Oregon Ducks Softball – Koral Costa

@koralcosta7 @QuackPacSB

The University of Oregon Ducks have made the Sweet Sixteen (AKA the Super Regionals) this year. They need to win two against North Carolina State to be one of the eight teams to advance to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma. Game time (5/22/15) is 6 p.m. PST in Eugene. If you aren’t in Eugene (or if you are but don’t have a ticket as the games have been sold out for a couple days now), you can watch the game on ESPNU.

These will be the last two (or three) games at Howe Field (after 80 years of use) as it will be torn down to make way for the new Jane Sanders Stadium, where the Ducks will play their 2016 season.

Junior Koral Costa is hitting .367 this year, with 15 home runs in just 139 at bats.

Posted on May 22nd, 2015 under Oregon. Tags: eugene, koral costa, Nikkor 200-400mm f/4 EDIF AF-S VR, Nikon D600, softball, sports photography. Comments Off on Ducks on ESPNU tonight

Oregon Ducks Softball – Cheridan Hawkins

@CheridanH11 @OregonSB

Cheridan Hawkins, the best starting pitcher in the country, will lead the Oregon Ducks on their quest for a national championship as the Regionals begin today in Eugene. Hawkins has an ERA of just 1.39 this season to go along with a 27-3 record, 6 saves, and more than 220 strikeouts in less than 170 innings. Cheridan is one of ten finalists for the USA Softball Player of the Year Award. On May 20 the field will be narrowed to three finalists.

Posted on May 14th, 2015 under Oregon. Tags: eugene, Nikkor 200-400mm f/4 EDIF AF-S VR, Nikon D600, Oregon, softball, sports photography. Comments Off on Ducks begin 2015 regionals as favorite

Matt Belisle of the Colorado Rockies in 2014

As Belisle’s salary increased each year from 2010 to 2014 with the Colorado Rockies so did his ERA. He took a nearly $1 million pay cut this year to pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals with good results so far (an ERA of 1.50 after 13 appearances).

Posted on May 7th, 2015 under Other. Tags: baseball, Coors Field, Denver, Nikon 300mm f/4 VR ED-IF AF-S Nikkor Lens, Nikon D600, sports photography. Comments Off on Matt Belisle

Lastings Milledge of the Yakult Swallows

The “best 16-year old player” in 2001 is currently working to come back from a couple of injury-plagued seasons in Japan. He has played in just 4 of the Swallow’s 28 games so far this year.

Milledge’s best year as a pro came in 2012 for the Swallows when he hit .300 with 21 home runs. Today’s photo comes from 2013, the first year of a three-year $4.4 million contract for Lastings which has produced only 17 home runs so far and a batting average below .250 for Yakult.

Posted on May 2nd, 2015 under Japan. Tags: baseball, Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Telephoto Lens, Nikon D600, sports photography, yakult swallows. Comments Off on Lastings Milledge

Several years ago I posted a comparison of a single, ultra-wide photo of Dodger Stadium with a photomerge of several photos of the same scene. Today’s post revisits that discussion on a full-frame DSLR. Above is a 7-photo photomerge (shot vertically at 16mm). Below is the ultra-wide shot at 14mm.

Posted on April 17th, 2015 under Other. Tags: baseball, Coors Field, Denver, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 AF-S NIKKOR G ED N, Nikon D600, photography, photomerge, photoshop, sports photography. Comments Off on Ultra-wide photo vs. photomerged panorama (part 2)