After the former Oregon club softball coach and coordinator transferred to a different school earlier this year, the squad took a vote and decided that junior Alexis Buschert should be the team’s new coach.
Buschert, who also fills the third base and shortstop positions for the Ducks when needed, gladly accepted the title but was initially surprised.
That feeling wore away fast, though – with a roster of 13 and on a team in only its first year, she said she needed to play the dual roles.
“It’s definitely been a good experience,” Buschert said. “It is hard for us because we have somebody who is the same age with same experience trying to lead a bunch of girls and play sometimes. I know it is hard on the girls having someone their own age telling them what to do, but more than anything, I try to keep things organized.”
The squad, which finished the season 2-10 overall after dropping all six of its games in Spokane, Wash., recently, started the season by holding tryouts and finding a conference.
The tryouts brought out enough players for games and Oregon sealed a spot with the National Club Softball Association in the Northern Pacific Conference. Though Eastern Washington is currently the Ducks’ only conference opponent, they have also competed against Weber State, Washington State, Colorado-Boulder and some smaller schools. The club’s new coordinator, Rachel Spisak, said the Ducks’ showing this year is a harbinger of an improving team and, if anything, the losses show that they at least got to play more games.
“When we lost it was never a big deal,” Spisak said. “We want to get more established, so the more experience we get, the better.”
“This is our first year and it is hard for programs to come out of the gate like this,” Buschert said. “Sometimes losing makes you a stronger team than winning does.”
The goal was to have fun and begin building a reputation in the Pacific Northwest this year, Spisak said, and Oregon did just that.
“We just want to get our foot in the door and let people know we exist,” Spisak said.
The next step for the squad, which has practiced on the artificial turf field outside the Student Recreation Center, is to schedule more games. Spisak wants to create an Oregon club softball video to raise money by drawing more interest to the team.
And, of course, Buschert mentioned: “We’re looking for a coach for next year, too.”
Women’s water polo
The women’s water polo squad earned fifth place in the Collegiate Water Polo Association National Tournament in Massachusetts. The Ducks went undefeated during the regional season. Oregon’s finish on the East Coast was the highest that either an Oregon men’s or women’s team has ever placed, coordinator Amanda Fay said. The team’s only loss came in the quarterfinals at the hands of Michigan, which finished third.