'Conquering mindset': Oregon Ducks softball opens season with big expectations
Oregon was two wins away from making the Women’s College World Series last season.
Being so tantalizingly close to collegiate softball’s final destination was both a haunting and driving force these past eight months for the Ducks.
Now, with Oregon’s 2024 campaign about to begin, that near miss last May and the work it inspired in the offseason has elevated expectations.
“A conquering mindset” is how sixth-year coach Melyssa Lombardi described her team’s approach to the new season, which begins with the six-game NFCA Leadoff Classic, Thursday-Sunday in Clearwater, Florida.
The Ducks open against future Big Ten opponent Indiana at 4 p.m. Thursday, then face Kansas and Liberty on Friday, Missouri State and Clemson on Saturday, and Army on Sunday.
The 4 p.m. game against Clemson will air live on the MLB Network.
Oregon, which opens at No. 15 in the NFCA rankings, was 38-17 in 2023, went 3-0 in the NCAA Tournament’s Fayetteville Regional but lost twice to Oklahoma State in the Super Regionals to end the season.
The Ducks lost veteran second baseman Allee Bunker and catcher Terra McGowan — both NFCA all-Americans in 2023 — but otherwise retained the majority of their roster.
“I think we’re very deep, we’re very experienced,” Lombardi said. “We have nine seniors and super seniors. There’s something about having a team with that many seniors that should be very, very uncomfortable for an opponent. They’re all on the same page. Their leadership up to this point has been phenomenal.”
Here are five key players for the Ducks in 2024.
Ariel Carlson, senior, outfielder
The Marist alum and fifth-year senior is a career .282 hitter with 28 home runs, 21 doubles, 104 RBIs and 99 runs. Last season was her best yet as she was second on the team in batting average (.333), doubles (10) and slugging percentage (.604), and third in RBIs (37), home runs (nine) and stolen bases (10). She was the star of the Fayetteville Regional when she hit .636 with two home runs and 10 RBs.
Hanna Delgado, senior, outfielder
Delgado has been named to the all-Pac-12 third team three straight seasons and was selected to the 2024 preseason all-Pac-12 team. Last season she hit .321 and has a career average of .331 with 102 runs, 48 RBIs, 21 doubles and 32 stolen bases.
Stevie Hansen, junior, pitcher
The right-hander is the ace of an experienced Oregon pitching staff. She was 20-7 last season and was fourth in the Pac-12 with a career-high in wins. She also was ninth in the conference in both strikeouts (110), ERA (2.63) and opponent’s batting average (.225). As a freshman in 2022 she led the Ducks in ERA (3.27), wins (13), complete games (five), innings pitched (124.1) and strikeouts (126).
KK Humphreys, senior, first base
The senior, who is now in her third season at Oregon after playing as a freshman for Cal State Fullerton, is one of two returning Ducks who started all 55 games season. As a junior, she hit .285 with nine doubles, eight home runs, 27 RBIs and was 14-of-14 on stolen base attempts. Her 14 steals tied for the team lead and was also tied for fourth in the Pac-12. Humphreys is closing in on the century mark for career runs (95) and RBIs (88).
Emma Kauf, senior, catcher
The replacement for McGowan has big shoes to fill. Kauf appears to be up to the task, judging by her previous four years at Georgia Tech. Kauf enters the 2024 season No. 2 in the NCAA among active players with 50 career doubles, two behind Sara Vanderford of Texas State. A three-time all-ACC selection, she has a career batting average of .344 in 175 games, with 196 hits, eight triples, 29 home runs and 114 RBIs.
Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com. For more sports coverage, visit registerguard.com. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon Ducks softball opens 2024 season with big expectations
