As the No. 17 Oregon softball team prepared to face one of the Pacific-10 Conference’s best pitchers this weekend — Cal sophomore Jolene Henderson — Ducks coach Mike White took it upon himself to ensure his players got consistently good looks in the batters box during practice this week.
White, an International Softball Congress Hall of Fame pitcher during his playing career, was the top pitcher on the United States National Team before he retired in 2007. He competed in tournaments around the globe, and helped the U.S. and helped his native New Zealand achieve success with their national teams. His teams claim two gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze in his four trips with New Zealand and two with the United States.
And it comes as no surprise that White, now 50 years old, still possesses plenty of his old prowess on the mound.
“He’s was definitely the best of the best when he was playing,” freshman catcher Alexa Peterson said. “So his knowledge of the game and just being able to be so competitive still just playing against us is few and far between for coaches.”
Peterson, a native of Salem, has benefited from White’s insight as Oregon’s starting catcher. With 29 starts under her belt, Peterson has been a welcome surprise to the starting lineup this spring after adjusting to college game.
Junior college transfer Christie Nieto, who provided a clutch RBI double in the Ducks’ win over No. 1 Arizona State last Sunday, has also staked her claim in the starting lineup. Strong defense in right field — a minor adjustment from her traditional position at first base — and timely hitting have made it tough for White to keep Nieto out of the lineup.
Yet even she, a two-year standout at Mt. San Antonio College, credits White’s ability to keep the Oregon bats ready for elite level pitching.
“He just throws hard, and he gets the job done,” Nieto said. “It’s awesome to have somebody able to pitch to us live and throw hard, too.”
With Henderson (23-5), the Ducks expect to see plenty of off-speed looks, particularly her changeups and curveballs. The sophomore from Elk Grove, Calif., holds the nation’s fourth-best ERA (0.85), while leading the conference in strikeouts (180) to go along with her 15 complete games and 180 2/3 innings pitched.
When the Golden Bears visited Eugene last season, Henderson (then the No. 2 starter) pitched 8 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts during her three appearances, which included a six-inning two-hitter that resulted in a 1-0 loss for Cal.
Oregon swept Cal in 2010 — its only sweep of the conference season — and hopes to get off to a quick start in order win its first conference series of the season after going 1-2 with both Washington and Arizona State in the first two weekends.
“We want to make sure we jump-start, we come out as fast as we can, (and) don’t wait for them to make things happen,” White said. “We want to make things happen. And being a little more aggressive, especially in the strike zone, you know Jolene Henderson throws a lot of strikes.”
Sophomore pitcher Jessica Moore (15-4) would welcome an aggressive showing from the Ducks offense, which has been greatly lacking at times during some of her recent outings. The Sutter, Calif., native saw seven innings of three-hit softball result in a 2-0 loss last Friday, with only a single hit to back her up offensively.
While Moore’s 1.18 ERA has kept Oregon in almost every game, offensive productivity is still inconsistent. Though Moore hasn’t expressed her frustration outwardly, her teammates know they’ll have to start picking her up soon if they hope to put together a respectable conference record.
“She kind of looks for us to like, ‘Hey pick me up, I’m holding up my end of the stick then you guys need to hold yours,’” Nieto said.
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Oregon softball looks to repeat last season’s sweep of Cal
Daily Emerald
April 14, 2011
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