– Ahead of Oregon baseball’s season opener at San Diego State, manager George Horton has announced the starting lineups for the first series of the season. Junior pitcher Cole Irvin will pitch the opener against the Aztecs. The No. 14 Ducks will play their home-opener next Thursday, Feb. 25, against Illinois State.
– Nike recently unveiled the new Vapor Elite uniforms for the Ducks baseball team. Oregon will be one of three programs in the country (Vanderbilt and North Carolina) to wear the jerseys that Nike claims are lighter, more pliable and more comfortable than standard jerseys.
– After being named Pac-12 Player of the Week on Monday, Jillian Alleyne made the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 cut on Wednesday. Alleyne leads the team in points per game and rebounds and is expected to be a first-round draft pick in this years WNBA draft.
– The No. 6 Ducks softball team is looking to improve on its already impressive season as it travels south to take on No. 7 Louisiana-Lafayette. The Ducks are off to a 5-1 start after a strong showing at last week’s Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona, but Louisiana-Lafayette is going to be its first true test of the season.
– As the regular season winds down for both men’s and women’s basketball, the two teams find themselves in very different positions. The men’s team is currently playing for a higher seed in the tournament; its spot is all but assured in the dance this year.
The women’s team is fighting for its opportunity to be a part of the tournament. It is currently one the of the next four teams out, according to ESPN’s Bracketology, but a strong showing in its final four games — including two against ranked teams — could propel it to an at-large bid.
Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris