EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon softball head coach Melyssa Lombardi added a big bat to the Ducks’ lineup for the next three seasons on Monday with the signing of corner infielder Mya Felder, the 2019 WAC freshman of the year. Felder will join the Ducks as a sophomore this fall after putting together a tremendous freshman season at New Mexico State. “Mya will make a huge impact for us at the plate and on defense,” said Lombardi. “I love her ability to hit for power and for average, and she can change the game with one swing of the bat. She will be a great addition to an already deep lineup, and Duck fans will really love watching her over the next three years.” The conference freshman of the year and an all-WAC first team selection, Felder led the Aggies as a freshman with a .357 batting average while racking up 12 home runs, 16 doubles and a team-high 46 RBIs. Felder put together a whopping .701 slugging percentage to go with a strong .443 on-base percentage, and she struck out only 12 times in 157 at-bats while drawing 22 walks. A Fresno, Calif., native, Felder was a three-time WAC hitter of the week and also earned NFCA national player of the week honors on May 7 after a monster week that included a 4-for-4 performance with a home run, two doubles and six RBIs in a win at CSU Bakersfield. Felder had three different games with two home runs, and she racked up 13 multi-RBI performances. Prior to shining as a freshman at the collegiate level, Felder starred at Clovis East High School in Clovis, Calif. Felder was a three-time all-conference selection as well as the TRAC offensive player of the year in 2016 after a huge sophomore season in which she hit .490 with seven home runs, 14 doubles and 43 RBIs. She followed that up by batting .483 with 11 doubles, four home runs and 19 RBIs as a junior, leading her team to a second straight third-place league finish. Felder is the third big addition of the offseason for Lombardi and the Ducks, who signed pitchers Brooke Yanez and Samaria Diaz last week. Diaz and Felder were teammates last season at New Mexico State.
