02.01.2012 - Oregon Tech Preseason Favorite in the Cascade Conference
PORTLAND, Ore. – Defending Cascade Collegiate Conference and NAIA champion Oregon Tech is the choice to win the 2012 CCC softball crown, according a preseason poll of the conference’s seven head coaches.
The Owls, who begin the season ranked first nationally in the NAIA preseason Top 25 poll, open their season Feb. 10 at the Simpson Invitational in Redding, Calif.
Oregon Tech went 42-13 overall last season, and became the first team in the Cascade Collegiate Conference to win the national championship in the 31-year history of the event. OIT earned five first-place votes and totaled 35 points in the poll.
Corban was picked to finish second, receiving two first place votes, and was followed by Concordia, College of Idaho, Southern Oregon, Northwest Christian and Eastern Oregon.
Oregon Tech returns three All-CCC players among its six returning starters from 2011. The Owls are led by last year’s conference Coach of the Year, Greg Stewart, who enters his eighth year as head coach. All-CCC pitcher Taylor Schmidt returns after going 17-4 a year ago. Ashleigh Larson comes back after recording 66 RBI last season, which was 11th in the NAIA. Shawna Collins also brings back her team-leading batting average of .358.
2012 CCC Preseason Poll
| Rk. | Team | Points | 2011 Overall | 2011 CCC |
| 1 | Oregon Tech (5) | 35 | 42-13 | 19-5 |
| 2 | Corban (2) | 32 | 25-17 | 16-8 |
| 3 | Concordia | 24 | 22-15 | 15-9 |
| 4 | College of Idaho | 23 | 24-16 | 14-10 |
| 5 | Southern Oregon | 15 | 18-19 | 14-10 |
| 6 | Northwest Christian | 10 | 10-28 | 4-20 |
| 7 | Eastern Oregon | 8 | 8-32 | 2-22 |
01.30.2012 - Oregon Tech Slides to No. 2 in NAIA National Poll
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After spending a week at the No. 1 spot, Oregon Tech slipped to the No. 2 position in the seventh edition of the 2011 – 12 NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, announced Monday by the national office.
After giving up the No. 1 ranking for one week, Northwood (Fla.) moved back to that position for the fifth time this year. The Seahawks, who corralled 374 points as the unanimous top pick, swapped spots with Oregon Tech. With a 22-3 record, the Hustlin’ Owls recorded 352 points.
Oregon Tech split conference games on the week, falling at Concordia 81-66 and bounced back at then No. 8 Warner Pacific with a 78-69 win the next night. The Hustlin’ Owls will host rival Southern Oregon University this Saturday in their only game of the week.
Davenport (Mich.) holds steady at No. 3 for the third-consecutive time and stands in the poll with 342 total points. Behind a seven-game winning streak, No. 4 McPherson (Kan.) moved up one spot with 340 points. No. 5 Dordt (Iowa) is back in the top five with 338 points after spending one week at sixth.
Two other Cascade Collegiate teams are ranked in the top-25, including Warner Pacific, falling to No. 10, with Northwest University remaining at No. 11. Two other Cascade Conference teams, Southern Oregon University and Eastern Oregon University, also received votes in this week’s poll.
NOTES: (All information dates back to 1999 - 2000) There are three teams to be ranked in the No. 1 spot this year (Northwood (Fla.), Oregon Tech and Indiana Wesleyan). No. 11 Northwest (Wash.) was the last undefeated team to lose, with that setback coming on Jan. 6, 2012 after the Eagles started 14-0. No. 2 Oregon Tech has spent 16-straight polls ranked in the top 10, dating back to Jan. 10, 2011. Embry-Riddle (Fla.) owns the most No. 1 rankings since 2000 with 17 with Oregon Tech next with 13. Oregon Tech is listed with the longest active streak in the Top 25 at 83-straight weeks - the last time the Hustlin' Owls were not ranked was on Jan. 11, 2005.
01.30.2012 - 7 Owls Earn Academic All-Conference Recognition
LA GRANDE, Ore. – Seven Oregon Tech student-athletes in the winter sports of men’s and women’s basketball have earned Academic All-CCC honors for their performances in the classroom, the conference office announced.
To earn recognition as a CCC scholar-athlete, a student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 and sophomore standing.
The honorees include:
Aundrea Albright Central Point, Ore. Sr. Dental Hygiene
David Clarke Aukland, NZ Sr. Communications
Karissa Dixon Medford, Ore. Jr. Communications
Kyle Gomez Bly, Ore. Sr. Environmental Studies
Morgan Hofman Bend, Ore. Jr. Radiology
Colleen Hunt Silver Lake, Ore. Jr. Communications
Alex Zerbach Covington, Wash. Jr. Management