By Charles Martindale Following a disappointing trip to Southern California last weekend, the 20-12 Oregon Ducks softball team has their work cut out for them this weekend. Sitting at number 22 in the NCAA’s top 25, the Ducks have put together a solid season while trying to navigate a loaded Pac-12 conference. Starting Friday, they’ll face the Pac’s 2nd place team, the No. 9 Washington Huskies. Washington made the trip to Eugene once already in 2024, when they went undefeated in the Jane Sanders Classic in February, essentially using the games as a tune up. The Huskies hold the top spot in the Pac-12 in AVG. and OPS., while ranking second in home runs and third in steals. Only No. 8 Stanford has a lower team ERA or higher strikeout total than the Washington staff. They’re rolling into town with a well rounded squad with experience competing against the top teams in the nation. On the other side of the diamond, Oregon has a similarly experienced roster who has earned every bit of their top 25 ranking. While the ceiling for the Ducks has been the top 15 in recent years, the 2024 edition of the team is still searching for a signature, resume building win. Washington’s pitching, led by Ruby Meylan’s 1.89 ERA, is a bad omen for Oregon. In nine of their 12 losses so far in 2024, the team has put up three or fewer runs. In their last two losses to No. 12 UCLA, three runs was too little to hold off the Bruins. After Meylan, senior Lindsay Lopez just passed the 50 IP mark, and holds a 47-4 K/BB ratio. Offensively, there are five players in the Huskies lineup who have started all 30 of their games, and all five are hitting better than .320. This series might be defined by how well the small ball Ducks, the Pac-12 leader in steals, can bounce back from big innings that feel inevitable. One positive for Oregon is how solid their pitching has been. Even against a challenging lineup like Washington’s, the trio of Morgan Scott (76 IP/ 2.67 ERA) Taylour Spencer (49.2 IP/2.4ERA) and Stevie Hansen (45 IP/3.11 ERA) is good enough to keep one or more of the three games in this series close. While the Oregon lineup may lack some of the depth of a lineup like Washington’s, the top of the order has a blend of power and speed that could play big, especially at home. Kai Luschar is hitting nearly .430 with 18 steals, and a big series from Ariel Carlson could mean double digit homers on the year, along with 40 RBI. While long stretches of the season have felt like something of a mixed bag for Oregon, an optimistic perspective could see this series, or the early May encounter with Stanford, as chances for the Ducks to catch fire. The upcoming three games with Washington check all the boxes, from conference play to ranked opponents to a rivalry, if there’s a time for this iteration of Oregon softball to raise their ceiling, it’s now. Game One: Friday 4/5 7:00 PM Game Two: Saturday 4/6 5:00 PM Game Three: Sunday 4/7 12:00 PM