Washington Waddler

Yes, so many moments, so many heroics, but it was Staci’s 4+ innings that kept us in it and allowed the offense to chip away.

My wife and I were sitting in ‘The Bob’ when Lombardi and Oklahoma came to town in 2018. That 5-0 Duck victory left a lasting impression on her of the program and facilities. But, what probably tipped the scale (as she has mentioned many times) was the fan support. Even by Oklahoma standards, it moved the needle.

Tournament time is all about pitching. Lombardi is (understandably) tight-lipped regarding any issues effecting her staff. We are left to speculate and wonder. She has two remarkable pitchers in Grein and Sokolsky. That said, there still remains a significant difference between recruiting the top national prospects, and attracting talented projects from less competitive programs looking to use their last year or two to their advantage. Irregardless of their accelerated rate of development, that difference often does show up at tourney time when facing the toughest competition. Image wise, Oregon’s softball commitment and stability probably took a big hit among high school coaches and players when it refused to pony-up in order to keep one of the most successful head coaches in the game from moving on. By earning the program’s first regional hosting since then, Lombardi has begun to close that perception gap; and, along with her stellar credentials, will hopefully now start getting commitments from the kind of talent that she will need down the road.

Yes, feels a bit like softball’s tourney game against Michigan: a strong, traditional B1G opponent that will likely feel obligated to put the new comers in their place, and try to stop the onslaught on B1G championships. Finding agreement in the polls is about as rare as an unassisted triple play.

Irregardless of how this loss effects their regional/super regional draw, if it locks them into tournament focus, it was worth it.

Anyone else beyond tired of recruits playing into the click bait tease game that seems to be the only reason for most (OBD not included) sports sites to exist so they can offer nothing but last weeks news? I’ve nothing but admiration for those athletes who announce their schools of interest and then shut up.

Garate has been playing like a Golden Glove candidate.

Pent-up rivalry payback can carry you a long ways. That’s the beauty of rivalries. The emotions are unseen and unknown - until they happen. Put most any other team up against Beavis but the Ducks, and they’re probably still No. 3. Wouldn’t be surprised if all they’re dreaming about right now in Corvallis is getting the chance to match up with us one more time in a super regional.

First time Melyssa Lombardi’s Ducks have been ranked ahead of Mike White’s Longhorns. Feels good to be turning that corner.

Staci Chambers delivering under pressure bodes well for the team as it moves towards trophy time. Filling a role that’s been reserved for Grein and Sokolsky could offer the two starters some relief when things start to heat up. The slow but steady growth of her program is well displayed by how Lombardi is now beginning to attract and develop good transfer pitchers into some of the best in college softball. Finding that culture identity fit with Oregon like she had at Oklahoma (where for 21 years she was in charge of pitcher development) hopefully will translate into top drawer recruits taking a closer look.

Send that guy a free pass to the Ducks Beavers football game - in the student section.

Good to see Walsh getting his big bat going again. Go Ducks!

As Scott Reed points out, Dan’s recruiting strategy for this cycle has been to pass on the singles, and swing for the fence. When your quantity is low because you’ve limited your prospects to a select few, the transfers, decommits, and recruiting whiffs are going to hurt a bit more. As others have pointed out, this cycle is a work in progress, and Dan’s record would indicate there’s a lot left in his bat.

Heads up to LC.

Preview to the B1G championship? Can’t wait!

Kinda doubt either Bruin team will be resting on their laurels with a rubber match on the line. Our teams saw them at their best which can be an advantage, if we play to ours - which they have not seen. Go Ducks!

Whatever the source, it’s the kind of desperation move that’s easy to believe the Bruins might make. That’s a program that’s lacked an identity for so long that fishing expeditions have become 2nd nature.

Getting to be that hairsplitting time for poll rankings as the season starts to move into its final games. About now, provincial prejudice and bias starts to trump objectivity among rah-rah poll voters. Like fans who will side with their conference after their team is no longer in play, the east coast-centered sports media voters apparently will side with any team east of the Mississippi River. Oregon’s youthful inconsistency in home losses to inferior teams (Oregon State and LMU) most likely came into play to justify their hairsplitting.

One of the things I love about softball is how every pitcher has to stay mentally engaged, even when they’re pulled, since they may be called upon again in relief. No heading for the showers for starter Elise Sokolsky who had to reenter in order to save her own start when reliever Lyndsey Grein got in trouble. This requirement that every pitcher stay involved creates a team dynamic that seems unique to softball.

Guess the guy should be glad he didn’t have an Adidas tattoo as well.

Nothing like a little home cooking to get things back on track.

Ma’ake is beginning to mature at the plate, getting patient, and leaving the low, inside stuff alone. Because of that, she’s making better contact, and her power is translating higher percentage pitches into home runs, even on partial follow-through. Potentially, she’s the most dangerous bat the team has seen in years.

For the past three games, “best shots” is correct. Except for the USC series, the team has not faced opponents who have ‘a little something else’ at stake when they face us. The Buckeyes - no matter the sport - want to put us in ‘our place’, while Portland was the first experience this season playing an in-house opponent with upset intentions - like the softball loss to the Beavers. As Wasikowski said, we made mistakes against the Pilots, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort, it was a lack of execution. While it’s no excuse, I try to bear in mind that of our 18 member pitching staff, 8 are freshmen. Mark is not soft pedaling, but neither is he hammering. I agree with his damage control approach of putting this behind us, and getting back to the practice field. At this moment, it’s just time for encouragement.

Dismantling and recycling a small American city? Wow. But could be the pilot project for how to resolve the problem of Corvallis?

Good thing we’ve got a strong staff. Other than right now, Buckeyes don’t look like much of a measuring stick. Not to look ahead, but interested in our match-up with Iowa, not to mention the Bruins and mutts.