Softball opens season today in Florida
The No. 13 Oregon women’s softball team travels to the land of sun and sand in Miami to kick off the Ducks’ 2004 campaign at the Florida International Tournament.
Oregon will face No. 10 Georgia in the first game at 11 a.m. today. The Ducks also play Florida International. Saturday they play Florida Atlantic and Iowa State.
“This is our first chance to really see the team in an incredibly competitive environment,” head coach Kathy Arendsen said. “Obviously, we’re going there to win and that’s our intent, but just as importantly, it’s our chance to find out what our identity is.”
In her second year as Oregon coach, Arendsen has 11 returning players, including three seniors, from last season’s team that finished one win from a berth in the Women’s College World Series.
One returning player missing from Oregon’s lineup this weekend is pitcher Amy Harris. The sophomore, Oregon’s all-time single-season strikeout leader, injured her wrist in September. Arendsen expects Harris to pitch some innings at the Fiesta Bowl Tournament next week.
Three pitchers are ready to go today for the Ducks. Senior Anissa Meashintubby, who ranks seventh all-time for Oregon with seven career shutouts, leads Oregon’s pitching rotation. Junior transfer Ani Nyhus and junior Lindsey Kontra join Meashintubby in the circle.
Oregon’s first opponent today, Georgia, will be out for vengeance. Last year, an unranked Oregon squad upset then-No. 12 Georgia 3-2 in 10 innings.
This year, Arendsen and her club realize they are a marked team with their No. 13 ranking and the unpredicted run they made in the 2003 season. Arendsen believes her team will be able to continue on last season’s strong finish.
“We’ve got to score runs, we’ve got to play defense and we’ve got to have our pitchers hitting their spots and staying ahead in the counts,” Arendsen said. “If we do that, we’ll be just fine. If any of those things don’t work, it’s going to make it a bit difficult. It’s not to say we won’t do fine, it’s just going to make it harder. If two or three of those things are missing, we’re in trouble.”
The Ducks play in six preseason tournaments this year.
— Mindi Rice
