Already drained from a six-game losing streak during the first two weeks of Pacific-10 Conference play, the Oregon softball team was dealt another major setback this week.
Starting third baseman Holly Ray is scheduled to have season-ending surgery this morning for a torn rotator cuff in her right throwing arm. The junior from Tualatin started 37 games this season, hitting .198 with five home runs and 14 RBI.
“We’ve been hampered by injuries all year,” head coach Rick Gamez said. “[Ray] is a great player. We’re going to miss her.”
Ray has seen little action since the beginning of March and has not played in any of the Pac-10 games.
The Ducks (23-24 overall, 1-5 Pac-10) also played without starting second baseman Alyssa Laux for several games in the preseason, while senior Kelly Planche (shoulder) and junior Missy Coe (knee) are still battling the injury bug.
Sophomore transfer Lynsey Haij has been starting at third in Ray’s absence.
“Despite all of our adversity, I think this team has stayed positive and has the right frame of mind,” Gamez said.

No laughing matter
In addition to senior Triawn Custer’s record-breaking home run at California Saturday, several other Oregon players are making their marks in the record books this season.
Coe’s eight doubles this season bring her career total to 40, the most in school history.
Junior pitcher Connie McMurren is just four strikeouts shy of third place on the all-time strikeout list. McMurren’s 332 K’s trail Rachelle Taylor’s school-record 474 strikeouts, established in the early ’90s.
And, last but not least, Laux has reached a pinnacle that one could only dream about. The team’s second leading hitter with a .373 average has been hit by a pitch a whopping 14 times in her Oregon career — another highly sought-after record. Congratulations, Alyssa.
With so many stats, one has to wonder which Oregon player has the career record for the largest consumption of sunflower seeds. Just kidding. There’s no such category.

7th-inning woes
After dropping consecutive games in the final inning to Portland State earlier this month, Gamez said he has emphasized playing hard for the entire game.
“Our focus is to continue to improve,” Gamez said. “We want to get better. Competing in the Pac-10 is a bear, and we need to communicate better and execute better.”

Coming home
After two weeks on the road, the Ducks are coming home for a seven-game homestand. The team has played just three games at Howe Field this season.
“The team really enjoys playing at Howe Field with the support of the fans,” Gamez said. “Not to mention the fact that we’ve got some of the toughest opponents in the country. It’s a grueling schedule, and traveling makes it that much harder.”
Thirty of Oregon’s 47 games this season have been against ranked opponents, Gamez said.
The Ducks get a break from ranked play when they host a doubleheader with San Jose State on Friday. But No. 16 Oregon State comes to town Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at noon.