Each year, Oregon softball head coach Mike White uses the team’s fall games to assess the roster for the upcoming season. That’s even more so the case this year, with a host of new faces.
“It’s like a box of chocolates,” White said. “You don’t quite know what you’ve got.”
Oregon will play eight games in October, spread over three different weekends at Jane Sanders Stadium. Six of the games scheduled are against other programs based in Oregon, including Concordia, Corban and Western Oregon.
The Ducks are continuing to push forward after coming up short against UCLA in last year’s Super Regional. Oregon was two outs away from sending the Bruins packing.
“We want to learn off what happened last year, there’s no doubt about it,” White said. “We put ourselves in a good position and to come so close — that was a heart breaker. I’m still thinking about it and I’m sure the girls are still thinking about it too.”
White said he and his staff have made adjustments to the way the program operates, including some “top down” adjustments on how matters are managed.
Many of the key contributors from last season have since graduated, including ace Cheridan Hawkins and catcher Janelle Lindvall, Oregon’s career leader in home runs. The Ducks total seven new faces on the roster.
Last fall, Oregon signed the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class. In September, the Ducks signed Alexis Mack, a South Carolina transfer with staggering offensive numbers. White said Mack will likely see playing time this fall at second base, as junior Lauren Lindvall underwent Tommy John surgery over the summer.
“She brings speed,” White said of Mack. “She was a good hitter in the SEC. Her numbers prove that. Her experience there against some really good pitching are the two main things that she brings to the table.”
She’s one of seven new faces for the team this fall. Oregon returns Megan Kleist, the co-Pac-12 freshman of the year. The Ducks also added Maggie Balint and Miranda Elish, the No. 1-ranked recruit nationally, to the pitching staff.
“We’ve got a new look to the team, that’s for sure,” White said. “… I think we have high D-I caliber pitchers. We could put any one of them out there and be successful. That’s going to be fun and an emphasis to get better in the circle as a group.”
White and his staff hope to use the eight games on tap to help his newcomers adjust to the Ducks’ system. This fall marks the first full school year for the team at Jane Sanders Stadium. White said the space continues to be a sizable advantage for his team.
“It’s much easier when you have a facility like that. It helps us immensely,” White said.
White said he views this fall as a fresh start for his team. While he acknowledges that he won’t know exactly the make-up of his team until spring, fall games allow for additional assessment, which is invaluable with a team comprised of just three juniors and three seniors.
“It’s all about finding out what people’s roles will be,” White said. “It’s discovery time.”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne