Sisterhood is powerful, and so are the women of Oregon sports

While Duck fans wait for news of spring practice, the spring game and Oregon's pursuit of the football national championship, two great sports stories are being written by the women this spring.

The first comes in women's college basketball, where Kelly Graves and the Ducks topped Illinois 76-73 at Matthew Knight Arena Wednesday night to reach 18-7 on the season, closing in on an NCAA tournament bid.

The team rolled out to a 45-24 lead but slumped badly in the third quarter, outscored 27-6 as the Illini tied it at 51-51, then a 3-pointer by Destiny Jackson put the visitors up 60-56 with 6:13 to play in the fourth. They pushed it to eight by the five-minute mark, but Mia Jacobs rained in a 25-foot three-point jumper to reclaim the lead at 1:28.

Clutch free throws, four of four by Jacobs and point guard Katie Fiso salted it away.

Fiso, forward Ehis Etute and Jacobs have emerged as a Big Three for the Ducks. In Wednesday night's win Etute worked inside for 20 points and nine rebounds as Jacobs led all scorers with 23 points and nine boards, two assists and three blocks. Floor leader Fiso poured in 16 with nine assists and a pair of steals.

On Sunday the ladies host No. 9 Ohio State at 12 p.m. on Big Ten+ and the Oregon Sports Network. The Buckeyes are 9-2, third place in conference play, 20-3 on the year.

Version Infinity boasts pitching and power

On the diamond, Oregon begins its 2026 softball season Friday at the NFCA Leadership Classic in Clearwater, Florida with a 10 a.m. PT game against Missouri, broadcast on KWVA radio and the GameChanger TV app.

At 1:00 p.m. they play Clemson of the ACC, followed by a Saturday game against Liberty, the team they beat last May to advance to the College World Series.

It's a marquee start to a season head coach Melyssa Lombardi calls "Version Infinity." This Duck team is going to be amazing to watch as they feature two of the league's (and the nation's) best pitchers in Lyndsey Grein and Elise Sokolsky, Grein finished 30-3 last season with a 2.21 ERA, striking out 236 batters in 190.1 innings. Sokolsky finished strong, compiling a 17-5 record with a 2.09 ERA, 136 Ks in 151 innings pitched.

A year ago, their magical season took them all the way to Omaha.

For 2026 Lombardi has reloaded, peppering the lineup with a fearsome array of power. Sensational sophomores Rylee McCoy (19 home runs, 59 RBI) and Stefini Ma'ake (14 home runs, 54 RBI) return, but from the Transfer Portal the Ducks picked up three more big bats, shortstop Addison Amaral from Notre Dame, Elon Butler from Cal and Amari Harper from Texas A&M.

Harper batted .421 for the Aggies last season with eight circuit clouts and 51 runs batted in. The Ducks will be strong defensively too, with reliable catcher Emma Cox, third baseman Katie Flannery and second baseman Kaylynn Jones all returning.

Like their basketball sisters, it's a great mix of veterans, returning players and exciting new additions. Fans who wait until the spring game to tune back in to Oregon sports will be making a mistake.