WELCOME TO LINFIELD UNIVERSITY
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
SEASON OUTLOOK
championship aspirations
The Wildcats have high expectations for 2025 and hope to repeat the success of their deep tournament run a year ago
by conner jensen
Linfield concluded the 2024 season with a 50-4 overall record, including a perfect 28-0 mark in Northwest Conference play and 40-0 record in the regular season, the first undefeated regular-season record in NCAA Division III softball history. Despite the dominant run, the Wildcats fell short of their ultimate goal, finishing third at the NCAA Championships.
Head coach Jackson Vaughan, now in his 24th season, acknowledges the challenge of replicating last year’s success but remains confident in the team’s ability to make another deep postseason run.
“Our goal is to compete for a national title every year,” Vaughan said. “We know it’ll be tough and we’ve got to replace some great kids. We’re just trying to get as good as we can and kind of see how much we can keep getting better.”
VETERAN OFFENSE LEADS THE CHARGE
Linfield returns nearly its entire offensive lineup, including several key contributors who posted impressive numbers last season.
Senior first baseman Kaili Saathoff leads the group after hitting .479 in 2024 with 71 runs, 79 hits, and 43 RBIs. She will once again be a focal point in the lineup, providing both consistency and leadership on and off the diamond. Fellow senior Brynn Nelson and third baseman Jacey Leyvas round out a power-heavy batting order that looks to dominate offensively.
Another key returner is outfielder Claire Seats, who batted .382 with 14 home runs last season. Shortstop Cydney Hess and senior catcher Ashley Sutton provide additional firepower, with Sutton expected to take on a larger role offensively after recovering from a shoulder injury that hampered her last season.
“Expectations are high, but that’s mainly set by them.” Vaughan said. “They’re a group that has high expectations of themselves and kids who have high expectations in everything they do on the field, off the field and in the classroom.”
FILLING THE VOID IN THE CIRCLE
One of Linfield’s biggest offseason challenges is replacing the production of Tayah Kelley, a three-time All-American who posted a 32-4 record and 1.51 ERA last year.
Stepping into the lead role is sophomore Tyler McNeley, who was named National Freshman of the Year in 2024 by the NFCA after going 18-0 with a 1.37 ERA. McNeley will be tasked with anchoring a rotation that includes Tyler Warden and Ashlyn Aven.
“McNeley is certainly our No. 1 this year, we’re just trying to work out a few details with her,” Vaughan said. “There’s some growing you’ve got to do when you evolve into that top role.”
Adding depth to the rotation is freshman Lacey Vasas, who has impressed in offseason scrimmages.
DEFENSIVE STABILITY AND OUTFIELD DEPTH
Linfield returns an experienced infield anchored by Saathoff at first base, Nelson at second, Hess at shortstop, and Leyvas at third. Vaughan believes this unit will be tested more often this season due to a shift in the team’s pitching approach.
“Certainly, the understanding level of what we want and how to play certain situations is really high,” Vaughan said. “I think we’re going to be more challenged on defense by the nature of the pitching style we have, so we’re going to get more opportunities defensively.”
In the outfield, Linfield returns All-American center fielder Seats, while left fielder Meara Sain returns after missing part of last season due to injury. Seniors Sophia vander Sommen and Tiani Wayton are expected to contribute significantly, while sophomore Kyla Cross and sophomore Hadley Dunham provide additional depth.
17 kaili saathoff
9 brynn nelson
AROUND THE NATION
After going 5-1 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, Linfield slips one spot to No. 3 in the first regular-season Top 25 poll
Defending national champion East Texas Baptist suffered its first loss of the season, but remains the unanimous No. 1 team in the first NFCA/GoRout Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll of the regular season.
The (13-1) Tigers lost 6-5 on Friday to new No. 2 Case Western Reserve (5-1) at the NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., but cruised through all five of their other games at the elite event to maintain their top spot. Case Western (5-1), which also won five games at the tournament — four against top10 teams in the preseason poll — dropped only a one-run contest to Trine, 2-1 on Saturday, to surge five places from its No. 7 spot in the preseason poll last month.
Linfield (5-1), last year’s Leadoff Classic champion, was bumped down one place to No. 3 this week, and unranked Wisconsin-Eau Claire (6-2) also registered five victories at the three-day event. They combined to outscore opponents 115-57 across their 12 games.
But the biggest movers in the poll were 2025 Leadoff titlist Redlands (11-2) and Huntingdon (12-2), who rocketed 12 and 14 places up the chart, respectively. The Bulldogs scored 66 runs and were a perfect 6-0 at the event to go from 22nd to 10th, while Huntingdon was 4-2 in Georgia, collecting two top-25 wins over
Trine and St. John Fisher and losing only to top-ranked East Texas Baptist and champion Redlands.
Belhaven (6-5) dropped out of the top 10 following a 2-4 run at the Leadoff. The Blazers won their first game against UChicago, but then lost four of their final five games there, including three losses coming against top-25 squads.
Despite slow starts, hopes remain high for perennial powers Tufts (1-5) and Rochester (1-3), so voters kept them in the poll for now, but did drop them heavily, to 20th and 24th. The Jumbos lost to four top-10 teams at the Leadoff, while Rochester lost twice to No. 13 Salisbury (3-1) and once to highly-regarded Swarthmore (2-2).
AROUND THE NATION
20 ashlynn aven
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
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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 Lake, Washington
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
sierra 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
peyton
brynn nelson|9
Senior
2B Bonney Lake, Washington
Natalie brinda | 13 5-8 | Junior | SS Portland, Oregon
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
WHITWORTH PIRATES
LINFIELD VERSUS WHITWORTH
series BREAKDOWN
THE RECORDS
After a busy weekend in Georgia at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, Linfield (5-1) already has notched wins over two top-10 teams in Trine and Tufts and a close loss to seventh ranked Case Western. Entering the week, Linfield is ranked No. 2 in the NFCA poll and kicks off Northwest Conference play this weekend against the Whitworth Pirates (0-2) who began their season in Caldwell, Idaho, losing two games to the College of Idaho and canceling two additional games against Eastern Oregon due to rain.
LINFIELD AT A GLANCE
The Wildcats are up to business as usual to get the season started, already standing atop the NWC rankings in offense with 61 runs on the season. Cydney Hess and Claire Seats rank second and third in home runs with four and three respectively while Meara Sain tops the conference in hits at 11. Hess also leads the league in RBI, plating 12 runs on the young season. On the mound, Tyler McNeley already holds a dominant lead in strikeouts, standing alone at the top of the NWC with 31 and a 3.67 ERA against some of the top competition in the country. Lacey Vasas has also spent some time in the circle for the Wildcats last weekend, earning a win over Tufts where she pitched five innings and allowed just two runs.
WHITWORTH AT A GLANCE
The Pirates have had a bumpy start to their season, only being able to play two games as weather canceled their series against Eastern Oregon. Makena Hofford leads the way at the plate, with two hits on four at-bats while Kelly Hruza has converted both of her appearances at the plate into base hits. Momi Lyman has taken the bulk of the workload on the mound, pitching 6.2 innings and allowing two hits and two runs for a 1.05 ERA. Reiss McIntyre pitched three innings for the Pirates in their season debut and six hits in 15 at-bats.
SERIES HISTORY
Linfield has dominated Whitworth in the all-time series 90-17 and currently stands on the positive side of a 17-game win streak. Whitworth’s last win came during the 2021 season in Spokane. The Pirates’ last win over the Wildcats in McMinnville was in 2019 by way of a 5-4 battle.
16 ashley sutton
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
A. Figueroa (UPS)
E. Elliott (Willamette)
(Linfield)
(Willamette)
Tomei (George
Seats (Linfield)
Jurischk (Lewis & Clark)
N. Ledendeck (George Fox)
B. Farrimond (George Fox) 3.50
L. Vasas (Linfield)
McNeley (Linfield)
Hillier (Willamette)
A. Sutton, Ashley (Linfield) 40
J. Ingram (Pacific) 17
Collar (Willamette)
Waldo (Puget Sound)
Sandifer (George Fox)
Riggins (George Fox)
Wilson (George Fox)
Hofheins (Whitworth)
RECENT HONORS
Tyler McNeley is NWC Pitcher of the Week while Cydney Hess is named NWC Hitter of the Week
The Northwest Conference announced Monday that Linfield pitcher Tyler McNeley and shortstop Cydney Hess were named the Softball Student-Athletes of the Week.
McNeley opened her second season pitching in four of Linfield’s first six games at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Georgia, against some of the top teams in the country. Over 21 innings pitched, the Lakeview High School product faced 94 batters and struck out 31 of them while notching a 3-1 record to start the year. She is majoring in exercise science and appears poised to propel Linfield to another historic season.
Hess led Linfield’s offense to five wins at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. In the season opener against 10th-ranked Trine, the junior shortstop blasted three home runs and collected six RBIs as the Wildcats defeated the Thunder 14-7. Throughout the weekend, Hess totaled nine hits, 12 RBIs and four home runs as Linfield put together an impressive performance in the season-opening tournament. On top of hitting home runs for the Wildcats, she is majoring in accounting at Linfield and serves as a football team manager during the fall season.
Utti Insurance Agcy Inc
tyler mcneley
CYDNEY HESS
Fans are invited to remain in the grandstands today between games 1 and 2 for a presentation of commemorative rings to members of the record-setting 2024 Linfield Wildcats softball team.
Above all, the rings salute Linfield’s 40-0 regular-season record. The Wildcats became just the second program at all levels of college softball to complete the regular season with an unblemished record.
The rings recognize the Wildcats’ Northwest Conference regular-season championship and NWC Tournament title, NCAA Regional Championship and Super Regional crown, and third-place finish at the NCAA Finals.
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
Joanne English 20-15 7-1 1st 14-4
Joanne English 14-16 6-11 3rd 16-11
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
