Homers
Continued from Page 11
“Jill, I was just about to,”
Mackey complains.
“OK, well, you’re being no fun
now,” Robinson manages to say
between giggles.
“Jill, if I hit it, it’s gonna be for
you. You’re the person I’m gonna
point to.”
“OK.”
“All right,” Mackey says, turn
ing away from Robinson. “We’re
gonna point to one another.”
“Yeah, that’s good to put in
there, don’t you think?”
The season has been mostly
fun for No. 18 Oregon (38-22
overall, 9-13 Pacific-10 Confer
ence), as the Ducks continue
their turnaround under third
year head coach Rick Gamez.
And it has been a season of
record-breaking performances,
with Mackey and Robinson hit
ting the way.
Oregon has shattered the team
homer record, jumping from 49
last season to 64 with six games
remaining.
Although the homer-mates
have accounted for more than
37 percent of the total, it took
the tandem a while to get
launched.
Mackey struck first, blasting
her first home run and eighth of
her career in the Ducks’ seventh
game. And the senior from Red
Bluff, Calif., took a two-homer
lead on her roommate with a
home run in game 13.
Robinson, a junior from Win
ton, Calif., whom Gamez
benched for the first five games,
hit her first homer and seventh
of her career in Oregon’s 16th
game.
From there, Mackey’s home
runs have been steadier, while
the bulk of Robinson’s came
when she hit eight during a 14
game stretch that ended in April.
However, Mackey had two mul
ti-homer games in a five-game
stretch in late March.
Gamez said he has not been
surprised by the power numbers
either has produced, because of
past performances.
Still, Mackey’s high-homer
mark coming into this season
was seven last season, and
Robinson’s high was four in
1997. Gamez said the off-season
hitting work in the Moshofsky
Center has helped.
The homer-mates agreed.
Despite their friendship and
similarities, Mackey and Robin
son are easily discernible on the
field, Gamez said.
“They both love to play and be
successful,” Gamez said, “but
they’re two different types of
ballplayers.”
Following leadoff hitter Tia
Dumas’ season-ending injury in
February, Gamez installed
Robinson at the top of the lineup.
Robinson has thrived, stealing a
team-high 20 bases and batting
.296.
“Jill has more offensive capa
bilities,” Gamez said. “She’s got
good speed and can bunt.”
Meanwhile, Mackey has been
firmly entrenched in the cleanup
spot since Triawn Custer’s injury
in mid-March. Mackey has been
the run-producer Oregon needs,
hitting 13 doubles with a .313 av
erage.
“Katie is more of a power hit
ter,” Gamez said.
Mackey lived up to that billing
when she smashed a three-run
homer in the 11th inning to beat
No. 5 Washington, 4-3, last Sun
day.
The home run tied her with
Holte and Robinson, but Mackey
said she was more excited about
the victory. Those three runs bat
ted in pulled Mackey to within
three of Lindsey Welch’s single
season record of 46.
Robinson first tied the home
run record when she blasted her
12th in a Duck victory over Ari
zona State two weeks ago. Robin
son has not hit a home run in the
five games since.
■ ■ a
Mackey and Robinson are still
together in the plush lobby.
They are on the subject of su
perstitions.
“We usually play Ping-Pong
the night before games,” Robin
son says.
“I usually beat her,” Mackey
says. “I always beat her.”
“Yeah, Katie usually beats
me,” Robinson deadpans. "But I
just play along, you know.”
Laughter.
“No, she beats me fair and
square,” Robinson says. “But I
got her last time.”
“She beat me once. I’ll admit
it. And then she ran out of the
garage and wouldn’t let me play
her again.” *
Neither of the homer-mates
can pull a similar maneuver
when or if she breaks the record.
Tennis
Continued from Page 11
more-to-be Bertrand Devillers
said. “That was a really good mo
ment.”
And then at the Pac-10 Cham
pionships two weeks ago, Ore
gon’s tandem of Carter and Dev
illers reached the semifinals in
doubles play.
“[Our doubles play] improved
when Miguel [Arriaga] got into
the lineup,” Carter said. “He
made a big difference. It was a
good change.”
Arriaga, one of the team’s two
seniors, was good the entire sea
son.
4 By compiling a 21-10 singles
record and an 8-4 doubles mark,
Arriaga broke into Oregon’s all
time top 10 for most career victo
ries with 45, as well as its top 10
for most wins in a season.
Not bad for a player who won
only eight matches during his first
season as a Duck.
“Miguel has found a way to re
ally put things into practice,”
Russell said. “He’s really applied
what he’s learned.”
The entire team benefited from
Arriaga’s consistency, his team
mates said.
“Miguel was a guy who we al
ways knew would probably win,"
De’villers said. “That gave us a lot
of confidence.
“We’re going to miss him and
Carlos [Navarro].”
Team captain Navarro, Ore
gon’s other departing senior, did
n’t collect wins the way Arriaga
did, but he certainly contributed
in other important ways.
“Carlos was always fighting
hard,” Devillers said. “In practice
he was always playing hard and
pushing everybody. He was real
ly a leader.”
The Ducks aren’t sure how
they’ll replace Arriaga and Navar
ro, but Jason Menke, a recruit
from Portland, should help.
“He is going to bring us a lot of
experience,” Russell said. “He’s
one of the top guys in the Pacific
Northwest, from our back yard
here. We’re excited to be able to
attract those kids.”
Both Oregon’s freshmen played
in the top three of the lineup and
each improved as the season pro
gressed, giving Russell more rea
son for optimism for the future.
“If we stay on track,” Russell
said. “We’re looking to start win
ning in the Pac-10. Talentwise we
can. It’s just going to be a question
of how much the guys want it.”
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