Early 2019 Softball Outlook
Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 11:03 pm
With the 2018 softball season now over, never too early to look ahead to next season.
Let's start with the pitching. Oregon returns 2 All-Americans in Megan Kleist and Miranda Elish. They'll also be returning Maggie Balint, who was hampered for much of the season with a bad back. Should she fully recover over the off-season, Oregon would be back to having 3 high-quality starting pitchers available every game.
The infield is where Oregon loses the most. Gone will be Jenna Lilley, DJ Sanders, Lauren Lindvall, and Gwen Svekis. Only Mia Camuso will be returning. Svekis will likely be replaced at C by Mary Iakopo, who spent most of the season as the team's DH. From there, Oregon will likely be a work-in-progress early in the season since there aren't clear replacements and not much experience. I'd look for returners Lauren Burke and Shaye Bowden being the initial options to start in the infield. Incoming FR who could see PT in the infield are top-100 recruits Rachel Cid, Jasmine Sievers, and Allee Bunker. Hannah Galey is the other potential INF recruit they signed. I could also see White try to bring in a transfer to have some experience in the INF.
Oregon should have their entire starting outfield back, as Haley Cruse, Alexis Mack, and Shannon Rhodes return. Burke and Bowden may get some time in the OF should they not win an INF spot or players need a game off. Cherish Burks also returns as a contributor here, mainly as a pinch runner and hitter. The Ducks add top-100 OF recruits Alyssa Pinto and Lexi Wagner.
As for hitting, they'll need to replace their top 2 HR hitters in Svekis and Sanders. They'll also need a new leadoff hitter with Lilley leaving. Iakopo showed decent power this season while Rhodes was 3rd on the team with 11 HRs. It'll be interesting to see if Burke or any of the other new starters has some power. If not, they likely return to being sort of a small ball team like some of White's earlier teams.
They'll probably have to rely on their strong pitching early on as Oregon will need time to figure out its INF and batting order.
Let's start with the pitching. Oregon returns 2 All-Americans in Megan Kleist and Miranda Elish. They'll also be returning Maggie Balint, who was hampered for much of the season with a bad back. Should she fully recover over the off-season, Oregon would be back to having 3 high-quality starting pitchers available every game.
The infield is where Oregon loses the most. Gone will be Jenna Lilley, DJ Sanders, Lauren Lindvall, and Gwen Svekis. Only Mia Camuso will be returning. Svekis will likely be replaced at C by Mary Iakopo, who spent most of the season as the team's DH. From there, Oregon will likely be a work-in-progress early in the season since there aren't clear replacements and not much experience. I'd look for returners Lauren Burke and Shaye Bowden being the initial options to start in the infield. Incoming FR who could see PT in the infield are top-100 recruits Rachel Cid, Jasmine Sievers, and Allee Bunker. Hannah Galey is the other potential INF recruit they signed. I could also see White try to bring in a transfer to have some experience in the INF.
Oregon should have their entire starting outfield back, as Haley Cruse, Alexis Mack, and Shannon Rhodes return. Burke and Bowden may get some time in the OF should they not win an INF spot or players need a game off. Cherish Burks also returns as a contributor here, mainly as a pinch runner and hitter. The Ducks add top-100 OF recruits Alyssa Pinto and Lexi Wagner.
As for hitting, they'll need to replace their top 2 HR hitters in Svekis and Sanders. They'll also need a new leadoff hitter with Lilley leaving. Iakopo showed decent power this season while Rhodes was 3rd on the team with 11 HRs. It'll be interesting to see if Burke or any of the other new starters has some power. If not, they likely return to being sort of a small ball team like some of White's earlier teams.
They'll probably have to rely on their strong pitching early on as Oregon will need time to figure out its INF and batting order.