The University of Oregon softball team is up to play U Washington these three days. Under the 'new' schedule, they only come to Seattle every other year. As opposed to every year when Susanna played. That previous schedule where you played each team both home and away with travel partners was much more interesting. But Washington and UCLA were travel partners so it made for a nuts trip for the other Pac 10 (then) teams. You had to go to Washington or UCLA play one game and then fly to the other.
Because six years have gone by, I don't know any of the parents or the players. I do know the coach (Mike White) because he was an assistant during Susanna's freshman years and he often helped out and attended the games in the interim. I'm sure he runs a better program than his predecessor. Last year they went to College World Series! I think they are even better this year. They've got a strong pitching STAFF. Usually college softball teams have their #1, their ace, and then the quality falls off. It's hard to recruit if you have a strong #1 because who wants to sit on the bench? But Oregon has their senior All American pitcher Jess Moore and a freshman phenom Sheridan Hawkins plus a sophomore pitcher Karissa Hovinga. All have ERAs under two! Ducks are 27-4. Swept Stanford last weekend. Yesterday, Oregon beat Washington 12-1.
Beautiful day in Seattle today. Definitely I will take advantage of my circumstance and make my way to Husky Softball Stadium (shown).
Who did I run into as I walked towards the field yesterday. Becky Sisley! The first softball coach and women's athletic director back in the day. She's a huge fan and a senior athlete in her own right. She did hold US records in pole vault and 100 yard dash for her age group. She came to all the games and she and I shared a room when I went to the NCAA Regionals in South Carolina in 2007.
So that was fun.
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