Ducks Open Season in Mexico

THIS WEEK
Oregon will open year two of the Melyssa Lombardi era when it heads to Mexico for the Puerto Vallarta Collegiate Challenge, Feb. 6-9. The Ducks will play five games against five different opponents over a four-day stretch, beginning with the season opener against Utah Valley. Oregon is playing in Puerto Vallarta for the second time in three years, going 3-1 in 2018 the edition of the event. FloSoftball will live stream each game of the tournament online for those that purchase a subscription.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Thursday, Feb. 6 vs. Utah Valley – 6:30 p.m. PT; Live Stream $ | Live Stats
Friday, Feb. 7 vs. BYU – 4 p.m. PT; Live Stream $ | Live Stats
Friday, Feb. 7 vs. George Washington – 6:30 p.m. PT; Live Stream $ | Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 8 vs. Nevada – 10:30 a.m. PT; Live Stream $ | Live Stats
Sunday, Feb. 9 vs. Long Beach State – 7:30 a.m. PT; Live Stream $ | Live Stats

VERSION 2
After going through much of 2019 with a heavily depleted roster, Oregon goes into head coach Melyssa Lombardi's second season at the helm with a deeper, more experienced group. The Ducks bolstered their pitching staff, adding a pair of veteran transfer pitchers and a talented freshman. A pair of transfer infielders and a group of highly-touted freshmen position players will give the Ducks more depth up and down the lineup. Oregon also returns much of its young starting lineup from a year ago, including its top four hitters and its workhorse in the circle, Jordan Dail.

STARTING STRONG
Oregon has had a tradition of getting its season off to a fast start over the last few years, including a 6-0 start to the 2019 season. The Ducks have won at least six straight out of the gates four of the last five seasons and have won eight of their last nine season openers.

RELOADED AND READY
Coming off of a 2019 season in which Oregon had to work around a much-depleted roster, the Ducks will welcome in a number of new faces and return plenty of key contributors from last year's team. Below is a short breakdown of what the Ducks' roster will look like heading into 2020.

» Eight starters return, including the top four hitters and ace Jordan Dail
» Four returning players earned all-conference honors
» Three sophomores coming off of Pac-12 All-Freshman selections
» Four experienced transfers, including a pair of conference pitchers of the year and a conference freshman of the year
» Five talented true freshmen, highlighted by three players that were ranked in the top 35 of the FloSoftball rankings

DUCKS IN THE POLLS
Despite finishing last season 22-30, Oregon was ranked in the top 25 in three of the national polls in the preseason. The Ducks came in at No. 19 in the D1 Softball Poll, No. 24 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll and No. 25 in the Softball America Top 25. Oregon is also receiving the second-most votes among unranked teams in the USA Today/NFCA Poll. The Ducks are the only team coming off of a losing season to be ranked in any of the preseason polls.

SUPER SOPHOMORES
Oregon's seven returning sophomores from last year's team all played key roles as freshmen in 2019 and will now become key components of the 2020 squad. The Ducks had three players earn Pac-12 all-freshman honors a year ago, with Allee Bunker, Rachel Cid and Jasmine Sievers being honored by the conference. Additionally, Sievers was named first-team All-Pac-12 and all-defense, while Bunker earned third-team all-conference recognition. Two other freshmen were regular starters for the Ducks, as Hannah Galey started 39 games and Lexi Wagner got 43 starts. Oregon's two other returning sophomores – Annalisa Williamson and Katelyn Howard - also saw significant time in the lineup, with Williamson starting 19 games and Howard starting seven.

YOUNG, BUT EXPERIENCED
Oregon will bring a young, but very experienced group into the start of the season, with a roster that has combined for 653 career starts. Haley Cruse leads the way with 98 career starts over three seasons with Shaye Bowden in second at 69 starts in her two seasons at Oregon. The Ducks have five other players that have started 50 or more games, three of them transfers with the other two being freshmen that started every game for the Ducks in 2019.

FRESH FACES READY TO GO
Complimenting the core of returnees will be a group of nine newcomers and one redshirt, all who will see their first collegiate action in 2020. Oregon brings in a pair of highly experienced transfer pitchers in Samaria Diaz and Brooke Yanez, who both took home pitcher of the year honors in their respective conferences in 2019 (Diaz - WAC, Yanez - Big West). Additionally, the Ducks will add New Mexico State transfer and 2019 WAC Freshman of the Year Mya Felder and two-year letterwinner at Pacific, Maddie Hopper. Oregon also welcomes a talented group of five freshmen that includes three players that were ranked in the FloSoftball Top 100 out of high school and a pair of versatile position players. Terra McGowan also becomes eligible to play in 2020 after sitting out last season due to transfer rules.