On Thursday morning, former Oregon star pitcher Megan Kleist announced on Twitter that she will be continuing her collegiate career and education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Kleist will reunite with her former select softball coach in Mike Roberts, the Ragin’ Cajuns associate head coach and pitching coach. Before Kleist’s time at Oregon, Roberts was the pitching coach for the Ducks during the 2014 season.
There will be a couple more familiar faces when Kleist arrives. Former Oregon teammate and an assistant coach of Kleist’s, Geri Ann Glasco, is currently a volunteer coach for her father and head coach of the Ragin’ Cajuns, Gerry Glasco.
“For a coach, team and program to have a great player, and more importantly a selfless player, like Megan Kleist choose to join your program is a tremendous honor,” Gerry Glasco stated on ragincajuns.com. “It speaks volumes about coach Mike Roberts that she relishes the opportunity to play for him in her final season.
“She is clearly one of the most talented pitchers in the country, but what makes her truly special is her personality and attitude,” Gerry Glasco said. “She is as selfless as any pitcher I have followed.”
Kleist announced her decision to leave the Oregon program last Friday — marking her as the sixth player to leave the Ducks’ program in the past three months.
Kleist, a senior out of Appleton, Wisconson, left the Ducks with a 1.60 ERA, a 59-18 record and struck out 475 batters over the course of her three years on the team.
After pitching two no-hitters in back-to-back games, on top of her 21-7 record last season, Kleist was named a 2018 NFCA First Team All-American and the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year.
The Ducks last played the Ragin’ Cajuns in the 30th Annual Louisiana Classic during the 2016 season, Kleist’s freshman year. Over the three-game span, Louisiana beat Oregon 2-1.
Louisiana is also the former team of former Duck DJ Sanders, who transferred to Oregon (from Louisiana) prior to the 2018 season.
Kleist is the first Oregon transfer to commit to a school other than Texas. Pitcher Miranda Elish, center fielder Shannon Rhodes and utility player Lauren Burke chose to follow Mike White to the Longhorns program. Both catcher Mary Iakopo and freshman Alyssa Pinto, who left the Oregon team last month, have yet to announce where they will transfer.
Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter: @maggie_vanoni
