EUGENE- The University of Oregon's softball team's NCAA tournament run came to an end Sunday. The Ducks faced the Oklahoma Sooners in the Norman regional finals, where they lost to the three-time national champions, 3-2.
"Any time you're in a game like this, it's going to be tough — we're gonna throw punches, they're gonna throw punches and it's about just staying in it, staying in it. We always talk about that it doesn't have to look a certain way. It's just the ability to fight and persevere and stick together and go get what we want, and you could really see that from our group today."
-Melyssa Lombardi
The Ducks finished with a 2-2 record in the Norman Regional, with a win over Boston University on Friday, a loss to the Sooners, anda win over the Terriers in an elimination game Saturday night. The Ducks again lost to Oklahoma on Sunday, marking the end of the season.
This loss not only concludedOregon's season but also marked the final chapter in the collegiate careers of nine Oregon seniors. These nine seniors helped lead the Ducks toa 30-21 record,reaching an NCAA Regional final for the fourth year in a row.Their dedication and talent helped establish Oregon as a consistent contender on the national stage.Read below for a list of Oregon's seniors.
Eugene native Ariel Carlsonfinished her memorable collegiate career at Oregon with a stellar senior season. Carlson hita team-high 15 home runs, ranking third in the Pac-12. Carlson also had a program first 15 steals. She is the first in program history to post a 15 home run/15 steal season. She finished her career with a .61 slugging percentage and ranks fourth in program history with 43 career home runs and sixth with 156 RBI. She ended hercareer with All-Pac-12 First Team honors and NFCA All-Pacific Region Second Team recognition. Carlson will return next season as the Director of Player Development and Analytics.
"I grew up going to games at Oregon, and it's always been a dream of mine to play here...Wearing this jersey is so special, and I'm so proud of the direction this program is going. Playing for this staff and with these girls, it's been amazing. I couldn't ask for a better team or a better program."
-Ariel Carlson
2. Alyssa Daniel (INF)- Senior:
First basemanAlyssa Daniel capped off her senior season with various achievements. Daniel earned All-Conference recognition on the NFCA All-Pacific Region Second Team and the All-Pac-12 Third Team. Daniel was Second on the team in home runs (10), RBI (38), total bases (90), and slugging percentage (.629). She also Led the team and was fourth in the conference in sacrifice flies with five.
Breedlove pitched 23.1 innings throughout the 2024 season. As a junior in 2023, she rankedsecond in the Pac-12 with 21 appearances.Breedlove also contributed to the team's success with a 4-3 record and three saves. The pitcher was among the conference's best relievers in 2023,placing 10th in the Pac-12 with a 2.81 ERA. She also ranked sixth in the conference for saves. Breedlove has career highs in games played (31),starts (10),strikeouts (29),and innings pitched (67.1).
4. KK Humphreys (INF)- Senior:
The Cal State Fullerton Transfer joined the Ducks as a sophom*ore in 2022. In her senior season, Humphreys scored 25 RBI, scored26, and hit six home runs. She has a career slugging percentage of 48.6 percent. As a Junior in 2023, Humphreys was one of three ducks to start all 55 games. She was a perfect 14-14 on stolen base attempts, the fourth most in the Pac-12.
A dominant force in her fifth year (2024),Scottearned NFCA All-Pacific Region Second Team honors.She compiled a 9-8 record with a 3.45 ERA and led the Pac-12 with five saves. Scott pitched 54 strikeouts and a conference-best 1.66 walks per seven innings.Beyond the Pac-12,she ranks among the NCAA's top five active leaders in saves (14),appearances (157),and innings pitched (752.1).
6. Hanna Delgado (OF)- Senior:
Despite her career-ending injury, outfielder Hanna Delgado earnedNFCA All-Pacific Region Third Team honors andthird team Pac-12 honors, becoming just the thirdDuckposition player to be a four-time all-conference selection. Delgado was hitting a career-best .374 before her injury ended her season. She also had a 47 percent on-base percentage (seventh in the Pac-12) and was 10thin the Pac-12 in both doubles (10) and batting average. Delgado also hada perfect fielding record with No errors in 50 chances.
The Catcher transfer from Georgia Tech Joined coach Melyssa Lombardi's program for her final collegiate season in 2024. During her first and final season as a duck, Kauf recorded 132 put-outs, fielding at 98 percent from behind the plate. Prior to Oregon, Kauf was named a three-time all-ACC selection at catcher for Georgia Tech while also being named a 2022 NFCA Southeast All-Regional second-team honoree.
8. Tehya Bird (INF)- Senior
The 2023 CSC District 8 All-Academic significantly impacted Oregon's program. During her collegiate career, Bird hit 14 home runs and had 60 RBIs. As a Junior, Bird Took over at third base and played in 54 games, starting 52. She Hit .286 on the season with six doubles and eight home runs. Bird was fourth on the team with 35 RBI.
"I've been going to Oregon camp since I was nine years old, so Oregon means everything to me...It was the only school I've ever wanted to go to, and as soon as I got that offer, there was no place else. When coach Lombardi came in as coach, and I was already committed, I knew that I was going to stay a Duck no matter who was there, and it just made it so special that coach Lombardi was there for us. So Oregon means everything to me and I'll be a Duck for life."
-Tehya Bird
Wong, who played for the Ducks all five years, was named to the NFCA All-Pacific Region Third Team following her performance this season. She batted a stellar .292 (second-best on the team) and ranked 10th in the Pac-12 with ten doubles.Her seasonincluded six home runs and a team-leading 31 RBIs. Defensively, Wong played catcher,right field,and designated player throughout the season.She also set new career highs in runs (20),hits (40),doubles,RBI,and batting average.
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