The state of Oregon has created exceptional athletes for the University of Oregon, and few ever made the “bigs” quite like a player from a tiny farming community in Oregon, and yet who was one of three brothers to play and star for the Ducks. Oregon has had many sets of brothers playing football, but three brothers? In more than …
Howard Hobson and the Golden Age of Oregon BASEBALL
Oregon fans know of the “Tall Firs”—winners of the 1939 NCAA National Basketball Championship—by famous players like Admiral John Dick and Tall Firs coach Howard “Hobby” Hobson. Yet few realize that coach Hobson also coached the University’s baseball team, achieving nearly the same level of success that he did with his basketball program. The Oregon Ducks experienced a golden age in baseball from the …
Murky Pac-12 Gives Oregon a Sliver of Hope
It appears the Oregon baseball program won’t be making a return to the postseason for a sixth straight year. Despite spending the first month of the 2016 season in the Top 30, including a short stint in the Top 15, the Ducks (29-23, 14-13) have been eliminated from a chance at the Pac-12 title with one series left to play. Unfortunately for …
Matt Krook Case Study Takes the Mound Again
The Oregon pitching staff has underwhelmed to say the least. None more so than Matt Krook, whose return was supposed to elevate the Ducks’ rotation to elite. The lefty has struggled with control and consistency, and two poor starts in a row have resulted in his banishment to the bullpen. Krook’s 3-3 record and 4.70 era are nothing to boast …
Ducks Baseball Should Avoid Mauling by Cougars This Weekend
The Diamond Ducks are running out of time. Head coach George Horton and his players reminded reporters on Wednesday afternoon that anything can happen in the game of baseball. It’s true that the Ducks are a paltry two games out of first place in the Pac-12. In a vacuum, that’s good news for Oregon fans. The Ducks are 6-4 in …
Oregon Pitchers Survived the First Half, Look to Dominate Second Half of Conference Play
Oregon’s pitching has not been great. The highly touted rotation has pitched well, but has failed to reach the levels we expected back in February. The bullpen is questionable, as well. As mentioned last week, the back-end is set, but as evidenced by the madness of the Oregon State game Monday night, the long-relievers/spot starters are anything but a sure …
Oregon’s Bullpen Has Questions — and Answers
The Ducks have pitching weapons in reserve. The heavy and light arms will have to continue to move Oregon forward until the punchless offense decides whether they are committed to the “small ball” approach of years past or if George Horton has decided to blaze a new trail for the second half of the year. Optimism about surging bats and …
A Return to Expected Form for the Ducks?
Nearly a month and a half into the season the Ducks have not flown as high as I had hoped this winter. But their performance has been more in line with what we had expected. The pitching staff has performed well and the offense is still finding their groove. After the 10-1 shellacking of Portland on Wednesday evening, there is …
Oregon Baseball: The Next Men Up
The Ducks struggled in their trip through SEC country last week. Each of the starters posted his shortest outing of the year as Oregon skidded into its first losing streak of 2016. The series in Starkville gave head coach George Horton an opportunity to trot out his bullpen as the long relievers begin to solidify their roles. The problem the bullpen …
Ducks’ Baseball Stock Plummets in Starkville! Ouch.
It’s Saturday, March 12, 2016. We are sitting here with a pain in the back of our neck after watching our Ducks drop their 2nd game to the Mississippi State University Bulldogs. The Duck hitting seemed anemic and their stellar starting pitching, much praised with cause, appeared to lose presence. A text from a friend, he aware of my strong interest …
A Case for Krook
Last year Cole Irvin made his return to the Oregon rotation, a cause for celebration as fans expected the return of their Ace. Does anyone remember how excited we were at the opening of the season? Those grand hopes were forgotten early when we saw that Irvin was on a road to recovery. The sharpness he showed as a freshman wasn’t there …
Oregon Baseball: Phantom Changes, yet Incredibly Entertaining
Before many of you pop a vein from what you are about to read - do check our new change of Editorial policy. We are not always going to sprinkle our articles with good fairy dust, but you can rest assured that we will continue to “love to learn about our beloved Ducks!” Charles Fischer Remember the promises after last year’s …