Ducks Keep Eye On Pac-12 Prize

With the No. 1 RPI in the country and just three games standing between Oregon and the right to host postseason play, the Ducks are feeling quite comfortable about their positioning on the national scene.

Suffer a hiccup this weekend at Cal, and the UO softball team almost certainly still will be in line to host NCAA Regionals.

But a Pac-12 Conference title? That might not survive such a hiccup. And thus, the Ducks still see plenty to play for when they open their three-game series at Cal on Thursday (3 p.m., Pac-12 Network).

"First and foremost, it's the championship," UO coach Mike White said. "We want to play for something."

It was just a year ago that Oregon learned the sting of coming up short in the conference race. Having won four straight from 2013-16, the Ducks lost out on a share of the 2017 title due to a rainout that wasn't made up. Arizona finished as champs, by half a game over Oregon.

This week, the Ducks (44-7, 18-3 Pac-12) enter the final regular-season series tied atop the conference standings with UCLA. And Oregon doesn't intend to come up a hair short of a title for the second year in a row.

"It kind of fuels most of our motivation right now," senior shortstop DJ Sanders said.

The urgency of the Pac-12 title race has the added bonus of keeping Oregon acutely focused during the sprint to the regular-season finish line. In the past, the Ducks have had a conference title wrapped up before the final weekend, and White had to wrestle with how to approach regular-season games that were ultimately inconsequential.

There's no such wrestling match this weekend. Pac-12 ERA leader Megan Kleist will be in the circle, Sanders and the rest of the senior-laden infield will lead the offense, and the No. 2 Ducks will look to sweep No. 24 Cal while keeping an eye on results between No. 1 UCLA and No. 6 Arizona State in Los Angeles.

"It keeps us in a championship mind," White said. "We're here to win championships and position ourselves for the postseason."

If White makes any long-term concession this weekend, it could look a lot like his managing of the pitching staff did in Sunday's Senior Day victory over Utah. Kleist started and went five innings, and though she was pitching well, White then turned to sophomore Maggie Balint for the first time in three weeks.

Balint was greeted with a standing ovation, by a Jane Sanders Stadium crowd that hadn't watched her pitch at home in more than a month. She then threw two scoreless innings, pitching around three hits.

Just as encouraging was Balint's bump in velocity – she was throwing around 66 to 67 mph, approaching her freshman year form for the first time this season.

"I was super-excited to be out there, and for the fans to be so supportive," Balint said.

After the game, she sobbed in the arms of strength coach Marc Dillon. Balint said he was instrumental in helping her get back on a strength-and-conditioning program, in the wake of a back injury that contributed to weight loss which in turn affected her strength levels.

"I'm finally running and lifting again in the last month," Balint said. "Doing as much work as I can in a small period of time to be back out there."

White said Balint is back on track, healthy and making progress. The only question is whether she can now progress enough to be a factor in the postseason, potentially in the relief role in which she made nearly half her 31 appearances as a freshman.

"I definitely want to try to get her out there (this week at Cal)," White said, "to see whether she's continued to build on what she's doing."