The point, again, feels redundant at this stage, but it’s nonetheless worth repeating because it’s the reason why most college softball teams might struggle late in the season: Oregon softball’s pitching staff must remain healthy, and effective.

The suspicions of the winter, which became legitimate fears in the early going of the regular season, turned into a minor panic when transfer southpaw Staci Chambers went down with injury. 

Chambers is healthy now, but the problem remains — head coach Melyssa Lombardi’s Ducks are always an injury away from another pitching disaster. 

Incredibly, the Ducks were able to get through a double-header filled early slate of the season on just three arms. Taylour Spencer, Elise Sokolsky and Lyndsey Grein have been tremendous thus far in 2025. Still, most teams rely on four or five reliable arms for their success. 

Chambers’ return certainly helps. 

“It gave me chills,” Lombardi said of Chambers making her first appearance since Feb. 8.  “Standing out there seeing Taylour nodding to come replace her. I think our players get it, but our fans, the cheers they gave her to take the mound, all around was really cool.”

Although short, Chambers returning to the circle provides the Ducks with a much clearer path going forward in conference play. 

She’s the only left-handed pitcher on the roster and already slots in as a reliable bullpen arm. She had a 2.07 ERA last season at California State University, Fullerton.

In the past, Lombardi has entered the season expecting to rely on a true ace to take on most of the work. 

The Ducks, however, have gone a different direction with their pitching depth this season.

They have a young core of Spencer and Rowan Thompson. But, they also have the three veteran arms who have taken on a good amount of the work. 

Chambers’ return can only help mitigate some of those workload concerns later on in the season. 

“We’re all so different,” Grein said earlier this season of her fellow pitchers. “Everyone has their own specific talent. I’ve learned so much from Taylour, Elise, Staci and Rowan … we all just want to make each other better.” 

Lombardi shared a similar sentiment: “This is the deepest staff we’ve had since I’ve been here. They are all so different, not one is the same.” 

Those unique qualities have been a big part of the Ducks’ surge to start the season. Oregon has maintained a top-10 spot in the polls since its hot start and has the second-lowest ERA in the nation at 1.73.

“It’s always on to the next,” Lombardi said. “We win a game, celebrate great, (and) on to the next. When we are at our best, it’s constantly on to the next.”