Softball season is underway and the Oregon Ducks are off to an explosive start. One of the biggest offensive weapons for Oregon thus far has been its ability to hit the home run ball. As a whole, the Ducks have hit 36 homers up to this point.
A key contributor to Oregon’s home run success has been its freshman class. First baseman Rylee McCoy has hit 9 home runs with 23 hits and 20 RBIs. She is batting .460 with a 1.597 OPS and a 1.080 slugging percentage entering March. McCoy was ranked No. 2 nationally at first base and No. 15 overall in high school by Extra Inning Softball.
Also in the mix of Oregon’s power hitting is freshman pitcher and infielder Stefini Ma’ake, who has hit eight home runs and recorded 24 hits and 24 RBIs as of March 2. Ma’ake was ranked No. 12 in the nation by Extra Inning Softball in high school and played club softball with fellow Ducks Paige Sinicki, Ayanna Shaw, Taylour Spencer, and Emma Cox.
Emma Cox is another freshman who Oregon softball fans should have their eyes on. She was a three-way athlete in high school, participating in softball, basketball, and volleyball. The catcher has recorded 4 home runs along with 17 hits and 15 RBIs through her first month as a Ducks.
In addition to the group of freshmen who have made their presence felt early, the Ducks also have several older players who have seen the team through its ups and downs in recent years and are thrilled to see a promising start to this season. Senior shortstop Paige Sinicki is coming off of a tremendous junior season on both sides of the ball.
Not only was she named Pac 12 Defensive Player of the Year and awarded an NFCA Rawlings Gold Glove, but recorded a career high batting average of .282 with 16 RBIs. This year, she is batting .421 so far while recording 24 hits with 4 home runs and 15 RBIs (as of March 1) as she looks to build on last season.
Senior infielder Dezianna Patmon is off to a hot start offensively. She is in her first season at Oregon after playing two seasons at North Carolina A&T State University, and one at New Mexico State University. In those three seasons, Patmon has hit 26 home runs with 78 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .600.
In the first weekend of March, the Ducks played their first pair of home games this season and they came in swinging. Scoring 18 runs between the two games brings a lot of fire to the dugout and to the fans. McCoy, Ma’ake, and Patmon had the biggest standout performances with the bat that day in front of one of the largest crowds Jane Sanders Stadium has ever seen.
“It’s a dream come true,” Ma’ake said, “especially at our home opener in front of all the fans. A bunch of the parents came up to me and were like ‘we’ve never seen a fanbase this big at the Jane,’ so we were like, ‘okay, we’re not gonna think too big, we’re just gonna see the ball, hit the ball’ and I think we really executed that well.”
This team has a diverse range of talent. It has experienced seniors, some of whom have been in Eugene for awhile, and others who just arrived through the transfer portal. When you combine all of them with the hungry squad of freshmen, you have a team with the potential to swing deep. There is no ceiling under the sky that will limit how far this group can go.
