Softball | 05/02/25 | 9:22 AM

HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll College Softball team will begin their quest for a Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament title this afternoon, as they take on No. 14 Eastern Oregon in an opening round battle at John & Lois Stilwell Stadium in Klamath Falls, Ore.

The Fighting Saints (18-24, 12-15) needed every game of their 2025 conference slate to clinch, but got the job done to send themselves to the postseason where the third-seeded Mountaineers (28-9, 22-5) await.

Carroll 2025 CCC slate in sixth place, earning a pair of wins in the final week of the season over Providence to seal the deal on a return trip to the postseason. The sixth place finish secured Carroll's third-straight trip to the CCC Championship, and for the third-straight season, they'll make the 830-mile trek to Klamath Falls, Ore. (Oregon Tech) for the weekend tournament. 

Following a postseason drought from 2019-2022, the Saints have now qualified for postseason play in every year of Head Coach Shawna Juarez's tenure.

Three of the six teams competing in this weekend's CCC Championship are currently ranked inside of the NAIA Top-15, including Carroll's first round opponent, No. 14 Eastern Oregon. The Mounties spent a large portion of the 2025 season in first place in the league standings, until the Saints came to town last month. Carroll won two of the three conference matchups between the teams, posting seven runs in both of the wins.

Run production has been the most important piece of the puzzle for the Saints this season. In the Saints' 12 CCC wins, they are averaging just under eight runs per game (7.91), while in their 15 losses, they're averaging just 2.0 runs per game. Getting out to a good start will be key for a team looking to make some noise this weekend.

Kenna Thomas (Belgrade, Mont. / SR) is having one of the most prolific offensive seasons in program history. The senior is one of just three players in Carroll history to post a season-long OPS greater than 1.0 Her 1.101 OPS is second best in program history, trailing only Kaitlyn Ayers' 1.141 season in 2023. Thomas leads the team in nearly every hitting category, including average (.373), hits (41), home runs (4), and RBI (28).

The Saints will turn to their ace in game one, as Kennedy Venner (Billings, Mont. / JR) looks to pick up win No. 13 of the season. Venner enters the weekend with 127 strikeouts, and some strong performances in Klamath Falls could very well mean she tops her career-high (161).

First pitch is slated for 12:30 p.m. (MDT), live stats can be followed HERE, and a live stream can be found HERE.

The winner of the first round game will advance to play (2) Southern Oregon this evening at 5:30 p.m., while the loser will play an elimination game at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

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

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