Today will be a day in paradise for the No. 23 Oregon softball team — or at least it will be a day against a team from paradise.
The Ducks play a doubleheader against the University of Hawaii (16-19 overall) at 2 p.m. at Howe Field. The Wahine won’t be an easy opponent for the Ducks (29-17, 4-6 Pacific-10 Conference) according to head coach Rick Gamez.
“This Hawaii team plays a lot of quality opponents, so we can’t overlook them,” Gamez said. “Their record is not indicative of the quality of their team.”
Senior Dana Degen leads Hawaii with a batting average of .369 and has an on-base percentage of .500. Degen has also driven in 15 runs and has four home runs on the year. She is joined by two other Wahine sluggers who are batting at least .300; junior Tyree Woodruff (.318) and freshman Katie Judd (.300) make up the exclusive club. Judd also leads the team in RBIs with 17 and is second in doubles (5) and triples (1).
“We’re not looking past this team at all,” Gamez said. “We have to make sure that they understand that Hawaii is a good ball club and they could beat us if we’re not careful.”
Sophomore Connie McMurren (12-12) will get the call on the mound in the first game of the twin-bill. The Eugene native has turned in some superb performances on the Ducks’ recent road trip, picking up two wins and a save in three appearances in the Bay Area.
“If we can score a few runs we’ll be in good shape,” Gamez said. “Connie’s going keep us in the game.”
Getting the start in the nightcap will be freshman Andrea Vidlund (14-4), who, like her counterpart McMurren, pitched beautifully down in California. With her win against Stanford, Vidlund lowered her earned run average from 2.13 to 2.08, good enough for second on the team.
“She has earned her spot on the club with her performance this year,” Gamez said. “She started out hot right out of the box, but it’s just a matter of making her focus on her task now.”
Oregon has also witnessed the return of it’s potent offense, which is 12th in the nation at 5.67 runs a game. In the Bay Area, Jill Robinson, Lindsey Welch, Missy Coe and Triawn Custer all sparked the bats with home runs to get the trip started in Portland. Robinson and Welch continued their assault on opposing pitchers with another dinger each in the game against No. 8 California on Friday.
“We knew it was a matter of time before our offense came around,” Gamez said. “We have too much power for [a slump] to go on for long. We just needed that little spark and it was contagious. It just trickled on down the lineup for us.”
The Wahine will most likely counter the Ducks’ big bats with junior Desiree Duran, who leads Hawaii with a 1.99 ERA and 49 strikeouts. Freshman Sheri Oronezis, the probable starter in the second game, boasts a team-best 7-6 record with 83.2 innings pitched.
However, Gamez is aware that the Ducks cannot rely on only the long ball or the big inning to carry the team against the Wahine. If Oregon remains complacent at the plate, it might end up on the losing end.
“Our plan is to come out aggressive from the start,” Gamez said. “We need to focus and stay hungry and do the little things … to be successful.”
Softball says ‘aloha’ to Hawaii
Daily Emerald
April 18, 2000
Azle Malinao-Alvarez Emerald
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