Notes: No. 2 Ducks Visit Utah
EUGENE, Ore. - The No. 2 ranked Oregon softball team hits the road this weekend for a three-game Pac-12 series at Utah starting Saturday.
The Ducks play the Utes at 1 p.m. PT on Saturday, 1 p.m. PT on Sunday and 11 a.m. PT on Monday.
#2 OREGON DUCKS (23-3, 3-0 Pac-12)
Team BA: .367 | Team ERA: 2.07 | Runs Scored: 196 | Runs Allowed: 69
Recently: Oregon swept Oregon State last weekend, outscoring the Beavs 42-12
National Rankings: UO is ranked No. 2 by the NFCA, No. 3 by USA Softball
All-Time Utah Series Record: UO leads, 20-9 (Ducks have won 13 straight)
Last Meeting: No. 3 Oregon won, 14-3, in five innings (3/24/15 in SLC)
Notable: Oregon is coming off an impressive sweep of rival Oregon State, run-ruling the Beavers in five innings in each game. The Ducks scored 42 runs in the series, including a school record 23 runs in a 23-12 win in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday. The Ducks had 14 hits in the game and drew a school record 13 walks. Freshman Gwen Svekis tallied a school record nine RBIs on a three-run homer, two-run triple and a grand slam. After its big opening weekend of Pac-12 play, Oregon is hitting .367 as a team which ranks sixth in the nation. Oregon’s .451 collective on-base percentage ranks ninth in the NCAA. UO is averaging 7.5 runs per game.
UTAH UTES (17-9, 0-3 Pac-12)
Team BA: .262 | Team ERA: 2.33 | Runs Scored: 107 | Runs Allowed: 66
Recently: Utah was swept last weekend by UCLA, scoring two runs in the series
National Rankings: The Utes are not ranked in either poll
Head Coach: Amy Hogue (Eighth Season)
Notable: Utah will play its first home games of the season against the Ducks. The Utes were swept at UCLA last weekend to open conference play but will play a three-game midweek series at McNeese State on Tuesday and Wednesday. Utah is led offensively by Kate Dickman, who is hitting .436 with a team-high eight doubles. She’s tied for the team-lead with 21 runs scored. Bridget Casto has a team-high four home runs and 22 RBIs. Pitcher Katie Donovan has tossed 83.0 innings with a 2.36 ERA while Miranda Viramontes has thrown 61.0 innings with a 2.75 ERA. Donovan has 63 strikeouts to 30 walks. She’s allowed 28 runs on 60 hits with 10 home runs.
BROADCAST INFO
All three games at Utah (Saturday, Sunday, Monday) will be streamed live for free at http://pac-12.com/videos/university-utah. Live stats will be available for all three games on the softball schedule page at utahutes.com.
LAST WEEKEND
The Ducks run-ruled rival Oregon State three straight times in a series sweep at Howe Field. Oregon took Friday’s, 10-0, in five innings before Saturday’s game was rained out. A doubleheader was played Sunday, with the Ducks claiming the first game 23-12 in five innings and the second game 9-0 in five innings. Overall, the Ducks outscored the Beavers 42-12 in the series with two shutouts and Oregon has now won nine straight games against Oregon State.
RECORDS FALL VS. OREGON STATE
The Ducks had a record-setting day on March 15 against Oregon State. In the opening game of a doubleheader the Ducks beat the rival Beavers, 23-12, in a five inning run-rule win. Oregon’s 23 runs are the most scored in program history while Gwen Svekis totaled nine RBIs in the win, the most in UO history. Svekis had, in order, a three-run homer, a two-RBI triple and a grand slam. The Ducks drew 13 walks from OSU pitchers in the game, also a program record. The previous record for runs in a game was 19, set multiple times, while the previous mark for RBIs was seven, last reached by Kailee Cuico last season. The Ducks’ old record for walks taken was 11, set against Northwestern in 2012.
HAWKINS TOSSES NO-HITTER
LHP Cheridan Hawkins threw her fourth career no-hitter on March 13 in the series opener against Oregon State. The junior allowed two baserunners via walks but kept the Beavers hitless through five innings in the Ducks’ 10-0 run-rule win. Her four no-hitters are the most in program history.
COSTA, SVEKIS EARN WEEKLY AWARDS
After sweeping the Beavers, Koral Costa was named Pac-12 player of the week and Gwen Svekis was named Pac-12 freshman of the week. Costa went 5-for-8 in a three-game series against Oregon State, recording five runs, six RBIs, two home runs, two walks and a double in the three run-rule victories. Costa homered in the opener and then hit another long ball in the Ducks’ historic 23-12 win in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader. Svekis had one of the best games in Oregon softball history as the Davie, Fla., native started Sunday’s first game with a three-run homer, followed with a two-run triple, then capped her day with a grand slam. The freshman’s nine RBI are the most ever in UO single-game history, besting the previous record of seven.
WHEN PLAYING UTAH
- Oregon leads the all-time series, 20-9, and the Ducks have won 13 straight games against the Utes, dating back to 2007.
- Since Utah joined the Pac-12 for the 2012 season, Oregon is 9-0 with sweeps in three straight seasons.
- Oregon last loss to Utah, 7-2, was on March 1, 2002.
- Oregon has scored 11+ runs in five of the last seven games against Utah.
- In last year’s three-game series, both Alyssa Gillespie and Nikki Udria each hit .600 (6-for-10).
- Gillespie scored seven runs in the series.
- Koral Costa had 13 total bases in the series on two homers and a triple. Oregon had five home runs overall in the series.
- Alexa Peterson, who graduated at the end of last season, was the star of last year’s Utah series, driving in 13 runs on two doubles, one triple and one homer. She took four walks and went 6-for-7 at the plate.
- In the circle, Cheridan Hawkins went 2-0 last year against Utah with a 1.75 ERA. Hawkins struck out 18 while walking two in 12 innings with 10 hits and three earned runs.
- Karissa Hovinga allowed five earned runs (seven total) on six hits in just two-thirds of an inning over two appearances.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
Oregon went 20-3 over the course of four weekends in non-conference play to start the 2015 season. The Ducks’ only three losses came to No. 1 Florida twice and No. 7 Baylor in Waco, Texas. Oregon outscored opponents 154-57 in non-conference play while hitting .357 with a 2.00 team ERA. The Ducks went 23-3 prior to Pac-12 play last season.
PAC-12 OPENING SERIES HISTORY
The Ducks have had remarkable success in their first weekend of Pac-12 play under head coach Mike White. Oregon is now 13-5 in their first conference series in White’s six seasons at the helm, including sweeps of Utah, Stanford and Oregon State in the last three years.
Year Opponent Series Record
2015 Oregon State W, 3-0
2014 at Utah W, 3-0
2013 Stanford W, 3-0
2012 at Oregon State L, 2-1
2011 at Washington L, 2-1
2010 at Oregon State W, 2-1
FRESHMEN SHINING EARLY
Look at the top of Oregon’s stat sheet and three freshmen currently rank in the top four in batting average. C/DP Gwen Svekis (Davie, Fla.) leads the Ducks with a .538 batting average, 1.103 slugging percentage and a .580 on-base percentage. She also leads the team with 22 RBIs after tallying a school record nine RBIs in the second game of the Oregon State series on March 15. Svekis has 39 at-bats so far while playing in 18 of the Ducks’ 26 games. Another freshman that has seen her playing time increase as the season has progressed is Lauren Lindvall. The utility player had a breakout weekend at the Judi Garman Classic, hitting .500 with a team-best eight RBIs on the weekend. This season Lindvall is hitting .407 in 27 at-bats over 17 games played. Fellow freshman Jenna Lilley has started all 26 games for the Ducks at third base and is hitting .388 with 25 runs scored and a team-high 10 doubles. Lilley is just behind Svekis with 19 RBIs and is a perfect 9-for-9 on stolen base attempts. The three rookies have combined to strike out just 14 times in 146 at-bats while drawing 23 walks.
NEW BATS FILLING IN NICELY
The Ducks entered 2015 having to replace three of Oregon’s greatest players off a team that hit .342 as a team, the third best in the NCAA. Third baseman Courtney Ceo led the nation with a .493 batting average and ended her career as the Ducks’ all-time leader in batting average (.416), hits (288) and runs scored (193). 1B Kailee Cuico graduated as the Ducks’ career leader in RBIs (180) and home runs (46) while both, plus OF/C Alexa Peterson (third all-time with 153 RBIs), were signed to National Pro Fastpitch contracts after the season. But here the Ducks are, hitting .367 as a team, the sixth best in the country, with a .451 on-base percentage, which ranks ninth in the nation. Oregon’s three most prominent freshmen, 3B Jenna Lilley, C/DP Gwen Svekis and UTIL Lauren Lindvall are shining early (see above). Transfer 1B Hailey Decker is hitting .319 with a team-high 13 walks after struggling early while DP/RHP Geri Ann Glasco is hitting .306 with two homers with a 3.03 ERA in 10 pitching appearances.
WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
With three Pac-12 player of the week awards already, the Ducks have matched the record for most in any season in program history (2010). Oregon had two last year and the year before when winning back-to-back Pac-12 titles.
Week 1 Jenna Lilley (Pac-12 Player)
Week 1 Cheridan Hawkins (Pac-12 Pitcher)
Week 3 Jenna Lilley (Pac-12 Player)
Week 3 Jenna Lilley (NFCA National Player)
Week 3 Jenna Lilley (USA Softball National Player)
Week 3 Cheridan Hawkins (NFCA National Pitcher)
Week 6 Koral Costa (Pac-12 Player)
Week 6 Gwen Svekis (Pac-12 Freshman)
HITTING TEAM NOTES
- The Ducks rank sixth in the nation and second in the Pac-12 with a .367 team batting average.
- Oregon hit a school record .342 as a team last year.
- Oregon’s .451 on-base percentage is ninth best in the nation and third in the Pac-12.
- Oregon’s .579 team slugging percentage is 14th best in the NCAA and third in the Pac-12.
- The Ducks lead the Pac-12 with 56 stolen bases. The Ducks rank 16th in the NCAA averaging 2.15 stolen bases per game.
HITTING INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Freshman Gwen Svekis ranks second in the Pac-12 with a .538 batting average. Janie Takeda is nith at .443.
- Svekis leads the league with a ridiculous 1.103 slugging percentage. Second best is .867. Koral Costa is sixth with a .787 slugging percentage.
- Svekis is third in the conference in on-base percentage at .580.
- Svekis is second in the Pac-12 in triples with three.
- Janie Takeda leads the Pac-12 with 19 stolen bases. She is 19-for-20 on the season. Jenna Lilley ranks fifth with nine stolen bases and Danica Mercado is seventh with seven stolen bases.
PITCHING TEAM NOTES
- The Ducks rank 23rd in the NCAA with a 2.07 ERA, second best in the Pac-12.
- UO’s .193 opponent batting average leads the Pac-12.
- The Ducks are second in the league with 177 strikeouts despite having pitched the fewest number of innings, 162.0. UCLA has thrown a league-high 204 innings this season.
- Oregon pitchers have allowed just 117 hits this season, the fewest in the conference. Utah is second at 149. Oregon has also issued the fewest number of walks in the conference at 50.
- The Ducks have hit 28 batters, the most in the Pac-12.
- Oregon opened the season with three straight shutouts (8-0 vs. Cal Poly, 9-0 vs. #25 Texas and 8-0 vs. Northwestern).
PITCHING INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Cheridan Hawkins ranks second in the nation in ERA (0.38) and hits allowed per seven innings (2.58). ULL hurler Jordan Wallace leads the NCAA in hits allowed per seven innings (2.54). The Ducks and Ragin’ Cajuns meet later this year for a three-game series.
- Hawkins leads the nation with six saves.
FIELDING NOTES
- Oregon’s .959 fielding percentage ranks 135th in the NCAA and seventh in the Pac-12.
- Oregon’s made 28 errors this season.
