OKLAHOMA CITY — Oregon softball's journey to the Women's College World Series began Monday when the Ducks loaded onto a bus parked outside the east end of Autzen Stadium, rode to the Eugene Airport and boarded a charter flight bound for Oklahoma.
Figuratively speaking, of course, the Ducks' journey began much earlier. Once it seemed improbable, the team having lost a 2016 senior class that included pitcher Cheridan Hawkins and power hitters Janelle Lindvall and Koral Costa, whose names pepper the UO record book.
But from the outset, the 2017 Oregon softball team set out to prove that this season was one of reloading rather than rebuilding.