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Over the fence
Neena Bryant brings power and consistency to Ducks' lineup for second year in a row
by Jeffrey Dransfeldt | Senior Sports Reporter
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As a sophomore, she saw Neena Bryant take batting practice for the first time and was surprised at the power contained in the 5-foot-6 Bryant's slender frame.
"We always joke that she can have a golf swing and kill a ball 100 feet over the fence," Jenkins said.
The soft-spoken Bryant is short in describing herself. Her teammates and coaches are quick to let the adjectives fly - quick hands, hard on herself, quick and athletic.
Neena Bryant
| Year: | Sophomore |
| Hometown: | Placentia, Calif. |
| Position: | Center fielder |
| Notes: | Leads Oregon with .341 batting average, 10 doubles, 9 home runs and 42 RBIs ... one of three Ducks to start all 56 games this season ... former member of gold-medal winning U.S. team in Junior World Championships. |
This year, the sophomore has continued to produce.
"Neena has the quickest hands of anyone I've ever seen," Jenkins said.
"She is not a big stocky girl. She is just toned, very toned. Some of those girls in the Pac-10, they can hit the ball. They are pretty thick girls. They walk up in the box and you take steps back because they already look like hitters. Neena is just phenomenal."
Says shortstop Lovena Chaput, "If I were a pitcher, I would not want to throw to her. But you try to throw around her and she'll still hit a home run."
The statistics add up. As much as the Oregon offense has struggled this season, Bryant has been a steady source of production. Her line of .341 hitting, nine home runs and 42 RBIs are tops on the team in each category. Between losing Salling and Ann Marie Topps, Oregon lost a combined 33 home runs from a season ago.
Bryant says she picked up on the way Salling carried herself at bat and used her as an example of how she could improve.
"(Bryant's) been that rock all year long," coach Kathy Arendsen said. "She has been in the three hole every single game this year."
The biggest area of improvement, Arendsen says, is reducing the pressure Bryant places on herself and accepting that a hard hit ball can still be a good at-bat.
If a pitcher gets her one time, usually Bryant will make the adjustment and pick up a hit the next at-bat.
"You got me once. Fine. Next time," Arendsen chuckles, "it will even out."
Her hitting may have never more important than when she slugged a three run homer in a 3-2 upset of defending national champion Arizona in early April. It gave the Ducks their first win in Pacific-10 Conference play after starting with five consecutive losses.
Bryant says she has felt more relaxed this season.
"I'd definitely say its been a lot easier now that I've gotten in and know the system for the most part," she said. "I think it's been a little less stressful for me."
Jenkins stands alongside Bryant in the outfield. As center fielder, Bryant has more territory to cover than right or left fielders and handles the task with her mix of athleticism and speed.
"She plays it pretty shallow because ... we trust her ability to go back and get the ball," Arendsen said.
Bryant and her teammates are now amidst a final playoff push. Oregon has four games this week and then the NCAA selection show on Sunday at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
Oregon made it to the postseason last year but were left wondering how much more they could have done after losing a winnable regional to South Carolina.
"I think it struck some fire underneath our butts," Bryant said. "To go out like that knowing that you definitely could have won, but didn't."
jdransfeldt@dailyemerald.com
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