Ducks Return to Jane Sanders Stadium to Host Iowa

ON DECK
No. 18/18 Oregon returns to Jane Sanders Stadium to host Iowa Friday through Sunday. This is Iowa's first trip to Eugene. Friday (6 p.m.) is the annual Bark in the Park night. All three games will be on B1G+. The Ducks and Hawkeyes have split the previous four meetings, the most recent of which came in 2015. Oregon and Iowa did play a notable elimination game in the 1998 NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 6-1 leads after the top of the third inning, but Oregon scored four times in the bottom of the inning to make it 6-5. Iowa scored three more times over the next two innings to lead 9-5 before the Ducks scratched out a run in the bottom of the fifth. Trailing 9-6 entering the bottom of the seventh, Oregon staged a rally for the ages. The Ducks loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk. With one out, center fielder Lindsey Welch hit a grand slam over the wall in right center to give Oregon a walk-off, 10-9 win to advance to the NCAA Regional Final. That 1998 team had two NFCA all-region selections - Welch and pitcher Jennie Cook - and three all-Pac-10 honorees - Cook and infielders Triawn Custer and Jill Robinson.

NUMBERS
* 13 - Oregon is No. 13 in the current RPI rankings.
* 10 - Oregon has played the 10th most difficult schedule nationally.
* 11 - Oregon has won 11 straight Big Ten series, dating back to last season.
* 25 - Oregon leads the NCAA with a UO record (tie) 25 sacrifice flies.
* 25 - 25 of Oregon's 35 games have come against teams in the top 75 of the RPI (28 vs. the top 100).
* 12 - 12 of Oregon's 16 remaining games are against teams currently in the top 75 of the RPI.
* 7 - The Ducks will play seven Big Ten series against teams in the RPI top 75 (compared to four last year).
* 108 - Oregon has played only two teams with an RPI below 108 (132 - Idaho State; 142 - Oregon State).
* 15 - Elon Butler leads the Big Ten and is third nationally with 15 doubles.
* 129 - Lyndsey Grein has 129 K's which is second in the Big Ten (13th nationally).
* 8 - Oregon is eighth nationally in average attendance per game (1,968).

GREIN, SPENCER THROW COMBINED ONE-HIT SHUTOUT AT NORTHWESTERN
Lyndsey Grein and Taylour Spencer threw a combined one-hit shutout March 27 at Northwestern. Grein started and retired all six batters she faced in the first two innings. Spencer (6-3) relieved in the third, struck out six and walked one in 3.1 innings, holding the shutout into the sixth inning. The only scoring threat for Northwestern came in the fourth inning when Kaylie Avvisato walked with one out and Emma Raye reached on an infield single. But Spencer struck out the next two batters she faced to end the inning. Grein returned to the circle with one out in the sixth inning and retired all five batters she faced to close out the game. She struck out four batters and allowed no walks or hits. Grein retired the side in order in the first, second and seventh innings, while Spencer set the side down in order in the third and fifth innings.

CONSISTENT K-DUB
Kaylynn Jones - aka K-Dub - has been Oregon's most consistent hitter this season. Currently with a .385 average, she's hit .300 or better every weekend (and .350-plus at all five tournaments): Week 1 - .400 (NFCA Leadoff Classic), Week 2 - .462 (Cardinal Classic), Week 3 - .353 (Mary Nutter Classic), Week 4 - .364 (Oregon Classic), Week - .375 (Jane Sanders Classic), Week 6 - .300 (Penn State), Week 7 - .353 (Purdue/Indiana and Week 8 -.444 (Northwestern).

BUTLER CLEANS UP ON DOUBLES, RBI
Elon Butler leads the Big Ten and is third nationally with a career-high 15 doubles. That's tied for ninth on the UO single season list and just three off the school record. She also has three six-RBI games this season and a fourth game with five runs driven in to lead the Ducks with 43 RBI. With 10 home runs this season, Butler now has recorded double digit home runs all four years in college.

GETTING THE RUNNER HOME FROM THIRD
Oregon leads the NCAA with a program-record tying 25 sacrifice flies. Emma Cox and Stefini Ma'ake lead the team with five apiece. Amari Harper has four, Rylee McCoy has three, and Addison Amaral, Elon Butler and Kaylynn Jones all have two.