Catcher Gwen Svekis, short stop DJ Sanders and third baseman Jenna Lilley were all selected in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) draft on Monday. All players will finish their collegiate seasons before joining their professional teams.

Svekis was drafted by the Chicago Bandits as the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, while Sanders followed Svekis to Chicago as the No. 21 pick in the draft. Lilley was picked No. 22 by the Cleveland Comets with the penultimate pick as the Ohio native gets to return to her home state.

Svekis is the highest picked Duck in the NPF draft’s history — the closest to her being Courtney Ceo and Jessica Moore who were each picked sixth in the draft in past drafts.

Through four seasons, Svekis has been a consistent fixture on Oregon’s roster. She batted .427 in 38 games as a freshman and owns a career batting average of .342. Svekis leads the No. 4 Ducks with 13 home runs (a single-season career-high) this season to go along with 42 RBIs.

Sanders joined the Ducks this season from Louisiana Lafayette, where she led the NCAA with 29 home runs and 82 RBIs. This year, she’s hit 11 home runs with 32 RBIs.

Lilley has been an instrumental part of the Ducks during her four years with the program. In her sophomore season, Lilley was hit by a pitch against Stanford and missed just five games despite being hospitalized overnight due to her injuries.

Since then, Lilley has so far rebounded from a disappointing junior season last year to hit five home runs with 26 RBIs this season.

Lilley’s defensive play has arguably been her biggest strength as she continues to represent the United States on the international level.

The No. 4 Ducks travel to Washington this weekend to take on a No. 1 Washington team that was swept by No. 3 UCLA this past weekend.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Oregon track and field had another big day at the Mt. Sac Relays in Torrance, California, on Saturday as the Ducks took home several personal bests and school records.

The day started off with Oregon’s men coming fourth in the Elite 4×100-meter race while the women finished second in the same event.

But the best event of the day for Oregon came at the end when the women’s 4×400-meter relay team finished on top with a three minute, 31.93-second run. That team was made up of Venessa D’Arpino, Hannah Waller, Shae Anderson and Makenzie Dunmore.

Dunmore, Waller and Anderson came fifth sixth and seventh, respectively, in the women’s invite-400.

The men followed up the women’s 4×400 with a second place finish of their own in a season-best time of 3:06.90.

Cravon Gillespie finished eighth in the men’s 100 while teammate Damarcus Simpson came 11th. Ariana Washington finished fifth in the women’s edition and Lauren Rain Williams came 10th.

Rain Williams and Washington came sixth and seventh in the women’s 200.

Sabrina Southerland then finished second in the women’s 800, setting a PR 2:01.44. Susan Ejore also set a personal best, coming in eighth while running the race in 2:04.53.

Braxton Canady matched his PB 13.93 100-hurdles as he finished seventh in the race.

Off of the track, Chaquinn Cook broke the Oregon program record in the triple jump with a 45-7-foot/13.89-meter jump, but her jump only got her to third place in the event. Ben Milligan then went on to tie his outdoor PR with a high jump of 2.19 meters.

Kiana Phelps continued the trend in the field events, scoring a personal best 52.26-meter/171-5.5-feet throw in the discus as Phelps finished eighth.

The Ducks now head to Tucson, Arizona, for the Desert Heat Classic next weekend.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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With Oregon up 4-1 and three outs away from another win, junior Megan Kleist stepped into the circle for one last inning.

Kleist stared at the tying run at the plate twice in the final inning, and the Ducks’ ace did not disappoint, forcing an out at second and a popup to end the game.

No. 4 Oregon (38-7, 11-3) took care of business against Stanford for the second time in as many days, with six different starters earn a hit in a well-rounded 4-1 win over the Cardinal.

The Cardinal scored first thanks to a couple of infield hits combined with a bizarre error that saw Oregon catcher Gwen Svekis throwing to an unoccupied first base as Mia Camuso came inside in an effort to field a ground ball.

But the Ducks managed to erase the deficit immediately in the bottom of the first when Jenna Lilley smashed a solo home run to right field to tie the game.

“They worked really hard to get one run then all of a sudden, one batter, one swing and it’s tied up,” head coach Mike White said. “That’s some of the things that happens in this game sometimes.”

Mary Iakopo had another big game for the Ducks at the plate with the freshman playing as a designated player while Svekis played catcher.

Iakopo went 3-for-3 at the plate, hitting a double and two singles as she crossed home plate for one of Oregon’s four runs.

“I think when I’m catching I get to see where the strike zone is during that first inning, get a feel for the umpire,” Iakopo said.

The Ducks were efficient from lower down in the order with 2-of-3 hitting and an RBI from Lauren Burke, and 2-of-3 hitting from Haley Cruse, while the Ducks first four of the order went just 2-for-13 on the day.

“Bottom of the order is coming in big time for us,” White said. “Those guys are doing well so I’d just like to see that 2-3-4 pick up that slack.”

Steadily, the Ducks added to the lead with runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings while Kleist continued to deal with some hiccups but nothing major.

“I thought Kleist pitched well,” White said. “It wasn’t her best game but again that’s Stanford over there. They’re making her work a lot. They’re not swinging at marginal pitches. They’re doing a good job.”

While Kliest completed her outing with six hits and seven strikeouts to her name, White says he will put Miranda Elish back in the circle for the final game of the series on Sunday at 12, giving the sophomore a chance to start twice against the Cardinal this weekend.

“She hasn’t really had an opportunity to have two games in a weekend — two starts,” White said. “This is a good opportunity to maybe prepare down the future when she could be the number one.”

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Here are some players to watch in the 2018 Oregon spring game:

Offense:

Brenden Schooler / Wide Receiver

After switching from safety to wide receiver last year, Brenden Schooler caught 20 passes for 274 yards. Now, as a junior, Schooler has more experience under his belt and has developed more chemistry with quarterback Justin Herbert, who missed a large chunk of last season due to a collarbone injury. This year, Schooler will probably have a bigger role in the Ducks’ offense with the graduation of Charles Nelson and the expectation of a heavy-passing offense with a healthy Herbert.

Tyler Shough / Quarterback

The early enrollee and 4-star recruit could challenge Braxton Burmeister for the backup quarterback spot. This may be the first glimpse fans will get of Shough in an Oregon uniform until at least the 2019 season, if Herbert leaves for the NFL. How he grows under Herbert and under the guidance of offensive coordinator and last season’s quarterbacks coach, Marcus Arroyo, could be vital to his future as a potential starter.

Defense:

Thomas Graham Jr. / Cornerback

After a breakout freshman season, Thomas Graham Jr. is the Ducks’ best player at the cornerback position. The Ducks lost cornerback Arrion Springs and safety Tyree Robinson to graduation, so now Oregon’s secondary will look different this upcoming season. With 62 total tackles and three interceptions in his first season in Eugene, Graham Jr. is poised for a big sophomore season and could be key to Oregon’s defense.

Jordon Scott / Defensive Lineman

Heading into his sophomore season, the man with the nickname “Fat-Mac,” and a personality to match it, immediately gained attention last year. With 20 solo tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss, Scott had a solid freshman year. When it comes to the line, experience is huge, and Scott has 13 games worth of it after last season. He could be poised for a big season with the Ducks.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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The NCAA announced on Thursday that Oregon would also host the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Track and Field Championships at the newly constructed Hayward Field.

Hayward Field will be renovated by 2020 into a state-of-the-art facility in time for the 2021 IAAF World Championships.

Oregon has hosted the last five NCAA championships and will host them again this June.

“We look forward to continuing our tradition of hosting the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2021 and 2022 in the new Hayward Field, which will be the finest facility of its kind in the world,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said in the Ducks’ press release.

“This entire community looks forward to hosting the outstanding student-athletes for the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Track and Field Championships in a beautiful new stadium,” Oregon associate athletic director and USA Track and Field President Vin Lannana said in Oregon’s press release.

The 2019 and 2020 NCAAs will be held at the University of Texas.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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During the doubles matches on Sunday’s Oregon women’s tennis match, several men’s tennis players gathered around court No. 4 for senior Alyssa Tobita’s final doubles match on her home court.

With the players sarcastically cheering mistakes, Utah’s Taylor Calton had enough. The junior turned around, pointed directly at the three rows of bleachers and expressed her frustration with their comments. Tobita and Rifanty Kahfiani went on to win that match and claim the doubles point for the Ducks.

All went pretty much according to plan in a chippy match for No. 30 Oregon as the Ducks (14-8, 5-5) bested Utah (10-12, 1-8) 4-0 on Saturday at the Student Tennis Center in Eugene. Behind dominant doubles play and aggressive singles play, the Ducks managed to get the job done in under two-and-a-half hours as they honored Tobita and fellow senior Nia Rose.

“I think their legacy for sure is the start of the tradition of excellence that we have here and being a program to be reckoned with — top in the country,” head coach Alison Silverio said.

The Ducks took the doubles point quickly with wins from Tobita/Kahfiani (6-1) and Shweta Sangwan/Julia Eshet (6-1). Eshet returned to the court for singles in the No. 6 spot and once again got the job done in swift fashion, beating Victoria Robertson 6-0, 6-2 on court No. 3.

But the drama from doubles escalated when singles rolled around.

Calton moved to court No. 1 to take on Daniela Nasser, and the men’s players followed, and so did the sarcasm. Then, she exploded.

“Can someone kick them out?” Calton said, looking at several ITA umpires. Calton then used some colorful language and was backed up by Utah head coach Mat Iandolo, who came over to the edge of the court to talk to the players.

“Don’t be smug with me, male tennis players,” Iandolo said.

The players responded with, “We beat you yesterday,” referring to their 4-3 win over the Utes in Salt Lake City on Friday.

Calton lost both matches she played, falling to Nasser 6-3, 6-1.

With the Ducks getting the third point from Nasser to take it 3-0, Oregon was looking at a second clinch victory in a row. That’s when it fell to Tobita and Sangwan, who were neck-and-neck.

“I saw her deuce point,” Tobita said, recounting Sangwan’s deuce at 5-4. “We’ve had that a couple matches but that’s what we want. Although it’s competition between our teammates, it’s a good thing to have on the team.”

Tobita beat out Sangwan, who finished her match tied 5-5 in the second set, with Tobita going without losing a point in her final game.

Just how you’d want it scripted, Tobita, the Ducks only ranked singles player at No. 49, clinched the fourth team point, winning her match 7-5, 6-3.

“A lot of emotions, and it’s kind of cool that I got to clinch it for the team today,” Tobita said. “Just another happy ending I guess.”

Now, Tobita plans to pass the torch to Sangwan as the team’s leader.

“[Sangwan’s] had three amazing years of experience here and she’s been playing in the top three spots since she was a freshman,” Silverio said. “Alyssa has been a great example of what it means to take responsibility and ownership of that No. 1 spot.”

But before that happens, Tobita and the Ducks still have a job to do: finish the season with a successful Pac-12 Tournament.

“There’s another challenge ahead of us,” Silverio said. “We’re certainly going to celebrate the seniors today but we’ll be right back at it next week.”

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Oregon softball had swept Arizona State every series over the past three seasons, but on Sunday, the Ducks couldn’t make it four as the No. 7 Sun Devils shut out the No. 3 Ducks 4-0 in Tempe, Arizona.

Oregon (34-7, 9-3) couldn’t get a run on the board while managing just three hits against Arizona State. The Ducks used all three pitchers, starting with junior Megan Kleist, who pitched two innings, allowing two hits and one run — she was handed the loss.

Maggie Balint relieved her in the third inning and surrendered two runs before she was pulled after 1.1 innings. That brought in Miranda Elish, who gave up the last run over 2.2 innings pitched.

The loss is Kleist’s fifth of the season as her record drops to 13-5 on the year.

No Duck had a multi-hit game with Jenna Lilley, Mary Iakopo and DJ Sanders each providing singles on the day as Oregon left five runners on base. Gwen Svekis was hit by a pitch in the fourth inning and walked in the seventh inning — she was stranded on both occasions.

The Ducks return home for one game against Oklahoma on Thursday before Stanford pays a visit to Eugene for a three-game series starting Friday.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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After Anneli Maley departed for TCU on Saturday while Sierra Campisano waits for a transfer after asking for her release, Oregon women’s basketball lost yet another player: freshman Aina Ayuso.

Her decision to leave the program was announced on Twitter on April 9, by Regeneracom Sports, which is led by Spanish sports agent Lluis Túnez.

Oregon head coach Kelly Graves told the Emerald that Ayuso left the program after a club in Spain made a spot open for her on their team, and that Ayuso wanted to major in physical therapy — something UO does not offer.

Ayuso, a Barcelona, Spain, native, played in 31 games, averaging 8.1 minutes and 2.2 points per game in her freshman season. She hit internet fame with her crossover during the Pac-12 Tournament in early March.

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