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PORTLAND, Ore. – Four first-year Warriors and one savvy veteran earned All-Cascade Collegiate Conference honors Thursday with a trio of Corban players collecting first-team recognition, as announced by the league office.
"It is great to see a number of our players recognized for their performances this year," said third-year head coach
Nathan Ohta. "All five of our honorees are more than deserving, and have consistently produced while playing one of the toughest schedules in the country."
Included on the first-team were junior
Jessie Jones (Gladstone, Ore.), freshman
Stephanie Nippert (Rocklin, Calif.), and freshman
Liane DeHart (Kent, Wash.). Meanwhile, junior
Makenzie Marchbanks (Sweet Home, Ore.) and freshman
Tamara Feb (Oregon City, Ore.) were named All-CCC honorable mention.
"Jessie has done a phenomenal job for us in the leadoff spot, and has had an even better year than her previous two all-conference campaigns," commented Ohta. "Stephanie, Tamara and Liane, have come in as freshmen and established themselves as three of the most dangerous hitters, and best all-around players in the conference, finishing among the conference leaders in nearly every statistical category. Makenzie has been the anchor of our staff and has had one of the best season of any pitcher in school history. I am very happy to see each of these players receive this honor, and view this as a great achievement for our entire team as they have each played a part in their teammates individual success."
Jones, a 5-foot-4 second baseman, became the second player in program history to earn three straight all-conference honors joining former Warrior Erin Sailors (2005-09). The third-year Warrior led the team in on-base percentage (.488), while finishing second in two other categories – batting average (.411) and stolen bases (18).
Nippert, a 5-foot-8 center fielder, set five single-season and freshman records that included at-bats (148), hits (62), doubles (13), runs batted in (49), and total bases (107). The first-year Warrior tied the freshman home run record by belting 10 long balls, while sitting within striking distance of the single-season runs scored record with 37 so far this season.
Among the conference leaders, Nippert ranked in the Top 5 in 11 categories that included leading the league in runs batted in with 49.
DeHart, a 5-foot-5 right fielder, joined Nippert as the only Warriors in program history to record 50-or-more hits in a single season thanks to her 51-hit effort this season that included a single-season record six triples. The first-year Warrior also stole a school-record 37 bases this year and came within six of the conference record set last season by Southern Oregon's Strom Fouty, while scoring a single-season record 38 runs.
Among the conference leaders, DeHart ranked in the Top 5 in six categories that included leading the league in runs scored (38), triples (6), stolen bases (37), and stolen base attempts (41).
Marchbanks, a 5-foot-6 right-handed pitcher, was the ace of Corban's staff this season appearing in a single-season record 31 games and pitching a single-season record 175.1 innings. The first-year Warrior also led the staff with a conference-leading and single-season record 20 complete games that included three shutouts. In the circle, Marchbanks led the team in 11 categories that included Earned Run Average (2.32), wins (12), losses (13), appearances (31), games started (25), complete games (20), shutouts (3), saves (1), innings pitched (175.1), strikeouts (124), and opponent's batting average (.248).
Among the conference leaders, Marchbanks ranked within the Top 5 in 13 categories that included sitting within the Top 3 in three categories.
Feb, a 5-foot-9 catcher, tied for the team-lead in home runs with 10 despite appearing in only 24 games this season. The first-year Warrior became the third freshman in program history to hit 10-or-more home runs joining Nippert and former Warrior Ashley Bellum (2004-05), while setting a single-season record for slugging percentage (.782). Feb also belted a school-record three consecutive home runs against Southern Oregon on March 26th in helping Corban to an 8-3 victory over the Raiders, while also became the 16th player in NAIA history to hit three home runs in the same game.
Among the conference leaders, Feb led the league in slugging percentage (.782) and runners picked off (2). She also tied two other players – Nippert and Concordia's Cameron Way – for second in the conference in home runs with 10.
Corban put together its best season ever with a school-record 22 victories so far this year that included a program-record 14 conference wins. The Warriors ended their season on a school-record seven-game winning streak and will take on Southern Oregon in the opening round of the Cascade Collegiate Conference Softball Championships tomorrow – Friday, May 7th – at Delta Park in Portland with the first pitch scheduled for noon.