Photo by: Molly McPherson
As Pac-12 Slate Begins, Ducks Embrace Postseason Mentality
03/10/23 | Softball, @GoDucksMoseley
From the start this season, Oregon has sought to play with the sense of urgency and selflessness that postseason play demands.
Four times in the last two years, the Oregon softball team won do-or-die postseason matchups to earn themselves at least one more game together.
The Ducks did it three times in 2021, at Texas, and once more in the spring of 2022 at Arkansas. They did it in nail-biters, getting Terra McGowan's walk-off single to beat the Longhorns two years ago, and in blowouts, like when Ariel Carlson homered and drove in four runs as the Ducks beat Wichita State last year, 8-1.
In each case, Oregon didn't care how a win was achieved. All that mattered was getting it done. That mentality, which worked so well in those instances the last two postseasons, is one the Ducks have tried to master from the outset of the 2023 season. The effort to play each game with a "postseason mentality" continues this week, when Oregon kicks off Pac-12 play at Washington on Friday (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
"This weekend is our first Super Regional of many to come," UO coach Melyssa Lombardi said. "What we've done up to this point to prepare for our first Super Regional, I like. And I'm excited to see this group get out there and compete."
In years past, Lombardi said, the Ducks worked over the course of the season to capture that postseason mentality. This spring, they tried to bring it from the very outset. The results so far? A 16-4 record, including 3-1 against ranked opponents.
Led by seniors Allee Bunker and Terra McGowan, "Version 5" of Oregon softball under Lombardi is playing with a sense of camaraderie and fun epitomized by the Ducks' jubilation when their third fifth-year senior, Katelyn Howard, got her first career hit last weekend, and followed it with her first homer. Those seniors are also bringing a sense of maturity to the team's approach, focusing on process over outcomes.
And the Ducks aren't letting mistakes compound — they haven't lost consecutive games this season. That kind of bounce-back ability is critical in a double-elimination postseason weekend. So far in the 2023 regular season, Oregon is demonstrating it already.
"When you get to postseason … you just get caught up in, all that matters is we win," Lombardi said. "We just find a way to win. You don't get caught up in your statistics and what you did that day. You don't get caught up in, you blooped a hit; you're pumped you blooped a hit because it allowed our team to win, where maybe earlier in the year you're mad you blooped a hit. You just get really caught up in your team and finding a way to win, and knowing you're going to win.
"To be able to have that mentality out of the gate, that was really important for us. I just think that's why we've been successful."
The Ducks have shown they can win tightly contested pitcher's duels, such as their 2-1 win over then-No. 19 Northwestern in Palm Springs, and they've shown they can blow the doors off offensively, with wins last week in Fullerton over Cal Poly, 17-1, and Loyola Marymount, 9-0. They've shown they can come from behind, as they did in a 6-4 defeat of then-24 Missouri, and that they can lead wire-to-wire, as in an 8-0 win over then-No. 3 Florida earlier that same day in Palm Springs.
"This was the hardest nonconference that I've ever been through," McGowan said. "Palm Springs is always a grind, and being able to take those three top-25 wins really helps us understand what we have and what we're capable of before we face all of our tough Pac-12 opponents."
McGowan has proven how much a mature approach can pay dividends. She enters Friday's Pac-12 opener having homered in three straight games — after having gone 0-for-11 in the three games before that. She didn't get too low during that stretch, and she isn't getting too high now.
"I think the biggest thing is, process over outcome," McGowan said. "I don't like using the word 'hit,' because I think if you piece a ball up and it just happens to get caught, it is what it is. As long as I'm making solid contact, there really isn't a change in my mindset."
Pitcher Stevie Hansen, who entered this week first in the nation with 11 wins, has demonstrated the same maturity. She gave up seven earned runs in her first two appearances of the season, trusted herself to adjust but not overcorrect, and has given up just six earned runs in 14 appearances since.
Again, McGowan said, success for Hansen comes in focusing on process over outcomes. Hit her spots, work ahead in counts, trust her defense.
That mentality doesn't mean you'll win every game. But it means you'll give yourself the best chance possible to win every time out. And it's worked well for the Ducks, leading up to the start of Pac-12 play this weekend.
"I can't believe we're here already," Lombardi said. "Every year it goes fast, but I feel like this year it's gone really fast. I think our team right now, they're in a really good place. They're prepared and ready to take on the Pac."
The Ducks did it three times in 2021, at Texas, and once more in the spring of 2022 at Arkansas. They did it in nail-biters, getting Terra McGowan's walk-off single to beat the Longhorns two years ago, and in blowouts, like when Ariel Carlson homered and drove in four runs as the Ducks beat Wichita State last year, 8-1.
In each case, Oregon didn't care how a win was achieved. All that mattered was getting it done. That mentality, which worked so well in those instances the last two postseasons, is one the Ducks have tried to master from the outset of the 2023 season. The effort to play each game with a "postseason mentality" continues this week, when Oregon kicks off Pac-12 play at Washington on Friday (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
"This weekend is our first Super Regional of many to come," UO coach Melyssa Lombardi said. "What we've done up to this point to prepare for our first Super Regional, I like. And I'm excited to see this group get out there and compete."
In years past, Lombardi said, the Ducks worked over the course of the season to capture that postseason mentality. This spring, they tried to bring it from the very outset. The results so far? A 16-4 record, including 3-1 against ranked opponents.
Led by seniors Allee Bunker and Terra McGowan, "Version 5" of Oregon softball under Lombardi is playing with a sense of camaraderie and fun epitomized by the Ducks' jubilation when their third fifth-year senior, Katelyn Howard, got her first career hit last weekend, and followed it with her first homer. Those seniors are also bringing a sense of maturity to the team's approach, focusing on process over outcomes.
And the Ducks aren't letting mistakes compound — they haven't lost consecutive games this season. That kind of bounce-back ability is critical in a double-elimination postseason weekend. So far in the 2023 regular season, Oregon is demonstrating it already.
"When you get to postseason … you just get caught up in, all that matters is we win," Lombardi said. "We just find a way to win. You don't get caught up in your statistics and what you did that day. You don't get caught up in, you blooped a hit; you're pumped you blooped a hit because it allowed our team to win, where maybe earlier in the year you're mad you blooped a hit. You just get really caught up in your team and finding a way to win, and knowing you're going to win.
"To be able to have that mentality out of the gate, that was really important for us. I just think that's why we've been successful."
The Ducks have shown they can win tightly contested pitcher's duels, such as their 2-1 win over then-No. 19 Northwestern in Palm Springs, and they've shown they can blow the doors off offensively, with wins last week in Fullerton over Cal Poly, 17-1, and Loyola Marymount, 9-0. They've shown they can come from behind, as they did in a 6-4 defeat of then-24 Missouri, and that they can lead wire-to-wire, as in an 8-0 win over then-No. 3 Florida earlier that same day in Palm Springs.
"This was the hardest nonconference that I've ever been through," McGowan said. "Palm Springs is always a grind, and being able to take those three top-25 wins really helps us understand what we have and what we're capable of before we face all of our tough Pac-12 opponents."
McGowan has proven how much a mature approach can pay dividends. She enters Friday's Pac-12 opener having homered in three straight games — after having gone 0-for-11 in the three games before that. She didn't get too low during that stretch, and she isn't getting too high now.
"I think the biggest thing is, process over outcome," McGowan said. "I don't like using the word 'hit,' because I think if you piece a ball up and it just happens to get caught, it is what it is. As long as I'm making solid contact, there really isn't a change in my mindset."
Pitcher Stevie Hansen, who entered this week first in the nation with 11 wins, has demonstrated the same maturity. She gave up seven earned runs in her first two appearances of the season, trusted herself to adjust but not overcorrect, and has given up just six earned runs in 14 appearances since.
Again, McGowan said, success for Hansen comes in focusing on process over outcomes. Hit her spots, work ahead in counts, trust her defense.
That mentality doesn't mean you'll win every game. But it means you'll give yourself the best chance possible to win every time out. And it's worked well for the Ducks, leading up to the start of Pac-12 play this weekend.
"I can't believe we're here already," Lombardi said. "Every year it goes fast, but I feel like this year it's gone really fast. I think our team right now, they're in a really good place. They're prepared and ready to take on the Pac."
Players Mentioned
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