No. 7 Oregon softball heads to Big Ten Tournament looking to add to postseason resume

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After claiming the conference's outright regular-season title with a league-best 19 wins, the No. 7 Oregon Ducks will now head to the Big Ten Softball Tournament, looking to put a stamp on a dominant first season. With just three losses in conference play, the Ducks enter the tournament as the top overall seed and will receive a bye before taking on the winner of eighth-seeded Michigan and ninth-seeded Wisconsin, who will meet at 1:30 PM on Wednesday.

Despite her team's accomplishments this season, Oregon head coach Melyssa Lombardi's message has remained the same.

"We're not done yet," she told the Jane Sanders Stadium crowd after Sunday's win. "We're just celebrating."

It's a message she has emphasized to her team down this final stretch of the season, even as they claimed the Big Ten's regular-season championship in their first year in the conference. With a share of the Big Ten title clinched heading into Oregon's Sunday game with Michigan State, UCLA lost to Northwestern to give the Ducks sole possession early in their game against the Spartans. Regardless, the Ducks (47-6, 19-3) kept their foot on the pedal, fighting back to win a game that no longer had meaning in the conference standings.

Lombardi's message was echoed by one of the team's veteran leaders, shortstop Paige Sinicki, who doubled, walked twice, stole second twice, and scored twice to lead her team to a senior day victory. She was emphatic that a regular-season title was just the beginning for this team.

"We're not done," Sinicki said after the Ducks clinched a share of the conference title. "This is just the beginning for the rest of this year."

This group of Ducks are a prime example of the melting pot that college sports has come to be in recent years, receiving contributions from both young players and veterans, as well as both home-grown and transfer portal talent. This has given Oregon plenty of depth, which has been tested throughout the season.

Injuries have cost Emma Cox, Ayanna Shaw, Rylee McCoy, Stefini Ma'ake, Taylour Spencer, and Staci Chambers time this year, but Oregon has stayed steady throughout it all. Now, heading into the postseason, the Ducks are completely healthy, something that Lombardi is very glad of.

"We have been missing people all year long," Lombardi said. "Every time we miss somebody, somebody has stepped up big for us. To have everybody is going to be huge for us, and we definitely need it."

Injuries or not, Oregon has also relied on its young players much more than one would expect from a team competing on the national stage. The Ducks have gotten key contributions from a quartet of freshmen this year: Cox, Ma'ake, McCoy, and Kaylynn Jones, who have been staples in the lineup all season long. But even as they head into their first experience with the postseason at the collegiate level, it hasn't fazed the Ducks' youth.

With the guidance of players like Sinicki, who has postseason experience, Oregon's freshmen know that to succeed, they must keep a level head and play their game.

"Don't get complacent," is what Ma'ake said has been the message from the Ducks' veterans to their freshmen. "Once we have a game, finish it, leave it where it's at, and then move on. There's a new day tomorrow, the sun's still shining. Just keep moving forward with them and continuing to play together and stay within our process."

When the Ducks play Oregon softball, Lombardi believes that they can beat any team in the country. If they play their game in Indiana, the Ducks should give themselves every opportunity to return to Eugene next week for the Big Ten's regular-season and tournament championships.

Oregon's first game will be at 1:30 PM on Thursday. If the Ducks advance, their next game will be at 4:30 PM on Friday before Saturday's conference championship game at 1 PM.

The Ducks will then find their spot in the NCAA Tournament during Sunday's selection show at 11 AM. Oregon will have a strong chance to host the opening round, which Lombardi told the Jane Sanders Stadium crowd after Sunday's win over Michigan State.

"We believe that we will see you all again here."