Utah Valley at #2 Oregon
Wednesday, March 25, 2015 | 5:00 p.m. & 7 p.m. MT
Howe Field | Eugene, Ore. | UVU Notes
Live Video | Live Audio | Live StatsOREM, Utah – Fresh off of a 13-0 run-rule victory over BYU, the Utah Valley University softball team will travel to Eugene, Oregon, to face No. 2 Oregon for a midweek doubleheader on Wednesday evening. The contests will mark a rematch from last year's NCAA Tournament game between the Wolverines and Ducks.
 
Wednesday's twin bill will begin at 5 p.m. MT (4 p.m. PT) and will take place at historic Howe Field on the UO campus. The nightcap of the doubleheader will then follow at approximately 7 p.m. MT (6 p.m. PT).
 
Both games will feature live video via the Pac-12 live stream, as well as live audio (KWVA Radio) and live stats through GoDucks.com.
 
In Utah Valley's (12-20) 13-0 victory over neighboring rival BYU last Saturday, Bailey Moore pitched her first collegiate no-hitter and just the second in program history. Moore twirled a gem as she struck out two and did not allow a hit en route to UVU's first-ever win over the Cougars in Provo in 16 tries. The sophomore right-hander from Ely, Nevada, was named the WAC Pitcher of the Week on Monday following her no-no over BYU.
 
UVU's bats also came alive in the 13-0 victory over the Cougars as the Wolverines slugged out seven hits, including a first-inning grand slam from Hailey Kofler. Brianna Gatlin continued to swing a hot bat as she extended her hitting streak to 16 games by going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs batted in, two runs scored and a walk. Brittney Vansway and Taleigh Williams too each drove home multiple runs in the game as they both finished with a pair of RBIs.
 
On the season Gatlin leads the Wolverines and the Western Athletic Conference with a .432 batting average and an even .500 on-base percentage. She is also tops on team in hits (32), home runs (7), doubles (7), RBIs (19), runs scored (20) and slugging (.811).
 
Moore leads UVU in the circle with an 8-11 record and a 4.21 ERA. She also paces the Wolverines and the WAC in innings pitched (129.2), strikeouts (81), starts (20) and appearances (28).
 
About Oregon
The second-ranked Ducks will enter Wednesday's twin bill with a 26-3 overall record and an unblemished 6-0 start in Pac-12 play. UO has won 10 straight games after sweeping the University of Utah in conference action in Salt Lake City this past weekend. All three of the Ducks losses have come to fellow ranked foes, as two of their three have come to No. 1 Florida while the other setback was to No. 7 Baylor.
 
Gwen Svekis paces the UO offense with a .523 average while Janie Takeda is next at .448. Jenna Lilly leads the way in RBIs with 25 and Koral Costa is tops in long balls with eight. The Ducks are led by Cheridan Hawkins in the circle, as the southpaw will enter Wednesday with 13-2 record, six saves and a 0.32 ERA. Her 0.32 earned run average is good enough for second in the nation and opponents are hitting just .119 off of her.   
 
Wednesday's contests will mark the seventh and eighth all-time meetings between UVU and UO after the two met up three times in Eugene last season, as well as two more times during the 2007 campaign and once in 2013. In a regular-season doubleheader in late April last year, the top-ranked Ducks took the first game by a score of 8-0 before the Wolverines battled back by nearly upset the number one team in the country as it took a sixth-inning home run from Oregon to win that game, 5-4. The two then once again faced off against one another in the opening game of the Eugene Regional and the home Ducks came away with a 12-1 victory. UO will enter play with a 6-0 series advantage.
 
Up Next for the Wolverines
UVU will head to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to begin its second season of WAC play this weekend. The Wolverines and preseason favorite New Mexico State Aggies will begin a three-games conference series on Friday at 6 p.m. at the NM State Softball Complex. The Wolverines were picked to finish in a tie for fourth place in the preseason poll.