Ducks Flying High: Softball, Baseball Chase World Series Glory

Duck Nation, buckle up and grab your rally hats — it’s postseason mayhem in Eugene, where both the Oregon softball and baseball teams are storming into the national spotlight, wings flapping, bats blazing, and dreams of Omaha and Oklahoma City coming true. Mr. FishDuck took a break from his fun at non-GamStop game providers for UK users and his time to explore Loki Casino’s game selection to share his excitement about these two Oregon team jewels.

SOFTBALL: OKC OR BUST

The No. 16 Oregon Ducks softball squad (53-8) has punched its ticket to the Women’s College World Series for the first time since 2018, led by head coach Melyssa Lombardi and a battle-tested group who took on an old nemesis, UCLA, on Thursday night in Oklahoma City.

“I just remember all the times growing up watching the game on TV,” senior shortstop Paige Sinicki told KMTR. “It’s really cool to see a program like this planting a seed so all of us can reap the harvest later on.”

Lombardi credited the team’s rise to the army of players and staff who’ve built the program over the years. Junior pitcher Lyndsey Grein added, “It takes an army to accomplish what we’ve accomplished here at Oregon. I’m super grateful and thankful for the opportunity.”

The Ducks faced off Thursday night against a UCLA lineup loaded with power: Megan Grant’s 25 homers and Savannah Pola’s .440 average will test Oregon’s pitching depth.

Shortly after midnight, the Ducks fought back to tie the score at 2-2 against the Bruins in the late innings of their opening-round matchup. But UCLA’s Jessica Clements ended Oregon’s hopes with a walk-off home run, sealing a 4-2 victory.

Oregon tied the game in the top of the seventh inning after Sinicki, initially called out at home on a fielder’s choice, was ruled safe following an obstruction challenge that confirmed the Bruins catcher improperly blocked home plate. The play capped a determined push by the Ducks to erase UCLA’s two-run lead.

Earlier, the Ducks opened the scoring in the third inning when Kedre Luschar delivered an RBI single that brought Kaylynn Jones home, giving Oregon a 1-0 lead.

UCLA answered in the fifth when Alexis Ramirez hit a two-run home run, scoring Lauren Hatch to put the Bruins ahead, 2-1.

Oregon’s Grein pitched into the sixth inning, facing 20 batters, allowing four hits with two strikeouts and one walk before being relieved by Elise Sokolsky.

On offense, the Ducks have struggled at the plate, going just 3-for-20 overall and 1-for-7 with two outs. UCLA also battled at the plate, going 1-for-6 with runners on base. The Bruins briefly gained momentum in the fifth before Oregon’s late-inning rally.

The game, marked by two stadium light delays early on, sends UCLA into a cushy upper-bracket spot in the double-elimination tournament. In the losers’ bracket, the Ducks will face Ole Miss on Friday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN. Oregon will have to win three straight elimination games to advance to the Women’s College World Series championship round.

Oregon Ducks Softball 2025 Season Nuggets

Record Breakers

• Overall record: 53-8 (tied best ever through 53 games)

• Big Ten record: 19-3, regular-season Big Ten champions

• First Big Ten softball title (2025), seventh conference title overall in program history (5 Pac-12, 1 NWCSA)

Postseason Power

• Advanced to Women’s College World Series for the first time since 2018

• Swept Liberty in the Eugene Super Regional to punch WCWS ticket

• Beat Stanford in a dramatic comeback during Regionals, capped by a Dezianna Patmon walk-off homer

Big Ten Dominance

• Ducks lead the Big Ten in stolen bases and sacrifice flies

• Ranked top five in 12 Big Ten offensive categories, including batting average, home runs, and scoring

National-Scale Numbers

• One of only a handful of NCAA teams ranked top 10 nationally in scoring (3rd), ERA (8th), and fielding percentage (4th)

• 37-0 when hitting at least one home run in a game

• Nation-best 17-3 record against RPI Top 50 opponents

• +303 run differential (423 runs scored vs. 120 allowed), best in the NCAA

Offensive Fireworks

• 74 home runs (14th nationally), 376 RBI (8th nationally)

• Kai Luschar: NCAA-leading 53 stolen bases (program record)

• Team season steals record shattered: 156 steals (previous record 126)

Star Power

• Kedre Luschar: .467 average (8th nationally), top-11 in Big Ten in hits, doubles, triples, RBI, and OBP

• Kai Luschar: 101 career steals, one shy of all-time Oregon record

• Paige Sinicki: clutch postseason hitting, key home runs in Super Regional

Key Transfers Deliver

• Staci Chambers: Senior transfer pitcher, big postseason relief innings

• Dezianna Patmon: Senior transfer outfielder, hit walk-off homer vs. Stanford and walk-off single vs. Liberty

Road Warriors

• One of only five Top 25 teams with 15+ road wins (Oregon, Oklahoma, Florida, FSU, Duke)

What’s Next?

• WCWS opener vs. rival UCLA — Thursday, May 29, 6:30 p.m. PT, ESPN2

BASEBALL: ROAD TO OMAHA

Meanwhile, over at PK Park, Oregon baseball (42-14) is hosting its first NCAA Regional in more than a decade. Coach Mark Wasikowski — or “Coach Waz,” as the faithful call him — knows what’s on the line: breaking a 70-year College World Series drought and proving that the Ducks are no longer living in the shadow of their in-state rivals in Corvallis.

“This is a really big deal,” Wasikowski said. “The success we’re having — people are starting to see, ‘Wow, these guys are really doing good up there in that stormy Northwest.’”

The Ducks, who set a program record with 107 home runs this season, are led by outfielder Mason Neville, the nation’s home run leader with 26. Oregon fans, take note: Coach Waz has issued a postseason battle cry.

“Go get it. Be the difference, be the reason why Oregon wins,” he told SI’s Bri Amaranthus. “Almost like you’re not allowed to sit. It’s a must-stand for three hours.”

The Ducks open against Utah Valley on Friday, and if they win the regional, they’ll head to the Super Regionals — just one step shy of Omaha.

Oregon Ducks Baseball 2025 Season Nuggets

• Big Ten Co-Champions (22-8 in conference) — first Big Ten title in program history
• 42-14 overall — rolling into postseason with a 15-2 run since late April
• Program-record five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances under coach Mark Wasikowski
• Hosting NCAA Regional at PK Park — fourth time hosting since program revival (2009)
• No. 12 overall seed in national bracket

Offensive Firepower

• Program-record 107 home runs this season

• Mason Neville: Leads NCAA with 26 HR

• Jacob Walsh: .336 avg, 19 HR, team-best 59 RBIs

• Ryan Cooney: .335 avg, 47 RBIs, 43 runs

• Dominic Hellman: .304 avg, 12 HR

Award Haul

• Big Ten Coach of the Year: Mark Wasikowski

• Five First-Team All-Big Ten: Grinsell, Mattox, Walsh, Cooney, Neville

• Four Third-Team All-Big Ten: Reitz, Aroz, Hellman, Molony

• All-Freshman Team: Burke-Lee Mabeus (Catcher)

Pitching Standouts

• Grayson Grinsell: 9-3, 2.62 ERA, 99 Ks in 92.2 IP

• Seth Mattox (closer): 2-1, 2.45 ERA, 8 saves

• Jason Reitz: 3-0, 3.66 ERA

Eugene Regional Field

• No. 1 Oregon (At-Large)

• No. 2 Arizona (Big 12 Champs)

• No. 3 Cal Poly (Big West Champs)

• No. 4 Utah Valley (WAC Champs)

Veteran Hunger

• Walsh + Grinsell: Leaders from back-to-back Super Regional teams in 2023 + 2024

• Team’s mindset? “We know the feeling of losing two straight — we don’t want that again,” says Grinsell

Big Ten Accolades

• Oregon topped the Big Ten in homers, slugging, and offensive punch

• Neville leads the nation in home runs

• Grinsell’s 1.36 ERA in Big Ten play was best in the conference

What’s Next

• Friday opener vs. Utah Valley (32-27), 6 p.m., ESPN+

• Winner advances to Saturday 6 p.m. game; losers meet at noon

• Championship game: Sunday at 7 p.m. (if needed, Monday)