Friday, February 6
Clearwater, FL
10:00 AM
University of Oregon
vs
Missouri
No. 5 Ducks Open Season at NFCA Leadoff Classic
02/03/26 | Softball
No. 5 Oregon opens the 2026 season Feb. 6-8 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla. After beginning the tournament against Missouri (Fri., 10 a.m. PT), the Ducks will play four straight 2025 NCAA Tournament teams - No. 13 Clemson (Fri., 1 p.m. PT), No. 21 Liberty (Sat., 1 p.m. PT), No. 4 Tennessee (Sat., 4 p.m PT) and Southeastern Louisiana (Sun., 7 a.m. PT). The games with Tennessee and Southeastern Louisiana will be on MLB Network, while all five games will be available on the GameChanger app.
ON DECK
Oregon's trip to Florida for the NFCA Leadoff Classic finds the Ducks squaring off against a number of familiar opponents. Stefini Ma'ake hit a memorable 300-foot home run to punctuate Oregon's 11-3 win over Missouri at the 2025 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. Rylee McCoy homered twice for the Ducks in that game, while Katie Flannery and Emma Cox also went deep. The 2025 MNCC was also the site of a classic pitchers' duel between Oregon and Tennessee. Lyndsey Grein and Elise Sokolsky combined on a three-hit shutout as Oregon won 1-0 in eight innings. Oregon and Liberty met in the 2025 NCAA Eugene Super Regional. In Game 1, Dezianna Patmon had a walk-off RBI single in the eighth inning to give the Ducks a 3-2 victory. Oregon then clinched a trip to the WCWS with a 13-1 win in game two. Kaylynn Jones went 4-for-4 in the second game. The Ducks' only prior meeting with Clemson came at the 2024 NFCA Leadoff Classic, a 3-2 win for the Tigers. This will be the first meeting between Oregon and Southeastern Louisiana, a 2025 NCAA Tournament regional finalist, since 2003.
PITCHING NOTES
* Last season, Oregon was second in the Big Ten in earned run average (2.47) and 11th nationally. The Ducks also ranked in the top three in the Big Ten (and in the top 20 nationally) in WHIP (1.15), strikeouts per seven innings (7.69), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.91) and shutouts (14).
* Led by All-American Lyndsey Grein, Oregon's pitching staff returns 93 percent of its innings pitched from 2025 (382.0-of-410.2), 91 percent of its strikeouts (411-of-451) and 94 percent of its wins (51-of-54).
* Lyndsey Grein (2025 NFCA 3rd Team All-American) is one of the top pitchers nationally. She had a 30-3 record with a 2.21 ERA in 2025. She stuck out 236 and walked 72 in 190.1 innings. Grein ranked second nationally with 30 wins and 11th nationally with 236 strikeouts.
* Elise Sokolsky (2025 NFCA All-Region 1st Team) gives Oregon an elite 1-2 punch in the circle. Sokolsky led the Ducks and was second in the Big Ten with a 2.09 ERA. She went 17-5 with 136 strikeout and 42 walks in 151 innings.
* After battling injuries most of 2025, Taylour Spencer looks to return the form that made her a Pac-12 all-freshman selection in 2024, when she went 7-4 with a 2.94 ERA.
* The Ducks also added freshman Maddie Milhorn, a two-time State of Washington Gatorade Player of the Year, to the pitching staff. Milhorn led Vancouver's Skyview High School to the 2025 state title with 235 strikeouts and a 0.47 ERA.
HITTING NOTES
* Oregon set a school record with 438 RBIs in 2025 and neared records with 86 home runs, 91 doubles 19 triples for a .574 slugging percentage. Led by All-American Rylee McCoy, the Ducks return 70 percent of their home runs (60-of-86), 60 percent of their RBIs (265-of-438) and 54 percent of their doubles (49 of 91) for 2026.
* Rylee McCoy (2025 NFCA 2nd Team All-American) tied the school record with 19 home runs in 2025. She hit .385 and slugged .820 with 62 hits, 13 doubles and 59 RBI as well.
* Stefini Ma'ake (2025 NFCA All-Region 2nd Team) was second on the team with 14 homers and drove in 54 runs with a .600 slugging percentage. Ayanna Shaw (.387) Kaylynn Jones (.345) and Emma Cox (.313) all hit over .300, while Cox (.600), Katie Flannery (.555) and Braiesey Rosa (.513) all slugged over .500.
* The Ducks lost their starting outfield and Gold Glove shortstop Paige Sinicki. In their places, the Ducks brought in outfielders Elon Butler (Cal) and Amari Harper (Texas A&M) and shortstop Addison Amaral (Notre Dame).
DEFENSE NOTES
* The Ducks set a school record with a .980 fielding percentage which led the Big Ten and was fifth nationally.
ON DECK
Oregon's trip to Florida for the NFCA Leadoff Classic finds the Ducks squaring off against a number of familiar opponents. Stefini Ma'ake hit a memorable 300-foot home run to punctuate Oregon's 11-3 win over Missouri at the 2025 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. Rylee McCoy homered twice for the Ducks in that game, while Katie Flannery and Emma Cox also went deep. The 2025 MNCC was also the site of a classic pitchers' duel between Oregon and Tennessee. Lyndsey Grein and Elise Sokolsky combined on a three-hit shutout as Oregon won 1-0 in eight innings. Oregon and Liberty met in the 2025 NCAA Eugene Super Regional. In Game 1, Dezianna Patmon had a walk-off RBI single in the eighth inning to give the Ducks a 3-2 victory. Oregon then clinched a trip to the WCWS with a 13-1 win in game two. Kaylynn Jones went 4-for-4 in the second game. The Ducks' only prior meeting with Clemson came at the 2024 NFCA Leadoff Classic, a 3-2 win for the Tigers. This will be the first meeting between Oregon and Southeastern Louisiana, a 2025 NCAA Tournament regional finalist, since 2003.
PITCHING NOTES
* Last season, Oregon was second in the Big Ten in earned run average (2.47) and 11th nationally. The Ducks also ranked in the top three in the Big Ten (and in the top 20 nationally) in WHIP (1.15), strikeouts per seven innings (7.69), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.91) and shutouts (14).
* Led by All-American Lyndsey Grein, Oregon's pitching staff returns 93 percent of its innings pitched from 2025 (382.0-of-410.2), 91 percent of its strikeouts (411-of-451) and 94 percent of its wins (51-of-54).
* Lyndsey Grein (2025 NFCA 3rd Team All-American) is one of the top pitchers nationally. She had a 30-3 record with a 2.21 ERA in 2025. She stuck out 236 and walked 72 in 190.1 innings. Grein ranked second nationally with 30 wins and 11th nationally with 236 strikeouts.
* Elise Sokolsky (2025 NFCA All-Region 1st Team) gives Oregon an elite 1-2 punch in the circle. Sokolsky led the Ducks and was second in the Big Ten with a 2.09 ERA. She went 17-5 with 136 strikeout and 42 walks in 151 innings.
* After battling injuries most of 2025, Taylour Spencer looks to return the form that made her a Pac-12 all-freshman selection in 2024, when she went 7-4 with a 2.94 ERA.
* The Ducks also added freshman Maddie Milhorn, a two-time State of Washington Gatorade Player of the Year, to the pitching staff. Milhorn led Vancouver's Skyview High School to the 2025 state title with 235 strikeouts and a 0.47 ERA.
HITTING NOTES
* Oregon set a school record with 438 RBIs in 2025 and neared records with 86 home runs, 91 doubles 19 triples for a .574 slugging percentage. Led by All-American Rylee McCoy, the Ducks return 70 percent of their home runs (60-of-86), 60 percent of their RBIs (265-of-438) and 54 percent of their doubles (49 of 91) for 2026.
* Rylee McCoy (2025 NFCA 2nd Team All-American) tied the school record with 19 home runs in 2025. She hit .385 and slugged .820 with 62 hits, 13 doubles and 59 RBI as well.
* Stefini Ma'ake (2025 NFCA All-Region 2nd Team) was second on the team with 14 homers and drove in 54 runs with a .600 slugging percentage. Ayanna Shaw (.387) Kaylynn Jones (.345) and Emma Cox (.313) all hit over .300, while Cox (.600), Katie Flannery (.555) and Braiesey Rosa (.513) all slugged over .500.
* The Ducks lost their starting outfield and Gold Glove shortstop Paige Sinicki. In their places, the Ducks brought in outfielders Elon Butler (Cal) and Amari Harper (Texas A&M) and shortstop Addison Amaral (Notre Dame).
DEFENSE NOTES
* The Ducks set a school record with a .980 fielding percentage which led the Big Ten and was fifth nationally.
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF/OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF/OF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
RHP
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