Notes: Undefeated Ducks Visit No. 9 UCLA

EUGENE, Ore. - The No. 2 ranked Oregon softball team puts its 35-0 record on the line with a three-game series against No. 9 ranked UCLA starting Friday in Los Angeles.

#2 OREGON DUCKS (35-0, 8-0 Pac-12)
Team BA: .356 | Team ERA: 1.04 | Runs Scored: 252 | Runs Allowed: 44
Recently: Remained undefeated after sweeping ASU, taking DH from Portland State
National Rankings: UO is No. 2 in the NFCA poll, No. 1 in the USA Softball poll
All-Time Series: Oregon trails UCLA, 80-24 all-time
Last Year: UO lost, 2 games to 1, vs UCLA in the regular season and Super Regionals
Notable: The Ducks are the NCAA's last remaining undefeated team with a perfect 35-0 record, shattering the previous program record of 18 straight wins. Oregon has matched the NCAA record of 35 straight wins to open a season, set by UCLA in 1999. Oregon ranks third in the NCAA in hitting (.356) and third in on-base percentage (.454). The Ducks are also fifth in the nation in scoring, averaging 7.20 runs per game. In the circle, Oregon is fourth in the NCAA with a 1.04 ERA. Freshman Maggie Balint's 0.86 ERA is 10th in the nation while sophomore Megan Kleist's 0.98 is 16th in the NCAA. The Ducks have 13 run-rule wins this season and 16 shutouts.

#9 UCLA BRUINS (26-9, 2-4 Pac-12)
Team BA: .316 | Team ERA: 2.40 | Runs Scored: 182 | Runs Allowed: 98
Recently: Took the first two games at #8 Washington, lost the third
National Rankings: UCLA is No. 9 in the NFCA poll, No. 12 in the USA Softball poll
Head Coach: Kelly Inouye-Perez (11th Season)
Notable: After getting swept by Utah at home to open Pac-12 play, the Bruins rebounded by taking two of three at then-No. 8 Washington last weekend. While the Ducks are built for small ball, UCLA is built around the home run. The Bruins have hit 42 home runs this season and rank seventh in the NCAA, averaging 1.20 home runs per game this season. UCLA is 11th in the country with a .517 slugging percentage. Kylee Perez leads the team with a .443 batting average and 12 doubles. Brianna Tautalafua has a team-high 10 homers. In the circle, freshman Rachel Garcia owns a team-best 1.81 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 93.0 innings pitched.

BROADCAST INFO
- All three of Oregon's game at UCLA will be televised. Pac-12 Network will carry both Friday and Saturday games while ESPN2 will broadcast the game on Sunday.
- KWVA 88.1 FM will broadcast all three games as well.
- Live stats for all home games will be available at uclabruins.com.

LAST UNDEFEATED TEAM, RECORD START
At 35-0, Oregon is the last undefeated team in NCAA Div. I softball. The Ducks have matched the NCAA record for the best start to a season (35-0), previously set by UCLA in 1999.

LONGEST WINNING STREAK
With an 8-2 victory against Stephen F. Austin at the Mizzou Tournament, the Ducks set a new program record for consuective wins with 19. The Ducks now have shattered the record with wins in 35 straight games. Oregon won 18 straight games last season, which matched the previous record. The Ducks also won 18 straight games in 2007.

WHEN PLAYING UCLA
- UCLA leads the all-time series, 80-24. The Bruins won four of six meetings last season.
- 12 of Oregon's 24 wins all-time against UCLA have come under head coach Mike White. He is 12-13 in his seven seasons against the Bruins.
- Oregon had won five series in a row against UCLA, taking two games out of three in each one (2011-2015), before dropping two of three vs. UCLA last year in Eugene in the regular season.
- The Ducks' loss to UCLA last season was just the second Pac-12 series Oregon has lost over the last four+ seasons (ASU in 2013 as well).
- Prior to winning the series against the Bruins in 2011, the Ducks had lost 15 straight games to UCLA.
- Both teams have been ranked in the top-20 when meeting in each of the last seven years.

STRIKEOUT-TO-WALK RATIOS
Oregon's young pitching staff has racked up the strikeouts this season without allowing many free passes.
- Freshman RHP Maggie Balint has 112 strikeouts this season compared to just 16 walks, a 7-to-1 ratio.
- Sophomore RHP Megan Kleist has 75 strikeouts and just 22 walks, a 3.4-to-1 ratio.
- Freshman RHP Miranda Elish has 63 strikeouts but also only 16 walks for a 3.9-to-1 ratio.

SWIPE SISTERS
Senior Danica Mercado (16) and sophomore Alexis Mack (12) are second and third in the Pac-12 in stolen bases. As a team, the Ducks have 56 stolen bases this season, the most in the Pac-12 by 20.

EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE
Oregon has been one of the best hitting teams in the nation over the last few seasons and this year is no exception.
- UO ranks third in the NCAA and first in the Pac-12 with a .356 batting average.
- The Ducks are third in the country and leads the league with a .454 on-base percentage.
- Oregon is fifth in scoring, averaging 7.2 runs a game.
- UO is eighth in slugging, with a .527 percentage.
- Oregon owns four of the top-9 individual batting averages in the Pac-12, led by Alexis' Mack's league-best .462.
- Oregon also three of the top-8 on-base percentages in the Pac-12, led by Mack who is second in the league with a .532 OBP.

IN THE CIRCLE
While the Oregon offense has been stellar, the Ducks' young pitching staff has shined maybe brighter.
- Oregon has tossed shutouts in five of the last seven games.
- With a 1.04 team ERA, the Ducks rank second in the Pac-12 and fourth in the NCAA.
- Oregon owns three of the top-7 ERAs in the Pac-12 this season, highlighted by Maggie Balint's 0.86 ERA, good for third in the league.
- The Ducks are second in the league with 250 strikeouts and second with 154 hits allowed.

OREGON IN THE POLLS
The Ducks were No. 9 in both polls to start the 2017 season. After winning both games at No. 11 Utah, the Ducks are at No. 1 in the USA Softball poll and No. 2 in the NFCA poll.

TOP-25 STREAK
Oregon softball has been ranked in the top-25 of the NFCA poll for 112 straight weeks (preseason and postseason polls included). The Ducks climbed to No. 23 in week 10 of the 2010 season and have never dipped below that mark since.

TOP-25 WINS
The Ducks are a perfect 13-0 against fellow top-25 teams this season with three wins over Cal, two wins over Missouri, two over Utah, one against Kentucky, one against BYU and one against Fresno State. Oregon went 16-7 against top-25 teams last season.

RUN-RULE WINS
Oregon has 13 run-rule wins this season, including one against both California and Utah in Pac-12 play. Oregon's biggest win this season was 17-0 at Hawaii.

THE DUCKS UNDER MIKE WHITE
- Oregon is 15-6 vs. Arizona, 14-12-1 vs. Arizona State, 17-8 vs. California, 18-3 vs. Oregon State, 16-5 vs. Stanford, 12-13 vs. UCLA, 16-1 vs. Utah and 13-7 vs. Washington under Mike White.
- 32-15 in the postseason, 21-0 in regionals.
- UO has advanced to Supers every year under White.
- Longest losing streak is just four games (2010)
- Longest winning streak is 35 games (current)
- The Ducks are 41-12-3 overall in Pac-12 series.
- The Ducks have been swept three times in a Pac-12 series under Mike White while sweeping opponents 25 times.
- UO has lost just two Pac-12 series in the last four seasons. Last season's series loss to UCLA was Oregon's first in Pac-12 play since 2013 against ASU.
- Including 2016, White has coached 22 first team all-Pac-12 selections in his first seven seasons.