– After going undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft, the former Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla signed with the Green Bay Packers Monday. Lyerla was arrested for cocaine possession on Oct. 6, 2013, just weeks after withdrawing from Oregon. Lyerla, though, had a successful combine, especially in the 40-yard dash, where he recorded a time of 4.56. Lyerla had 34 receptions for 565 yards and 11 touchdowns in just over two years with Oregon.

– For the third year in a row, Oregon center Hroniss Grasu has been named to the Rimington Trophy watch list, as announced Monday by the Rimington Trophy Committee. Entering his senior season, the 6-foot-3, 297-pound center has played in 40-straight games and helped Oregon lead the conference in total offense, scoring and rushing last season. He also earned first team Pac-12 all-conference honors each of his past two seasons and was a 2013 All-American.

– Oregon head soccer coach Kat Mertz announced on Saturday the hiring of Emanuel Martins as an assistant coach. Martins was previously an assistant coach of the United States Women’s National Under-17 Team as well as serving as an assistant coach at UCLA from 2011-13. Martins will act as Oregon’s recruiting coordinator as well as doing other coaching duties. The coaching staff continues to add U.S. National Team experience with Mertz, assistant coach Christie Welsh and now Martins.

– Jacinta Vandenberg transferred from Fresno State to Oregon, the women’s basketball team announced Tuesday. The center from Melbourne, Australia stands 6-foot-5 and will redshirt during the 2014-15 season. Vandenberg will have two years of eligibility remaining with Oregon. As a sophomore last season with Fresno State, Vandenberg averaged 6.5 rebounds, 5.7 points per game and started in all 33 games.

– Shaun Chase and the Oregon baseball team beat rival Oregon State 6-2 on Tuesday for the first time this season after losing the first four matchups. Chase, for the second straight Tuesday, hit two home runs and collected four RBIs in the process. The Ducks beat the No. 1 team in the country when they came back in the seventh inning, sparked by a squeeze play from Tyler Baumgartner that turned out to be a missed sign. The Ducks play in their final regular season series starting Thursday at 7 p.m. against California.

– Emerald sports reporter Hayden Kim joined KWVA Sports on Quack Smack Tuesday and talked about Oregon softball’s success in Regionals and its upcoming matchup against No. 16 Minnesota in the Super Regionals. Quack Smack airs Monday through Friday from 6-7 p.m. and will feature an Emerald staff member every Tuesday. KWVA Sports also airs Friday Night Spotlight from 7-9 p.m. Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @abant3

In the final Civil War game of the regular season, the Oregon baseball team finally got a win after losing the first four to its in-state rivals. Shaun Chase — for the second straight Tuesday – hit two home runs en route to a 6-2 victory over No. 1-ranked Oregon State.

Jack Karraker was given the midweek start and pitched three scoreless innings. He allowed just two hits and no walks before handing the ball off. And the relief pitching was just as good. Darrell Hunter and Jake Reed both kept the Beavers scoreless and Porter Clayton allowed just two runs in his 3.1 innings of work.

“Karraker wasn’t extremely sharp, but he got three zeroes,” head coach George Horton said.

The game was scoreless for the first three innings but the Beavers had a big scoring opportunity in the first. With the bases loaded, two outs and a full count, Karraker got Michael Howard to line out to left to end the threat.

The scoring began in the bottom of the fourth inning with some pop. Chase was sitting on a 2-0 count launched a fastball well over the center field fence, flipping his bat in the air moments after.

But the Beavers responded in the very next inning. Clayton walked the first two batters to begin the fifth, but seemed to be getting out of the jam when he struck out Nick Rulli and Michael Conforto — Oregon State’s best hitter. But troubled ensued. Dylan Davis singled home a run and Gabe Clark responded with a perfectly executed hit-and-run to score Jeff Hendrix from third. But the two runs were all the Beavers manufactured in the inning and the game.

The game remained in Oregon State’s control until the seventh inning when the Ducks opened up the scoring in a loud way. Aaron Payne led off the inning with a fly ball to left but it was misplayed by the left fielder Conforto, who moved there from third base at the beginning of the inning. The misplay resulted in a triple for Payne. A squeeze bunt from Baumgartner scored Payne from third to tie the game at two.But Horton said it wasn’t supposed to be a squeeze — someone missed a sign.

“We would have a little bit of egg on our face had that not worked,” Horton said.

Baumgartner then stole second and Kyle Garlick worked a walk. Mitchell Tolman stepped to the plate and was looking for some redemption after going 0-3 with three strikeouts in his previous at-bats. Tolman was first-pitch swinging and lined a double to right center field, scoring Baumgartner from second and giving the Ducks a 3-2 lead.

“I was frustrated but I needed to get over it,” Tolman said about his previous three at-bats. “In the dugout talking with teammates, they helped me get over the hump.”

Chase then came up to the plate with runners on second and third. Steven Packard was in the on-deck circle and he was 2-for-3 at that point in the game. The Beavers decided to pitch to Chase, and it cost them. Chase controlled the at-bat. He fouled off every strike he was given and worked a full count after starting 0-2. He said after the game he was frustrated during the at-bat because Oregon State pitcher Jake Thompson was having trouble communicating signs with his catcher.

But the frustration only fueled his bat. Chase connected for his second long ball of the game. This time, though, he didn’t flip his bat. He held onto it for a few steps, then flexed his muscles as he approached second base.

“I just wanted to put the ball in play and get one or two runs if I could,” Chase said. “I just didn’t want to strikeout.”

Horton was impressed with his catcher’s at-bat.

“The second home run was spectacular,” Horton said. “It doesn’t get much better than that.”

The Ducks held onto their 6-2 lead thanks to Hunter and Reed not allowing a single baserunner.

The Ducks host their final series of the regular season starting Thursday, May 22 against California. The game will start at 7 p.m.

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @abant3

Shaun Chase led the Oregon baseball team with a grand slam, a solo home run and five RBIs to send the Ducks past the Pacific Tigers by a score of 14-8 on Tuesday at PK Park.

Porter Clayton was given the mid-week start and was shaky but good enough to earn the win. He went 5.1 innings giving up five runs (four earned), four hits, five walks, and he struck out one.

“Porter’s got good stuff,” head coach George Horton said. “He just has to throw the ball over the plate more consistently.”

The Ducks scored first in the first inning when leadoff hitter Aaron Payne earned a walk and scored on a Mitchell Tolman’s groundout. However, Pacific got the run back in the top of the second when Tolman threw the ball towards third base trying to throw out JP Yakel — who was advancing on a ground ball — but the throw missed the target and got away. Yakel scored on the play to tie the game. That was one of two errors from Tolman on the evening.

“At least he went for it,” Horton said. “I’m never going to question a guy for going for it.”

In the bottom of the inning, Nick Catalano reached base via a walk. Then with a full count, Desmond Santos, who was making his sixth start of the year, doubled to left scoring Catalano. The Ducks took the lead and wouldn’t lose it for the remainder of the game.

In the fourth, Oregon seemed to have broken the game open with five runs. With Tolman at the plate and a 3-1 count, the Tigers decided to intentionally walk him after Kyle Garlick stole second and opened first base. Chase then ripped a line-drive grand slam to left in a 2-1 count for his second grand slam and ninth home run on the season.

“I was a little angry at myself because I struggled this weekend and started out struggling today,” Chase said. “I just tried to put all my at-bats behind me and act like it was my first at-bat of the day.”

But as the game seemed to be in Oregon’s hands, the Tigers answered for five in the sixth. With two runners on, Parker Klein doubled to deep left-center field scoring two. The Tigers added three more on two hits, a walk and a hit batter.

In the seventh, Josh Graham led the inning off with a double and scored on Catalano’s bunt single. Later in the inning, Mark Karaviotis was hit by a pitch and landed on third after stealing second and moving over to third on a fielder’s choice. But Karaviotis was aggressive on the base paths all night and took advantage when the ball got far enough away from Pacific catcher Yakel to score.

In the eighth, the Ducks added three runs to their lead. Chase, with nobody on, started the scoring when he connected for his 10th long ball of the year to dead center.

“It’s always a confidence booster when you hit a home run,” Chase said. “But I didn’t expect to hit another one tonight.”

The Ducks added two more with two hits, two hit batters and a walk, holding the Tigers in the ninth and won by a final of 14-8.

Oregon plays next on the road in Los Angeles, California against UCLA for a weekend series starting Friday at 7 p.m.

Noteworthy:

– Shaun Chase connected for two home runs (9, 10) including a grand slam in the fourth. The home runs make him tied for sixth on Oregon’s all-time single-season home run list.

– Aaron Payne tied the all-time runs scored count (127) with former shortstop J.J. Altobelli, who reached the mark last season.

– Oregon hitters were hit by pitches five times, while the Tigers were drilled three times.

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @abant3

In his first Pac-12 start of the season, senior Brando Tessar quickly proved to head coach George Horton why he should be the Sunday starter. Tessar led the Oregon baseball team (34-13, 13-8 Pac-12) to a 5-1 win over Arizona (18-28, 7-17) , completing the series sweep. 

“He was awesome today,” head coach George Horton said. “Each and every start that he’s had, especially the last three, has been more spectacular in my mind. …Today he was borderline dominating.”

The first run of the game came in the sixth when, with nobody out, Oregon’s Mitchell Tolman launched a solo home run on top of the batting cage in right field. The shot propelled the Ducks for the rest of the game.

“It was just Ducks picking up Ducks,” Tessar said. “That’s what this team’s about.”

The solo home run followed a clutch moment by Tessar when the Ducks needed him the most. With nobody out and runners on first and third, Tessar struck out the first, second and third hitters in the Arizona lineup to end the inning.

“I told myself that I had to bear down and get it done right there,” Tessar said. “I was pretty jacked up and the team was pretty pumped up when I came in (the dugout).”

Tessar went seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and three walks while striking out six in his fourth win of the season. His scoreless-innings steak is now at 22.1 (21.0 as a starter) and his earned run average dropped from 2.61 to 2.13, the second lowest on the team only behind the injured Matt Krook (1.79).

The game was a pitchers duel between Tessar and Arizona starter Tyger Talley. Talley kept the Oregon bats in check and also caused the Ducks to leave six runners on base in his seven innings of work — his lone mistake was to Tolman in the sixth. Talley gave up five hits and walked two while striking out five.

In the top of the eighth, the Wildcats were just inches away from changing the momentum of this game. With one one and the bases loaded, relief pitcher Jordan Spencer had a full count to Trent Gilbert. Gilbert hit a ball hard down the right field line, just inches foul.

“My rear end tightened up a little bit,” Horton said. “I was hoping it was hooking foul, and it did.”

Gilbert later popped out to Tolman in foul territory. Willie Calhoun followed suit and popped out to Aaron Payne in foul territory to end the inning.

Shaun Chase put the game away in the bottom of the eighth. Steven Packard was intentionally walked to load the bases in front of Chase, the Pac-12 leader in home runs. Whether it was to have a force at the plate or set-up the double play, it didn’t work. Chase connected for his third home run of the series in grand fashion.

“It’s always a shot in the stomach when someone gets intentionally walked in front of you,” Chase said. “I just wanted elevation to get the ball up to score at least one run and luckily it went over the fence.”

The Ducks allowed a run in the ninth en route to their 5-1 win over the Wildcats.

The Ducks play Tuesday against Oregon State at 6 p.m. at PK Park.

Noteworthy:

– The Ducks are 6-0 when Tessar is on the mound to start the game.

– Chase’s grand slam was his eighth home run on the season, which leads the Pac-12.

– Chase stole his first career base on a straight steal to second. He was “a little bit” surprised to get the sign.

“That was scary,” Chase said. “But hey, I got in safe. Can’t argue about that.”

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @abant3

Oregon State baseball’s sweep over Oregon last week stopped all of the momentum the Ducks generated in their nine-game winning streak heading into the series. But Oregon head coach George Horton made sure that his team realized that — even though they were swept — they are still a good ball club.

“Our mission is to catch each other being good,” Horton told reporters on Wednesday. “I think that’s what you have to do — it tends to knock you on your rear end, and nothing seems to be good when you hit that rock bottom.”

To be short, the series in Corvallis was full of the Beavers doing things right and the Ducks doing things wrong. Tyler Baumgartner and the Ducks know that, with Arizona — a team that leads the Pac-12 with a .285 team average — coming to town, they need to forget Corvallis. 

“We weren’t able to execute as well as we wanted to, and it wasn’t what we were expecting to do,” Baumgartner said. “We’re ready to come back and have a good week of practice and take on U of A.”

The Wildcats offense has four hitters (with at least 145 at-bats on the season) hitting above .310. Scott Kingery (.365 batting average), Zach Gibbons (.349), Trent Gilbert (.330) and Kevin Newman (.313) will all prove to be difficult outs for the Oregon pitching staff.

After Tommy Thorpe on Friday and Jeff Gold on Saturday, Oregon will give the ball to Brando Tessar on Sunday for his first Pac-12 start of the year. Tessar is replacing Trent Paddon, who, in 1.2 innings, gave up four runs (all earned) to the Beavers. However, the leash is likely short on Tessar in the Sunday spot, as Horton and the Oregon coaching staff are still trying to find a way to fill the hole left by Matt Krook, who underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery. Tessar is 3-0 with a 2.61 ERA, and hasn’t given up a run in the 1.1 innings he has pitched in conference.

Arizona will start James Farris (4-5, 4.00 ERA) on Friday, Cody Hamlin (5-3, 2.94 ERA) on Saturday and Tyger Talley (1-1, 4.15 ERA) on Sunday.

The Wildcats have struggled this year on the road, winning just three of their 11 games away from Hi Corbett Field. Oregon is 18-5 at PK Park.

The Wildcats sit near the bottom in the conference standings with Utah below them. The now unranked Ducks are in fifth place behind Arizona State, USC, Washington and Oregon State.

The series begins Friday at 7 p.m..

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @abant3

Beneath the hat of Kyle Garlick is his shaved head — a symbol of support for his mother. Cary Garlick was diagnosed with breast cancer a week before the Oregon baseball season started and recently started losing her hair. But leading up to his mother’s diagnosis, Kyle went through even more hardship.

During Kyle’s freshman year, he was introduced to Oregon tennis player Alex Rovello. Others suggested that the two skilled ping-pong players meet and play.

“We played a game and he absolutely destroyed me,” Kyle said. “Our relationship grew from there.”

In the 11th game of his junior season against Cal State Fullerton, Kyle suffered a season-ending wrist injury causing him to medically redshirt. However, this injury allowed Garlick to spend valuable time with Rovello. The two taught each other about their respective sports.

“I couldn’t keep (the tennis balls) on the court,” Kyle said.

But Rovello didn’t do much better with baseball. He would “swing and miss a lot,” according to Kyle.

“It was just fun hanging out together,” Kyle said.

Rovello asked Kyle if he wanted to go to the Blue Pool. He accepted. On May 11, 2013 Alex died after diving off a 60-foot cliff into the Blue Pool. Kyle witnessed it all.

“The first month after Alex passed it really hit me hard because he was such a close friend of mine,” Kyle said. ”I still think about him everyday.”

***

During a game Kyle was about 11 years old, he fell asleep between innings due to a severe flu. In the last inning, Kyle couldn’t hold it in any longer and vomited on the infield dirt. Nobody noticed, except for his mother. Scared from the stands, she started yelling in order to make sure her son was okay.

“It shows what kind of mom she is: super caring and one who wants the best for me,” Kyle said.

His coach went out, rubbed some dirt over the vomit and the game finished.

“She was okay with that,” Kyle said.

Now at PK Park, Kyle tries to forget what his mother is going through when he is on the field, but it’s sometimes too difficult.

“I’m trying to send my prayers to her off the field but on the field I’m trying to focus on playing ball.” Kyle said. ”I try not to think about (the cancer), but it’s always there.”

He says he plays better with his family in the stands: it puts him in a better mood. During Oregon’s 5-3 win over Loyola Marymount on Feb. 22, with his family watching, Kyle hit a home run over the “Blue Monster.”

“It was so much fun seeing him hit that home run bomb,” his sister, Kristin, said.

“I feel like I have something to prove,” Kyle said. “Having something to play for with Alex Rovello passing and I try to play every game for my mom, as well.”

During Oregon’s series versus Washington State two weeks ago, Kyle’s mom sat in the stands during the cold and rainy weekend. But neither the cancer nor the weather mattered during those games because they were together. Kyle’s best fan was cheering him on.

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @abant3

– Five-star running back Taj Griffin has verbally committed to the University of Oregon. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound back is listed as the No. 2 running back by Rivals and 247Sports has him as the 29th-best player in the 2015 class. The Powder Springs, Ga., native committed to Oregon over USC, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and others.

– The Oregon tennis team won its first ever Pac-12 tournament match in its 4-2 win over Washington. In February the Ducks beat the Huskies for the first time since 2004 before their Pac-12 Tournament game. The Ducks are now in the semi-finals after a 4-2 win over the Stanford Cardinal on Thursday.

– Oregon senior right-handed pitcher Jeff Gold and freshman shortstop Mark Karaviotis were named to watch lists on Friday. After a 9-0 start with a 2.45 ERA, Gold was honored as one of the 47 pitchers on the National Pitcher of the Year list. Karaviotis is one of two Pac-12 shortstops on the Brooks Wallace Award list. Karaviotis, who has started 31 straight games, has a .970 fielding percentage (four errors in 134 chances). The Maui, Hawaii native is also hitting .263 with 15 RBIs.

– The acrobatics and tumbling team opened the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association National Championship, winning six event titles. The team events will begin Friday as the Ducks will be looking for their fourth-straight national championship. The top-seeded Oregon squad has three student-athletes named to the All-America team: Nicole Erlichman, Chandler White, and Tara Lubert.

– The Oregon Women’s track and field team qualified for the finals of the 4×100 and 4×400 whole taking fifth in the distance medley relay championship at the Penn Relays. On Friday, the action will resume with the women’s 4×100 Championship of America. The men will run their first race of the DMR Championship of America on Friday at 11.25 a.m. PT.

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @abant3

The No. 23 Oregon Ducks (31-10, 10-5) will head to Corvallis, Ore. for a three-game series against Oregon State (27-7, 11-4) starting Friday, April 25 with a nine-game winning streak on the line.

The streak started after the tough road trip to Seattle, Wash., when the Ducks lost two of three to Washington, including a devastating loss in extra innings.

“Ever since Seattle all we could do is try to win every game we play one at a time,” head coach George Horton said after Oregon’s 2-1 win over Washington State Saturday.

A big question for the Ducks heading into the Oregon State series is if Trent Paddon will be the Sunday starter against their in-state rival. Paddon, who picked up his first collegiate win Saturday, entered the rotation due to the injury to fellow freshman Matt Krook.

“If I am (called upon), I’ll be right back up throwing strikes,” Paddon said after Saturday’s game.

Horton said Krook is seeking a second opinion on his MRI Monday and the Ducks will make the decision for the starting spot after the update on Krook’s health.

But two other Oregon freshmen think the team has a lot of momentum going into the series.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” A.J. Balta said. “But I think we’re pretty solid going in. We definitely have a lot of momentum.”

Austin Grebeck echoed Balta’s thoughts.

“First time going into a series against them,” Grebeck said. “I’m excited and I think we have a good chance to win the series.”

No. 5 Oregon State hasn’t played since its series finale with Washington State on April 13. The Beavers will however, have two games prior to Oregon at Sacramento State on April 21-22.

The Beavers have the seventh lowest earned run average (2.20) in the nation and an elite starting pitcher in senior Ben Wetzler, whose 0.69 ERA ranks fourth best in the nation (both numbers are through April 16).

The pitching staff is accompanied by a powerful offense. The Pac-12′s 2013 player of the year, Michael Conforto leads the Beavers with a .395 batting average along with 38 RBIs. Kavin Keyes’ .325 batting average is another that presents a difficult task for the Ducks. As a team, the Beavers are hitting .287 and average 6.35 runs per game.

Oregon sits just a game behind the Beavers in the Pac-12 standings and enter with their nine-game winning streak on the line. But the momentum the Ducks bring to Corvallis will be tested at the get-go.

“As they say in baseball: Momentum is as good as the next starting pitcher,” Horton said.

This series will be the biggest road test the Ducks have seen and will see for the remainder of the season, a task Horton recognized.

“Are we worthy of playing good baseball?” Horton said. “We are about ready to find out.”

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @abant3

The No. 23 Oregon baseball team (28-10, 7-5 Pac-12) will host Washington State (16-16, 7-5) for a three-game series starting Thursday at 6 p.m.

The Ducks’ last conference game was a heartbreaking 10th inning loss to Washington on April 6 in which Oregon’s bullpen surrendered a 4-2 lead in the final inning. Since then, Oregon has won six straight games led by third baseman Mitchell Tolman, who was named Pac-12 player of the week and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association hitter of the week. 

“Once he got in the lineup (last year) it was evident to us that he was a very clutch hitter and liked to be in the box with the game on the line,” head coach George Horton said to reporters before practice on Wednesday. “What he is doing doesn’t surprise me.”

The Cougars’ last Pac-12 series was against Oregon State where they lost two out of three — a 12-5 loss and a 8-1 loss on Saturday and Sunday.

The Cougars have struggled against Pac-12 hitting, allowing a 4.22 ERA in conference. Their staff is led by junior left-hander Joe Pistorese, who enters with a 3-1 record and a 2.76 ERA. The Kalispell, Mont., native pitched a complete game on April 11, allowing just one run (earned) with four walks and four strikeouts in a win over the Beavers. The Cougars will send junior righty Tanner Chleborad (2-3, 4.09 ERA) and senior lefty Jason Monda (1-3, 3.55 ERA) for the remaining two games against Oregon.

Yale Rosen (.376 batting average, 4 home runs, and 22 RBIs) leads the Cougars offensively. The junior out of Oak Harbor, Wash., ranks ninth in the Pac-12 in hits (44), tied for second in home runs (4) and tied for sixth in doubles (10). As a team, the Cougars are hitting .272 — sixth best in the conference.

The Ducks will be without starting pitcher Matt Krook again, allowing Trent Paddon (0-2, 3.38 ERA) to pitch in the rotation as the third starter for the second week in a row. Last week, Paddon pitched 4.0 innings giving up three runs (all earned) and striking out three without allowing a single walk against UC Riverside.

The Ducks and Cougars are currently tied for fourth place in the conference behind Washington, Oregon State. and Arizona State.

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @abant3

The first Oregon sporting event was not football, basketball or track and field. It was baseball.

“The first intercollegiate sporting event played on the University of Oregon campus was a baseball game back in 1877, one year after the UO was established,” said former University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer in 2007 after an announcement to reinstate baseball was made.

The reinstatement ended a 26 year absence. Oregon was the only Pac-10 school without a team before its reinstatement. Even after the program’s reinstatement, the Ducks had to wait over a year to play baseball.

“I am obviously excited about the opportunity to return a piece of the proud tradition of intercollegiate athletics back to the university,” former director of athletics Pat Kilkenny said in 2007.

The Ducks won their home opener that season against the College World Series defending champions Fresno State by a score of 1-0.

In the past, the baseball team played at Howe Field, the current home of the Oregon softball team, until the program was cut due to financial considerations following the 1980-81 season.

Now at PK Park, the Oregon baseball team walks by the murals of honored players and coaches, constantly urging members of the team to make history. Joe Gordon is one player of those players the current Oregon baseball team walks by every game and practice.

Gordon helped end Washington’s superiority with consecutive Northern Division championships in 1934-35. The Portland native played 11 Major League Baseball seasons that resulted in a Hall of Fame induction.

Debuting in 1938, Gordon played for the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians, winning five World Series between the two teams. The nine-time All-Star and American League MVP in 1942 managed three different ball clubs after he retired in 1950.

Earl Averill Jr. is another who is remembered in the Oregon Hall of Fame. He was Oregon’s first baseball All-American and posted at least a .300 batting average in each of his three seasons (1951-53).

As a sophomore, Averill Jr. hit .439 — the highest average in the division of the Pacific Coast Conference. Averill Jr. went on to play 11 seasons professionally for five different teams.

The two-time All-American Larry Hanson is the only player in Oregon history to win the Pac-8 Conference batting title, hitting .454 in 1967. In his final two seasons he was awarded All-Coast, Pac-8 All-Conference, NCAA All-District 8 and All-American honors.

The names of players and coaches don’t stop there. George Shaw, Dave Roberts, Don Kirsch, Mel Krause and Terry Maddox are some of the baseball greats Oregon has seen and still honor.

With the program on the rise, the heroes of the past will likely be joined by the players of today.

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @abant3