SPOKANE, Wash. – After a non-conference trip to California, the Whitworth University softball team returns to Northwest Conference action with a four-game series at Lewis & Clark this weekend. The series will start with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon before a Sunday doubleheader at 11:00 am.

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

The Pirates: Whitworth (1-17 overall, 1-7 NWC) played eight games in four days against Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opponents and could not come away with a win.

The trip began with a doubleheader at Pomona-Pitzer on March 21st.  The Pirates fell 8-2 in game one and 5-2 in game two. In game one, Reagan Ellis hit a sacrifice fly to give the Bucs an early one run lead. After a four-strikeout first two innings from Momi Lyman, the Sagehens broke through with seven runs over the third and fourth innings. A solo home run extended the lead to seven in the fifth. Natalie Singer scored on a throwing error for the final Pirate run. The Pirates showed much needed power at the plate in game two. Addie Johnson and Camryn Sage hit the first two home runs of the season, each solo shots. The two homers were the only Whitworth hits of the game.

The Pirates were swept in a doubleheader at Redlands on Saturday. The Bulldogs took game one 11-3 in six innings. Whitworth took another early lead (2-0) before Redlands scored three runs in the third. Taylor Hofheins tied it up with an RBI single, but a seven-run fifth inning broke the game open. An RBI single in the sixth secured a Bulldog win. The Bucs again scored first but fell 4-1 in game two. Clarabelle Hall made her first start and hit a sacrifice fly to score the lone Pirate run in the second inning. Redlands answered with a run in the bottom half before two more runs scored on a pair of hits in the third. An error allowed an insurance run in the fourth and the Pirates could not close the gap.

In the third doubleheader of the weekend, Whitworth fell 10-4 and 9-1 to California Lutheran on Sunday. The Pirates trailed 6-1 in the fifth inning of game one before five consecutive hitters reached base to spark a rally. Kenndy Robison singled home Camryn Sage and Katie McKinnis followed with an RBI double. Reagan Ellis hit a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to two. The Regals scored four runs on five singles in the bottom of the sixth to put the game out of reach. In game two, the Pirates fell 9-1 in six innings. Lutheran grabbed an early lead with five runs scored in the first three innings. Kelly Hruza doubled and Ellis singled to score the lone Whitworth run. The Regals added three runs in the bottom of the sixth to secure a win.

La Verne swept the Pirates in the final doubleheader of the weekend. In a 6-1 game one loss, Teeghan Reams pitched a strong first two innings before the Leopards wore down Pirate pitching with a run in the third, two in the fourth and three in the fifth. Kendel Sage hit an RBI triple to score the lone Whitworth run. The Bucs couldn't get on the scoreboard in a 8-0 five-inning game two loss. Jaidyn Alvarez pitched a shutout and held Whitworth to just two hits, tied for a season low. The Leopards scored four runs in the fifth inning with the help of three RBI doubles to close the game.

The Opponents: Lewis & Clark hosts Whitworth with a 16-2 overall record and 8-0 Northwest Conference mark. The Pioneers swept Willamette and Pacific (Ore.) in their first two conference series and went 4-2 on a six-game trip to Clermont, Florida last weekend. L&C is a strong team in all three phases, displayed by a NWC first ranked fielding percentage (.974), a second ranked batting average (.385) and second ranked earned run average (3.19). Three players hit above .400 for the Pios, led by sophomore outfielder Makena Dahir who hits .453 with three home runs and 17 RBIs. Senior outfielder Sam Gildersleeve is close behind with a .443 batting average and leads the team in both hits (27) and RBIs (19). In the circle, junior Maggie O'Leary leads with a 2.74 ERA with 51 strikeouts in eight starts. Junior Charlize Pope has made nine starts and has a 4.83 ERA. Whitworth took one of four games against L&C last season in Spokane.

NWC Standings: Lewis & Clark (8-0) and Linfield (6-0) sit atop the conference standings with unblemished records. George Fox sits at 6-2 in third with Willamette (3-5) and Pacific Lutheran (2-4) trailing. Pacific (3-6), Puget Sound (1-7) and Whitworth (1-7) round out the standings.

Senior Leaders: A much-improved 2025 season will fall on the shoulders of the Whitworth senior class. Taylor Hofheins leads the team with 12 hits and has started all 18 games for the Pirates. Reagan Ellis and Kennedy Robison combine for a dynamic middle infield while Katie McKinnis holds down third base and has a team-leading five runs scored. Kelly Hruza's .750 OPS (on base plus slugging) is highest on the team. In the circle, Momi Lyman leads the team with a 5.45 ERA in 10 starts. Reiss McIntyre has made five starts and recorded 23 strikeouts in 30.2 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 Reams has made eight appearances in the circle and has started 14 games in the designated player position. Freshman Kendel Sage has started all 18 games for the Pirates and leads the team with 15 total bases. First-years Camryn Sage and Addi Bale each have at least 10 starts on the year. 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 head to Tacoma to play Puget Sound in four game series starting on Saturday, April 12^th.