, to face No. 19 College of Idaho.
"They are a Top 20 team," Saints coach
Aaron Jackson said. "They return a lot from a year ago. They lose their top pitcher but return a solid pitching staff. It will be another battle to win the series. I like our chances going in. If we can continue offensively as we did a couple of weeks ago and shore up some things defensively, it will be good for us."
Carroll (4-2) opened its season with success in California, including a Top 25 win over Marymount, 9-3.
"It was a good trip," Jackson said. "It was a good measuring stick where we're at as a program. It's good to be on the dirt before Cascade Conference play. It really allowed us to see where some pieces fit for us."
Through six games this season,
Jessica Nimmo leads the Saints in batting average at .538, while
Anna ApRoberts is the RBI leader at five with two home runs.
Brooke Yarnall leads the team in stolen bases with four. Freshman
Abby Hanley is the early leader on the mound with a 1.75 ERA and eight strikeouts.
"We have a lot of options," Jackson said. "It's not going to rest on the shoulders of a few individuals. We have options to take some chances. We have the options to create some havoc throughout the course of a series. You're playing teams four times in two days. Different looks are definitely an advantage."
The Saints will face COI (6-4), which also can claim a Top 25 win this season, splitting a pair of games against No. 11 Hope International. COI is led at the plate by Trystin Croft's .467 batting average and two home runs and Aleah Mendiola's 10 RBI.
In the Cascade Collegiate Conference Preseason Poll, COI was selected to finish third, while the Saints were picked to finish fifth. A season ago, the Saints traveled to COI and were swept 4-0.
The games are scheduled for 1 and 3 p.m. on Friday.
A live stream and stats will be offered via College of Idaho.
