The Dominance of Cheridan Hawkins: Softball’s Madison Bumgarner

Andrew Bet Talent Evaluation

Oregon starting pitcher Cheridan Hawkins must have dominance inscribed in her DNA, as her performances have left opponents baffled. Since game one of the season, Hawkins knew she would be Oregon’s x-factor in returning to the Women’s College World Series. In the UCLA series, Hawkins dealt with adversity for the first time this season as she lost the first game of …

Christian Jones’ Road to Recovery

Victor Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

One sentence can mean completely different things depending on who reads it.  Take this one, for instance: “Jones entered the year looking like a potential top pick.” That is the first sentence in Christian Jones’ scouting report from this Baseball America article written last year, where author Conor Glassey listed the top MLB draft prospects from the state of Oregon.  To …

NCAA Postseason Insight

Bryan Holt FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Pac-12 baseball race seems to have come to a close with Oregon State’s defeat of the Oregon Ducks this past weekend, taking two out of three games at PK Park.  The Beavers now hold a two game lead over both the Oregon Ducks (43-13, 20-7) and the UCLA Bruins (37-15, 20-7), both of which are now tied for second …

Cole Irvin: The Commander

Victor Flores Coach's Opinion

About a year ago, Cole Irvin had a decision to make: play for the Ducks or go to the minor leagues.  The left-handed starting pitcher had already committed to Oregon, but when the MLB Draft rolled around in June, the Toronto Blue Jays decided to select him in the 29th round. We all know what happened next.  Irvin rejected pro …

George Horton has All Bases Covered

Victor Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Unfortunately, coach George Horton’s impact on the Oregon baseball team can’t be fully measured.  He’s supposedly an excellent recruiter and I’m sure he motivates his players like General Patton, but there’s just no way of knowing what his effect in these areas truly is. Horton has so many tangible strengths, though, that figuring out if he’s a good coach is …

Oregon’s Bullpen is Locking Games Down

Victor Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

To many, relief pitchers are to baseball what special teams players are to football: failed starters. Even the best relievers of all time, like Mariano Rivera and Goose Gossage, are viewed through this prism, and certain baseball analysts will tell you that these late-inning specialists provide even less value than average starting pitchers. While there’s a lot of truth to …