Oregon didn’t want to look past Fordham in the first round of the NCAA Regionals. An 8-0 run-rule win over the Rams allowed the No. 4 ranked host team (46-8) to keep true its word.

That doesn’t mean that Oregon didn’t start preparing for Baylor ace Heather Stearns (20-7), who entered with a 1.89 ERA, before Saturday’s second game match-up that resulted in a 6-0 win.

“We didn’t want to overlook our first opponent, Fordham, but we did look ahead to face the challenging pitcher,” Koral Costa said. “We had good film, we had good preparation and practices … we just wanted to pass the bat, and that’s what we did today.”

After a game that head coach Mike White felt like was “the most prepared” his team has been for a regional opener, Oregon played like a team that was just getting warmed up.

It all started with the dominance on the mound.

“I just went with the game plan,” Cheridan Hawkins said. “I felt comfortable throwing everything today.”

Freshman Megan Kleist might have thrown five scoreless innings and given up just six hits against Fordham yesterday, but senior Hawkins (22-3) finished just one hit shy of notching her eighth career no-hitter – shaking off just one pitch – against the second-place Big-12 finishers (44-13) today. It wasn’t until the top of the seventh that Hawkins’ near-perfect run ended.

“She’s an amazing pitcher; she exploits weaknesses,” senior third baseman Sarah Smith, who recorded Baylor’s only hit, said. “We haven’t faced a girl like that: a lefty that can spin the ball.”

That was just the defense.

Offensively, the Oregon batters were just as impressive, pouring in runs against a seasoned leader who had plenty of recent tape to work with. In total, Oregon ended with 12 hits, much in part to three costly errors that were spread throughout the game.

Knowing that home runs are hard to come by in the postseason – especially in the College World Series – White emphasized consistently manufacturing runs.

“It’s good we can create some magic of old … that’s what we used to do when we had some speed,” White said. “(But) I’m still tinkering with that, trying to figure out the best way to do it.”

Oregon got on the board first in the bottom second. Right after Alyssa Gillespie (2-for-2) laid down a bunt to advance Hailey Decker (0-for-2) to third – immediately replaced by pinch runner Cherish Burks – both runners tagged up on a botched throw to third to take an early 2-0 lead.

Oregon went on to score a run in every inning after to close out the game.

Sammie Puentes scored on a throwing error in the third; Gillespie crossed home on a Nikki Udria (1-for-4) groundout in the fourth; Darya Kaboli-Nejad tacked a run on a Gillespie fly out in the fifth; Koral Costa (3-for-3) scored the final run in the sixth on a Janelle Lindvall (3-for-4) RBI double.

Oregon will now wait and see who it will face in Sunday’s final. White will wait until then to name a starter.

The first pitch is set for 4 p.m. at Jane Sanders Stadium.

“Kind of sets the stage for another classic match-up tomorrow, whoever comes through,” White said. “We’ll be waiting.”

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This past Sunday, Oregon (44-8, 20-4 Pac-12) was selected as one of 16 teams to host a four-team NCAA regional. As the No. 5 seed, Oregon will have the chance to host the super regional next weekend with a win.

In its inaugural season, Jane Sanders Stadium will open its gates to Fordham (39-19, 18-4 Atlantic 10), Baylor (43-12, 13-4 Big 12) and Long Beach State (32-20, 12-9 Big West).

In recent years, Oregon has gotten used to hosting and winning regionals. This year marks Oregon’s fifth consecutive year playing host to an NCAA regional. To take it one step further: this program has yet to lose a regional game since Mike White took over as head coach seven years ago.

“We’ve had a pretty good record,” Janelle Lindvall said. “A lot of it has to do with playing at home. It’s just another level of comfort. With my time here, it’s been the Oregon tradition to host.”

As always though, this team will aim to take it one game at a time and not look too far ahead.

“Right now, it’s a new season,” White said. “It’s about right now, getting through this regional, coming out with a win, and going on to the next step.”

First up will be Fordham this Friday at 8:30 p.m. Airing on ESPN 2, this matchup will be the second of two games that day with Baylor facing Long Beach State at 6 p.m. Fordham is coming off an Atlantic 10 conference title, but against Power Five conference teams, it is 3-7 this season.

Fresh off its fourth straight Pac-12 title and a series win against Utah, Oregon is hoping to turn its momentum into a third straight birth to the Women’s College World Series. Since Jane Sanders opened, the Ducks have gone 13-3, which should help their cause.

“Just kind of be aggressive, not shy away … not feel like we have anything to lose,” Cheridan Hawkins said. “We have an advantage if anything, we’re on our home field. We get to sleep in our own beds, we didn’t have to fly, didn’t have to drive.”

For White and his players, the approach will be no different. Led by the strong hitting of center fielder Koral Costa (.415), shortstop Nikki Udria (.414) and second baseman Lauren Lindvall (.408) – all three hold top six batting averages in Pac-12 – and Oregon career shutout and strikeout leader Hawkins (21-3), this team will be looking to continue playing its brand of softball.

The challenge will be to maintain consistency when it matters most, especially on the mound where emotions can easily run high.

“A lot of times, you have failure in these regionals when you’re hyped up, a little too tense, and things start off kind of slowly,” White said. “It’s very important for us to get off to a good start against any team we play.”

Out of the three visiting teams, Baylor will likely pose the biggest threat. Having lost just four games on the road and finishing second in a good Big 12 conference, Baylor will be looking to make its own noise this weekend.

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Emotions were running high at Jane Sanders Stadium on Senior Day. Two days after claiming its fourth straight Pac-12 title against Utah (32-19, 13-10 Pac-12), the six outgoing Oregon seniors were showered with gifts and special videos on the big screen. In addition, Sammie Puentes sang the National Anthem.

But the real excitement didn’t start until the fifth inning, when Oregon began its comeback effort to beat Utah, 3-2, and clinch a series win.

Just after Cheridan Hawkins (21-3) recorded her sixth strikeout to close the top fifth, No. 3 Oregon (44-8, 20-4) prepped for one final push. It was trailing 2-1.

Lauren Lindvall, who finished the game 2-for-2, led off the bottom fifth with a single to left center field. Stevie Jo Knapp then drew a critical walk to set up the run Oregon had been patiently working towards. Alyssa Gillespie followed up with a perfectly laid bunt to load up the bases for Jenna Lilley.

Lilley, who finished 1-for-3, took Katie Donovan to a 2-2 count just before things got interesting.

“I just told myself to stay in the moment,” Lilley said. “There’s been a lot of emotions this game … just trying to keep an even-keel out there.”

Following a close call for ball three, a livid Utah Assistant Coach Cody Thompson charged the field. The umpire wasn’t having any of it. Thompson was immediately thrown out before he could mouth off how he was truly feeling.

Once play resumed, Lilley stepped up with a riled up crowd behind her with a full count and the bases loaded. She struck one right down the first baseline, bringing home two runs. Oregon took its first lead at 3-2 heading into the sixth.

Despite a close call in the top sixth where play paused multiple times following a few controversial calls by the umpire, Hawkins and her defense kept their cool.

“It was kind of a gut-check for her,” Head Coach Mike White said. “She held it together really well.”

After two quick back-to-back strikeouts to begin the top seventh, Hawkins gathered herself, gave a quick high five to Lilley, and took the mound.

One final pop fly to center was the final play as Oregon charged the field following its last regular season series win of the year.

“That’s an important win right there,” Hawkins said. “Preparing to be in a close game, preparing to feel pressure in certain innings, and up at the plate … that is definitely a good environment to be in before postseason gets here.”

Back on April 30^th, the NCAA selection committee ranked Oregon at No. 7. The top eight teams, which will be announced tomorrow, will host its respective Super Regionals.

For now, Oregon will take a quick break, enjoy its successful regular season, and patiently wait for its postseason verdict.

“I think we’re a top eight team,” Hawkins said. “Whatever happens, we’re going to work our butts off.”

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Nikki Udria made sure to rebound from her 0-for-3 game one outing against visiting No. 17-ranked Arizona (32-16, 9-8 Pac-12).

In game two, at a sold out Jane Sanders Stadium, Udria drove home four runs — one solo home run in the first, one three-run homer in the fifth — to lead No. 5-ranked Oregon (37-6, 15-2) to its second straight shutout in a 7-0 win.

“I think she was feeling bad about going 0-for yesterday,” Head Coach Mike White said.

Oregon has now won 10 straight.

“That helps us going forward, hopefully into the postseason,” White said.

It wasn’t just the Oregon offense that was hot; its defense was equally as impressive.

Behind Megan Kleist’s (W, 15-3) first career seven-inning shutout — she gave up no runs, five hits, and recorded two strikeouts — Oregon showcased what White described as its best defensive outing of the season.

“It was really good to see us come with a full effort today as far as high efficiency batting, good pitching, and good defense,” White said.

As part of the shutout, the Oregon defense recorded a pair of double plays and made sure Arizona’s five hits didn’t equate to runs on the board.

In the third, Oregon began to separate itself. Gwen Svekis led off with a double to left. Sammie Puentes, who is coming off a walk-off homer in game one, then stepped up and laid down a picture-perfect bunt single to put runners on the corners. Jenna Lilley capped it off by fouling out to right, bringing home Oregon’s second run.

In the fifth, Udria ignited the crowd again. On a full count, with two runners on, she bombed a three-run homer to right center to take a 5-0 lead. She finished the game 2-for-3, with two homers and four RBI.

Hailey Decker’s two-run homer in the sixth brought home Oregon’s final two runs of the game.

The third and final game of the home series will take place tomorrow at noon. ESPN 2 will televise the game.

“We’re playing fantastic,” Udria said. “Yesterday, we could have done a little bit better offensively, but I think that’s it awesome that we have Cheridan and Megan who can go back-to-back with each other. They’re both doing phenomenal.” 

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— Oregon women’s track and field won the Pepsi Invitational over the weekend. It topped second place Penn State 173-166. The men ended in a rare tie with Penn State.

— Last season, Dana Altman and the Oregon men’s basketball team watched as reigning junior college player of the year Chris Boucher developed into the nation’s leading blocker. This year, the program is hoping to land the jackpot again with junior college All-American Kavell Bigby-Williams. As a sophomore last season, Bigby-Williams posted 16.8 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 5.8 blocks per game. He chose Oregon over Arizona State, Montana State, Providence, Texas, Utah, and San Diego State. Here’s the full overview.

— Oregon baseball recently gave up a record 21 hits at PK Park against UC Santa Barbara. It followed up by winning the next two to take the three-game series. Coach George Horton believes this “might be a defining moment” for his struggling team. Here’s the story.

— Oregon softball edged in-state rival Oregon State 4-3 on Saturday. It was its 11th straight against the Beavers. Hailey Decker’s three-run blast proved to be the difference.

— Oregon women’s tennis left the the team’s chances for a win in its last Pac-12 match of the season on Nia Rose’s shoulders Sunday. In a tie match, the sophomore’s set was the deciding factor for the Ducks against Utah. And in the third set tiebreaker, Rose narrowly fell and Oregon lost the match, 4-3.

— After a crushing 14-2 loss to Stanford this past Friday, the Oregon women’s lacrosse team bounced back and trounced UC Davis, 15-3 on Sunday.

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Dana Altman’s trend of landing junior college transfers continued this weekend. Oregon men’s basketball added All-American forward Kavell Bigby-Williams to its roster. Bigby-Williams, a 6-foot-10, 230-pound standout from Gillette College in Wyoming, officially confirmed his commit to DuckTerritory.com over the weekend.

As a sophomore last season, Bigby-Williams posted 16.8 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 5.8 blocks per game. The prospect, who has ties to Harris Academy in Beckenham, England and originally committed to Montana State, chose Oregon over Arizona State, Montana State, Providence, Texas, Utah, and San Diego State.

The addition is expected to move Oregon’s recruiting class ranking up to No. 13 country and No. 3 in the Pac-12. Bigby-Williams joins West Linn’s Payton Pritchard, Rainier Beach’s Keith Smith, and Mater Dei’s Michael Cage as Oregon’s newest signees.

With the sign, Oregon now has two scholarships remaining for its 2016 class. One of those two is being held in hopes of the NCAA granting recent Villanova graduate transfer Dylan Ennis a sixth-year of eligibility.

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Dana Altman told his players to take two weeks off from practicing and weight lifting. As hard as it was for the players to stay out of the gym, they are now easing back onto the court in preparation for the offseason.

The focus has slowly shifted from heartbreak to reflection.

“We’re just looking back at all the great things we did this season,” Casey Benson said. “Obviously it was a tough way to go out, but it was a special season. One loss doesn’t diminish what we did all year.”

The biggest question now, is who will be on the roster next year.

“It’s each individual guy’s preference,” Altman said. “I don’t think you should do it if you have no intention of going, but if there’s possibility that you may go, then you probably ought to do it.”

On Thursday afternoon, Altman said that none of his players who are eligible for the draft — Dillon Brooks, Tyler Dorsey, Chris Boucher, Jordan Bell — have indicated that they will declare. This is in spite of the new NBA rule which allows for college players to participate in draft workouts without losing their eligibility.

Altman, who has openly supported his players in whatever decision they choose to make, expects to know, either way, who will return within a couple weeks.

After falling short of the Final Four, Oregon is confident that it took strides in the right direction. Assuming it returns most of its core players, expectations for the reigning Pac-12 champs will be as high as its been since Altman arrived in 2010. Oregon also has one of its most highly anticipated recruiting class classes coming in this year.

“I’d be really disappointed if there weren’t some expectations,” Altman said. “We spent six years trying to build something. We’re at a point now where we hope people recognize us. It’s going to be exciting. Even if everyone doesn’t come back, we’ll have enough of the core group back to try to build something.”

***

After one spring practice, Dwayne Benjamin officially called it quits on the gridiron.The 6-foot-7 forward said his future is with basketball, not football.

“Definitely a tough decision with me loving both sports as much as I do,” Benjamin said. “Kind of made a premature decision going out there. One of the main reasons was just to get the career started.”

The idea that the decision was predicated on avoiding the physical nature of football humored him.

While he has no concrete plans for now, Benjamin said his goal will be to set the grounds up for playing overseas. He and his brother are currently setting up meetings with potential agents to get the ball rolling on his professional career. Benjamin said May is when players start getting calls from teams for workouts and tryouts. His hope is to get a representative as soon as possible to start this process.

“Just get good representation and they’ll pretty much just speak for you,” Benjamin said. “They have a tour where you go to a couple countries and play a couple games. That’s an option and that’s coming up very quickly in May, so that’s something I need to decide if I’m going to do or not.”

In his final season as Oregon’s backup forward, Benjamin averaged 8.0 points and 3.2 rebounds. He shot 32 percent from three and 40 percent from the floor.

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Jane Sanders Stadium may have set a new attendance record in its fourth game, but UCLA’s bats likely didn’t let any of them leave content.

No. 4 ranked Oregon (26-5) dropped its first game at its new ballpark, 16-6, after the Bruins  finished with 12 hits. The 16 runs were the most Oregon has allowed this season.

“They played better defensively, offensively, and obviously they pitched in tough situations,” Coach Mike White said. “We just couldn’t stop them from scoring.”

No. 14 ranked UCLA (21-10-1) came out hot and never cooled off. By the bottom of the second, the Bruins had racked up nine runs and forced White to look for answers at the mound.

Down 4-0 in the bottom second, Geri Ann Glasco replaced starter Cheridan Hawkins (10-3). In 2.2 innings, Glasco gave up seven hits and four earned runs.

“Mind’s just wondering … not focused,” White said about Hawkins. “You can say a lot on the outside, but you got to think it on the inside. She’s got to be mentally tougher and she’s got to want it.”

UCLA’s starter Selina Ta’amilo (10-2) got the win in 3.2 innings. She gave up seven hits and three runs.

In a last ditch effort, Oregon did all it could to avoid losing the game on the mercy eight-run rule. Behind a three-run, two-hit fourth inning outing, Oregon headed into the bottom fifth needing four more runs to keep the game alive.

Infielder Hailey Decker then drilled a ball to deep center field that got caught in between the wall and field. Every UCLA outfielder threw up their hands wanting a ground-rule double. Instead, Decker continued to round the bases as she completed an inside-the-park home run that kept her team alive for a little bit longer.

“We’re getting used to it,” Glasco said about adjusting to Jane Saunders. “Hailey knew to keep running, so we took advantage of that. That’s a home field advantage for sure, knowing that.”

The game ultimately ended in the bottom fifth as Gwen Svekis got called out at second on an interference call.

“We didn’t play our game,” Glasco said. “We came out here, we were dull, we weren’t playing our type of softball. Messed up some of the little things and that tends to get you in the end.”

In total, the Bruins hit 44 percent. They were even more impressive at 80 percent when leading off.

The three-game home stand will continue for Oregon tomorrow night with a 7:30 p.m. scheduled first pitch.

“Once you get kicked, you see how you rebound,” White said. “That’s the challenge for us tomorrow.”

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There is a reason why it hurts. Like Dana Altman told a small circle of media members after Oregon fell short of the Final Four, these next six months without practices and games will be tough.

As expected, it was too soon for players and coaches to start reflecting on its historic run in the Oregon locker room following an 80-68 loss to Oklahoma in the Elite Eight. For a team that was two games shy from accomplishing its ultimate goal of hanging a banner, the realization that the run was over — that it had to send off its seniors on a loss was tough to swallow.

“Hurts a lot,” Cook said after ending his career with a 24-point performance. “My season is over. We’re done. We were confident. We believed in each other, but this hurts a lot.”

Eventually, this disappointment and sorrow will blossom into reflection about the huge strides this program made in 2016.

“Once the hurt of this game, once we get through that, we’ll reflect back on this year with great pride,” Altman said. “I’ll look back on it with a lot of love.”

In October, Villanova graduate transfer Dylan Ennis accurately predicted that “People should be excited about Oregon basketball.” Six months later, it’s fair to say Ennis’ early feelings about this team were a bit of an understatement.

By claiming its second regular-season conference title since 1945, by winning a program-best 31 games, by receiving its first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, this year’s group accomplished something few Oregon teams have.

“We had a great year and we’ve accomplished things that have never been done,” Brooks said. “We put Oregon on the map for sure.”

No one expected Oregon to make it as far as it did, especially after losing reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year Joseph Young. Before the season, this team was projected to finish fourth in the Pac-12 and received just one vote to win its conference.

In retrospect, this feeling of being overlooked may have become the driving force behind the successful run Oregon made.

What made this group special was its understanding of one another. Everyone knew their role.  What Altman did en route to his first Elite Eight was masterfully weave this natural chemistry into a dreamcatcher; one that allowed his team to believe it had what it took to be the last team to cut down the nets.

This was all despite losing Ennis early to a season ending foot injury and playing without Jordan Bell and Tyler Dorsey for a handful of games.

“Oregon is definitely going to build their basketball tradition here after the season,” Ennis said. “We’re showing that Oregon is one of the basketball powerhouses now.”

There is a possibility that Oregon will wave goodbye to more than its seniors Cook and Dwayne Benjamin. While unlikely that anyone will leave, Dorsey, Bell, Brooks and Chris Boucher are all eligible for the upcoming NBA draft and will have the new option to participate in workouts without suffering the consequences of officially declaring. It’s going to be a matter of them figuring out what’s best for them and their families.

Either way, losing Cook and Benjamin won’t be easy.

“I’m thankful for them,” Dorsey said. “They did everything for us and we needed every aspect of their game.”

But if everyone returns, and Ennis can successfully petition for one more season — as of now, it’s roughly a 50-50 chance — Oregon will not only return its core, it will also welcome four-star recruits in Payton Pritchard and Keith Smith, and 6-foot-10 three-star Michael Cage Jr. to its seasoned roster.

“Could definitely be the start of something,” Dorsey said. “We fought all year. We wasn’t expected to do this. We had a good run. We can build on it next year.”

Before Oregon beat Utah in the Pac-12 tournament title game, Brooks said he wanted this team to etch itself into the history books. Following the win over Duke, Benson said it was another steppingstone to where this program wants to head towards. After the loss to Oklahoma, Benjamin said he’d never play for another team like this.

It’s clear that runs like the one Oregon paved don’t come around often. Now, it will just be a matter of taking that next step.

“It’s hard to go out like this, but we got stuff to learn,” Brooks said.

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ANAHEIM – In the far left corner of the Oregon locker room, Dwayne Benjamin sat with a towel over his head. Fighting back tears, Benjamin slowly collected his red and black Jordan sandals and packed his bag. The graduating senior, who had transferred from Mt. San Jacinto College two years ago, realized this was it.

“Best team I’ll ever play for,” Benjamin said. “Best two years of my life.”

Before media members entered with cameras and recorders, cramming the compact locker room following Oregon’s 80-68 Elite Eight loss to Oklahoma, the team took the 10-minute cooling off period to thank its two seniors for everything they had done.

“It was just the seniors, that’s all we were talking about,” Chris Boucher said. “They worked hard for us and knowing they’re leaving like that just hurts.”

Elgin Cook, who scored 24 points in his last collegiate game, had one of his best outings. On the other hand, Benjamin struggled from the floor, and finished with just three points on 1-of-6 shooting.

“Not a lot of seniors have this moment,” Dillon Brooks said. “Elgin fought so hard, same with Dwayne. It’s hard to go out like this. The seniors will always be in our hearts and they’ll always be Oregon Ducks.”

Oregon lost to a more experienced, better prepared Oklahoma team.

Oklahoma guard, Buddy Hield put on a spectacle.

Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield (24) hits another three to start the second half. The Oregon Ducks face the Oklahoma Sooners on March 26, 2016 in the Elite 8 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. (Kyle Sandler/Emerald)

Shaking past Cook and other Oregon defenders as if they were kids on a playground, Hield splashed his way to a 37-point, one-man show. It knighted him into NCAA Tournament royalty with the likes of Stephen Curry, joining an elite circle of players who have scored 100 points prior to the Final Four.

“Buddy’s performance … we just haven’t seen that,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said.

For the second straight game, he resembled a certain NBA legend who was enjoying every minute of the shooting barrage from the stands.

“He’s been Kobe since I came here,” Oklahoma freshman center Jamuni McNeace said. “He plays like Kobe, he’s competitive like Kobe, he scores like Kobe. Buddy gets buckets, Kobe gets buckets.”

But in a game where Oregon dug itself in an 18-point first half hole, missed 17 3-pointers and gave up 16 second-chance points, it was clear it wasn’t just Hield doing the damage.

The Pac-12 regular season and tournament champion, the team who won 31 games in a season and became the first No. 1 seed in program history, did not play that way Saturday.

“That first half is etched in my mind already,” Altman said. “It will be a tough six months thinking about that.”

“We had a great year and we’ve accomplished things that have never been done,” Brooks said. “We put Oregon on the map for sure.”

Altman didn’t provide a clear answer about what may happen with this program next year. He told media members that he wants what’s best for his playerss futures. Some will consider the pros — Tyler Dorsey, Boucher, Brooks — and others will look forward to another year.

“I hope all of them come back. I’d sure like to work with them again, but that has to be a decision made by their families,” Altman said. “I want what’s best for them, and when they decide what they want to do, then we’ll try to put a team together and do the best we can.”

Realistically, Brooks, Dorsey and Boucher should return. The group could make for a roster filled with more experienced, more developed, and potentially, more talented players.

“Everybody grew up this year,” Dylan Ennis said. “We’re showing that Oregon is one of those basketball powerhouses now. Hopefully, the momentum will push into next season.”

For now, the loss hurts. But Altman said he knows this season will be one he looks back on fondly.

“Once the hurt of this game, once we get through that, we’ll reflect back on this year with great pride,” Altman said. “I’ll look back on it with a lot of love.”

Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim