Oregon Softball started out hot on Friday night beating Virginia(5-6) 13-0 in five innings.  The Ducks had hits from all nine hitting positions on offense, and Senior Starting Pitcher Jessica Moore. In three innings of work she allowed three hits and stuck out four.

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Saturday was a doubleheader day for the Ducks. They face Cal Poly(3-0), who was looking for their third straight upset of Top 20 teams to start the season. Oregon did not give it to them, winning 2-1. UO Pitcher Sheridan Hawkins struck out one, and allowed a hit in six innings of work. Jessica Moore came in to close out the game for her first save of the season.

Sunday’s Double dip to wrapup to five game set Oregon beat UNLV 4-2. In the finale the Ducks took care of San Diego State(6-7)  by a score of 3-1. Jessica Moore led the charge and raised her record to 7-2 by striking out ten, walking two and allowing one hit.

For the series the Ducks are hot on offense, two starters hit .400 for the weekend,  Senior Second Baseman Kaylan Howard and Junior Shortstop Courtney Ceo. Four others topped .300.

For the weekend Senior Pitcher Jessica Moore pitched to a 1.31 ERA with ninteen strikeouts, with four walks and seven hits. She held opponents to a .131.

Oregon Softball next heads to Orlando to play in the Citrus Classic (March 1st-3rd)

Oregon opens play vs. fellow WCWS returnee LSU and NCAA regional veteran Long Island on Friday, then faces Boston College and Temple on Saturday, and a third NCAA returnee in Michigan and Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Women’s Track and Field with a Big Weekend at MPSF Championships

Oregon Men’s and Women’s Track and Field looking to continue momentum heading towards the NCAA Championships. The Ducks Phyllis Francis took the 400 meters and broke the facility record at the Dempsey Indoor Facility by more than a second coming in at 52.03 – she hit the tape fifteen meters ahead of her closest competition.

Jun 25, 2012; Eugene, OR, USA; Elijah Greer of Oregon places sixth in the 800m in 1:45.40 in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Hayward Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

In the 60 meters two Ducks finished 1-2. English Gardner won the event in 7.24 seconds and Jenna Prandini placed second in 7.34 seconds.

“We competed really well. There were lots of highlights, lots of personal bests.” Robert Johnson on the Weekend

One race that is always fun to watch is the 3000 meters. Unlike leading the race the whole way the winner, a Duck, trailed and picked up the pace to win in the end. Alexi Pappas won in a personal best 9.07.97.

The Men also had a big weekend with Elijah Greer ran the fastest 400 meters in the nation this year in 1.46.73

Oregon Head Coach Robert Johnson was pleased overall with the weekend.

“There were so many standout performances today. From the mile and the 60s to the 400s and the 800s, the 3,000 and then the relays.  The guys in the multis did a great job with PRs too. It was a good weekend for the Ducks.”

In other news, Oregon’s National Championship Cross Country Team added an academic honor to their list of accomplishments.

Oregon Women’s Basketball Continues to Struggle

February 24, 2013; Stanford, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Paul Westhead reacts against the Stanford Cardinal during the second half at Maples Pavilion. Stanford defeated Oregon 74-50. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard to build winning momentum when you continue to face better teams. The Ducks faced 6th ranked Cal (77-55 loss) and 4th ranked Stanford((74-50 loss) this weekend. There was a bright spot on Sunday afternoon against the Cardinal in Freshman Jill Alleyne who had her tenth double double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Stanford and a rebounding advantage 55-45 for the game. It was Stanford’s 12th straight victory on the season and Head Coach Paul Westhead has to be looking for the season to be over soon – and it will be.

Oregon faces Colorado(March 1st) and Utah(March 3rd) to close out the regular season. The Lady Ducks are 4-24 on the Season and 2-14 in the Pac 12.

For more on the Ducks you can follow AutzenZoo on Facebook and Twitter.

Justin Phillips is Sports Reporter for Newsradio 1120 KPNW in Eugene, Oregon.

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Altman is being too tough on the team here, but he does have a point. The Ducks took 13 three-pointers in this game, and they only connected on two of them with both makes coming from star E.J. Singler (2-3). His knock on the freshmen struggling is likely directed at Dominic Artis’s 0-4 line from downtown, and he shot just 30.8% from the floor with four turnovers.

Nebraska was even worse, as they shot 30.6% from the floor as a team and chucked up plenty of bricks from deep territory as well. Ray Gallegos played in all 40 minutes and finished with a 1-8 line from three, which is absolutely atrocious.

The Ducks received their best performance from Tony Woods, who continues his strong season after posting a 7-11 line on the Huskers to go with a pair of blocks. Altman heaped plenty of praise on both Woods and Arsalan Kazemi, who continues to be a monster down low. He’s been the best rebounder in the conference and had a whopping 17 boards in this game to go with four steals (!) and ten points on just four shots.

Kazemi has been the best player in the Pac-12 in my opinion, because his 31.1 PER leads the league as does his total rebounding percentage. The Iranian has the league’s best defensive rating, the best steal percentage, and the second best offensive rating. Kazemi simply does it all, and Oregon is lucky to have him after he transferred from the Rice Owls. He has been a revelation for the Ducks, just as Devoe Joseph was last season. Except now, the Ducks get their man for the full season instead of just conference play.

The Ducks need to play more efficiently on offense because that type of play isn’t going to work against better teams. I mean, not everybody the Ducks face is going to shoot 30% from the floor like Nebraska did. It was a great win for the defense and “a win is a win”, but at the same time Altman needs to keep the guys focused and look at the bigger picture with regards to offensive efficiency.

Oregon has a top 20 defense this season, but their offensive rating is hovering at around 60th. That needs to improve a bit more if this team is to reach their full potential, especially since they have had an incredibly easy schedule to this point. The Ducks have been playing like a top 25 team this season, but that’s mainly because they have been beating up on easy competition. I love where this team is headed and would strongly consider ranking them in the top 25, but there is still some work that needs to be done.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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His official trip comes on the heels of four-star guard Alex Redmond’s decommittment this week, and Hinnant could replace Redmond on the offensive line if Redmond does not recommit to Oregon. Even if he does, Hinnant could still be another piece added to the class, and he is more of a pure tackle than Redmond (best fit as a guard).

J.D. Hinnant is a three-star recruit out of Fountain Valley and one of the top 75 prospects in the state of California, so he is a solid recruit despite not being at the level of Redmond. He is one of the better offensive tackle prospects in the country and is one of the best 750 or so recruits in the nation.

Although he has taken just two official visits to this point, there are four schools of interest in his recruitment. The California Golden Bears, Oregon Ducks, Nebraska Cornhuskers, and Duke Blue Devils are all regarded as teams with a shot to land him. However, Nebraska and Oregon are the two best bets to get him, since he has only officially visited these two schools. Hinnant did take an unofficial trip to Cal in September, so it can be stated that there is very little chance the three-star prospect goes to the east coast to play football for Duke.

It will be interesting to see how things go for the 6’5″, 260 pound tackle, but he won’t be the only offensive line prospect visiting Oregon. Committed OL Doug Brenner (younger brother of Ducks women’s basketball player Liz Brenner) will be visiting the Ducks this weekend as well. Thomas Tyner and Johnny Mundt will also be in attendance for Oregon’s game against Stanford.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.