Ducks Offense Continues to Fly Out of the Sun

Max Thornberry Editorials

Surprise, surprise – pitching headlines another preseason for Oregon baseball. Cole Irvin told reporters last week that he is “the healthiest [he’s] been [his] whole career.” Matt Krook is returning, attempting conjure some of the magic he showed as a freshman after shining in Cape Cod this summer. Last, but certainly not least, is David Peterson who should only improve with age, …

Ducking the Draft. Will They Stay or Will They Go?

Max Thornberry FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Ducks had a strong showing at the MLB Draft this week as four players were taken in the first 12 rounds. A total of six starters and six recruits had their names called to join the show. Pitchers Garrett Cleavinger and Josh Graham were drafted in the third and fourth rounds respectively by the Orioles and Braves. Infielder Mitchell …

Roller Coaster Season Shows Promise For the Future

Max Thornberry FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

A turbulent season made for quite the ride for Oregon baseball fans and players alike. The Ducks sandwiched mediocre — and at times, poor– play between outstanding performances to open and close the year. In the first month of the season the Ducks went 10-1, outscoring opponents 85-34. Huge offensive numbers against Hawaii and New Mexico State made Oregon appear to be an offensive juggernaut …

What’s Wrong With a Two-Out Rally?

Max Thornberry FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Ducks definitely have a flair for the dramatic. Everything about their season came down to the wire. With everything on the line, the Ducks took down No. 2 UCLA last weekend and earned themselves a spot in the College World Series playoffs. With ups and downs all season for the diamond Ducks, there were few consistencies as Oregon had to fight week in …

Oregon Keeps Playoff Hopes Alive With 11 Inning Win Over UCLA

Max Thornberry FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Ducks dug deep for their game two victory over UCLA in 11 innings. Riding on the wings of a strong pitching performance for the second night in a row, Oregon secured a win in a must-win situation and possibly clinched themselves a playoff berth with the 5-4 win. Freshman David Peterson continued to blow batters away, striking out the first …

Confidence and Timing Give the Ducks a Boost

Max Thornberry FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Ducks baseball team has been red hot over the last month, finding their stride just in time to make a legitimate playoff push. When head coach George Horton told reporters that their “magic number” to make the College World Series playoffs was somewhere around 35 wins, it looked to be a nearly insurmountable task. However the Ducks have won …

Oregon Baseball Analysis: Infield Defensive Shifts

Andrew Bet Editorials

Defensive positioning in baseball has changed dramatically over the years as managers are looking at every detail of the game. Getting advanced statistics on the batter and shifting players into the correct defensive positions are a few examples. The defensive shifts implemented during the game can be interesting to see for fans – new and old — of baseball. In a game against …

Ducks Duke it Out With Gonzaga For Game One Win

Max Thornberry FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

A 9-4 victory Tuesday night was a much tougher battle for Oregon than the box score might reveal. Both offenses kept the pressure on all night as Gonzaga tallied 12 hits compared to Oregon’s 13. All of the damage was done early on with every run coming off the starters in the first four innings. The Ducks offense got right …

Ducks on the Diamond: Formula For Success

Max Thornberry FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

With two series in the books for the Oregon Ducks baseball team, how close do the actual performances rank against the expectations coming into the season? Across the board we have seen outstanding performances from the projected stars as well as solid play from some players who are looking to make sure their names are in the conversation — most notably …

Oregon Baseball World Series Bound?

Nik Brownlee FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Oregon baseball team has come a long way since the reinstatement of the program in 2009. That year, the Ducks finished dead last in the Pac-10 with a record of 14-42. Since then, the Ducks have improved drastically, earning a trip to the NCAA Regionals four out of the last five years and hosting the event in 2012 and 2013. But …

Oregon Wraps Up Opening Series With Win Against Hawaii

Max Thornberry FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Oregon Ducks baseball team had a great weekend in Hawaii to open the season, taking three of four games from the Rainbow Warriors. A weekend of ups and downs, high-scoring blowouts and nail biting comebacks was a showcase of things to come this season. Three players who had major impacts were infielder and pre-season third-team All-American Mitchell Tolman, true …

Oregon Baseball Ranks 2nd in Pac- 12 Preseason Coaches Poll

Jordan Ingram FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The 2015 Oregon baseball regular season is just 12 days away from opening day at PK Park against New Mexico State on February 19th. And the Ducks have garnered a lot of attention in the preseason. According to the recently released Pac-12 Coaches Poll, Oregon is picked to finish conference play in second place, just behind UCLA. Ducks second in Preseason …