Sari-Jane Jenkins’ memories of last spring remain.
Instead of forgetting the consecutive losses to South Carolina, the Oregon outfielder uses the Ducks’ season-ending defeats in the NCAA Tournament as motivation to go that much farther this year.
“For me, I’m a competitor,” she said. “I grew up with all brothers. I hate the feeling of losing a game. I hate losing. Even rock, paper, scissors gets on my nerves.”
The Oregon softball team has been practicing and preparing for the season opening tournament this weekend in the Cathedral Kickoff in Palm Springs, Calif. The Ducks’ roster possesses a nearly even mix of youth and experience with 10 freshmen and sophomores and nine juniors and seniors.
The biggest benefit of the incoming five freshmen and transfer Shelley Deadmond is the extra depth, coach Kathy Arendsen said, especially on the pitching mound.
Senior Alicia Cook and junior Melissa Rice anchor the rotation and are joined by freshman lefthander Brittany Rumfelt.
Rice already knows what’s like to have to contribute as a freshman from her initial season in 2006 when she pitched 113 innings in 31 appearances and had eight wins.
“Fortunately, there is depth, so she can ease in if she’s not ready,” Rice said. “If she’s ready, then she has the ability to go in and go right at it so I think I’ve tried to be like a bigger sister to her and tell her because I went through it myself.”
The athletic Rumfelt comes from Lakeport, Calif., where she went to Clear Lake High and lettered four years as a forward in basketball and two years in soccer as a goalkeeper.
“We have a lefthander with very good movement (and) a strong competitor who is going to come in and give us legitimate innings,” Arendsen said. “It’s not going to just be a little time here and there. She’s going to be able to pitch some really tough games and keep us in them and give us something that’s totally different than what we’ve had.”
Arendsen says she is optimistic Cook will be around for a full season after dealing with injuries and academic issues during her first three years in Eugene.
“We believe she is going to be a force all year long,” Arendsen said of Cook, who led Oregon with 23 wins last season.
For third baseman Joanna Gail, who enters her senior season, this is her last opportunity to make an extended postseason run.
“It’s your last year to train, your last year to compete, last year to succeed as an Oregon Duck and my personal goal is to create a kind of contagious urgency,” Gail said. “I want everybody else to feel the same way I feel about making this the best season yet.”
Helping hand
Last season Beth Boskovich, a powerful hitter during her Oregon career, stuck around and helped the Ducks as an assistant coach. This season, Suzie Barnes and Ann Marie Topps will be helping the Ducks out.
Topps’ class schedule will keep her busy this term, but Barnes has already been a consistent presence at practices. With three positions in the infield experiencing changeover this season, players say Barnes’ experience has been invaluable.
“Because they are so new and have such a new infield, I kind of bring that aspect to helping them adapt to their new positions and fielding and different skills,” Barnes said. “I think it kind of helps that I’ve actually been there and done that.”
Senior Lovena Chaput is moving from the outfield to shortstop, but the other positions, namely second and first base will have a mixture of youth and experience.
But Jenkins says the former players will help in more ways than just on the field.
“Those girls have experienced every aspect of softball that you can imagine. They come from very good family backgrounds,” she said. “Not only are they great athletes, they know how to apply softball to life and that’s been very helpful for us.”
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Ducks open season in sunny California
Daily Emerald
February 6, 2008
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