NCAA Softball Super Regional Preview: Oregon vs. Kentucky
The No. 3 seed Oregon Ducks will host No. 14 Kentucky for the Super Regional. Both teams went 3-0 in their regional, both had close calls in at least one game and both oddly were against the Big Ten. Oregon who did sit atop the FPN top 25 for several weeks seems to have found its offense once again. Kentucky comes in with strong pitching.
From the Plate
Oregon put up 28 runs in three games during the regional allowing just five, all of which came in one game. Shannon Rhodes batted .777 in the regional which is about as good as a person could be. Rhodes was a solid performer for the Ducks all season long. They can generate some power as well off the bat of Nikki Udria who leads the Ducks in home runs (10), RBIs (49) and SLG (.628). As a team, the Ducks come in batting .328 and have outscored the opposition 375-87.
Kentucky second baseman Alex Martens is also coming off a big weekend at the plate. The freshman from McHenry, Ill. went 5-for-7 (.714) on the weekend with five RBIs, a double and two home runs. What makes it more impressive is she batted just .296 with four home runs on the season. The improvement is a positive sign for the Wildcats. Abbey Cheek has provided the pwoer with her team-leading 12 home runs and 40 RBIs. They may not be the most dangerous offense in the country, but they know how to manufacture runs.
From the Circle
The Oregon pitching staff has been solid all season. What has been most impressive is that the staff consist of two freshmen and one sophomore. The two freshmen are Maggie Balint (21-3) and Miranda Elish (10-0). The lone sophomore is Megan Kleist (19-3). Balint and Kleist have carried the bulk of the innings. On the season Balint carries a 1.16 ERA with 150 strikeouts. Kleist is right there with her with a 1.27 ERA and 138 strikeouts. As a team, they have held opposing hitter to just a .196 batting average.
The Wildcats rely on two pitchers in Meagan Prince (21-7) and Erin Rethlake (10-5). Prince has pitched about two-thirds of the innings (188) while Rethlake has taken the bulk of the rest (99.2). Both have been solid the last month or so. Prince on the season has 179 strikeouts. Rethlake is a bit more of a pitch to contact pitchers that rely on a strong defense. The two combined have proved to be effective.
Analysis
If Oregon plays at the level they did for the majority of the season, they should be able to control things. Coach Mike White knows how to use his line-up and put pressure on teams. They will use speed on the bases and patients at the plate to apply that pressure. The two did play earlier this season with Oregon coming out on top. Kentucky led in the game through five innings. The came was tied going into the seventh. A Udria home run in the seventh was the difference maker. If that game was any kind of preview, this series should be a good one.
Prediction
Oregon takes two of three.
