The rain is back, so it must be softball season.

After great weather in January and early February which allowed LCC softball to practice outside nearly every day, the recent rains have delayed the planned start of the regular season. The Devils were slated to host Walla Walla and Columbia Basin February 22-23, but a hesitancy to travel across the state with a high chance of rainouts led to the Warriors and Hawks opting to cancel.

LCC will now open at home on Friday, February 28 at noon vs Treasure Valley. Regardless of weather and delays, 14th year Head Coach Traci Fuller and the Red Devils are more than ready to hit the turf and play ball.

"It's disappointing to lose out on games this weekend, but that's the nature of our sport in the early season. We will be that much more ready and excited to host Treasure Valley on the 28th," Fuller said.

When the Red Devils finally hit the field, fans will see a good mix of veterans and newcomers. Three of the top hitters in NWAC in 2024 return, three transfers from four-year schools and a pitching staff that has yet to throw a pitch in a college softball regular season game. No worries, that group impressed in the fall and winter. "We lost some outstanding sophomores to graduation, but we'll be ok!" Fuller said.

The 2024 Red Devils won 42 games and finished 3^rd in the NWAC Championships last season. They led the conference in runs, hits, doubles, walks, stolen bases and were top-3 in RBI and home runs.

A strong sophomore class returns
A big part of those stats was fueled by freshmen 3B Lexi Grumbois (.593, 26 doubles, 37 steals, all which led the NWAC), OF Joelie Eder (14 HR, 57 RBI) and C Brooklyn Loose (.446, 46 RBI, 14 doubles). All are back in 2025.

"Having Lexi back in the lead off spot is huge," Fuller said. "And she is such a leader and role model for our freshmen. Joelie and Brooklyn have earned spots at the top of the order and they all are outstanding defensively."

The rest of the sophomore returners include SS Allison Baumgart (.541 OPB, 5 HR, 24 RBI), LF Kaydence Mackin (5 HR, 39 RBI) and SS/2B Katelyn Swanson (.500 OBP, 7 steals).

"Several of our returners saw limited playing time as freshmen and they are hungry to play every day and contribute more as sophomores. That's been reflected in their work in the offseason," Fuller said.

Three transfer players move back closer to home
Jadyn Terry (P/IF – R.A. Long HS/Coe College – Iowa), Savannah Hawkins (1B – W.F. West HS/Southern Nazarene University – Oklahoma) and Hailey Brooks (OF - Mossyrock HS/Cal State Bakersfield University) have joined the program this season. Terry comes in as a freshman, while Hawkins and Brooks are sophs.

"All three are players we recruited and offered when they came out of high school in 2023, but they had opportunities outside the Pacific Northwest. We get that," Fuller said. "They also knew that Lower Columbia is a good place and when circumstances changed, we were more than happy that Jadyn, Savannah and Hailey decided to come back home."

Pitchers big part of freshman class
Last season all but 13 of the 325 innings were pitched by sophomores, so recruiting pitchers was an emphasis. Freshmen Zoey Hughes, Cerenity Fake, Ava Eib and Terry have all stepped up and are a solid pitching core. "I love our staff," Fuller said – who also doubles as the pitching coach. "They all bring a little different look of speed and spins and all showed great poise when they faced four-year schools in our offseason scrimmages."

The rest of the Red Devil freshmen include C Shaz Ancheta, infielder Gabi Silveria and outfielders Dani Ambriz, Lily Mattison, Rylee Brown and Emma Langsi. When not pitching, Fake, Terry and Hughes will join the infield group and Eib can play any outfield position.

"I like this group. Gabi and the freshman outfielders can all really run and steal bases for us," Fuller said. "Our outfield depth is impressive and has created positive competition daily."

Rest of the schedule
After trips to Yakima and Pasco in early March, LCC will begin South Region play at home on March 14 vs. Chemeketa. The Devils will then host Umpqua on March 15. This is the Riverhawks first season of NWAC softball. The season ends with the NWAC Championships May 15-18 at Portland's Delta Park.

Fuller is assisted by Dave Andrew (11^th year) and former LCC player Ada Williams (1^st year.)