Ducks Set for Loaded Slate at Judi Garman Classic

EUGENE, Ore. - The Oregon softball team will play in its fourth straight road tournament this week as the Ducks head to Fullerton, Calif., for a loaded five-game slate at the Judi Garman Classic.

Coming off a 4-2 weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic, No. 20 Oregon (11-4) will open the Judi Garman with a Thursday doubleheader against No. 3 Florida and tournament host Cal State Fullerton before taking on No. 22 Auburn on Friday. The Ducks will close the weekend on Sunday against Michigan and No. 7 Tennessee.

Judi Garman Classic Schedule

Date	Opponent	Time (PT)	Stream
Feb. 28	#3 Florida	12:00 PM	FloSoftball ($)
	Cal State Fullerton	2:30 PM	FloSoftball ($)
March 1	#22 Auburn	10:00 AM	FloSoftball ($)
March 2	Michigan	5:00 PM	FloSoftball ($)
	#7 Tennessee	8:00 PM	FloSoftball ($)

How to Follow
All of five of Oregon's games this weekend will be streamed on FloSoftball.com (subscription required). Matt Tyra will have the call for KWVA 88.1 FM for all five games, and links to live stats will be available on GoDucks.com. Live updates can be found on Twitter via @OregonSB.

The Field
The 14-team field features six teams ranked in the NFCA top-25: No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Florida, No. 5 Washington, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 20 Oregon and No. 22 Auburn. Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Fresno State, Loyola Marymount, Michigan, New Mexico, UConn and UTSA round out the tournament.

NOTES
Bowden Wins Pac-12 Player of the Week (2/26)
SO UT Shaye Bowden earned her first career Pac-12 player of the week award after hitting .412 with a home run, double and seven RBIs at the Mary Nutter Classic. Bowden was 7-for-17 over six games, including a two-hit, three-RBI day in the Ducks' 7-5 comeback win over Texas A&M. The Phoenix, Ariz., native also hit her second home run of the year vs. NMSU, and went 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the win over UCSB. The Ducks' super-utility player also continued to thrive at catcher, throwing out three runners trying to steal. Bowden is sixth in the Pac-12 this season with a .409 batting average and tied for ninth with 14 RBIs, and she leads the conference with six runners caught stealing despite playing only nine games behind the plate.

Dail Among NCAA's Top Pitchers Early On
SO LHP Jordan Dail has made quite the first impression with the Ducks after transfering from Virginia Tech. Dail (2.33 ERA) is tied for the NCAA lead in wins (9-0) and ranks fourth nationally in strikeouts (74), and she has established a reputation as a workhorse with an NCAA-leading 69.0 innings pitched over 12 appearances. The Forest, Va., native already owns six complete games and two shutouts, including her first career no-hitter vs. Florida Atlantic (2/16). Last weekend at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Dail went a perfect 4-0 with a 1.65 ERA while striking out 28 batters over 29.2 innings pitched., including a seven-inning complete game to beat New Mexico State, 3-1. More on Dail on page 14.

Cruse Leading Patient Plate Approach
The Ducks have shown a disciplined approach at the plate so far in 2019 with a lineup featuring six underclassmen. Oregon is second in the nation and first in the Pac-12 with 73 total walks while striking out just 62 times, ranking 18th in the NCAA with a .422 on-base percentage. JR OF Haley Cruse leads the nation with 17 walks herself, and FR IF Rachel Cid is 13th in the NCAA with 13 total walks. The Ducks rank fourth in the Pac-12 in batting average (.308), and they lead the conference in both sacrifice bunts (10) and sacrifice flies (7).

Ducks Roar Back to Beat Texas A&M
The Ducks went 4-2 last weekend at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, highlighted by a thrilling 7-5 comeback win over Texas A&M. After falling behind 5-2 through five innings, freshmen Allee Bunker and Lexi Wagner came through with big RBI hits in the sixth to tie the game, 5-5. SO UT Shaye Bowden drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh, and an error allowed a second run to score before SO LHP Jordan Dail finished off the Aggies in the bottom half for the win. The Ducks opened the MNCC with a 3-1 win over New Mexico State, and also picked up wins over Army and UCSB. Oregon dropped games to Bethune-Cookman and No. 23 Texas Tech.

Veterans Shine in MNCC Finale
While Oregon's freshmen and newcomers have shined early on in 2019, the Ducks' returning veterans took center stage in a 6-1 win over UCSB to close the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. SR C/1B April Utecht went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the offense, SO UT Shaye Bowden drove in a pair of runs in a 3-for-4 day and JR OF Haley Cruse drew three walks in a 1-for-1 day with two stolen bases. All three Ducks also drove in runs in Oregon's 11-0 run-rule win over Army, with SR OF Cherish Burks also adding her first home run of the season.

Cid Producing From No. 3 Spot
FR IF Rachel Cid has made an impact from the get-go in the middle of Oregon's order at the No. 3 spot, showing impressive power and a knack for driving in runs. Cid is tied for ninth in the Pac-12 in RBIs (14) and home runs (3) while ranking second on the Ducks with a .341 batting average. The Tracy, Calif., native leads Oregon with five multi-RBI games and has reached bases safely in 15 consecutive games entering the Judi Garman Classic. Cid was the Pac-12 freshman of the week on Feb. 12 after hitting a whopping .471 (8-for-17) with three home runs and a team-high 10 RBIs at the Kajikawa Classic.

Top-25 Streak
After coming in at No. 20 in the latest edition of the USA Today/NFCA poll, Oregon softball has now been ranked in the top 25 of the NFCA poll for 138 straight weeks (preseason and postseason polls included). The Ducks climbed to No. 23 in week 10 of the 2010 season and have never dipped below that mark since. UO opened the 2019 season at No. 25 and moved up to No. 19 in week one and No. 17 in week two.

Up Next
Oregon will open its 17-game home schedule at Jane Sanders Stadium on March 8 against Oklahoma State in game one of a three-game series.