Version Eight of Oregon softball under head coach Melyssa Lombardi will open the season at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida Feb. 6. By the time the Ducks return to Jane Sanders Stadium on Feb. 27, they will be battle-tested from facing nine opponents that appear in preseason rankings across three away tournaments.

“I think about how we’ve trained in January; we have trained to win every single day, and that is to prepare us for what is coming up this next week,” Oregon head coach Melyssa Lombardi said.

Feb. 6, 10:00 AM Pacific Time: University of Missouri

Mizzou has the weakest resume of Oregon’s five opponents, coming off a 25-31 record and a first-round exit from the SEC Tournament, but an improved 2026 roster earned the Tigers one vote in the USA Softball preseason poll. 

The Tigers are strongest in the circle, where they return their two most-used pitchers from last season, junior Marissa McCann (3.69 ERA, 10-12 record) and senior Cierra Harrison (3.94 ERA, 10-8 record). Behind them, junior Nathalie Touchet, who pitched to a 2.00 ERA in 17 innings last season, and Abby Carr, who appeared on the D1 Softball Freshman Watchlist, form a deep pitching staff that the Tigers will rely on in their second game of the day. 

While the Tigers’ pitching could catch the Ducks off guard, returning Oregon ace Lyndsey Grein should be able to handle an inexperienced lineup that lost key contributors to graduation.

Feb. 6, 1:00 PM: No. 12 Clemson University

Oregon’s first ranked test of the season comes against a fresh Clemson team playing its first game of the tournament. The Tigers went 48-14 last season and cruised through the Clemson Regional before being eliminated by sixth-seeded University of Texas in three games.

The Tigers are facing heavy turnover in the lineup, but junior Julia Knowler returns after hitting .313 with 15 home runs and 62 RBI last season, and sophomore Marian Collins will build off an ACC All-Freshman season. Clemson also lost its top two starting pitchers, but sophomore Macey Cintron looked the part in 62.1 innings last season, posting a 2.25 ERA, 8-2 record and 48 strikeouts.

Feb. 7, 1:00 PM: No. 23 Liberty University

Oregon ended Liberty’s season in 2025 after the Flames upset one seed Texas A&M University to make it to the Eugene Super Regional. 

The Flames return several key hitters, including junior Paige Doerr, who hit .346 and stole 17 bases, and senior Brooke McManus, who hit .320 with nine home runs and 45 RBI. Oregon will most likely see Liberty’s inexperienced pitching depth behind junior Kaylan Yoder in the Flames’ second game of the day, although sophomore Danner Allen achieved a 2.49 ERA in 25.1 innings last season.

Feb. 7, 4:00 PM: No. 4 University of Tennessee

The Version Seven Ducks emerged as a Women’s College World Series contender with a 1-0 win over No. 5 Tennessee in non-conference play, and Version Eight has a chance at its own upset over the Volunteers. 

Tennessee ace Karlyn Pickens led the 2025 team to the World Series semifinal with a 1.17 ERA and 306 strikeouts across 226.2 innings, and returns as a Player of the Year contender. In the lineup, the Volunteers return sophomore Saviya Morgan, who hit .340 and stole 25 bases last season, and will look for Boise State University transfers Sophia Knight and Makenzie Butt to translate historic production in the Mountain West Conference.

The Ducks have a strong chance to improve their preseason No. 5 ranking if they can repeat their 2025 upset.

Feb. 8, 7:00 AM: Southeastern Louisiana University

Southeastern Louisiana is Oregon’s weakest opponent of the tournament on paper, but the program has momentum after eliminating Louisiana State University from its home regional last season.

The Lady Lions won the two LSU matchups by committee, and they return ⅔ of that committee with senior ace Macie Larue and redshirt sophomore Hallie Burns back in the circle. The core of the speedy, contact-driven lineup that has proven capable of an upset is also intact with graduate Shenita Tucker (.394 batting average, 25 stolen bases) and Chloe Magee (.358 average, 35 stolen bases).

This season’s non-conference slate is significantly tougher than last year’s for the Ducks, but after making a deep run, Lombardi knows how her team needs to be tested to achieve postseason success.

“It’s a tough slate, and with that, I think it requires a deep team. For us to expect only a few to take on strain, it doesn’t make sense. We need a lot of our athletes to be able to take on strain each game, so I’m excited to see each game and what it looks like and just how we go about it,” Lombardi said.