Ducks Sign Standout Lefty Brooke Yanez
06/24/19 | Softball
EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon softball head coach Melyssa Lombardi bolstered the Ducks' pitching staff in a big way on Monday with the addition of left hander Brooke Yanez, the 2019 Big West pitcher of the year.
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Yanez, who shined at UC Davis the last two seasons, will join the Ducks this fall as a junior and will be immediately eligible to compete for Oregon in 2020.
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"Brooke is a huge addition for our pitching staff and our program," said Lombardi. "She is an intense competitor who knows how to win, and she has a fearless approach on the mound. She creates a ton of spin on her ball, which allows for sharp break and constantly keeps hitters guessing. Brooke is a tremendous young woman who Duck fans will love watching over the next two seasons."
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A Ventura, Calif., native, Yanez was stellar as a sophomore en route to being named the top pitcher in the Big West and an NFCA all-region first team selection. Yanez posted a 25-7 record and ranked fourth in the nation with a 1.03 ERA, and she was seventh nationally with 273 strikeouts across 203.2 innings pitched. The southpaw held opposing hitters to just a .179 batting average and surrendered only five home runs and 67 walks.
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Yanez burst onto the collegiate scene as a freshman in 2018, going 15-11 with a 1.75 ERA and 190 strikeouts in 187.2 innings while earning Big West freshman pitcher of the year honors. In her career, the lefty owns a 40-18 record and a 1.38 ERA with 463 strikeouts in 391.1 innings pitched. A right-handed hitter, she also showed an ability to handle the bat at UC Davis, blasting five home runs with 13 RBIs in 70 at-bats last season.
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A 2017 Buena High School graduate, Yanez went a perfect 19-0 with a 0.58 ERA and 214 strikeouts as a senior and hit .397 with 11 home runs while earning league MVP honors. Yanez was a four-time first-team all-league selection and was also the CIF Division IV player of the year in her final season, during which she threw a perfect game with 18 strikeouts.
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Yanez will bolster an Oregon pitching staff that includes rising junior Jordan Dail, who threw a whopping 248.0 innings while carrying the load for the Ducks in 2019, as well as highly-touted freshman Makenna Kliethermes, the Missouri Gatorade player of the year out of Blair Oaks High School.
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Yanez, who shined at UC Davis the last two seasons, will join the Ducks this fall as a junior and will be immediately eligible to compete for Oregon in 2020.
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"Brooke is a huge addition for our pitching staff and our program," said Lombardi. "She is an intense competitor who knows how to win, and she has a fearless approach on the mound. She creates a ton of spin on her ball, which allows for sharp break and constantly keeps hitters guessing. Brooke is a tremendous young woman who Duck fans will love watching over the next two seasons."
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A Ventura, Calif., native, Yanez was stellar as a sophomore en route to being named the top pitcher in the Big West and an NFCA all-region first team selection. Yanez posted a 25-7 record and ranked fourth in the nation with a 1.03 ERA, and she was seventh nationally with 273 strikeouts across 203.2 innings pitched. The southpaw held opposing hitters to just a .179 batting average and surrendered only five home runs and 67 walks.
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Yanez burst onto the collegiate scene as a freshman in 2018, going 15-11 with a 1.75 ERA and 190 strikeouts in 187.2 innings while earning Big West freshman pitcher of the year honors. In her career, the lefty owns a 40-18 record and a 1.38 ERA with 463 strikeouts in 391.1 innings pitched. A right-handed hitter, she also showed an ability to handle the bat at UC Davis, blasting five home runs with 13 RBIs in 70 at-bats last season.
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A 2017 Buena High School graduate, Yanez went a perfect 19-0 with a 0.58 ERA and 214 strikeouts as a senior and hit .397 with 11 home runs while earning league MVP honors. Yanez was a four-time first-team all-league selection and was also the CIF Division IV player of the year in her final season, during which she threw a perfect game with 18 strikeouts.
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Yanez will bolster an Oregon pitching staff that includes rising junior Jordan Dail, who threw a whopping 248.0 innings while carrying the load for the Ducks in 2019, as well as highly-touted freshman Makenna Kliethermes, the Missouri Gatorade player of the year out of Blair Oaks High School.
Players Mentioned
LHP
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