PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Oregon Ducks softball team will take the field Thursday night for its first game in the NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla..
Oregon (51-6) opens the eight-team tournament against Pac-12 rival, UCLA (50-10). The Ducks won two games of a three-game series against the Bruins on the road in early April. The Thursday game will be broadcast at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Ducks enter the World Series on a roll, with a .323 team batting average. Cheridan Hawkins and Karissa Hovinga, the Ducks top two pitchers, have allowed just 11 hits in 34 postseason innings.
It's the second straight year the Ducks have made the Women's College World Series. Oregon was the No. 1 seed entering last year's tournament but were eliminated after losing to Alabama and Florida, the two teams who competed in the national championship series, with Florida being crowned national champions.
This year, the Ducks are the No. 2 seed and Florida is the No. 1 seed. Five of the eight teams in the tournament are from the SEC.
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