No. 22 Softball Heads To Houston For Season-Opener
COMING UP
Opening the 2006 Season
The University of Oregon softball team kicks off head coach Kathy Arendsen’s fourth season at the Wilson-Demarini Invitational in Houston, Texas this weekend. The Ducks open the season vs. 19th-ranked Florida, marking just the second time in school history that Oregon will play the Gators. Oregon will also face host Houston, Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Kansas.
A PREVIEW
As the University of Oregon softball team embarks on the 2006 season, the Ducks will be looking to make history and continue the success they’ve experienced under fourth-year Head Coach Kathy Arendsen. Arendsen, who has led the Ducks to 27 conference wins in her first three seasons ? which tripled Oregon’s conference victory total (nine) in the three seasons prior to her arrival ? has also guided the team to three consecutive postseason appearances. The program has been to the postseason three consecutive years only one other time (1998, 1999, 2000) and a trip in 2006 would be an unprecedented fourth-straight appearance. Oregon returns 13 letterwinners, including seven starters for the 2006 season. The Ducks’ senior class is on of the most experienced in recent history as the four have a combined 529 starts between them. And the group of four juniors has started 335 games, proving that this years team will be led by a strong core of upperclassmen. Five newcomers join the team and will look to contribute right away.
PRESEASON RANKINGS
The Ducks were picked to finish eighth in the Pac-10 in a poll voted on by the league’s coaches. In the preseason USA Today/NFCA poll, the Ducks earned a No. 22 ranking and were unranked in the preseason USA Softball/ESPN.com poll. Under coach Arendsen, Oregon has been ranked in the NFCA preseason top 25 three straight seasons.
THE OPPONENTS
Oregon is 0-1 all-time vs. Florida. The last meeting was Feb. 25, 2000 when the Ducks fell 5-2. The Gators were 41-23 in 2005, but dropped their first two games in the postseason to end the year. Oregon is 3-1 all-time Houston last winning 2-1 in Houston (2003). The Cougars were picked to win the Conference USA title in 2006. The Ducks are 7-0 all time against Texas A&M Corpus Christi with the two teams last playing in the 2003 season-opener, which Oregon won 10-0. The Ducks are 8-1 all-time vs. Kansas, last defeating the Jayhawks 9-0 in 2004. Overall, Oregon is 18-3 against this weekend’s opponents.
MAKING A RUN FOR FOUR STRAIGHT
Oregon has made it to the postseason in three consecutive seasons just one time in school history (1998, 1999, 2000) and will be looking to make its fourth-straight regional appearance in 2006. Prior to head coach Kathy Arendsens’s arrival, the Duck program was 14-17 (.451) in their nine postseason (one CWS appearance) appearances. Under Arendsen, the Ducks are 11-6 (.647) in three postseason appearances. In the two regional appearances in 2003 and 2004, Oregon had eight all-regional tournament honorees. In the prior nine appearances, the Ducks had just five players make the team (4, 1998; 1, 1999).
HEAD COACH KATHY ARENDSEN
In just three seasons at the helm of the University of Oregon softball program, head coach Kathy Arendsen has steadily rebuilt the Duck softball program back to a contender at both the conference and national level. In her first season, the Ducks finished third in the Pac-10 conference with a 10-11 conference mark ? their highest league finish since 1990. Oregon returned to postseason play that year and last season, Arendsen guided the Ducks to their third consecutive NCAA Regional appearance. The Ducks’ third straight postseason appearance marked just the second time in school history that the program made three straight appearacnes and in 2006, Arendsen and the Ducks will be looking for a fourth straight trip to the NCAA tournament. Arendsen led the Ducks to a 36-25 overall, 7-14 conference mark in 2005 and she has tripled Oregon’s confefence win mark (27) in her first three seasons after the team won just nine Pac-10 games in the three seasons prior to her arrival. The memorable 2003 season ended with a 37-19 overall record and Arendsen guided the Ducks to their most Pac-10 wins since1998, back-to-back home wins over a conference opponent for the first time since 1998 and a sweep of Washington for the first time since 1993. There was more to come in 2004 as the team defeated every Pac-10 team for the first time since 1998. Oregon’s 1-0 win over No. 1 Arizona marked the first time in school history that the Ducks defeated a top-ranked team and the squad won the series over Washington for the second straight year. It marked the first time in school history that Oregon won the series over the Huskies in back to back seasons. Following the 2004 season, several players were honored for their play. Pitcher Ani Nyhus earned first-team all-Pac-10 accolades while catcher Jenn Poore earned second-team all-conference honors. Beth Boskovich and Ashley Richards were honorable mention selections and the four were named to the NCAA regional all-tournament team while Poore also earned first-team Easton All-American honors. In November of 2004, Arendsen was the only American in the record class of 19 inductees to be elected into the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame.
FOR STARTERS
Oregon seniors Breanne Sabol (SS), Beth Boskovich (IF), Dani Baird (OF) and Amy Harris (P) have started 593 games combined. Sabol has started 179 of 180 career games as she started in every game in 2003 and 2004 before missing one start in 2005. Dating back to last season, Sabol has started in 43 consecutive games at shortstop. Boskovich has started 173 of 180 career games, missing four starts her freshman season and three last season. Boskovich started all 63 games as a sophomore in 2004 and has started 46 consecutive games. Baird has started 152 games while pitcher Amy Harris has started 84 games on the mound. Junior Suzie Barnes started all 61 games last season after starting 52 of 63 games as a freshman in 2004 while sophomore Lovena Chaput started 58 of 61 games last season.
THE WAY IT ENDED
The Ducks went 36-25 last season and finished seventh in the Pac-10 with a 7-14 conference record. Lovena Chaput (OF) had a stellar freshman season and earned second-team all-Pac-10 honors while pitcher Amy Harris also earned second-team all-conference honors. The Ducks made their third-straight trip to the NCAA Regional tournament, travelling to Norman, Okla. for postseason play. Oregon lost its first game, 7-5, to Louisiana-Lafayette setting up a must-win against Wichita State the following day. Oregon hung on to win 3-2 in eight innings to set up a rematch with Louisiana-Lafayette. In another must win, pitcher Alicia Cook guided the Ducks to a 3-1 win. Oregon faced host Oklahoma the next day and needed to beat the Sooners twice to advance to the super regional. The Ducks fell 2-1 in the first game, thus ending their hopes of advancing. Kayleen Hudson led Oregon offensively in the postseason going 4-for-8 (.500) with four RBI, a home run, a double and a 1.000 slugging percentage.
SUMMER BALL
Sophomores Joanna Gail and Lovena Chaput spent the summer improving their game by playing softball. Gail travelled to Dornbirn, Austria to play with the Dornbirn Sharx. Gail played with former Pac-10 Player of the Year Kristen Rivera (Washington) and former Husky pitcher Ashley Boek. Chaput played in Stratford, Conn. for head coach Kathy Arendsen’s former team, the Brakettes. Chaput played shortstop and finished the summer with a .303 average, 46 runs and nine doubles.
TEXAS TIES
When Oregon heads to Houston this week, it will be a Texas homecoming for freshman pitcher Elise Orange, a native of Galveston, Texas. Also, Florida assistant coach Jennifer Jaime was an assistant at Oregon in 2002. Prior to taking over at Florida, Jaime was an assistant at Wichita State, which played the Ducks at the NCAA Regionals in 2005.
