The Ducks were facing their second loss in two days: Top of the seventh, down 4-1 to the No. 10-ranked UCLA Bruins. With one runner out, Sammie Puentes, Oregon’s base-running specialist, stood on second base. The next batter, Koral Costa smacked a single into the outfield and the 5’2″ Puentes flew around third and streaked for home where the beefy Bruin catcher, Stephany LaRosa, …
Mike Sweeney of FishDuck.com was at the Hatfield-Dowlin complex on Friday covering week one of spring practice for the Ducks where defensive lineman DeForest Buckner talked about his rehabilitation process. It’ll be a long spring for Buckner, the Oregon D-lineman who had arthroscopic surgery performed on his knee over the summer. The crutches have been stowed in the closet, but he’s …
We made too many wrong mistakes – Yogi Berra Loud is the gnashing of teeth and rending of garments in Eugene: the Ducks lost a run-rule shortened game 10-2. Even worse, the loss was to the No. 19 Huskies. From an Oregon perspective, it was an ugly game. Washington scored four unearned runs in an eight-run fourth inning explosion — …
Geri Ann Glasco is the rare ball player than can hit and pitch equally well. Yankee great, Babe Ruth could do both, but even he had to stop pitching to concentrate on his hitting. Glasco one-ups the all-time great by performing both roles at the same time. Against Utah Valley, Glasco allowed only three hits in a run-rule shortened 9-1 victory. …
Surrounded by three beefy Cowboys, Casey Benson leaped for the rebound and popped from the scrum with the basketball. Midway through the first half with Oklahoma State, Benson had provided an essential stop in the game. His stat line for the contest wasn’t impressive—two rebounds and a steal, no points, but Benson was an unsung hero in the game. He …
Good lead-off hitters are hard to find, but Oregon has a dandy in Alyssa Gillespie. Lead-off batters are vital to sparking an effective offense. Their mission: be aggressive and get on base at all costs; hit, bunt, get hit by a pitch, earn a walk; just get to first base. When the bases are empty, Gillespie is a slap hitter …
Before the game with the Beavers, Oregon Coach Mike White told his star pitcher Cheridan Hawkins to “be aggressive.” White is a wise man; he knows that aggressive teams win ballgames. Hawkins followed White’s instructions throwing a no-hitter while blanking Oregon State 10-0 in a run-rule shortened game. The no-no was Hawkins’ fourth at Oregon, making her one of the best players …
“Gwen Svekis is a great catcher,” my friend Luis Altig says, “she explodes out of her crouch, fires strikes to second base and protects the plate well.” Svekis, an Oregon freshman, is also an all-around player; not only is she steady behind the plate, she leads the team in hitting with a .536 average, two homers and 13 RBI’s. “Best …
What makes Oregon softball so great? With rainy springs and aging facilities, the deck seems stacked against the Ducks, but they have a secret weapon: Coach Mike White. The Duck softball squad rides high these days, ranked No. 1 for much of last season and currently sitting in second place nationally, they have become a force in collegiate softball. White, …
Oregon athletes, past and present, ruled the Millrose Games last weekend. Oregon alum Matt Centrowitz won his second Wanamaker Mile as he out-sprinted Nick Willis to the tape, taking the race in an excellent time of 3:51.45. Centrowitz lost the 2013 Wanamaker Mile by a nose in 2013, and the loss still rankled him. “To this date, that still holds a …
Oregon Duck Sports Calendar—February 18 to February 24, 2015 2/18/15 Women’s Softball Oregon vs Sam Houston State – College Station, TX 12:30 p.m. Media: Live Streaming: CBS College Sports (subscription) Oregon vs Texas A&M – College Station, TX 2:30 p.m. Media: ESPN 3 The No. 2 ranked Ducks continue their trek through the Lone Star State with a game against …
Great teams like great people are tempered in the crucible of fire and the Oregon softball team is stepping into this proverbial crucible: Nine games far from home in six days, eight of those games compacted into four double-headers, four against ranked opponents. Last week the Ducks started the season strong, winning six straight in Arizona at the Kajikawa Classic. …