Eugene Regional Preview: Meet the Oregon Ducks

As we approach this summer's World Cup, I'm reminded of a famous line by former ESPN play-by-play announcer Ian Darke: "You could not write a script like this".

That line was inspired by an amazing, last-second goal which advanced the United States past the 2010 World Cup's group stage, but it could just as easily describe Oregon State's upcoming regional.

The Beavers, as high as 6th in the major polls, failed to host a regional. Instead, they will travel less than an hour away to PK Park in Eugene, the home of their arch-rival Oregon Ducks. This piece will focus on Oregon's path to the postseason, and a potential Civil War matchup in the regional round.

The Green & Yellow Started Red Hot

Mark Wasikowski's Ducks won their first nine games - sweeping mid majors George Mason and Youngstown State, then defeating last season's CWS entrants Arizona - before suffering their first loss on February 28th against UC Irvine. Early on, Oregon showed a penchant for power, with three homers against the perennially-contending Wildcats and a flurry of bombs all month long.

The early hot streak also unlocked a pair of milestones: Oregon saw it's best start since 2014 - when six Ducks went All Pac 12 while Oregon took the two seed in Vanderbilt's Nashville Regional - and their skipper Wasikowski picked up his 300th career victory.

An Early Test with Oregon State Taught Them a Lesson

Believe it or not, the Beavers' first game in the Beaver State this season did not occur in the friendly confines of Goss Stadium in Corvallis. Instead, it occurred at PK Park on March 3rd. In a 10-6 slugfest, Oregon State exposed the Ducks' pitching staff for ten runs on ten hits, and snapped an Oregon six game win streak in the rivalry series.

Afterwards, Oregon rallied, winning a series against common foe Purdue, then taking two from additional common foe Xavier 10-0 and 6-3. From there, the Ducks racked up three consecutive wins against Indiana, and two more against Northwestern, before losing an extra-innings nailbiter on March 22nd. The green and yellow concluded the month with a series win over fellow NCAA postseason participant UC Santa Barbara, who won an at-large bid to the Austin Regional, and an upset loss against a feisty University of Portland side.

In April and May, Oregon Found an Identity

Partly aided by the sheer power of their lineup - so far the Ducks have hit 102 bombs, while their opponents have hit just 60 - Oregon became known for lopsided frames and late inning rallies. In a pivotal rematch with Oregon State in late April, the Ducks scored all seven of their runs in the game's final four innings. In May, a four-run eighth inning helped Oregon upset UCLA, the #1 ranked team in all major polls, and now the highest overall seed in the postseason.

Last weekend in the Big Ten tournament championship game, the Ducks and Bruins battled again. When the dust settled, the Bruins finished victorious 3-2 in extras, but Oregon proved they can hang with the nation's best.

Oregon Will Pose a Difficult Challenge This Weekend

Five Oregon hitters eclipsed double-digit home runs this season: Drew Smith, Angel Laya, Maddox Molony, Naulivou Lauaki, and Brayden Jaksa. Oregon's power showed up in other statistical categories this season, as the Ducks slugged more triples (11 to 9) and doubles (95 to 73) than their opposition. To advance past their hated rivals, Oregon State will need to silence Oregon's powerful bats, controlling the game with All-American pitcher Ethan Kleinschmit and a reliable bullpen throwing to standout catcher Jacob Galloway. Short of that, every Oregon game this weekend should light up the scoreboard.

Add us as a preferred source on Google