One year after losing three of the best offensive players in program history, the Oregon softball team was expected to regress at the plate.
Just under halfway through the season however, the Ducks are blasting their way through opponents en route to the No. 2 ranking in the nation.
Led by an experienced returning core and a trio of power-hitting freshmen, Oregon shows no signs of slowing down at the plate.
Oregon is batting .367 on the year with 48 doubles, 29 homeruns and 196 runs scored, including a school record 23-run outburst against rival Oregon State on March 15. Nearly one of every three Oregon hits results in an extra-base hit while 12 players are hitting over .300 on the year.
All of those numbers are significantly higher than last year’s.
Last year, the Ducks batted .342 with 82 doubles, 63 homeruns and 445 runs scored. Only eight Oregon players hit above .300 last year.
Considering the Ducks aren’t even at the halfway mark of the season, it’s safe to assume Oregon could pass last year’s runs total with about 10-12 games left on the schedule.
The Oregon offense starts flying with Alyssa Gillespie and Janie Takeda starring as the first two players in the lineup.
Gillespie’s .479 on-base percentage and bat control makes her the prime leadoff batter, but her three homeruns add another dimension to her game.
Takeda is a two-time all-American and is showing no signs of slowing down for her senior year. Takeda is hitting .443 and leads the team with 39 hits and 27 runs.
Not only does she consistently put pressure on defenses with her batting skills — it’s really her base running that terrifies opponents. Takeda is 19-for-20 in stolen bases and has the ability to stretch a single into a double, something she’s done multiple times this season.
The bottom of the lineup is anchored by Koral Costa, Danica Mercado and Nikki Udria. This trio has combined for a .366 batting average and 14 doubles while Costa leads the team with seven homeruns.
“In just the last game we had four hits from the bottom three hitters — anytime you do that, you’re going to be tough,” head coach Mike White said after their latest victory over Oregon State.
As freshmen, Jenna Lilley, Gwen Svekis and Lauren Lindvall have been shining since the season started. Lilley bats No. 3 in the lineup and is hitting .388 with 10 doubles.
Svekis and Lindvall didn’t see much action in the beginning of the year but have played a lot as of late. Svekis leads the team in batting with a .538 average, 22 RBIs and a 1.103 slugging percentage. Likewise, Lindvall is hitting .407 with a .515 on-base percentage.
Lauren Lindvall posted a five-RBI game against Pacific while Svekis set a school record with nine RBIs in a game against Oregon State.
The middle of the lineup is where Oregon needs to make some strides. A lot was expected of Janelle Lindvall, Hailey Decker and Geri Ann Glasco, but so far, they’ve been under-performing.
“We need to find a way to get our middle of the lineup going,” White said. “We’re still not quite firing on all cylinders, our middle of the order is not giving us the run production we’ve been looking for.”
Once the Ducks do start “firing on all cylinders,” they will be a scary opponent.