It is somewhat common for best friends to both be athletes.
In the world of college sports, athletes often befriend teammates and players on other teams at their schools and form close bonds.
More rare are friendships, built from a young age, where both women eventually play on rival Division I teams in the same conference.
Such is true for Oregon left fielder Dani Baird and Washington first baseman Sarah Hyatt, who have played on the same softball teams since they were 11 years old.
“I always thought we wouldn’t be able to see each other (during college), but it’s nice that we both play softball and can see each other a couple times a year,” Hyatt said Saturday. “Most people, after graduation, don’t see each other until the reunion, but we get to see each other all the time at
tournaments and stuff.”
In the Washington-Oregon series this year, Baird had three hits to Hyatt’s one, but Hyatt hit the game-winning home run Sunday in the top of the eighth inning.
“It makes me happy that she is
doing well and her team is doing amazing,” Hyatt said. “I’m glad for her because when she got recruited for them, they weren’t ranked. She was just excited to go to a (Pacific-10 Conference) team, and now they’re national contenders.”
Both say they try to keep the Husky-Duck rivalry out of their friendship, instead keeping tabs on each other throughout the season.
“I want her to do well just as I know she wants me to do well,” Baird said Saturday.
The women, both from Sedro-Woolley, Wash., were four-year letter winners for the Cubs and played on the Washington Ladyhawks summer team. During their four years at Sedro-Woolley, the Cubs won the Northwest 3A League Championship twice and finished second twice.

“It’s fun to see my best friend play, but it’s hard, too, because I’ve played with her so long on the same team,” Baird said. “I’m just excited that we both get the opportunity to play in the best softball conference.”

Not an ace
Oregon pitcher Ani Nyhus doesn’t like to be called an “ace.”
Nyhus knows she leads the Ducks’ four pitchers in appearances this season, but according to the junior transfer, Oregon doesn’t have an ace.
However, Nyhus is currently the captain of the ship.
For the first time since 1998, and just the fifth pitcher at Oregon since 1976 to do so, Nyhus picked up win No. 20 this season with Saturday’s 10-2 win against Washington.
“I think she’s pitching real well,” Oregon head coach Kathy Arendsen said Saturday. “She is without a doubt one of the top two or three pitchers in our conference.”
Despite going 1-2 this weekend, Nyhus is now 20-10. She routinely starts at least two of Oregon’s three games each weekend.
In almost eight innings Sunday, Nyhus added six strikeouts to her season total. Now at 170, she is No. 9 on Oregon’s all-time strikeout leaders list. She is 10 strikeouts from tying Amy Harris’ single-season record of 180 strikeouts that Harris set last season as a freshman.

Dominating UW
For the first time in program history, Oregon won back-to-back series against Washington when the Ducks clinched this season’s series Saturday.
Last season, the Ducks won two games in Seattle — 6-5 and 6-5 — and lost a 9-0 decision in Eugene.
This year Oregon won a 2-1 game in Seattle on April 16. Saturday the Ducks run-ruled Washington, 10-2, and Sunday the Huskies won, 1-0, in eight innings.