Thursday, April 18
Eugene, OR
5:00 PM
University of Oregon
vs
California
Photo by: Samuel Marshall
Ducks Open Eight-Game Homestand With Three Against Cal
04/16/19 | Softball
EUGENE, Ore. - The Oregon softball team will open an eight-game homestand at Jane Sanders Stadium this weekend with a three-game series against California, beginning Thursday at 5 p.m. Game two is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, with the series finale set for 12 p.m. on Saturday.
Oregon (17-21, 2-10 Pac-12) is coming off a 1-2 weekend in Los Angeles, where the Ducks handed then-No. 1 UCLA its first Pac-12 and home loss of the season, 4-3 on Friday.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Pac-12 Network will have the broadcast for all three games this week against Cal, with Anne Marie Anderson (pxp) and Amanda Freed (analyst) on the call. Matt Tyra and KWVA Radio will also have the radio call for all three games on 88.1 FM and kwva.uoregon.edu/listen-live. Live stats will be available at Oregon.Statbroadcast.com.
ABOUT CALIFORNIA
Cal is coming off a 1-2 weekend at home against Oregon State, salvaging a 4-1 win in the series finale for its second Pac-12 win. Lindsay Rood leads the offense with a .430 batting average, good for second in the Pac-12, and she is first in the conference with 27 stolen bases in 27 attempts. The Bears lean on pitchers Kamalani Dung (11-7, 2.15 ERA) and Zoe Conley (6-13, 3.84 ERA) in the circle, where they rank fifth in the league in ERA (2.81), and their defense has committed the most errors in the Pac-12 this season with 58.
DUCKS HAND NO. 1 UCLA FIRST PAC-12 LOSS
Oregon made waves around the NCAA softball world on Friday, opening its three-game series at UCLA with a 4-3 win over the then-No. 1 Bruins. The Ducks gave UCLA its first Pac-12 and home loss of the season, snapping the Bruins' 19-game winning streak in the process. SO LHP Jordan Dail was terrific in the circle, striking out 12 Bruins while allowing just three runs in a complete-game effort. The Ducks' offense got going in the sixth when FR IF Jasmine Sievers (below) put them on the board with a two-out RBI double. SR C/1B April Utecht followed with a huge two-run homer to give Oregon the lead, and FR IF Rachel Cid crushed a solo homer in the seventh for a crucial insurance run.
HOME SWEET HOME - FINALLY
The Ducks are finally back in Eugene for a lengthy homestand after spending most of the season so far on the road. Oregon has played 32 of its first 38 games on the road, and it would have been 34 of the first 40 if not for two cancellations at the Judi Garman Classic. Oregon is looking for its first home win of the season this weekend against the Golden Bears.
DUCKS GRINDING THROUGH LOADED SCHEDULE
The Ducks are No. 1 in the NCAA in strength of schedule entering this weekend's series vs. Cal. Oregon has played 18 games against teams ranked in the NFCA top 25, headlined by a win over No. 8 LSU on Feb. 15 and Friday's 4-3 win at No. 1 UCLA. Oregon played 11 games against ranked teams during its 12-game slide from Feb. 28 to March 25.
DAIL ESTABLISHING WORKHORSE REPUTATION
SO LHP Jordan Dail has been an absolute workhorse so far in 2019 for the Ducks after transferring to Oregon from Virginia Tech. Dail (14-10, 3.76 ERA) leads the Pac-12 and is top-10 nationally with 167.2 innings pitched, 35.1 more than any other pitcher in the Pac-12, and she is second in the conference and 15th in the NCAA with a career-high 180 strikeouts. The Forest, Va., native has thrown 15 complete games and three shutouts, including two seven-inning no-hitters, and she leads the Pac-12 in games started (26) and appearances (31). Dail ranks fifth in the conference with 14 wins.
RED-HOT BUNKER PROVING TO BE A TOUGH OUT
FR IF Allee Bunker (below) has been scorching hot at the plate recently, hitting safely in nine of Oregon's last 10 games while batting .484 (15-for-31) with a .500 on-base percentage during that span. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native hit .500 (5-for-10) last weekend at No. 1 UCLA, and she leads the team this season with 11 multi-hit games while ranking third with a .331 batting average. Bunker has been an extremely tough out all season, striking out just eight times through her first 118 at-bats.
SIEVERS SHINES IN L.A. SPOTLIGHT
FR IF Jasmine Sievers was terrific on both sides of the ball last weekend at No. 1 UCLA, batting .500 with three doubles and three RBIs while also making multiple highlight reel plays at shortstop. Sievers started Oregon's comeback on Friday with a two-out RBI double in the sixth, and she went 4-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs against reigning national player of the year Rachel Garcia on Saturday. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native was stellar on defense on Sunday, including a tremendous diving catch in foul territory. Sievers has become an anchor in Oregon's lineup at the No. 3 spot, leading the team with a .344 batting average and 14 extra-base hits.
UTECHT COMES THROUGH AGAIN IN THE CLUTCH
SR C/1B April Utecht has given the Ducks a big power threat in the middle of their lineup, and she has shown a knack for coming through in the clutch. Utecht blasted a huge two-run homer with two outs on Friday at No. 1 UCLA, giving Oregon a lead it would not relinquish. Of Utecht's eight home runs this season, four have been go-ahead blasts against, in order, No. 8 LSU, No. 3 Florida, No. 7 Washington and No. 1 UCLA. Utecht is currently tied for the team home run lead with FR IF Rachel Cid.
CRUSE SETTING THE TABLE IN LEADOFF SPOT
HC Melyssa Lombardi moved JR OF Haley Cruse back to the leadoff spot prior to the Stanford series (March 29-31), and the junior has been terrific since. In the 10 games since moving back to the top of the order, Cruse is batting .438 with a .486 on-base percentage. On the season, Cruse is second on the team in hitting (.339) while tying for third in the Pac-12 in walks (25) and ranking 11th in OBP (.463). Cruse has also been dynamic on the base paths, ranking sixth in the conference with a career-high 11 stolen bases.
BOWDEN SHOWCASING SUPER UTILITY ABILITY
SO UT Shaye Bowden has been a true super utlilty player this season for the Ducks, playing five different positions already. Bowden has carried most of the load at catcher, where she has played 28 games and leads the Pac-12 with 13 runners caught stealing. The sophomore has also played four games at second base, three at first base and four in right field, and she crossed third base off the list on April 7 against Missouri when she played the final two innings there after FR IF Rachel Cid helped the pitching staff out with 1.1 innings in the circle. Bowden has also been one of Oregon's best bats, hitting .295 with three homers and 23 RBIs.
YOUNG DUCKS FLASHING THE LEATHER
Oregon's defense, which has often been comprised of mostly underclassmen, has been very solid so far this season. The Ducks are third in the Pac-12 and 28th nationally in fielding percentage (.971), committing the second-fewest errors in the conference (27). Oregon also leads the conference in runners caught stealing (15), led by SO UT Shaye Bowden's Pac-12-best 13 from behind the plate.
FRESHMEN SHOULDERING HEAVY LOAD
The Ducks have relied heavily on freshmen early on in 2019 . IF Allee Bunker, and IF Rachel Cid have both started all 38 games for Oregon, IF Jasmine Sievers has started 34 straight games at shortstop and FR OF Lexi Wagner and FR UT Hannah Galey have made 30 and 28 starts, respectively. FR C Annalisa Williamson has also started 14 games, and FR IF Katelyn Howard has made five starts.
UP NEXT
Oregon will host Portland State on Tuesday for a doubleheader before welcoming Oregon State to The Jane for a three-game weekend series.
Oregon (17-21, 2-10 Pac-12) is coming off a 1-2 weekend in Los Angeles, where the Ducks handed then-No. 1 UCLA its first Pac-12 and home loss of the season, 4-3 on Friday.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Pac-12 Network will have the broadcast for all three games this week against Cal, with Anne Marie Anderson (pxp) and Amanda Freed (analyst) on the call. Matt Tyra and KWVA Radio will also have the radio call for all three games on 88.1 FM and kwva.uoregon.edu/listen-live. Live stats will be available at Oregon.Statbroadcast.com.
ABOUT CALIFORNIA
Cal is coming off a 1-2 weekend at home against Oregon State, salvaging a 4-1 win in the series finale for its second Pac-12 win. Lindsay Rood leads the offense with a .430 batting average, good for second in the Pac-12, and she is first in the conference with 27 stolen bases in 27 attempts. The Bears lean on pitchers Kamalani Dung (11-7, 2.15 ERA) and Zoe Conley (6-13, 3.84 ERA) in the circle, where they rank fifth in the league in ERA (2.81), and their defense has committed the most errors in the Pac-12 this season with 58.
DUCKS HAND NO. 1 UCLA FIRST PAC-12 LOSS
Oregon made waves around the NCAA softball world on Friday, opening its three-game series at UCLA with a 4-3 win over the then-No. 1 Bruins. The Ducks gave UCLA its first Pac-12 and home loss of the season, snapping the Bruins' 19-game winning streak in the process. SO LHP Jordan Dail was terrific in the circle, striking out 12 Bruins while allowing just three runs in a complete-game effort. The Ducks' offense got going in the sixth when FR IF Jasmine Sievers (below) put them on the board with a two-out RBI double. SR C/1B April Utecht followed with a huge two-run homer to give Oregon the lead, and FR IF Rachel Cid crushed a solo homer in the seventh for a crucial insurance run.
HOME SWEET HOME - FINALLY
The Ducks are finally back in Eugene for a lengthy homestand after spending most of the season so far on the road. Oregon has played 32 of its first 38 games on the road, and it would have been 34 of the first 40 if not for two cancellations at the Judi Garman Classic. Oregon is looking for its first home win of the season this weekend against the Golden Bears.
DUCKS GRINDING THROUGH LOADED SCHEDULE
The Ducks are No. 1 in the NCAA in strength of schedule entering this weekend's series vs. Cal. Oregon has played 18 games against teams ranked in the NFCA top 25, headlined by a win over No. 8 LSU on Feb. 15 and Friday's 4-3 win at No. 1 UCLA. Oregon played 11 games against ranked teams during its 12-game slide from Feb. 28 to March 25.
DAIL ESTABLISHING WORKHORSE REPUTATION
SO LHP Jordan Dail has been an absolute workhorse so far in 2019 for the Ducks after transferring to Oregon from Virginia Tech. Dail (14-10, 3.76 ERA) leads the Pac-12 and is top-10 nationally with 167.2 innings pitched, 35.1 more than any other pitcher in the Pac-12, and she is second in the conference and 15th in the NCAA with a career-high 180 strikeouts. The Forest, Va., native has thrown 15 complete games and three shutouts, including two seven-inning no-hitters, and she leads the Pac-12 in games started (26) and appearances (31). Dail ranks fifth in the conference with 14 wins.
RED-HOT BUNKER PROVING TO BE A TOUGH OUT
FR IF Allee Bunker (below) has been scorching hot at the plate recently, hitting safely in nine of Oregon's last 10 games while batting .484 (15-for-31) with a .500 on-base percentage during that span. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native hit .500 (5-for-10) last weekend at No. 1 UCLA, and she leads the team this season with 11 multi-hit games while ranking third with a .331 batting average. Bunker has been an extremely tough out all season, striking out just eight times through her first 118 at-bats.
SIEVERS SHINES IN L.A. SPOTLIGHT
FR IF Jasmine Sievers was terrific on both sides of the ball last weekend at No. 1 UCLA, batting .500 with three doubles and three RBIs while also making multiple highlight reel plays at shortstop. Sievers started Oregon's comeback on Friday with a two-out RBI double in the sixth, and she went 4-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs against reigning national player of the year Rachel Garcia on Saturday. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native was stellar on defense on Sunday, including a tremendous diving catch in foul territory. Sievers has become an anchor in Oregon's lineup at the No. 3 spot, leading the team with a .344 batting average and 14 extra-base hits.
UTECHT COMES THROUGH AGAIN IN THE CLUTCH
SR C/1B April Utecht has given the Ducks a big power threat in the middle of their lineup, and she has shown a knack for coming through in the clutch. Utecht blasted a huge two-run homer with two outs on Friday at No. 1 UCLA, giving Oregon a lead it would not relinquish. Of Utecht's eight home runs this season, four have been go-ahead blasts against, in order, No. 8 LSU, No. 3 Florida, No. 7 Washington and No. 1 UCLA. Utecht is currently tied for the team home run lead with FR IF Rachel Cid.
CRUSE SETTING THE TABLE IN LEADOFF SPOT
HC Melyssa Lombardi moved JR OF Haley Cruse back to the leadoff spot prior to the Stanford series (March 29-31), and the junior has been terrific since. In the 10 games since moving back to the top of the order, Cruse is batting .438 with a .486 on-base percentage. On the season, Cruse is second on the team in hitting (.339) while tying for third in the Pac-12 in walks (25) and ranking 11th in OBP (.463). Cruse has also been dynamic on the base paths, ranking sixth in the conference with a career-high 11 stolen bases.
BOWDEN SHOWCASING SUPER UTILITY ABILITY
SO UT Shaye Bowden has been a true super utlilty player this season for the Ducks, playing five different positions already. Bowden has carried most of the load at catcher, where she has played 28 games and leads the Pac-12 with 13 runners caught stealing. The sophomore has also played four games at second base, three at first base and four in right field, and she crossed third base off the list on April 7 against Missouri when she played the final two innings there after FR IF Rachel Cid helped the pitching staff out with 1.1 innings in the circle. Bowden has also been one of Oregon's best bats, hitting .295 with three homers and 23 RBIs.
YOUNG DUCKS FLASHING THE LEATHER
Oregon's defense, which has often been comprised of mostly underclassmen, has been very solid so far this season. The Ducks are third in the Pac-12 and 28th nationally in fielding percentage (.971), committing the second-fewest errors in the conference (27). Oregon also leads the conference in runners caught stealing (15), led by SO UT Shaye Bowden's Pac-12-best 13 from behind the plate.
FRESHMEN SHOULDERING HEAVY LOAD
The Ducks have relied heavily on freshmen early on in 2019 . IF Allee Bunker, and IF Rachel Cid have both started all 38 games for Oregon, IF Jasmine Sievers has started 34 straight games at shortstop and FR OF Lexi Wagner and FR UT Hannah Galey have made 30 and 28 starts, respectively. FR C Annalisa Williamson has also started 14 games, and FR IF Katelyn Howard has made five starts.
UP NEXT
Oregon will host Portland State on Tuesday for a doubleheader before welcoming Oregon State to The Jane for a three-game weekend series.
