By: Ian Sutliff
Eugene, OR-- On Friday, the Oregon Ducks will head to Seattle to face the Washington Huskies for a three-game set before facing the University of Seattle on Monday. It will be a good test for both squads after playing some really solid softball to start the season (the two teams have combined for a 34-7 record so far). Washington was ranked 11th in the latest polls but are not as battle tested as the Ducks who faced a gauntlet of top-25 schools in the Mary Nutter classic. It will be an entertaining weekend to say the least for two of the elite squads in college softball.
Oregon:
After a so-so opening weekend in Puerto Vallarta, it was fair to wonder if the Ducks, who were a fringe top-25 team at the time, would be ready for a tough rest of the season schedule. Since that 3-2 start to the season, Oregon has gone 13-2 and has knocked off elite squads like Florida, Missouri, Northwestern, as well as dominant showings in the Campbell/Cartier and Judy Garman classics.
Offense: The offense is led by veterans Allee Bunker and Terra McGowan who bring power and good bat-to-ball skills to the top of a deep Oregon lineup. Bunker leads the team in average with a .373 mark as well as an impressive 23 RBI’s and four home runs as one of four Ducks players to start all 20 games. She also has struckout just five times in 67 at-bats. McGowan has been on a roll lately. After a rough seven-game start that saw the redshirt senior go 4-19 with no home runs and just one RBI, she has been a completely different hitter in her last thirteen games. Over those thirteen games, she has gone 17-45 (.378) with seven home runs and 20 RBI. One stat to know about McGowan’s impact: in all four of Oregon’s losses this season, McGowan has failed to record a hit. One player that should not be forgotten about is KK Humphreys. Humphreys is hitting a solid .298 and has added four home runs as well. She is the X-factor for this lineup in the five hole as her nine walks to seven strikeouts has helped pass the baton and kept innings alive. She also leads the team in stolen bases (7) and is yet to be caught.
Pitching: Let’s not forget about probably the most impactful player on this Oregon team and one of the most valuable players in the entire country. Stevie Hansen is dominating once again for the Ducks and has gone 11-2 with a 1.49 ERA. In 61 innings, she has allowed just 48 baserunners (37 hits, 11 walks, 0.79 WHIP) and has fanned 63. Raegan Breedlove and Morgan Scott have also been pretty solid for an Oregon team that lacked pitching last season. Breedlove owns a .255 batting average against and her 2.92 ERA has helped make this pitching staff teeter on the brink of elite. Scott on the other hand has a 2.44 ERA and has thrown the only other complete game for the Ducks, which happened to be a shutout.
Washington:
The Huskies are easily one of the best fielding and pitching teams in the country, which could make all the difference in a close series. At 18-3, two of Washington’s losses came to Kentucky and Oklahoma in a one-run game. While the Huskies haven’t played the toughest schedule, it has done what it has needed and much more.
Offense: If it seemed like Oregon was a veteran-laden squad, Washington is even more so. Baylee Klingler and Sami Reynolds are two fifth-years who are not only the best hitters on this team but in the entire country as well. Klingler is one of the toughest outs in the entire country and will give this Ducks pitching staff constant headaches. She leads the team in batting average at .425 with 31 hits and a .726 slugging percentage in 21 games this season. Klingler has also struck out just once in 73 at-bats while walking eight times. Reynolds, who is another fifth-year, is batting .400 with four home runs and 17 RBIs and has also walked more than she has struck out (11 walks, 10 strikeouts). Kinsey Fiedler and Madison Huskey are the best two hitters outside of Klingler and Reynolds with Fiedler at four home runs and 17 RBIs, as well as a .345/.486/.638 slash line. Huskey is one of the most dangerous hitters and with a strong supporting cast, has been able to see some good pitches that she likely wouldn’t, hitting in a less talented lineup. Her seven home runs and 23 RBIs lead this Washington team and her .710 slugging percentage sits only behind Klingler. Kelley Lynch is also one of the best two-way players and is batting .375 in 32 at-bats while seeing regular time on the mound.
Pitching: Hansen is one of the best in the country at what she does, but for all the attention around her, there are actually two better pitchers on this Washington squad. Ruby Meylan has absolutely dominated this season. She has thrown 62 innings over 14 appearances with eight of those being starts. Here’s what it gets absurd: in eight of those starts, she has thrown seven complete games (6 have been shutouts) and has struck out 88, while walking just 14. What’s even more mind-blowing is that she has allowed just 31 hits and four earned runs to go along with her 9-0 record. Lynch is the other half of this two-headed monster that is the Husky pitching staff as she has gone 4-1 with a 1.11 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in 31.2 innings. She also has added three shutouts in six starts this season and has a 48:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio, all while giving up just three extra-base hits and allowing just a .164 batting average. Lindsay Lopez has had an up-and-down season and Brooke Nelson hasn’t seen a lot of time, but they probably won’t be a big factor in this series.
Seattle:
The Redhawks are one of the most underrated teams in the country at 15-5 and have some signature wins over Minnesota and Iowa State. While they went just 3-2 in the Judy Garman classic, they have hung in there against programs like Michigan, Rutgers, and Loyola Marymount. Jocelynn De La Cruz is the star player for this Seattle team, sporting a .459 batting average with six home runs and an incredible 27 RBI’s. Her 1.317 OPS is unheard of and she has walked double the amount she has struck out. Madison Kahwaty is the second best overall hitter in this lineup at .350 with three home runs. She has also added five doubles and owns a .583 slugging percentage as well as a 1.036 OPS. Sydney Frankenberger and Ava Sin are also two elite hitters for the Redhawks. As far as pitching goes, Seattle has a star in Stefanie Madrigal who is 8-3 this season with a 1.44 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. She’s thrown six complete games (3 shutouts) and has also added two saves. With just 33 strikeouts in 63.1 innings, Madrigal isn’t a strikeout pitcher, but does a good job forcing weak contact and limiting baserunners. Grace Luderer and Izzy Dino split time as the second starter for Seattle and the two have combined for 53 innings on the mound this season. Dino has a 1.83 ERA, but Luderer has seven more innings of experience. Luderer is the bigger strikeout pitcher with 20 in 30 innings, but she has struggled with control this season (25 walks, 2 HBP, 3 WP) and that has opened the door for more pitching time for Dino (12 IP in Judi Garman Classic).
Prediction:
With Washington featuring some of the best pitching the Ducks have and will see this season, it’ll be a low-scoring affair this weekend. Oregon will lose the opener, but take the next two against the Huskies, as well as Monday’s game at Seattle to complete a 3-1 road series.