For the last couple years, the Pac-12 championship in softball has come down to Oregon and UCLA. Typically, both teams play one another later in the conference season with the winner of that series taking the conference championship. Oregon, winner of three consecutive Pac-12 championships, has taken two of three games against the Bruins for the last three years and those victories have propelled the team into strong postseason runs.
The Ducks (26-4, 6-0 Pac 12) enter the series, against UCLA first in the Pac-12 standings. The Bruins come to Eugene in fourth place with a 2-2-1 conference record after splitting two games with Cal and going 1-2 against Washington.
Oregon Notes
The Ducks have overcome some early season struggles to post an 18-game winning streak, which ties their program record for consecutive wins.
“I think we’re doing pretty good offensively, pretty good defensively and our pitching is doing well, so hopefully we can continue to do that and get stronger as we go,” Oregon head coach Mike White said. “We know that down the road there’s going to be some very tough competition.”
Offensively, there isn’t a better team in the conference. The Ducks rank in the top five nationally in doubles (first), home runs (second) and runs (fifth) per game. In addition, they rank second in batting average, second in slugging percentage and 10th in on-base percentage.
Oregon’s offense begins with the first three batters in the lineup; Alyssa Gillespie, Nikki Udria and Koral Costa, all of whom rank in the top five in conference batting average.
Udria has arguably the best bat of anyone in the Pac-12. She ranks first in batting average (.482), second in slugging percentage (.941) and fourth in on-base percentage (.549).
Gillespie uses her speed and power to confuse defenses. She can either drop down a bunt or stand strong in the box and hit gap-to-gap.
Costa leads the Ducks with 10 doubles while being tied for third in homeruns at 7. As the No. 3 batter in the lineup, her primary job is to drive Gillespie and Udria in, which she consistently does. She has a team-high 34 RBI.
Pitching was Oregon’s expected strong suit but Cheridan Hawkins (10-2)  struggled early on. She’s found her composure as of late and last week against Stanford, earned two victories by throwing 12.0 innings and giving up no runs with four hits and 22 strikeouts. Freshman Megan Kleist has posted a 10-2 record with a 2.02 ERA as well.
UCLA Notes
The Bruins (20-10-1) are led by Allexis Bennett (.440) and Kylee Perez (.430), two players ranked in the top 10 of the conference in batting average. Madeline Jelenicki is tied for fifth with seven home runs.
“We’re going to have one of the better hitting teams in the country coming in this weekend,” White said.
Johanna Grauer and Selina Ta’amilo are the two UCLA pitchers who get the most work. Grauer throws the majority of innings (105.1). Ta’amilo has thrown just 85.1 innings, but posts a 9-2 record and 3.30 ERA.
Oregon and UCLA begin the three-game series on Friday at Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene at 6 p.m.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka