The #5 Oregon Ducks(41-6, 14-6 Pac-12) meet #2 Florida State(48-3-1, 24-0 ACC) in a Softball Showdown at Jane Sanders Stadium this weekend.
Mike White is a smart guy. When he set out to build the schedule for this season, he put Florida State late in the season, likely knowing when they met both could be ranked high and in solid postseason position. The series this weekend is the lone Top 10 matchup on the schedule and FSU and Oregon come in with something to prove.
The Oregon Ducks got back on the winning track last weekend with a series sweep of Oregon State. Florida State took care of business against Florida earlier this week in a single game and the three-game series this weekend concludes their regular season. Keep in mind that the Seminoles have a Conference Tournament to get through before the NCAA Tournament in a few weeks.
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Both teams bring momentum from throughout the season. Oregon began the year with a 35 game winning streak. Florida State is undefeated at home at 25-0 and 18-2 on the road. The Noles have also won ten straight games with three going to extra innings.
FSU has done most of their work in the circle with just two pitchers all season. Both come in with ERA’s around 1.00. Jessica Burroughs is 23-2 with 9 complete games and 7 shutouts. Meghan King is 24-1 with five complete games. Burroughs has held opponents to hitting .155 all year and the Oregon Offense woke up at the right time last weekend vs OSU.
The Noles are led at the plate by Jessica Warren who leads the team in nearly every category including average, runs, walks, RBI’s and Homeruns. She is hitting at .448 with 20 home runs to her credit and is the player to watch this weekend. She is even better with runners in scoring position and has 63 RBIs.
Alexis Mack and Nikki Udria lead the Oregon Ducks in hitting. Both are batting over .400. Shannon Rhodes was a key player in the five hole last weekend and has raised her batting average to .288.
While the Oregon Ducks have found their mojo again at the plate, it is pitching that is the team’s strong point. Megan Kleist picked up two wins last weekend against Oregon State and was stellar in a one-hit effort last Sunday. She earned Pac-12 Pitcher of The Week honors. Maggie Balint has also seen headlines this year with 1.16 ERA. Expect both to be key players this weekend.
Oregon and Florida State most recently met back in 2014 in the College World Series. Oregon swept the Seminoles in three games.
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The Ducks and Noles meet this weekend at Jane Sanders Stadium on Saturday(4:30pm, 7pm PT) and Sunday(5pm PT). All three games will be on Pac-12 Network. If you are in the Eugene/Springfield area you can also hear the games on KWVA 88.1 FM.