WELCOME TO LINFIELD UNIVERSITY
Casey Powell
COMMUNICATIONS
Kelly Bird, Conner Jensen, Joe Stuart
STATISTICS
Gavin Dalziel
PUBLIC
Steve Oleson
VIDEO WEBCASTS
Joe Stuart, Joel Nelson, Ethan Kline, Eric Albios
GAME PROGRAM
Kelly Bird, Conner Jensen, Felipe Unker
WILDCAT SPOTLIGHT
true team player
Though the game of softball relies heavily on individual skills, Cydney Hess willingly embraces any role she’s given
by amelia solt ’27
There’s a saying: Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.
But what about when someone has the talent and works hard?
That someone is Cydney Hess.
The junior shortstop has a drive and passion that is hard to come by and it helps lead to the significant success that the Linfield softball program continues to enjoy year in and year out.
“One of the first conversations I had with Coach (Jackson) Vaughan my freshman year was that I wanted to do anything I could to help the team win,” says Hess. “Even though softball can be such an individual sport, I wanted to be a team player and take whatever role I was given and put 110% of my effort toward it.”
Hess has done just that, even switching from playing third base her freshman year to playing shortstop the last two seasons. A position change like that is no small feat but while it has challenged her game, it has also made her a better player.
“Shortstop is different. When a ball is hit to you, you have more time to think about it, but you also have much more ground to cover,” says the West Linn, Oregon, resident. “I would definitely say shortstop has challenged my game in that sense.”
Hess has seen a lot of success as both a shortstop and one of the top hitters in the Northwest Conference. Her talents on the field are crucial to the team’s consistently dominant performances.
Perhaps less obvious to those not on the team and maybe more crucial than her softball skills are the qualities of her leadership, kindness and pure dedication to her teammates.
“On the field, Cydney gives 100% every time and pushes everyone around her to be better,” says junior teammate and friend Sydney Ries. “Off the field, she’s just as amazing –always supportive, uplifting and someone you can count on no matter what. Her kindness makes her someone that everyone enjoys being around.”
The amount of hard work Hess puts into developing her skills on the softball field is the same amount of hard work she puts into being a great teammate and leading her team.
Throughout all of her personal
success, she remains humble – crediting much of the spotlight back on her team and coaches.
“Every single teammate and coach have to be 100% bought into a team atmosphere like ours,” says Hess. “At the end of the day, I feel so incredibly lucky to be a part of this program. Everything we do has made me a harder worker and a better person.”
The hard work Hess puts in isn’t confined to just the softball field, either.
The junior is a double major in accounting and sport management. On top of practices, games, team lifting sessions or daily individual workouts, Hess has been enrolled in up to 20 course credits most of her semesters at Linfield.
This isn’t easy in any regard. It takes a level of commitment and dedication that most people cannot begin to appreciate. But Hess has made it work with no complaints.
“One thing that has helped me a ton is making a to-do list of all my tasks I need to complete in a week,” she says. “This way, I have everything written down so that I know I won’t miss any of my assignments.”
All this work is helping steer Hess toward a future career as a financial advisor for a professional sports team. She’s already off to a great start, with an eight-week internship lined up this summer with the prestigious accounting firm Delap in Lake Oswego.
Hess credits much of her success and hard work to her parents, Jason and Charity, who have sacrificed so much to attend all her games and support her no matter what.
“My junior year of high school, my dad was diagnosed with cancer,” says Hess, looking back. “The strength and perseverance he showed through this time was so inspiring. He was in constant pain and still found a way to be at every single one of my games. He truly is my greatest inspiration.”
way from the diamond and outside the classroom, Hess serves as a manager for the Linfield football team. Through this, she’s been able to enjoy many fun experiences.
“Traveling with the team to Wisconsin and Spokane was such a blast, as our hotel times were always so much fun,” said Ries, who is also a football manager. “From goofing around after a long day to just hanging out, making the most of every moment. Those were some of my favorite times with her.”
With success on the softball field, in the classroom and as a football team manager, Cydney Hess leads a wellrounded life. That prosperity is sure to continue following her graduation in the spring of 2026.
AROUND THE NATION
A single loss last week to a top-10 team drops Linfield two spots to No. 4 in the most recent Top-25 Coaches Poll
Reigning national champion East Texas Baptist continued as the unanimous No. 1 team in the NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll for a seventh week dating back to last season.
The Tigers (22-2) have won six straight games and 13 of their last 14. They swept the Texas-Dallas, which is transitioning to Division II, 2-0 and 6-1, on Saturday in their only action.
Christopher Newport and unbeaten Rowan each won four contests to move up into the next two spots, benefitting from a loss by Linfield (16-2), which dropped the Wildcats from the No. 2 spot to the fourth position.
Christopher Newport (23-1) swept Bridgewater and Meredith, while new No. 3 Rowan (24-0) defeated Eastern and Kean twice. Linfield took two games from Cal Lutheran and La Verne, but split with then-No. 6 Redlands, which lost four of its seven games this past week to fall four spots to 10th.
Virginia Wesleyan (21-1) swept three doubleheaders to remain solidly in fifth, while Texas Lutheran (25-1), Trine (16-4), Salisbury (21-2) and Huntingdon (22-3) all moved up to fill out the remainder of the top 10.
After No. 11 UW-Oshkosh (16-2), Belhaven (20-6) and Williams (10-4) swapped spots at No. 12 and 13, places 14-24 stayed the same.
22 annika dayberry
Saint Mary’s (15-3), which had been idle since March 7, didn’t skip a beat in its return to action, scoring a lopsided conferenceopening sweep of St. Catherine to move from receiving votes into the No. 25 position, knocking Ramapo out of the rankings.
The NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll is selected by 10 NCAA Division III head coaches representing the 10 NCAA regions. Current 2025 records are listed at right, with first-place votes in parentheses.
AROUND THE NATION
17 kaili saathoff
DEL SMITH STADIUM
Del Smith Stadium has steadily evolved into a jewel among college softball facilities in the Pacific Northwest. Named in honor of trustee emeritus and longtime Linfield College athletics supporter Del Smith, the facility slowly took shape over a 30-year period.
In 1990, the softball field became a permanent, softball-only facility. Prior to the 1990 season, the softball field was also used as the Wildcats’ soccer field in the fall. At that time, the field underwent a facelift as the playing surface was moved back 25 feet from the street to allow for portable bleachers, a temporary outfield fence was installed and a single batting cage was erected.
In 1995, a substantial upgrade was undertaken which added two covered team dugouts and a home-team dressing room. In addition, a six-foot cyclone fence was installed around the field’s perimeter.
The move toward permanent seating began in 1997 when an elevated platform was constructed. Stadium lighting was added in 2001. By 2008, an all-aluminum 400-seat grandstand replaced three sets of portable bleachers, doubling seating capacity.
An enclosed pressbox replaced a makeshift plywood shelter that provided protection from the weather for statisticians and game officials. During the same period of
time, an enhanced scoreboard with capability to display each score by inning, replaced the aging model in right field.
The facility took another major step forward in 2010 with the completion of two covered and partially enclosed batting cages beyond the outfield wall.
More improvements followed in the fall of 2020. The perimeter of the field was completely encircled with mesh branding, honoring Linfield’s graduated All-Americans as well as the Wildcats’ many conference, regional and national championships. New branded padding was added to the backstop and new netting system was installed.
OUTLAST OUTLIVE
We’re tough where it counts. From dominating wild trails to maneuvering rushing streams, roaming vast canyons and tackling remote peaks, our trucks prove their rugged capability over and over.
HEAD COACH JACKSON VAUGHAN
Jackson Vaughan has transformed the Linfield softball program into an annual national-championship contender during 23 seasons as coach. Vaughan has amassed a career record of 849-199-2, including a 52388 mark in the Northwest Conference. Over the past two decades, he has led Linfield to unprecedented success, a span that includes the 2007 and 2011 NCAA Division III national championships, 10 regional titles and 16 conference crowns. Twice, in 2007 and 2011, he was honored as the Division III Coach of the Year by the NFCA and has been named NWC Coach of the Year 12 of the last 16 seasons. He was selected as the top coach in the West Region in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011.
In 2004, Vaughan engineered an upset of No. 1-ranked East Texas Baptist in the
regional playoffs. In 2011, he guided the Wildcats to their second national championship and third NCAA title appearance in five seasons.
Prior to becoming head coach, he served four seasons as a Wildcats assistant softball coach. He has served as a defensive coordinator and assistant football coach for the past 25 years, helping the Wildcats amass a 198-34 record since 2000. Linfield qualified for the Division III playoffs 15 of the last 21 seasons and captured the 2004 national championship with a 13-0 record.
A native of Hereford, Oregon, Vaughan received a bachelor’s degree from Linfield in accounting in 1997, graduating with honors.
He and his wife, Shelly, live in McMinnville where they are raising their three school-age daughters, Hallie, Reese and Finley.
TIANI WAYTON| 1
5-4 | Senior | OF
5-6 |
|
ashley sutton |16
5-8 | Senior | C Monroe, Oregon
dayberry | 22
5-10 | Sophomore | OF Redmond, Washington
Lexiss Antle| 28
5-7
MEET THE WILDCATS
Sydney ries | 3 5-9 | Senior | OF Moses
cydney hess | 11 5-10 | Junior | 3B West Linn, Oregon
kaili saathoff| 17 6-0 | Senior | 1B Philomath, Oregon
sophie pappas | 30
5-5 | Freshman | 2B/SS Portland, Oregon
emily foytack | 12
5-8 | Freshman | C Longview, Washington
lauren beach | 18
5-8 | Freshman | OF/3B Lake Oswego, Oregon
KEIRA SULLIVAN | 24
5-9 | Freshman | 1B
MeAra Sain| 33 5-6 | Sophomore | OF/2B Eugene, Oregon
mckenna| 19 5-4 | Freshman | C/1B Beaverton, Oregon
| 35 5-6 |
justice | 7 5-4 | Freshman | SS/2B McMinnville, Oregon
| 20 5-7 | Junior | 3B/C
Kailua, Hawaii
Lake, Washington
peyton
brynn nelson|9
Senior
2B Bonney Lake, Washington
Natalie brinda | 13 5-8 | Junior | SS Portland, Oregon
sierra
annika
jacey leyvas | 8 5-6 | Senior | 1B Redlands, California
sophia vandersommen|15 5-6 | Senior | OF Tigard, Oregon
ally downing | 21 5-5 | Freshman | OF Gresham, Oregon
ashlyn aven
Yelm, Washington
Tyler mcneley | 26 5-10 | Sophomore | P Lakeview, Oregon
lacey vasas | 23 5-4 | Freshman | P/UT Salem, Oregon
KYla Cross | 4 5-4 | Sophomore | OF Bonney Lake, Washington
claire seats | 5 5-7 | Senior | OF Seattle, Washington
Martinez, California
tyler warden | 25 5-10 | Grad Student | P Monroe, Oregon
Hadley Dunham |14 5-6| Sophomore | OF Walla Walla, Washington
| Sophomore | 2B/UT Gaston, Oregon
nayeli hart | 44 5-5 | Freshman | P Jefferson, Oregon
breanna bartek
Freshman | OF San Jose, California
Kaia Young | 27 5-5 | Freshman | C/OF Portland, Oregon
LINFIELD WILDCATS
HEAD COACH: Jackson Vaughan (24th year)
ASSISTANT COACHES: Jamie Vasas, Amanda Knopf, Jordan Bennett, Emily Allen
STUDENT MANAGERS: Brady Crenshaw, Jackson Pfeifer
PUGET SOUND LOGGERS
LINFIELD VERSUS PUGET SOUND
series BREAKDOWN
THE RECORDS
26 tyler mcneley
After a six-game road trip to Southern California, Linfield enters the heart of its conference schedule with a home series against Puget Sound (7-11, 1-7 NWC). The Wildcats went 5-1 over the spring break with a win over nationally ranked Redlands and looks to carry the momentum through the remainder of the season. Linfield is in a two-way tie for first place in the NWC with Lewis & Clark also having yet to register a conference loss. The Loggers are still trying to find their footing and sits in a tie for last place with Whitworth.
LINFIELD AT A GLANCE
The Wildcats (16-2, 6-0 NWC) feature five players among the top seven leaders in Northwest Conference batting average with Meara Sain, Brynn Nelson, Claire Seats, Ashlyn Aven and Jacey Leyvas all batting .473 or better. After registering four home runs last week, Seats leads the NWC with eight and ranks second in hits (33) and runs (27). On the mound, pitching ace Tyler McNeley continues the dominant start to her career, leading the conference in strikeouts with 65 as a sophomore. She holds a 10-1 record and boasts a 3.19 ERA.
PUGET SOUND AT A GLANCE
The Loggers’ offense is led by Alyssa Figueroa, who leads the team with a .426 batting average and 23 hits. Aislind Dail registers 22 hits and 16 runs while Mikayla Johnson has racked up 21 RBI on the season. Dail also leads the team in on-base percentage at .507. Nyomi Estrada leads the way on the mound with 66 innings pitched and a 5.30 ERA. The sophomore holds a 2-7 record and has 64 strikeouts on the season, good for second in the conference.
SERIES HISTORY
Linfield holds an astounding 86-18 all-time series record versus Puget Sound, including 38-9 mark when playing at home. The last time Puget Sound defeated Linfield in McMinnville was during the 2005 season by a score of 4-1. Overall, Linfield has defeated UPS in 63 of the last 64 head-to-head contests.
LINFIELD SPORTS NETWORK
can’t attend the game? catch the action on the lsn
The Linfield Sports Network continues to bring fans live action of all home Linfield softball games in 2025. Fans can enjoy live and on-demand video webcasts and playby-play commentary on their computer, tablet, mobile device or Smart TV.
Live coverage begins 15 minutes prior to the start of each contest. Broadcasts include a complete postgame wrap-up with analysis and statistical breakdown.
LSN broadcasts are under the direction of the Athletics Broadcast Operations Coordinator Joe Stuart.
In his third year in the position, Stuart oversees all technical production and management of LSN broadcasts as well as providing play-by-play commentary on football, basketball, baseball and softball webcasts in addition to overseeing streaming efforts for volleyball, tennis and soccer.
All LSN broadcasts, both live and on demand, can be accessed by way of golinfieldwildcats.com/watch or through the Linfield Athletics app on mobile, tablet or smart TVs.
A Heritage of Confident Service
Macy & Son is in the business of helping people and meeting the individual needs of McMinnville area families for five generations.
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
softball STANDINGS
Zoe Smithson (PLU) .578 64 28 37 33
Maris Pinheiro (Willamette) .525 40 17 21 5
Meara Sain (Linfield) .510 51 22 26 15
Brynn Nelson (Linfield) .500 66 14 33 25
Claire Seats (Linfield) .493 67 27 33 29
Ashlyn Aven (Linfield) .475 59 14 28 18
Jacey Leyvas (Linfield) .473 55 10 26 20
Sharon Tomei (G. Fox) .460 63 17 29 19
Desirae Hatfield (Willamette) 457 46 12 21 14
Makena Dahir (L&C) .453 53 14 24 17
Sam Gildersleeve (L&C) .443 61 26 27 19
Emma Elliott (Willamette) .440 50 14 22 11
Alyssa Figueroa
Abigail
RECENT HONORS
Claire Seats earns NWC Player of the Week honors after leading Linfield to five wins in California
The Northwest Conference announced Linfield’s Claire Seats as the Softball Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week in a release Monday afternoon.
A senior from Seattle, Washington, Seats leads the conference in home runs with eight after launching four in the past week during Linfield’s road trip in Southern California. In six games last week, she went 13 for 26 at the plate while scoring eight times and driving in eight runs. After the red-hot week, Seats now boasts a .493 batting average, ranking fifth in the NWC and third in slugging percentage (.955).
The Bellevue High School product is majoring in management and is the daughter of Brian and Annette Seats.
STUDENT-NURSES 50-50 RAFFLE
The Linfield Student-Nurses Association is hosting a 50-50 raffle during Saturday’s doubleheader
Fans are invited to participate in Saturday’s 50-50 raffle, coordinatated by the Linfield Student-Nurses Association.
The LSNA is a proud member of the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA).
All funds raised on this weekend will go toward providing professional development opportunities for Linfield studentnurses, purchasing educational resources, staging networking events, as well as organizing community outreach initiatives.
1975 Ed Willig 2-4
1976 Nick Santangelo
1977 Dave Cargni 1978 Dave Cargni
SEASON-BY-SEASON
Laura Kenow 15-14 7-7 3rd 8-4
Laura Kenow 24-20 9-7 3rd 8-4
Laura Kenow 18-13 10-6 3rd 1996 Laura Kenow 21-12 16-4 2nd 1997 Laura Kenow 23-18 14-6 2nd 1998 Laura Kenow 20-22-1 14-9-1 3rd NCAA
1999 Laura Kenow 20-17 17-7 3rd
2000 Laura Kenow 24-10 14-7 4th
2001 Laura Kenow 24-17 14-7 2nd
2002 Jackson Vaughan 21-17 13-8 3rd
2003 Jackson Vaughan 27-11 21-5 2nd
Jackson Vaughan 45-7 26-2 1st 1st
Jackson Vaughan 38-6 25-3 1st
Jackson Vaughan 39-6 26-2 1st
Jackson Vaughan 32-10 21-7 2nd
Jackson Vaughan 39-10 24-4 1st tie 2019 Jackson Vaughan 39-8-1 25-3 1st 2020 Jackson Vaughan 12-2 4-0 DNF 2021 Jackson Vaughan 38-9 22-6 2nd 2022 Jackson Vaughan 38-9 25-3 1st 2023 Jackson Vaughan 46-6 27-1 1st 7th 2024 Jackson Vaughan 50-4 28-0 1st 3rd
PROUD PARTNER OF LINFIELD ATHLETICS
LINFIELD ALL-AMERICANS
NAME YEAR HONOR
Katie Harding 1997 NAIA Second Team
Shelly Steinke 2006 NFCA Third Team
Jenny Marshall 2007 NFCA First Team
Stephanie Rice 2007 NFCA Third Team
Jenny Marshall 2008 NFCA First Team
Stephanie Rice 2008 NFCA First Team
Brittany Miller 2008 NFCA Second Team
Brittany Miller 2009 NFCA First Team
Staci Doucette 2009 NFCA First Team
Alex Hartmann 2009 NFCA Third Team
Emily Keagbine 2009 NFCA Third Team
Staci Doucette 2010 NFCA First Team
Karleigh Prestianni 2010 NFCA First Team
Alex Hartmann 2010 NFCA Third Team
Emily Keagbine 2010 NFCA Third Team
NAME YEAR HONOR
Staci Doucette 2011 NFCA First Team
Emilee Lepp 2011 NFCA First Team
Emily Keagbine 2011 NFCA First Team
Kayla Hubrich 2011 NFCA First Team
Karleigh Prestianni 2011 NFCA Second Team
Claire Velaski 2011 NFCA Third Team
Emilee Lepp 2012 NFCA First Team
Karleigh Prestianni 2012 NFCA First Team
Staci Doucette 2012 NFCA First Team
Karina Paavola 2012 NFCA Third Team
Karleigh Prestianni 2013 NFCA First Team
Lisa Yamamoto 2013 NFCA First Team
Erin Carson 2013 NFCA Second Team
Ashley Garcia 2014 NFCA First Team
Karina Paavola 2014 NFCA Third Team
NAME YEAR HONOR
Melanie Oord 2016 NFCA Second Team
Cheyenne Fletcher 2017 NFCA Second Team
Melanie Oord 2018 NFCA Third Team
Makenna Clizer 2019 NFCA Third Team
Katie Phillip 2022 NFCA First Team
Tayah Kelley 2022 NFCA Second Team
Katie Phillips 2023 NFCA First Team
Tayah Kelley 2023 NFCA First Team
Claire Seats 2023 NFCA Second Team
Kaili Saathoff 2023 NFCA Second Team
Tayah Kelley 2024 NFCA First Team
Brynn Nelson 2024 NFCA First Team
Claire Seats 2024 NFCA First Team
Kaili Saathoff 2024 NFCA Second Team
Tyler McNeley 2024 NFCA Third Team
THE TOPCAT CLUB
The Linfield University TopCat Club serves as a support organization to the 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports teams and the more than 500 students who participate in athletics each year. Each year, support from the TopCat Club is essential to maintaining and expanding each of these programs.
The mission of the TopCat Club is to provide students with an outstanding athletic and academic experience and to strengthen the overall competitiveness of the overall Linfield athletics program.
At Linfield, we continually strive to improve programs and facilities so that our teams may compete at the highest level. Roughly 75 percent of the athletic department’s annual operating budget comes from the university’s general fund. The remainder is generated through a wide variety of external sources, including annual gifts to the Linfield TopCat Club.
To learn more about giving opportunities, please visit the TopCat Club website at www.linfieldtopcat.com
