Eugene Region 2014 Softball World Series Breakdown
#1 Oregon, Wisconsin, Albany, Utah Valley
The Oregon Ducks roll into the NCAA Tournament as the number one overall seed after winning the Pac-12 conference regular season championship. The Ducks have been very consistent in all phases throughout the regular season. Leading the way offensively is senior infielder Courtney Ceo, who is hitting a team leading .481. Senior utility player Kailee Cuico, and sophomore catcher Janelle Lindval provide the power as they have combined for 25 homeruns and have driven in 99 runs. In the circle, Sophomore Cheridan Hawkins is the ace for Oregon as she has gone 30-4 so far with 20 complete games and 283 strikeouts over 206.1 innings pitched. The Ducks ability to score runs with relative ease allows Hawkins and her fellow pitcher Karissa Hovinga to pitch aggressively and not worry about losing the game by giving up a run or two. This team is also looking to atone for being shocked by number 14 seed Nebraska last year in the Super Regionals on their home turf. Thus, motivation should not be an issue.
Wisconsin, Albany, and Utah Valley have a tough challenge ahead of them in order to shock the world in Eugene. The Badgers have offensive firepower that can make things interesting against Oregon if they get a chance at them. Senior infielder Michelle Mueller is the most prolific all-around player for Wisconsin as she has hit 11 homeruns and driven in 51. The Great Danes are the American East representative and will need a big regional from senior first baseman Charlise Castro in order to have a shot to advance. Utah Valley comes into the Eugene Regional as a Cinderella story winning the WAC Conference tournament despite an 18-40 record. The Ducks should roll through this regional without much trouble.
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