It has been a phenomenal season for the Oregon Ducks Softball team, from their first ever number one ranking to Workhorse Starting Pitcher Cheridan Hawkins, to the power of Courtney Ceo, Janie Takeda, and the supporting cast that made 2014 the most successful year in the history of the program. However, sometimes even fairytale endings aren’t possible for teams that deserve them and all the accolades in the world can’t replace the feeling of getting sooooo close to the chance at a National Championship.

The Oregon Ducks entered the Women’s College World Series on a five game winning streak and took care of business in their first game against Florida State before losing to Florida in the second game in Oklahoma City. The Gators had the Oregon Ducks number this season, winning twice against Mike White’s team. Ceo and Company were forced to play an elimination game against Oklahoma on Saturday evening, which in essence was a home game for the Sooners. The Oregon Ducks came away with a victory and looked to take on the number two seed Alabama on Sunday for two games, but they could not pick up another victory as Alabama and Florida will compete for a National Title this year. A dominating season comes to a close.

Some of the games this year were laughable and one thing to remember is there are big pieces of this team returning for next season. Unfortunately Senior Third Baseman Courtney Ceo is finished her incredible career as an Oregon Duck with 104 hits in her final season and more than one highlight reel play. In her career she battled through injuries and came out as one of the best players for the Oregon Ducks Softball team ever. There is another key piece to this puzzle that will be back next season.

Starting Pitcher Cheridan Hawkins blew away the shadow of former pitcher Jessica Moore and cast a long shadow of her own on the program. As a player, she can only get better and like others in the clubhouse, use this as a learning experience and find a way to get back to Oklahoma City next year. It has been a successful year for the Oregon Softball team who came within a game of the chance at a National Championship. Losing hurts, but knowing you will have another chance sometimes makes a bump in the road worth the ride in the long run.

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