Oregon softball returns home to host Iowa this weekend. How to watch

Oregon softball returns to the friendly confines of Jane Sanders Stadium following an eventful two-week, seven-game road trip that included five wins as well as a fair share of drama.

The No. 18 Ducks (26-9, 7-2 Big Ten) took two of three games against both Purdue and Northwestern and have now won 11 straight series in conference play going back to the start of the 2025 Big Ten season.

They’ll try and make it 12 straight this weekend against Iowa (21-13, 5-7), which is in town for a three-game series April 3-5.

“I really like how this group is working together,” Oregon coach Melyssa Lombardi said Wednesday afternoon. “You can see they enjoy playing together, they enjoy being right in the heat of the moment together. You can see it just by the way they come on and off the field and how they respond to things that are happening in the game.”

The most impressive win during the Ducks’ recent road trip was a 24-12 victory on March 23 against Big Ten foe Indiana in what was a one-off nonconference game sandwiched between their series against the Boilermakers and Wildcats. Oregon rallied from a 7-0 deficit to beat the Hoosiers and set program single-game records for runs, RBIs (23) and hits (21).

The road trip ended with some controversy as the Ducks beat the Wildcats in a game called in the bottom of the seventh and Oregon leading 7-3.

Northwestern had the bases loaded with one out when the game reached 3 p.m. Central, triggering its automatic conclusion – a time mutually agreed upon by both teams before the start of the contest due to the Ducks’ scheduled departure flight back to Eugene.

Because the Wildcats didn’t complete their half of the seventh inning, the final score reverted back to what it was after the sixth inning, giving Oregon a 4-2 victory.

“It’s unfortunate, because nobody wants a game to end like that,” Lombardi said.

The win improved the Ducks’ record to 19-3 since Feb. 21. They are No. 13 in the RPI rankings as of March 31 and with 15 conference games to play, they’re tied with the Hoosiers for fourth place in the Big Ten standings behind Washington (12-0), Nebraska (8-1) and UCLA (10-2). Oregon will play the Huskies (April 17-19) at home and the Bruins (May 1-3) in Los Angeles later this spring.

“I think this group is getting hot right at the right time,” said Lombardi, who encourages her staff and players to stay updated on the state of the conference as the Ducks attempt to win a second Big Ten title.

“We discuss it weekly,” she said. “In order for us to understand where we need to go, we need to see what that looks like. Usually at the beginning of the week, we talk about where we are and what’s coming up for us, what does the big picture look like?”

When does Oregon softball play Iowa?

• Where: Jane Sanders Stadium
• When: Friday, April 3-Sunday, April 5
• Time:
  • Friday: 6 p.m.
  • Saturday: 4 p.m.
  • Sunday: noon

How to watch Oregon softball vs. Iowa

• TV channel: No TV
• Streaming: B1G+ for each game

Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at chansen@registerguard.com.