Thursday on the Big Ten Network, Oregon softball begins defense of their regular season title at the Big Ten Conference Tournament in a game against Michigan, 1:30 p.m. PDT in Bittinger Stadium at Purdue University.
The Ducks cruised to a 19-3 record in league play but in the tournament everyone starts 0-0 in single elimination. Michigan advanced to the second round with a win Wednesday over Wisconsin, 3-2.
The two met April 4,5 and 6 at Jane Sanders Stadium with the Lady Webfoots sweeping Go Blue, 3-2, 5-4 and 9-1.
Kedre Luschar and Rylee McCoy lead the Ducks in hitting this season, averaging .467and .441 respectively. Leadoff hitter Kai Luschar has hit at a .401 clip with a team-leading 53 stolen bases, an all-time program record.
Melyssa Lombardi's squad plays an exciting brand of softball. They hit the long ball with 74 home runs, yet they've stolen 156 bases this year, caught only 16 times.
Regular starting pitchers Lyndsey Grein and Elise Sokolsky are second and third in the conference in ERA. Grein compiled a 26-2 record this season with a 1.82 ERA, striking out 189 in 146.1 innings.
Sokolsky has been the team's most reliable hurler down the stretch, 15-2 on the year with a 2.00 ERA.
McCoy is one of four freshman starters for the Ducks. She leads the team with 17 homers and 52 RBI. Designated player Stefini Ma'ake, blasted 14 home runs and 49 RBIs.
Catcher Emma Cox and second baseman Kaylynn Jones also started in their first year of college ball. Cox hit .345 with six home runs and 28 RBI, while Jones batted .312 and scored 33 runs, a steady glove with just three errors all season.
A mild concern for the Ducks going into the post season is a pitching slump by Grein. She's allowed 16 earned runs in her last 22 innings of work.
Melyssa Lombardi: “We're not done yet.”
— John Evans (@_jpevans_) May 7, 2025
No. 7 Oregon softball heads to Big Ten Tournament looking to add to postseason resumehttps://t.co/IjVN9oYmkC