Softball | 05/03/24 | 9:49 AM

HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll College Softball team will begin their quest for a Cascade Collegiate Conference title this afternoon in Klamath Falls, Ore. when they take on the third-seeded College of Idaho at 12:30 p.m. (MST) at Jean & Lois Stilwell Stadium on the campus of Oregon Tech.

The Fighting Saints (19-26-1, 12-15) will look to get their first win of the season over the No. 15 Yotes (32-15, 20-7), after dropping three conference games in a series split between three months and two locations.

The two teams met on the CCC opening weekend in Caldwell, Idaho, managing to get two games in before mother nature forced a postponement of the conference swing game. The third game of the series took place in Helena, with the Yotes acting as the home team and ultimately running away with the win in the late innings to sweep the series.

A series sweep in regular season is one thing, but postseason play exists for a reason. Anything can happen in the postseason, and the Saints feel primed and ready for a run at the conference crown, starting with Friday's game against the Yotes.

For the second straight season, Carroll finds themselves back in the conference championship following a three-year drought in the seasons prior. Carroll earned the sixth seed for this weekend's event, matching their draw from a year ago.

Kenna Thomas (Belgrade, Mont. / JR) enters the postseason as the leading hitter for the Saints. Thomas carries an OPS of 1.035 with a batting average of .359. She has seven homers on the year with 28 RBI.

Kennedy Venner (Billings, Mont. / SO) has been the go-to arm for the Saints, and the sophomore has performed well in her starts. She has an ERA of 3.08 with a 1.35 WHIP, punching out 156 batters on the way.

This weekend's event is a double elimination format, with the top two seeds earning byes in the opening round games. The winner of Friday's game will move on to play No. 2 Eastern Oregon at 2 p.m., while the loser will play an elimination game tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.

A live stream of today's game is available HERE, and live stats can be followed along HERE. 

Visit www.carrollathletics.com this evening for a recap of the action and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.