Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Elish Still Unblemished As Sophomore
03/07/18 | Softball, @GoDucksMoseley
Entering the UO softball team's first homestand of 2018, this weekend in the Oregon Invitational, pitcher Miranda Elish is 20-0 in her collegiate career.
The date was May 27, 2016.
On that Friday afternoon, in the state of Indiana's Class 4A sectional title game, Munster High got an unearned run to beat top-ranked Crown Point, 1-0. And that game, nearly two full years ago, was the last time Oregon sophomore pitcher Miranda Elish was in the circle and took a loss.
It's been nothing but victories for Elish since. On Thursday, the Ducks begin play in the Oregon Invitational against Toledo, in Jane Sanders Stadium at 5:30 p.m. Entering the four-day, five team tournament, Elish is an unblemished 20-0 in her career, including 8-0 this season. (Update: Thursday's game was rained out. The Oregon Invitational thus commences with four games Friday, with the Ducks playing their 2018 home opener against Weber State at 5:30 p.m.)
"She's a competitor, and you can see it," UO coach Mike White said. "Off the field she has a lot of fun; she gets on the field, and she becomes a terror out there. She's really focused, and she wants the ball."
The loss to Munster was one of just two for Elish as a senior at Crown Point High. She went 15-2 that season, and also hit .505. Elish was named Gatorade Player of the Year for the third straight year in Indiana, and the No. 1 recruit in the country according to FloSoftball.com.
As a freshman with the Ducks, Elish went 12-0, with a 1.79 ERA that was fifth in the Pac-12. Then she opened this season with eight straight wins, including three last weekend to earn Pac-12 pitcher of the week honors.
If the winning streak is producing any sort of pressure, Elish isn't showing it.
"I really just have to take it game by game," she said. "I try not to think about how many wins or losses I have. I just try to play the best for my teammates and get a win."
That desire to come through for her teammates made an offseason injury even tougher for Elish to handle. In December, she was diagnosed with a torn leg muscle, sidelining Elish during the Ducks' foreign trip to New Zealand.
The injury threatened to jeopardize Elish's availability at the start of the season. But instead of being disabled, she's been dominant.
"For her to be where she's at right now, it's incredible, actually," White said. "It just shows how hard that kid works."
Though "really scary" initially, the injury hasn't been a bother in the circle this season, Elish said. If it flares up during an appearance, she gets medical treatment, and feels fine the next day.
What the injury has done is encourage Elish not to lean solely on her power in the circle. She still generates impressive velocity, White said, but Elish is more effective with her breaking pitches as a sophomore; she's working to develop her changeup as well.
"I think I'm more of a pitcher now," Elish said. "Last year, I just threw. I think the injury did help me, because I had to focus on different things, rather than just throw the ball hard."
However she's thrown it at Oregon, for Elish the result has been the same — victory.
On that Friday afternoon, in the state of Indiana's Class 4A sectional title game, Munster High got an unearned run to beat top-ranked Crown Point, 1-0. And that game, nearly two full years ago, was the last time Oregon sophomore pitcher Miranda Elish was in the circle and took a loss.
It's been nothing but victories for Elish since. On Thursday, the Ducks begin play in the Oregon Invitational against Toledo, in Jane Sanders Stadium at 5:30 p.m. Entering the four-day, five team tournament, Elish is an unblemished 20-0 in her career, including 8-0 this season. (Update: Thursday's game was rained out. The Oregon Invitational thus commences with four games Friday, with the Ducks playing their 2018 home opener against Weber State at 5:30 p.m.)
"She's a competitor, and you can see it," UO coach Mike White said. "Off the field she has a lot of fun; she gets on the field, and she becomes a terror out there. She's really focused, and she wants the ball."
The loss to Munster was one of just two for Elish as a senior at Crown Point High. She went 15-2 that season, and also hit .505. Elish was named Gatorade Player of the Year for the third straight year in Indiana, and the No. 1 recruit in the country according to FloSoftball.com.
As a freshman with the Ducks, Elish went 12-0, with a 1.79 ERA that was fifth in the Pac-12. Then she opened this season with eight straight wins, including three last weekend to earn Pac-12 pitcher of the week honors.
If the winning streak is producing any sort of pressure, Elish isn't showing it.
"I really just have to take it game by game," she said. "I try not to think about how many wins or losses I have. I just try to play the best for my teammates and get a win."
That desire to come through for her teammates made an offseason injury even tougher for Elish to handle. In December, she was diagnosed with a torn leg muscle, sidelining Elish during the Ducks' foreign trip to New Zealand.
The injury threatened to jeopardize Elish's availability at the start of the season. But instead of being disabled, she's been dominant.
"For her to be where she's at right now, it's incredible, actually," White said. "It just shows how hard that kid works."
Though "really scary" initially, the injury hasn't been a bother in the circle this season, Elish said. If it flares up during an appearance, she gets medical treatment, and feels fine the next day.
What the injury has done is encourage Elish not to lean solely on her power in the circle. She still generates impressive velocity, White said, but Elish is more effective with her breaking pitches as a sophomore; she's working to develop her changeup as well.
"I think I'm more of a pitcher now," Elish said. "Last year, I just threw. I think the injury did help me, because I had to focus on different things, rather than just throw the ball hard."
However she's thrown it at Oregon, for Elish the result has been the same — victory.
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