MONMOUTH, Ore.—After enjoying its first home games of the season last weekend, the Western Oregon softball team will get another chance to play at its own park with a Wednesday doubleheader against Northwest Christian University. Opening pitch is set for 1 p.m. against the Beacons.

LIVE STATS/VIDEO: Live stats and streaming video of the doubleheader can be found at: wouwolves.com/live

FREE ADMISISON: Entry to all regular-season WOU Softball games is FREE for 2019.

ABOUT NCU: The Beacons carry a 2-9 overall record heading into their games against WOU... Members of the NAIA's Cascade Collegiate Conference, NCU as picked to place 10th overall in the CCC in the coaches' preseason poll... The Beacons have lost seven straight games after splitting a doubleheader against NCAA DIII Lewis & Clark on Feb. 17... Noel Barlderston leads NCU at the plate with a .350 average... Emma Jegtvig holds a 3.05 earned-run average and has struck out 28 batters in 34 1/3 innings.

WOU vs. NCU: Western Oregon is 6-0 against the Beacons since their first meeting in 2014... All six games have been played in Monmouth with the Wolves outscoring NCSU 30-11 overall over tat span.

WOU SOFTBALL FIELD UPGRADES: The WOU Softball Field received dramatic upgrades in the summer of 2018… In addition to new netting and a completely new backstop the entire playing surface received treatment… A Bernhardt Golf Drainage system was installed in the outfield to improve playability in the natural grass area while a Hellas Matrix® Turf was installed in the infield.

GNAC OPENER: The Wolves recorded a 3-1 record in the opening week of GNAC play on March 9-10...The Wolves posted a sweep against Simon Fraser on March 9 with 6-3 and 9-3 scores... WOU went on to win the opening game against Western Washington on the following day before falling 10-2 in the final game of the weekend.

RECORD RBI DAY FOR CREACH: WOU centerfielder Tyler Creach went 3-for-4 at the plate and drove in a career-best seven RBI in the second game against Simon Fraser on March 9... Creach belted a solo homer to lead off the 1st for the Wolves and returned with a grand slam on the 2nd inning... Batting again with the bases loaded in the 3rd inning, Creach sliced a single to plate two more runners... One RBI away from tying the WOU and GNAC record, the Wolves loaded the bases for Creach yet again in the 4th inning but SFU forced am infield pop up to retire Creach for the only time in the game.

BACK-TO-BACK(S): The Wolves connected on back-to-back home runs in both games against Western Washington on March 10... In the first game against the Vikings, Cheyanne Rimer and Jenna Kelly opened the 2nd inning with solo shots while Sydney Bowers and Rimer went yard to begin the 4th inning of the nightcap.

PITCHING OPTIONS: Five different WOU pitchers recorded a win during the team's first 10 wins of the season... Haley Fabian leads the club with 32 1/3 inning of work and has a 4-1 record this season... Maddie Mayer is next up wit 27 1/3 innings from the circle and has a 3-1 mark. 

TAKING THREE: Four different players have recorded a triple so far this season for WOU while the Wolves have yet to allow a three-bagger for a 5-0 lead over its opponents.

FLORIDA RECAP: Playing in Florida for the first time since 2001, WOU went 4-3 while competing at the PFX Athletics Tournament March 1-4… WOU played teams from four different NCAA Division II conferences, including four games against members of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.. Senior Ryanne Whitaker leads the team with two triples, both of which took place on opening day at the Las Vegas Desert Stinger. .

WOLVES PERFECT IN VEGAS: Overcoming deficits in all three games, WOU went 3-0 in games at the Las Vegas Desert Stinger on Feb. 1-3. The Wolves opened play with an 8-3 win over Colorado Christian and followed the performance up with a 6-5 win in a 9-inning battle against Cal State Monterey Bay. WOU closed out the weekend with a 7-2 win over No. 7-ranked Chico State.

TOP-10 UPSET: Down 2-0 heading to the 6th, WOU scored seven runs over the final two stanzas to stun No. 7-ranked Chico State in the final game of the Desert Stinger. The Wolves outhit Chico State 8-to-4 with Maddie Mayer tossing four innings of no-hit ball to close out the game and collect the win.

MAYER NAMED GNAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Picking up two wins in the opening week, freshman pitcher Maddie Mayer was named the GNAC Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 4. In her collegiate debut, Mayer tossed a 9-inning complete game to help the Wolves to a 6-5 win over Cal State Monterey Bay. Mayer returned by holding the No. 7-ranked Chico State hitless for four innings in a 7-2 WOU win.

WHITAKER ON WATCH LIST: An All-West Region selection last season, senior infielder Ryanne Whitaker was among 50 players tabbed to the NFCA DII National Player of the Year Watch List. Whitaker was the lone player on the list from the GNAC,

PRESEASON GNAC COACHES' POLL: Western Oregon was picked to finish in third place out of eight teams according to the 2019 GNAC Preseason Poll. WOU notched 41 points to trail preseason favorite Northwest Nazarene (61 points) and runner-up Central Washington (59 points). NNU picked up five first-place votes with CWU nabbing the final three first-place picks.

2019 RETURNERS: The Wolves return eight position starters and three pitchers from their 2018 squad. Senior infielder Ryanne Whitaker (Huffman) earned First Team All-GNAC and NFCA All-West Region honors after she finished with a .397 batting average with 37 runs, 26 RBI, and a .517 slugging percentage. Sophomore outfielder Tyler Creach led WOU as a freshman with a .409 batting average and finished with 72 hits to earn First Team All-GNAC and Second Team NFCA All-West Region awards. The lineup also includes returners in senior infielder Cheyanne Rimer, sophomore infielder Sydney Bowers, sophomore outfielder Ayanna Arceneaux and senior pitcher Haley Fabian.

2018 RECAP: Western Oregon went 28-25 overall last season with a 15-13 mark in GNAC play. The Wolves notched a pair of walk-off wins on the final day of the regular season to clinch the No. 4 seed in the GNAC Tournament. The Wolves fell 3-0 to NNU in the opening game of the GNAC Tournament and returned with a 4-2 win to eliminate Central Washington. WOU's season ended with a 6-3 defeat against Simon Fraser.