The Olympic College softball team wrapped up its 2025 campaign at the NWAC Championships held May 15–18 at the Owens Sports Complex in Portland, Oregon. Entering the tournament as the 15th seed, the Rangers stunned the bracket with a 4–3 upset over second-seeded Columbia Basin in Thursday's opener, then battled through two hard-fought losses to Walla Walla and Clackamas to close out their season.
Against Columbia Basin, the Rangers found themselves down 0-3 after the third inning, but freshman Shelby Avery settled down to pitch a complete game and hold the Hawks scoreless over the last 4 innings. The comeback was sparked in the 6th inning with RBI hits from sophomores outfielder Kiana Fajotina and shortstop Olivia Pater, scoring freshmen Natalie Brierly, OC Athlete of April Tatem Miller, and sophomore Abigail Aribal. The defense was pressed down the stretch, but met the challenge and the win was widely regarded as the biggest upset of the tournament.
Later that day, the Rangers faced Walla Walla in a back-and-forth contest that ultimately ended in a 10–8 defeat. Olympic collected 11 hits, including 5 doubles from 5 different Rangers, but a late surge from the Warriors proved too much to overcome.
In Friday's elimination game, Olympic squared off with Clackamas. The Rangers went down 0-4 after the first and couldn't hold off the Cougars' offense in an 11–4 loss. Freshman Sienna Kauhi finished her season with a 3-RBI, 3rd inning double and Miller and Avery shared the circle, each going 3 full innings.
Sophomore infielder Abigail Aribal was named First Team All-NWAC North Region, and freshman pitcher/outfielder Tatem Miller earned Second Team honors. The Rangers finished the season 24–26 overall and 18–14 in North Region play, with a postseason win that highlights the program's growth and promise moving forward.
Thursday, May 16 – NWAC Championship (Portland, OR)
Game 1: Rangers 4, Columbia Basin 3
Offense: 4 runs [Aribal, Miller, Brierly, Garber], 5 hits [Pater (2)], 4 RBI [Fajotina (2)], 6 walks [Aribal (2)], 1 steal [Fajotina].
Defense: 7 IP [Avery], 3 earned runs, 5 hits allowed, 3 strikeouts, 2 errors [Brierly, Whitehead].
Game 2: Walla Walla 10, Rangers 8
Offense: 8 runs [Thomas (2)], 11 hits [Aribal (3)], 7 RBI [Kelker (2)], 5 doubles [Aribal, Pater, Kelker, McBee, Thomas], 3 walks [Kelker (2)].
Defense: 6 IP [Kelker (3.2), Whitehead (2.1)], 8 earned runs [Kelker (6), Whitehead (2)], 13 hits allowed [Kelker (9), Whitehead (4)], 3 strikeouts [Kelker], 3 errors [Pater (2)].
Friday, May 17 – NWAC Championship (Portland, OR)
Game 3: Clackamas 11, Rangers 4
Offense: 4 runs [Pater, Garber, Fajotina, McBee], 4 hits [Pater, Garber, Kauhi, McBee], 1 double [Kauhi], 4 RBI [Kauhi (3)], 3 walks [Aribal, McBee, Fajotina], 2 steals [Aribal].
Defense: 6 IP [Miller (3.0), Avery (3.0)], 8 earned runs [Miller (5), Avery (3)], 14 hits allowed [Miller (8), Avery (6)], 3 strikeouts [Miller (2), Avery (1)], 3 errors [Brierly (2)].
