One by one, Oregon softball’s three star pitchers left the program this offseason. 

Miranda Elish followed Mike White to Texas and Megan Kleist left the team to join Louisiana Lafayette in the 2020 season. Then, Maggie Balint ducked out just before the start of the season.

The Ducks needed a star in the circle. Cue sophomore transfer Jordan Dail.

Dail decided to leave Virginia Tech after one season following a coaching change by the Hokies. She needed a program that had a staff and team she trusted, and one that she could have a key role with. After visiting Eugene in November, she found that program.

“I just felt like it was instantly the right fit,” Dail said. “There was no other place I’d rather be.”

Dail trusts new head coach Melyssa Lombardi, her staff and the players on the team. Now Dail is Oregon softball’s ace, starting her career with the Ducks 9-0.

She went 6-10 and pitched just 98 innings her freshman year at Virginia Tech, which is about an hour-and-a-half drive from her hometown of Forest, Virginia. Once arriving in Eugene, the left-hander immediately connected with Lombardi, and the dividends quickly paid off.

“I think it’s the best thing she ever did,” Dail’s father, Mickey, said. “I can already see a change in her now just in the short period of time she’s been there. The fact that Missy Lombardi’s the best producer of left-handed pitching over many years, it was the perfect fit for her.”
Making the 2,700-mile move to Eugene was an easy adjustment for Dail, mainly because of her teammates and Lombardi.

During her campus visit, Dail went to Matthew Knight Arena to watch Oregon women’s basketball, a sport she played and was talented at until going full time with softball when she committed to play collegiately during her sophomore year of high school. After the Ducks basketball team beat Syracuse, Dail told her dad that Eugene reminded her of Blacksburg — home of Virginia Tech.

“I thought she was going to make her decision in 24 hours,” Mickey said. “She felt like she had made a mistake when she accepted Virginia Tech’s offer at such a young age. She said, ‘I don’t want to make a mistake again.’”

Dail has fit into Oregon like a glove. With freshmen Rachel Cid and Jasmine Sievers as key pieces to the Ducks’ infield, Dail and her teammates have found a connection.

“She really works hard for us, and all we can do is have her back.” Cid said.

Her defense will have to be ready to support her throughout the 2019 season with an inexperienced pitching staff and Dail as the ace. Unlike the last few seasons, the Ducks bullpen doesn’t have three of the nation’s top pitchers.

Maddie MacGrandle is currently Oregon’s No. 2, while Kailey Krueger has yet to see more than two innings of action in the circle prior to Oregon’s home opener. The Ducks will continue to rely on Dail going forward.

“The girls definitely welcomed me with open arms when I got here,” Dail said. “They were super nice, super supportive, let me know little things we had to do. … It was a very easy adjustment for me, especially with the help of all these girls.”