Five things to know about Wichita State’s first NCAA softball opponent: Oregon Ducks
There is an air of mystery for the Wichita State softball team with its first matchup at the NCAA Fayetteville Regional on Friday.
Wichita State hasn’t faced Oregon since 2009, long before coach Kristi Bredbenner was at the helm of the program, which only adds to the intrigue of the Shockers’ first postseason matchup on Friday at approximately 7:30 p.m. with the game streaming on ESPN+.
“It’s the time of the season where you have to play your best softball,” Bredbenner said. “It doesn’t really matter who you play, you better be playing well.”
Here are five things to know about Wichita State’s first NCAA opponent.
1. Looks can be deceiving with Oregon’s record
While Oregon’s 31-17 record may not look particularly impressive for a No. 2 regional seed, a closer look reveals the Ducks have compiled that record against the second-toughest schedule in the country.
Oregon ranks No. 17 in the RPI because 40 of its 48 games this season have come against top-100 competition with 23 of its 31 wins coming against top-100 competition. Only Virginia Tech (5) played fewer games outside of the top-100 in the RPI.
For comparison, Wichita State ranks No. 36 in the RPI with 27 of its 49 games against top-100 competition and 12 of its 33 wins coming against top-100 competition.
Oregon enters with national rankings in the coaches’ (No. 23) and USA Softball polls (No. 24) and was ranked as high as No. 9 earlier in the season. The Shockers are unranked in all national polls.
2. Oregon can swing the bat too
While Arkansas and Wichita State drew the headlines for the offensive firepower in the regional, Oregon has also been one of the better hitting teams in the country this season.
The Ducks have hit 62 home runs in 48 games, a pace (1.29 per game) that ranks No. 27 in the country. Oregon averages 5.96 runs per game with a team slugging percentage of .509, which both rank top-30 nationally.
The top of the lineup is set by sophomore outfielder Hanna Delgado (.372 average, .471 on-base percentage) and junior catcher Terra McGowan (.400 average), while senior second baseman Allee Bunker (10 home runs), junior outfielder Ariel Carlson (13 home runs) and junior Vallery Wong (10 home runs) provide the power in the middle of the lineup.
Oregon is also used to delivering in the clutch, as 127 of the team’s 286 runs (44.4%) have been scored with two outs in the inning.
In the circle, Oregon is likely to start freshman Stevie Hansen, who is 13-8 this season with a 3.10 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 115-plus innings. She has given up a team-high 26 home runs.
3. Allee Bunker is the star player to watch
The senior who has started 111 consecutive games at second base for Oregon is one of the top 3-hole hitters in the Pac-12.
Bunker is hitting .353 this season with a .385 on-base percentage and .605 slugging percentage to go along with 10 home runs, a team-high 39 RBI and 11 stolen bases. She had an 18-game hitting streak earlier this season, which was the longest by an Oregon player since 2015.
She is also one of the toughest players in the country to strike out. She has only struck out six times in 167 at-bats this season and her strikeout rate of once every 27.8 at-bats was No. 1 in the Pac-12 this season.
Bunker is the only player in the nation who has hit at least 10 home runs while striking out six times or fewer in each of the last two seasons.
She has cooled off somewhat from a hot start to the season when her batting average was well above .400. In her last 65 at-bats since April, Bunker is hitting just .261.
4. The Ducks can run the bases
Oregon leads the Pac-12 with 1.69 stolen bases per game, a rate that ranks No. 28 nationally. On the season, the Ducks have swiped 81 bases in 98 attempts for a 82.7% success rate.
The Ducks set a school record with nine steals in a March 21 win at BYU and have stolen at least three bases on 12 different occasions this season.
No one player stands out above the rest, as Oregon has six players in its lineup who has swiped at least six bases this season: Hanna Delgado (14 for 18), Allee Bunker (11 for 14), Paige Sinicki (11 for 14), Ariel Carlson (9 for 11), KK Humphreys (8 for 8) and Terra McGowan (6 for 6).
Limiting the base runners for Oregon could be important for WSU, as the Shockers have only caught four runners stealing this season in 38 stolen base attempts (89.5% success rate for the runners).
5. Oregon is used to advancing in the postseason
While Wichita State is an up-and-coming program in search of its first Super Regional appearance, Oregon is an established winner that advanced to either a Super Regional or the College Softball World Series every year from 2010-18.
The Ducks are trying to return to that elite level and appear to be well on their way in the fourth year of coach Melyssa Lombardi, who had spent the previous 21 years on the staff of legendary Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso.
But it should be noted Oregon and Wichita State both have similar postseason experience with its current crop of players.
Just like the Shockers, Oregon fell in a regional championship game last spring at Texas. The Ducks have not advanced past a regional since their World Series appearance in 2018.
This story was originally published May 19, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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