Beginning on Friday at 5 p.m., the Oregon softball program will play a Pac-12 series for the last time in the history of Howe Field.
Scheduled to be torn down at the end of the season in order to build a new complex, the Ducks will look to give Howe Field a proper sendoff.
Oregon will begin it’s three-game series against No. 18 with a 5 p.m. start on Friday before a 3:30 first pitch on Saturday and a noon start time in the series finale on Sunday.
Oregon (41-5, 16-2 Pac-12): Riding an 11-game winning streak, the Ducks will look to stretch that to 14 games to keep momentum heading into the postseason. Oregon is in first place in the conference with a one-game lead over No. 9 UCLA.
The Ducks are coming off a sweep of No. 9 Louisiana-Lafeyette last weekend when they outscored the Ragin’ Cajuns 20-3 over the three games. Two of those games came via the mercy rule.
Freshman Jenna Lilley has been the catalyst for Oregon’s powerful offense as she leads the team with a .442 batting average while batting No. 3 in the lineup. Lilley also leads the team with 50 runs scored and 13 doubles to go along with a .550 on-base percentage.
Senior Janie Takeda broke two Oregon career records last weekend and is looking to break another one this weekend. After owning the hits and stolen base records, Takeda is looking to add the career runs scored to her ever-growing list. Her 192 runs scored in one behind Courtney Ceo’s, a record Ceo set last year.
Cheridan Hawkins was dominant in the pitcher’s circle last weekend against Louisiana-Lafeyette’s very strong offense. Hawkins threw 11.1 innings, surrendering two earned runs on five hits with 21 strikeouts. On the season, Hawkins has accumulated 143 innings with a 1.13 ERA and 186 strikeouts.
California (34-13, 7-11 Pac-12): The Golden Bears are on a two-game winning streak after defeating No. 20 Washington in the series finale on Sunday and the Pacific Tigers on Wednesday.
Offensively, freshman Jazmyn Jackson is hitting .448 on the season with 17 stolen bases, both tops among the Golden Bears. The battle between Jackson and Lilley could go a long way in deciding which player wins the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year award. Cheyenne Cordes is Cal’s powerful bat in the lineup. Codes leads the team with 15 homeruns and 70 RBI’s.
The pitching staff is anchored by Katie Sutherland-Finch and her 148. sinning thrown. She has 97 strikeouts and a 3.58 ERA.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter: @Ryan_Kostecka