Final Nonconference Tune-Up On Deck

Oregon Notes - Sacramento State, Oregon State

After a perfect home-opening weekend in which it outscored opponents 33-4, No. 5 Oregon continues its long homestand with a pair of games against Sacramento State and one against Oregon State, Saturday and Sunday at Jane Sanders Stadium. This weekend will be the Ducks' final three nonconference tests before opening up Pac-12 play the following weekend. Oregon leads the all-time series with the Hornets, 16-15, though the two teams have only played each other once since 2005. The Beavers hold a slim 95-93-1 edge in the rivalry between Oregon and Oregon State.
 
GAME INFO
Live Stream: Oregon Live Stream-2
Radio: KWVA 88.1 FM
Play-by-Play: Jordan Brenner | Analyst: Bill Braker
 

 
DID YOU KNOW?
Brooke Yanez is one of just two pitchers in the country with at least 65 strikeouts in 40 or fewer innings pitched this season.
 
GOOD TO BE HOME
For the first time in nearly a year, Oregon took the field for a game at Jane Sanders Stadium and went 4-0 in games against Portland State and Boise State over the weekend. The Ducks relied on strong pitching to sweep a doubleheader from the two teams on Saturday, before breaking out the bats for a pair of run-rule victories over the Broncos and Vikings on Sunday. Oregon hit .364 as a team with seven homers while the pitching staff recorded 38 strikeouts and a 1.12 ERA over 25 innings.
 
DUCKS HAVE DEPTH
Oregon has displayed tremendous balance both in the circle and up-and-down the lineup. All five of the Ducks' pitchers have gotten a win this year while each has started at least one game. Additionally, 10 players have hit a homer while seven who have started at least five games are hitting over .300.
 
HONORS ROLL IN
So far this season Oregon has had numerous players rake in weekly recognition from the conference. True freshman shortstop Alyssa Brito earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors after hitting .571 with a pair of clutch homers at Fresno State on Feb. 20 and 21. Last week, Brooke Yanez earned Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors after striking out 10 in a complete-game win over UCLA before fanning six to earn the save vs. Utah. Hanna Delgado made it three straight weeks that an Oregon player has won a weekly award, earning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors after leading the team with eight RBIs and a .500 batting average from March 1-7. Prior to the season, Haley Cruse and Yanez were both named to the preseason USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year watch list, while Brito was selected as D1Softball's preseason Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
 
SO MANY OPTIONS
Oregon head coach Melyssa Lombardi again has numerous options at her disposal when it comes to the starting lineup. The Ducks have used a different starting combination both on the field and in the batting order in 10 of the first 14 games this year. No Oregon player has started each game in the same spot in the lineup, while Allee Bunker, Rachel Cid, and Alyssa Brito are the only ones to have started at the same position defensively in each of the 14. In 24 games last year, the Ducks used 22 different combinations in their batting order, going with a different batting lineup each of the last 19 games of the season.
 
FIVE-DEEP
So far this season, Oregon has shown that it can go to all five of its pitchers in any situation. Each of the Ducks' five pitchers have started a game in the circle this year while all five have picked up at least one win. Additionally each pitcher on the staff has been a part of at least one shutout while all five have appeared in at least three games this season. The Ducks are one of two Pac-12 teams to have five different pitchers earn a win while all five have a WHIP below 1.00. The staff has also combined for four saves - two more than the rest of the Pac-12 combined.
 
NO FREE PASSES
Oregon's pitching staff has been among the best in the country in strikeout-to-walk ratio over the first three weeks of the season. The Ducks currently rank fifth nationally with a 5.80 strikeout-to-walk ratio, recording 116 total strikeouts to just 20 walks this year. Additionally, Oregon pitching has surrendered two or fewer walks in all but one game this year while all five pitchers are allowing fewer than two walks per seven innings.
 
RALLY WITH TWO
Oregon has done a lot of its damage offensively with two outs over the first 14 games of the year. The Ducks have scored 48 of their 97 runs on the season with two outs in innings. In seven of the 14 games, Oregon has scored at least half of its runs with two gone in an inning, while scoring at least one two-out run in 13 of the 14 games.
 
EXTRA BASES FOR DAYS
Oregon's offense has been among the best nationally at coming up with extra-base hits, ranking in the top 25 nationally in both doubles and home runs per game. The Ducks are ninth nationally averaging 2.14 doubles per game and 23rd hitting 1.43 long balls per contest and have recorded a double in all 14 games this season, with multiple extra-base hits in 13 of the 14. Additionally, the Ducks are the only team in the conference with multiple players in the top 5 of the Pac-12 in total doubles (Haley Cruse, Rachel Cid) and are one of just six teams nationally in the top 25 in both doubles and homers per game.
 
POWER SURGE
Over the last 10 games, Oregon has hit 19 home runs after having just one through the first four games of the year. The Ducks have gone yard in nine of the last 10 games, hitting multiple homers in six of those games highlighted by four each against Utah and Boise State. The home run hitting has been spread out pretty evenly with 10 different players homering while five players have multiple long-balls, led by Alyssa Brito's five.