EUGENE -- Top-seeded Oregon might be the team to beat in this week's Women's College World Series but winning its opener will require beating the nation's best player.

Even against the backdrop of an eight-team tournament of NCAA softball's elites, Oregon's opener against eighth-seeded Florida State on Thursday is shaping up to be a showdown of superlatives. In one corner is the top-ranked Ducks, whose 54 victories tie a school record and whose offense has shattered UO's single-season records for batting average, slugging percentage, hits, runs and RBIs.

In the other corner is Florida State right-hander Lacey Waldrop, the

2014 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year who has the arm to potentially neutralize Oregon's offense.

Waldrop earned the honor Tuesday night at a banquet at Oklahoma City after her 38-5 record and 1.01 ERA in 257 1/3 innings. Other finalists included Michigan shortstop Sierra Romero and UCLA pitcher Ally Carda. Waldrop was previously named this season's top pitcher in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Though Oregon hasn't faced Waldrop before, it is taking solace in its track record of success against other elite pitchers this season. They include Dallas Escobedo of Arizona State (10.1 strikeouts per seven innings, seventh-best in NCAA) and Jailyn Ford of James Madison (1.26 ERA, also seventh-best). Oregon beat James Madison, 5-1, and scored a combined five earned runs off Escobedo in a three-game series in early May.

"I think we've seen a variety of pitching in the Pac-12," head coach Mike White said. "Ally Carda (UCLA) gets it up there, Dallas Escobedo throws as hard as anybody in the country and has great movement, so we've seen a little bit of everything."

A key for Waldrop and Florida State (55-7) could be in how hard she throws. As a high school recruit she threw her fastball 65 miles per hour, added a 60-mph screw ball and rounded out her arsenal with an off speed pitch, a backhand change-up, a drop ball and a rise ball. White considers 67-70 to be the upper edge of the pitching Oregon has faced this season, and the most recent power pitcher UO faced was Minnesota's Nikki Anderson in last weekend's NCAA super regional.

That experience led him to say "hitting a higher-velocity pitcher" is Oregon's top area of improvement entering this week.

"When Anderson came in throwing about 68 to 70 miles an hour it kind of took us by surprise a little bit," White said. "Of course you're going to see kids down there (Oklahoma City) like Alabama's Jaclyn Traina will throw up there in the velocity. (Whitne) Canion of Baylor will if Baylor beats Florida. So we've got to adjust to the speed a little quicker than what we've done in the past."

Oregon and Florida State's game will be broadcast Thursday on ESPN. The winner of that game plays the winner of Baylor vs. Florida Friday at 4 p.m.; the loser plays at 9 a.m. Saturday. The WCWS is a double-elimination format.

-- Andrew Greif |