As many Oregon fans descend on Hayward Field this weekend to attend the Oregon Invitational, another interesting development is happening just down the road at Howe Field.
The Oregon softball team is at a pivotal point in its season as rival Oregon State comes to town Saturday and Sunday, with a game at 1 p.m. each day. The ninth-ranked Beavers are atop the Pacific-10 Conference with an
8-2 record while the Ducks are trying to keep afloat. After starting conference play with
a 3-7 record, Oregon was destroyed by
No. 6 Stanford and let one go against No. 3 California last weekend.
(Don’t fret, track fans; your ticket to get in the track meet will allow you entry into the softball games so you won’t have to pay twice.)
Oregon’s season is at a point right now in which it can go in one of two directions. The Ducks could pick up a win or two this weekend and regain any confidence that could have been lost after their disparaging defeats last weekend, or they could continue on their downward-slope toward the bottom of
the conference.
Oregon is a team that has challenged for a spot in the Women’s College World Series for the past two years but has looked a bit shaky of late.
Early season fielding problems seemed to have come back to haunt the team and have been putting extra pressure on the pitchers to get additional hitters out.
Duck ace Amy Harris has been pitching great for the Ducks and still boasts a very respectable 1.40 ERA, but she only has a 12-9 record to show for it. While Harris has been on the mound this season, the Ducks have given up
17 unearned runs in 139 2/3 innings pitched (she has only given up 28 earned runs).
Offensively, the Ducks have shown promise, led by their youngsters. Freshman Lovena Chaput has been the most consistent hitter, batting .339 on the season. Fellow freshman T.J. Eadus has also stepped up and leads the team with a .360 average, though that number has dipped a bit since starting Pac-10 play.
One player for the Ducks that doesn’t seem to get a lot of notoriety is sophomore Kristi Leiter. Usually relegated to designated player or pinch hitting duties, Leiter is the second-leading hitter on the team with a .354 average and always seems to get a hit when needed. The only obstacle for her and head coach Kathy Arendsen is finding a place for her to hit.
The Ducks are also featuring maybe the best .190 hitter in the conference. Senior second baseman Erin Goodell may be sporting a batting average below the Mendoza line, but she gets hits when they’re needed. She actually has more RBIs (17 — third on the team) than hits (16).
So if the Ducks not only want to contend but make it to the world series this season, the defense must get better or they could be destined for the bottom of the conference.
And going against their in-state rivals gives them the perfect chance to turn it around.

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