Oregon Ducks Baseball Freshman Brayden Jaksa Earns Historic Title

Though the No. 11 seeded Oregon Ducks baseball (43-18 overall, 20-10 conference) squad lost a 2-0 NCAA Super Regional bout on the rode against the No. 6 Texas Longhorns on the road to skip out on yet another College World Series, there's still a lot of promise to take away from this season in the talent on the Ducks' younger athletes.

Very much a collection of heavy-hitting promise with team chemistry to develop at the start of the season, this Ducks squad showed quite a bit of growth thanks to several big regular season wins with one particular Oregon freshman garnering a historically significant achievement.

Oregon first baseman Brayden Jaksa, left, tags Oregon State baserunner AJ Singer down the first base line during the first inning on day three at the NCAA Eugene Regional Tournament at PK Park in Eugene May 31, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Brayden Jaksa Earns Freshman All America Honors

Freshman Brayden Jaksa, who made 44 starts this season with 15 behind the plate, became the fifth Oregon athlete to ever be named as a second-team freshman All-American from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. The only other current Duck on the roster to garner that honor is junior short stop Maddox Molony.

Ducks That Made the NCBWA Second-Team Freshman All-America Team

Brayden Jaksa, C, 2026 (2nd Team)
Maddox Molony, SS, 2024 (2nd Team)
Kenyon Yovan, RP, 2017 (1st Team)
Garrett Cleavinger, RP, 2013 (2nd Team)
Cole Irvin, SP, 2013 (2nd Team)

Jun 7, 2026; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns left fielder Anthony Pack Jr. (6) gets back to first base on a pick off attempt ahead of Oregon Ducks first baseman catcher Brayden Jaksa (11) during the first inning of a Super Regional game at UFCU Disch-Falk field in Austin, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Brayden Jaksa's Freshman Season with Oregon

Jaksa's numbers during his true freshman seasons speak for themselves. At the plate, Jaksa went .318/.400/.534 with a .934 OPS with 17 extra-base hits, including 10 home runs. He also totaled 36 RBIs, 34 runs scored, and seven stolen bases.

Jaksa finished third on the Ducks' team for batting average and stolen bases, below No. 1 infielder/outfielder Drew Smith (.338 batting average) and No. 2 junior infielder Ryan Cooney (.331 batting average).

Even in their final 6-5 post season loss against the Longhorns, Jaksa was integral to almost getting the Ducks back on top to force a game three, with a ground-out to shortstop at the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring Cooney to continue five scoreless innings for the Longhorns. Unfortunately for Duck fans, the Longhorns hit back with a two-run double at the bottom of the eighth to wrap things up in Austin, Texas.

Jaksa ended that game going 1-3 with 2 RBIs and a .320 batting average.

Oregon's Brayden Jaksa, right, makes a catch at first for an out as USC infield Dean Carpentier runs in as the Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans on May 14, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ESPN Pins Brayden Jaksa As Oregon's No. 1 MLB Prospect

Prior to Oregon's two-of-three loss in the Super Regional, ESPN's Ryan McGee with help from MLB writers Kiley McDaniel and David Schoenfield pinned Jaksa as one of the best prospects out of Eugene to make it to the next level.

"Jaksa is the best pro prospect at the moment because he has the skills to stick behind the plate long term, the plus raw power to provide the upside worthy of an early pick and the solid average contact/on-base skills to tap into that power down the road. His 6-6 frame could cause issues with contact and defense in the future, but it isn't right now," wrote McDaniel about Jaksa.

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