The No. 12 Oregon softball team has a date with No. 7-seeded Bethune-Cookman in Tallahassee, Fla., at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
The Ducks (38-19 overall, 10-11 Pacific-10 Conference) received the No. 2 seed in the regional hosted by No. 4-ranked and No. 1-seeded Florida State when the NCAA Softball Regional Tournament brackets were announced Sunday.
“We’re a two seed and that’s a great accomplishment for this group,” Oregon head coach Kathy Arendsen said. “This is a very quality region; I think it matches well for us.”
A crowd of family and friends gathered with the players and coaches in the Pittman Room at the Casanova Center for the selection show, broadcast on ESPNEWS. It was a smaller crowd than the one that gathered in the same location last season and the tension and subsequent rush of excitement that followed last season’s selection show were missing Sunday.
“The biggest difference is that it wasn’t a surprise,” Arendsen said. “Last year, we truly were hoping that our names might show up there. This year, we knew. We felt very confident that we were going. It was a matter of where and who our opponents would be.”
The “where” was answered with the fourth region announcement. During the first and second regionals — Arizona and UCLA — the Ducks knew they could not play at another Pac-10 school. The third regional, at host school Baylor, was an option, but when no Pac-10 school was announced, Oregon’s coaches realized that Arizona State, the only Pac-10 program not ranked in the top 25, was left out of the postseason.
Then came the Tallahassee regional.
“We kind of picked out three that we thought for sure,” second baseman Erin Goodell said. “We thought either Florida State, Georgia or Michigan. We were kind of hoping not Florida State because they had the higher ranking, but you’ve just got to take what you get.”
Oregon’s region is dominated by teams from the host state — host school Florida State, Oregon opponent Bethune-Cookman, No. 3-seeded Southern Florida and No. 4-seeded Florida.
“It doesn’t make much difference (to be the host),” Arendsen said. “Fullerton probably thought that last year, but Louisiana (Lafayette) and Oregon were in the final. It all comes down to who plays well and who wants it the most.”
The remaining opponents in the region are No. 5-seeded Cal State Northridge, No. 6-seeded Ohio State and No. 8-seeded Long Island.
The Ducks have faced three of their regional foes already this season. On Feb. 14, Oregon lost to Ohio State, 3-1, then bounced back and beat Northridge, 6-1, later that day. On March 13, the Ducks finished their preseason tournament schedule with a 9-1 victory against Long Island.
“I think that we’re ready to pick up and go,” pitcher Ani Nyhus said. “We’re ready to get on a run and get ourselves to the World Series. I think, after this weekend, all of us are very focused and we’re ready to go to practice tomorrow and get ourselves ready to leave on Tuesday.”
Although travel plans were being finalized late Sunday night, the Ducks will likely fly out of Eugene or Portland on Tuesday, giving them a full day of practice in Florida on Wednesday before tournament play begins.
If Oregon wins the regional, it will likely fly directly to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series. The winners of each eight regions open the World Series on May 26.
“We’re going to go down there prepared and knowing what to expect,” Goodell said. “As long as we’re on our game and ready to play it, anything’s possible.”