Version Six sees its season end unceremoniously, but the future is bright (2024)

NORMAN, Okla. – Facing Nicole May, a pitcher with almost 300 collegiate innings, Oregon had twelve years of collegiate experience lined up in the bottom of the seventh. The Ducks need a run to tie and keep their season alive, and two to ensure a final game of the regional. The three hitters – Alyssa Daniell, KK Humprheys and Tehya Bird – came into the last at-bats of their softball career having amassed 1,336 of them.

And it wasn't enough.

Daniell chopped out to second base. She returned to the dugout to hugs from her teammates. Humphreys grounded out to third before breaking down in the dugout, held up by a now smiling Daniell. Bird, whose third inning home run cut the Oklahoma lead in half, waved on three pitches.

To its credit, Oregon fought in both of its games against Oklahoma. Patty Gassos' Sooners are the three-time reigning champions, and though they didn't look nearly as dominant as they have over the last three seasons, they still ooze with talent.

The Norman Regional was nothing like 2022, when a young, but talented, Oregon team went to Fayetteville only to get blasted in both of its contests against Arkansas. On the other end of the spectrum, it's nothing like 2023, when Oregon went to Fayetteville only to upset the Hogs.

No, the weekend in Norman somewhat mirrors Oregon in 2021. That season, six freshmen got consistent playing time, Oregon graduated six players and took Texas to a winner-take-all game seven. Somewhat similar to the series against the Oklahoma, where Oregon head coach Melyssa Lombardi spent her entire career before coming to Oregon, Texas' dugout held a familiar face in Mike White, the coach who had left the Ducks just two seasons prior.

Both of the Oregon teams in question saw its best player unceremoniously end their careers in the penultimate innings of the game. Haley Cruse flew out to center in the sixth inning against Texas, representing the tying run. Ariel Carlson, who still stands as the only player in college softball with 15 home runs, doubles and stolen bases, popped out on the first pitch she saw in the sixth inning against Oklahoma, representing the tying run.

The theme for Oregon throughout the season has been "clutching up", it's a mantra that Lombardi has latched onto and drilled into the minds of each player. Yes, Oregon only had six runners against May and Kelly Maxwell, but the Ducks did a relatively good job of bringing them in.

One of the big reasons for that was the play of Emma Kauf. She struggled to adjust to the West Coast early in the season but had four hits in the postseason, including a home run. She drove in the tying run for Oregon in the third.

And again, there's a ton of good for Oregon to build off from this postseason, going into 2025. It was always going to be somewhat of a retooling year for the Ducks. They lost Allee Bunker and Terra McGowan. Stevie Hansen, who had been Oregon's ace over the last two seasons, had been a non-factor since the middle of March. Kauf struggled. The loss of Hanna Delgado, the four-time All-Pac-12 selection, might have hurt more to the psyche of the team than its actual performance.

Yet, like it was in 2021, the future is bright for Oregon. Though she struggled a bit during conference play, Taylour Spencer's fire is a big part of the reason that Oregon was in this spot in the first place. She was tremendous in the final game, throwing 2.1 innings while allowing just one run. Unfairly tabbed as the losing pitcher, her propensity for coming in to tough spots and wiggling out of jams has not gone unnoticed.

On the offensive end, Katie Flannery proved to be not only one of Oregon's best players, but one of the best overall in a stacked conference. She was hitting just .220 through April 21st, but slashed .381/.480/.762 since then. As is always key in a Lombardi defense, Flannery solidified the keystone spot and will play a huge role in 2025.

The young depth goes past just those two. Regan Legg was terrific in her role as a pinch-runner, similar to the early-career success of the Luschar sisters. Ayanna Shaw was very good early in the season on the bases and, when she got opportunities, at the plate. The two of them in tandem with Kai Luschar could form one of the fastest, best defensive outfields next season.

There's also Kaila Pollard, an infielder who had a strong freshman season at Florida before a late transfer forced her to sit out her first season at Oregon. Throw in Remmington Hewitt, the former top recruit who has bided her time waiting for consistent playing time but has been rock-solid when she's been in. An infield of Pollard, Hewitt, Flannery and Paige Sinicki, the one of the best defenders in the nation, and the outlook brightens even further.

In the circle, Hansen will look to have a huge bounceback season. Elise Sokolsky came on relatively late in the season but was stellar. She could be one of the best pitchers in the conference next year.

And that's another big piece of the puzzle. "The conference" is no longer the Pac-12, long known as the top conference in the sport. It's now the Big Ten, who has no members still alive in the NCAA Tournament after Michigan, Northwestern, Penn State and Indiana all fell in the first round.

Oregon could, and probably should, still attack the transfer portal to add an impact bat. The Ducks will return just six of the 54 home runs they hit as a team this year. They would probably like to add a left-handed pitcher, especially considering the fact that they haven't had one since Jordan Dail in 2022.

But there's a lot of good on the horizon. A new conference, budding stars and a fresh start. A retooling season where, to be frank, some of Oregon's youth grew up quickly.

Version Seven will have a new outlook.