By Mario Ponce
EUGENE, Ore. - The No. 20 Oregon Ducks softball team (22-13, 9-5 Pac-12) will travel this week to Arizona for two matchups. Tomorrow they will face the Grand Canyon Antelopes (33-8) in a single game in Phoenix. Over the weekend, they will face the Arizona Wildcats (22-12-1, 7-8 Pac-12) for three Pac-12 games. This will be a tough test for the Ducks at a critical point in their season.
Oregon Ducks:
The Ducks come into this series shrouded in question marks. Last week they beat the No. 9 Washington Huskies in a series for the first time in many years, but their regular season play has been inconsistent. So far, Oregon’s conference record is 9-5 and the team has found most success when playing at home, getting ten wins at the Jane. This year the main struggle for the Ducks has been in runs allowed, as there is a significant difference between the games that they've won and the games that they've lost. This year Oregon has lost all but one of their games in which they've allowed more than four runs, with the sole exception being their 9-8 win against Washington last Saturday. The Duck’s last matchup with the Wildcats was last year. They traveled to Eugene where Oregon defended its diamond, sweeping Arizona. The top offensive performer for Oregon so far is junior outfielder Kai Luschar, with a .433 average and 52 hits across 120 at-bats. The best performer on the mound is freshman Taylour Spencer, who has a 2.53 ERA and a 7-3 record this season.
Grand Canyon Antelopes:
The Antelopes have played really well this season. They lead the Western Athletic Conference with a 12-2 record, being the only team there with more than 10 conference wins. They also stand out in the conference as the only team with overall losses in the single digits. GCU comes into this game on an eight-game winning streak after it swept its last three series against the California Baptist Lancers, Utah Tech Trailblazers and UT Arlington Mavericks. In March they faced two Pac-12 opponents, losing to the Arizona State Sun Devils 8-2 in Tempe and beating the Oregon State Beavers 7-3 at home. The best Antelope at the batter’s box this season is graduate outfielder Ashley Trierweiler, who has a batting average of .456 and 62 hits in 136 at-bats. The top pitcher is junior Meghan Golden, with a 1.77 ERA and a 9-2 record.
Arizona Wildcats:
The Wildcats come into the game in the midst of a difficult season. They have a good overall record, but they've struggled in Pac-12 play, having a 7-8 record in the conference. They lost three series in a row against ranked teams, against the No. 7 Huskies, No. 19 California Golden Bears and No. 7 Stanford Cardinal. Their last series was a win against the Utah Utes. Arizona came back against Utah after losing the first contest in Salt Lake City. The Wildcats have a record of 18-5 in Tucson and look to use that home field advantage against the Ducks. The conference is deep this year and Arizona looks to gain more momentum against Oregon before hosting in-state rivals Arizona State next week. Their best offensive performer this year is freshman utility player Regan Shockey, with a .415 average and 54 hits on 130 at-bats. Their best pitcher so far is sophomore Aissa Silva, with a 2.79 ERA and a 14-4 record.
Prediction:
This is a key week for the Ducks as they look to solidify their AP-ranked status. The Antelopes have a lot of momentum and they've played well against Pac-12 competition, and Oregon will need their A-game to have a chance against them. The Wildcats don't have that much momentum but play at home, and the Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium has been a fortress all season. I think the Ducks will go 2-2 over the four games. I predict they will lose their game against the Grand Canyon Antelopes and will win their series against the Arizona Wildcats two to one.