SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth University softball team travels to California this weekend for four doubleheaders against Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opponents. The Pirates will visit Pomona-Pitzer on Friday at noon, Redlands on Saturday at noon, California Lutheran on Sunday at noon, and La Verne on Monday at 3:00 pm.

Check the Whitworth softball schedule page for live links to this weekend's action.

The Pirates: Whitworth (1-9 overall, 1-7 NWC) took one of four games against Willamette in its opening series at Diana Marks Field.

Due to weather, games one and two were played on Friday. The Bearcats took game one 2-0 behind a complete game shutout from Kenna Davis. The game was scoreless until the sixth when Willamette strung together four consecutive hits to grab a lead. Momi Lyman pitched her third complete game of the season for the Pirates. Whitworth earned their first win of the season in game two. The Bearcats led 3-1 in the fourth inning, but the Pirates cut the lead to one after Addie Johnson's triple scored Kelly Hruza. In the bottom of the sixth, three walks loaded the bases for Whitworth and Johnson hit a go-ahead two-run single. Lyman earned her first win of the season in two innings of relief.

Game three of the series was played on Saturday, and the Pirates fell 9-1 in six innings. Willamette led 1-0 in the fifth before an eight-run sixth put the game out of reach. A grand slam was one of just two hits in the inning as the Pirates gave up several free passes that came around to score. Katie McKinnis scored the lone Whitworth run in the bottom half after a walk, stolen base and error. Willamette took the series finale 11-1 in five innings on Sunday. The Bearcats bats came out hot and put up eight runs in the first inning, all without an extra base hit. The lead grew to 11 after three two-out hits and a walk in the third inning. McKinnis' double scored Kennedy Robison for the Pirate run in the third.

The Opponents: Pomona-Pitzer hosts Whitworth with a 10-4 overall record. The Sagehens are a strong hitting team that has shown significant power this season. They are second in the SCIAC with a .354 team batting average and pace the conference with 14 home runs. Pomona-Pitzer's team ERA is 3.15 in the circle. Junior catcher Kylie Liu leads the team with a .488 batting average. Senior Devin Waddell has 5 home runs and 21 RBIs on the season, as well as being the Sagehens top pitcher (5-3, 2.17 ERA). Whitworth split a doubleheader against Pomona-Pitzer when the teams met last season in Claremont.

Ninth ranked Redlands is 16-3 overall heading into its doubleheader with the Pirates. The Bulldogs are fourth in Division III with 157 runs scored and show significant plate discipline with a Div. III leading 92 walks. Sophomore infielder Leila Jackson leads the team with a .436 batting average and tied for the team lead in hits (24). Junior Katlyn Gandara leads Redlands in the circle with five complete games in 10 starts and a 2.62 ERA. The Pirates split a pair of games against Redlands last season in California.

California Lutheran plays Whitworth with a 6-2 record. The Regals will play Occidental in a three-game series on Friday and Saturday before hosting Whitworth on Sunday. The Regals lead the SCIAC in team batting average at .379. The formidable hitting numbers are paired with a team ERA of 2.24 and .234 opponent batting average. Sophomore Danielle Diaz (.571) and senior Olivia Vargas (.500) lead the team at the plate. Senior Ashlyn Flinchum has a 0.70 ERA through three starts. Whitworth has won six straight games over Cal Lutheran, the latest being an 11-2 win in 2022.

La Verne hosts Whitworth with a 7-5 overall record. The Leopards will play a three-game series against Claremont-Mudd-Scripts on Friday and Saturday before Whitworth visits on Monday. They are a strong pitching team led by a trio of pitchers with a sub four ERA. Senior Kirstin Sanchez has made a team-high five starts with a 1.91 ERA. Freshman Briana Vasquez has a 3.99 ERA in four starts and senior Alana Munoz has allowed just three runs in 14 innings. Ashley Rodriquez leads the Leopards at the plate with a .475 batting average. Whitworth split a doubleheader at La Verne last season.

Senior Leaders: A much-improved 2025 season will fall on the shoulders of the Whitworth senior class. Taylor Hofheins is tied for the team lead with six hits and has started all 10 games for the Pirates. Reagan Ellis and Kennedy Robison combine for a dynamic middle infield while Katie McKinnis holds down third base and has hit leadoff in eight of ten games. Kelly Hruza's .500 slugging percentage is highest on the team. In the circle, Momi Lyman leads the team with a 5.54 ERA in three starts. Reiss McIntyre has made three starts and recorded 14 strikeouts in 18 innings. 

Immediate Impact: The Pirates have 10 new faces on the 2025 roster, and many could have a big role this season. Junior transfer Teeghan Reems has made four appearances in the circle (one start) and has started seven games in the designated player position. Freshman Kendel Sage has started all 10 games for the Pirates and joins four teammates with a perfect fielding percentage. First-years Camryn Sage, Natalie Singer and Addie Bale each have at least four starts this season. These Pirate newcomers will continue to show their ability to impact games and make winning plays throughout the season.

The Coach: Bob Castle is now in his sixth season as Whitworth's head coach after taking over the program in 2019. He served as an assistant on staff from 2015-2018 and was a part of three Northwest Conference titles. Castle earned his first winning season as head coach in 2022 with a 25-17 record and has guided the Pirates to three NWC tournament appearances.

Looking Ahead: The Pirates will resume Northwest Conference action with a four-game series at Lewis & Clark on April 5-6.