EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon softball head coach Melyssa Lombardi bolstered the Ducks' pitching staff in a big way on Monday with the addition of left hander Brooke Yanez, the 2019 Big West pitcher of the year.

Yanez, who shined at UC Davis the last two seasons, will join the Ducks this fall as a junior and will be immediately eligible to compete for Oregon in 2020.

"Brooke is a huge addition for our pitching staff and our program," said Lombardi. "She is an intense competitor who knows how to win, and she has a fearless approach on the mound. She creates a ton of spin on her ball, which allows for sharp break and constantly keeps hitters guessing. Brooke is a tremendous young woman who Duck fans will love watching over the next two seasons."

A Ventura, Calif., native, Yanez was stellar as a sophomore en route to being named the top pitcher in the Big West and an NFCA all-region first team selection. Yanez posted a 25-7 record and ranked fourth in the nation with a 1.03 ERA, and she was seventh nationally with 273 strikeouts across 203.2 innings pitched. The southpaw held opposing hitters to just a .179 batting average and surrendered only five home runs and 67 walks.

Yanez burst onto the collegiate scene as a freshman in 2018, going 15-11 with a 1.75 ERA and 190 strikeouts in 187.2 innings while earning Big West freshman pitcher of the year honors. In her career, the lefty owns a 40-18 record and a 1.38 ERA with 463 strikeouts in 391.1 innings pitched. A right-handed hitter, she also showed an ability to handle the bat at UC Davis, blasting five home runs with 13 RBIs in 70 at-bats last season.

A 2017 Buena High School graduate, Yanez went a perfect 19-0 with a 0.58 ERA and 214 strikeouts as a senior and hit .397 with 11 home runs while earning league MVP honors. Yanez was a four-time first-team all-league selection and was also the CIF Division IV player of the year in her final season, during which she threw a perfect game with 18 strikeouts.

Yanez will bolster an Oregon pitching staff that includes rising junior Jordan Dail, who threw a whopping 248.0 innings while carrying the load for the Ducks in 2019, as well as highly-touted freshman Makenna Kliethermes, the Missouri Gatorade player of the year out of Blair Oaks High School.