As the Oregon softball season came to an end over the weekend, there was a clear message written on several players’ arms that read, “no regrets.”
After one of the most successful years in the program’s history, it’s hard to imagine the Ducks returning to campus this week with much remorse following their exit from the Women’s College World Series.
The team reached the final eight for the first time in 23 years, hosted and won its first regional and finished third in the most competitive softball conference in the country after being picked seventh in the preseason polls. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=245&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205435918@@
En route to a 45-18 overall record — the best tally in three seasons under head coach Mike White — Oregon met and certainly surpassed expectations in 2012. The Ducks dealt with a handful of season-ending injuries to key contributors and still managed to garner 11 all-Pac-12 honors, six all-region nods and a pair of All-American selections along the way. @@http://www.pac-12.org/SPORTS/Softball/Tabid/1459/Article/156736/Thirteen-Named-All-Americans.aspx@@ @@http://www.pac-12.org/SPORTS/Softball/Tabid/1459/Article/155803/Thirty-One-Receive-All-Region-Honors.aspx@@ @@http://www.pac-12.org/SPORTS/Softball/Tabid/1459/Article/155718/Pac-12-Announces-Softball-All-Conference.aspx@@
Though the season didn’t end in a national championship victory, Oregon made it past the Super Regional round after two years of frustrating losses, proving itself as a legitimate title contender and setting the precedent for years to come.
Moore leads the way
In her third season as the Ducks’ full-time starter, junior right-hander Jessica Moore solidified herself as the backbone of the Oregon softball program. The Sutter, Calif., native was a first-team all-Pac-12 and NFCA all-Pacific Region performer for the second-straight season while becoming the fourth Oregon pitcher to earn All-American status as a third-team selection. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4375&SPID=245&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=204763349&Q_SEASON=2011@@
Few teams in the Pac-12 relied more heavily on their No. 1 pitcher than Oregon did on Moore. She led the conference in appearances (52) and was the only hurler to surpass the 300-inning mark with 303 2/3. Moore’s 33 wins were the second-most in the Pac-12 and tied for the sixth-most in the country. @@http://www.ncaa.com/stats/softball/d1/current/individual/279@@ @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/softball/stats/2012/HTML/lgsumm.htm@@
Moore’s strength and durability improved in her junior season as well. Her 33 complete games were more than she had as a freshman and sophomore combined (31), and also set a career-high mark in strikeouts with 256. Arguably her strongest individual effort came against then-No. 1 Alabama, which reached the Women’s College World Series final this week back on March 13 when she struck out a career-best 14 batters in a 5-1 loss. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=245&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205397170@@
Pappas shakes sophomore slump
After exploding onto the scene as a true freshman in 2010, Samantha Pappas struggled to make adjustments as a sophomore and saw a dramatic downturn in her offensive production because of it. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4375&SPID=245&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=204763252&Q_SEASON=2011@@
But as a junior in 2012, Pappas reminded the Pac-12 why she was a first-team all-conference performer two years earlier. The Las Flores, Calif., native paced the Oregon offense with a .393 batting average as a 60-game starter in the outfield. She led the team in hits (70), doubles (17), triples (2) and stolen bases (22), and was second in home runs (11). @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/softball/stats/2012/HTML/ore.htm@@
For her efforts, Pappas was a first-team all-Pac-12 and all-region honoree, as well as a second-team All-American — the first Oregon outfielder to earn that distinction.
Overall, Pappas wasn’t the only one to make improvements at the plate this year. Senior shortstop and four-year starter Kelsey Chambers had career-best marks in runs scored (51), hits (58), doubles (12) and runs batted in (48).
Junior second baseman Kaylan Howard also had posted her best statistical season in three years with 45 runs scored, 63 hits, 17 doubles, 12 home runs and 52 runs batted in.
Meanwhile, sophomore Kailee Cuico (team-high 54 RBI and 12 home runs) and senior Christie Nieto (nine home runs and nine doubles) added some much-needed depth to the middle of the order.
Defensive woes continue
For the second year in a row, Oregon was the worst defensive team in the Pac-12. The Ducks’ 91 errors were 30 more than the second-worst team on the year, while allowing the second-most stolen bases with 47. In 2011, Oregon led the conference in errors (79) by a 24-error margin in 58 games. @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/softball/stats/2012/HTML/lgteams.htm@@ @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/softball/stats/2011/HTML/lgteams.htm@@
Playing the always difficult shortstop position, Chambers led the team with 27 errors on the season and second baseman Kaylan Howard committed 19 errors of her own. Four other players added five errors, and four more were credited with four errors by the end of the season.
The team’s collective fielding percentage of .954 ranked 195th in Division I softball. @@http://www.ncaa.com/stats/softball/d1/current/team/283/p4@@
Looking ahead
Oregon will lose four players to graduation this year — Kelsey and Lindsey Chambers, Nieto and Samantha Skillingstad, whose career was cut short with a back injury prior to the season. @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=4375&SPID=245&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&Q_SEASON=2011@@
Replacing Chambers at shortstop, who started 223 games in four years, will likely fall on junior-to-be Courtney Ceo if she’s recovered from a torn ACL injury by the start of next season.
Otherwise, the Ducks return seven freshmen, four sophomores and four juniors from this year’s team, including eight regular starters in the field and both pitchers in Moore and freshman Karissa Hovinga.