No. 24 Ducks Host No. 19 Oklahoma State in First Home Series

EUGENE, Ore. - After playing the first 18 games of the 2019 season on the road, the No. 24 Oregon softball team will get to play in front of its hometown fans for the first time this weekend as the Ducks welcome No. 19 Oklahoma State to Jane Sanders Stadium for a three-game series.

The Ducks (11-7) will take on the Cowgirls (14-5) at 6 p.m. on Friday in their home opener before wrapping the weekend with a doubleheader on Saturday (12 p.m.).

How to Follow
All three games this weekend will be streamed live at GoDucks.com/live, and Saturday's games will also be available on the Pac-12 Plus Facebook page. Matt Tyra and Jordan Brenner will have the radio call for KWVA at 88.1 FM, and live stats will be available at Oregon.Statbroadcast.com.

Ducks Look to Rebound From Tough Weekend in Fullerton
The Ducks suffered three tough losses last weekend at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., including a pair of one-run decisions to No. 3 Florida and host Cal State Fullerton. SR C/1B April Utecht gave Oregon a 1-0 lead with a home run in the fifth against Kelly Barnhill and the No. 3 Gators, but defensive mistakes allowed two unearned runs to score to put Florida ahead. Oregon then battled back from a 2-0 deficit against CSUF before losing on a walk-off hit in the seventh. SO LHP Jordan Dail was solid once again in the circle despite taking three losses (2.56 ERA, 14 K), including a six-strikeout performance over six innings against Florida without allowing an earned run.

About No. 19 Oklahoma State
No. 19 OSU, which plays Wichita State on Wednesday night before coming to Eugene, has wins over ranked teams such as Kentucky and Arizona State already this season, as well as losses to LSU and Arizona. The Cowgirls have good power, ranking 11th nationally in home runs (27) and 14th in slugging percentage (.541), and are led by two-way star Samantha Show (.339, 6 HR, 22 RBI | 5-2, 2.10 ERA). Oregon has won four straight over Oklahoma State, including a 4-1 win last season.

Dail Establishing Ace Reputation
SO LHP Jordan Dail has made quite the first impression with the Ducks after transfering from Virginia Tech. Dail (2.37 ERA) is tied for ninth in the NCAA in wins (9) and ranks 10th in strikeouts (88), and she has established a reputation as a workhorse with 88.2 innings pitched, the second-most in the nation. The Forest, Va., native has alreday thrown seven complete games and two shutouts, including her first career no-hitter vs. Florida Atlantic (2/16). Dail has been particularly good under pressure, holding opponents to a .193 batting average with runners on base and a .189 clip with two outs. More on Dail on page 14.

Young Ducks Flashing the Leather
Oregon's young defense, which has often been comprised of all underclassmen around the infield, has shown it is more than capable of handling the load this season. The Ducks lead the Pac-12 and are tied for 17th nationally in fielding percentage (.977), committing just 10 errors through the first 18 games. SO UT Shaye Bowden has been particularly impressive at catcher, throwing out a Pac-12-leading nine runners trying to steal already.

Senior Burks Quietly Off to Great Start at the Plate
After getting just 34 at-bats through her first three seasons, SR OF Cherish Burks has shown early on in 2019 why she was such a highly-regarded recruit. Burks is tied for second on the Ducks with a .353 batting average, racking up 16 singles as well as a home run and a double. Burks' 18 hits are already more than she had her entire career (12) entering the season, and the Manteca, Calif., native has stepped into a big leadership role as well for the Ducks.

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 Pac-12 in walks (77) and third in on-base percentage (.396), and JR OF Haley Cruse leads the conference with 17 total walks. FR IF Rachel Cid is just two spots behind Cruse with 13 walks, and both SR C/1B April Utecht and FR UT Hannah Galey have 10 walks.

Freshmen Shouldering Heavy Load
The Ducks have relied heavily on five freshmen early on in 2019, with IF Allee Bunker, IF Rachel Cid, UT Hannah Galey, IF Jasmine Sievers and OF Lexi Wagner all starting at least 14 games already. Sievers leads the Ducks with a .359 batting average and Cid is tied for the team lead in both RBIs (14) and home runs (3), and Galey also has three long balls. Cid, Sievers, Bunker and Galey have held down the infield for the majority of games, and Wagner has started 17 games in right field and had two huge RBIs in Oregon's comeback win over Texas A&M on Feb. 23.

Top-25 Streak
After coming in at No. 24 in the latest edition of the USA Today/NFCA poll, Oregon softball has now been ranked in the top 25 for 139 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.

Up Next
Oregon will open Pac-12 play next weekend with a three-game series at No. 12 Arizona in Tucson.