After a weekend off from Pac-12 play, the Oregon Ducks softball team returns to action this weekend in Tempe, Arizona.
The Ducks are coming off a three-game sweep of Oregon State in Corvallis, where they outscored the Beavers 19-4.
The Ducks ride a five-game winning streak into the weekend.
“I’m raring to go right now, and I think the players are too,” head coach Mike White said before Wednesday’s practice. “Only time will tell whether this [weekend off] is a good thing or a bad thing.”
Play between the Sun Devils and Ducks begins on Friday at 7 p.m. Oregon then plays again on Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Both games will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.
White said the team used the week off to recover from a few “nicks and bruises.”
“[It was important] getting Jenna back to full strength and getting a good look at their pitching staff — they have three good pitchers and each one is a little bit different,” White said.
Koral Costa, one of 25 finalists for the USA Softball collegiate player of the year award, leads the Ducks at the plate coming into the weekend. She’s batting .450 and is tied for Nikki Udria with the most RBIs at 39.
The Sun Devils enter the weekend with a 27-16, 3-9 Pac-12 record. They’ve lost six straight games in series against Utah and Washington.
ASU ranks No. 4 in the conference in batting average (.324) and No. 6 in collective earned run average (3.35). Oregon is first in hits with 370 this season while ASU and Oregon State are tied for second with 368.
“They did lose a lot of power [this year], but I think this year’s team is dangerous,” White said. “… We’re not going to take them lightly.”
Freshman Ulufa Leila leads the Sun Devils offensively, batting .403. Kelsey Kessler leads the team in the circle with a 2.88 ERA and a 13-8 record. As a team, ASU has hit 52 home runs.
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