Baseball is a game of observing tendencies. On Friday night, No. 19 Oregon broke one in particular, one it has consistently shown this season.

In eight of the Ducks’ first 10 wins, they trailed at one point during the game. Friday night, they opted out of this tendency with an early three-run home run, which kept Oregon ahead for seven innings. Oregon (11-2) almost caved in its series opener against St. John’s (5-5), but they held on to win 4-3.

A one-out triple to left-center field from Austin Grebeck got Oregon going early. Mitchell Tolman then earned a walk to set up Shaun Chase. Chase, who’s been struggling at the plate, struck out.

Next up was Brandon Cuddy. He picked up his teammate with a three-run home run that landed on the Player Development Area over the Oregon bullpen.

“That was one of the most critical at-bats of the whole game,” Oregon head coach George Horton said. “We might of played a better baseball game all the way through if that had not happened.”

Then, 14 consecutive scoreless frames were displayed on the Oregon scoreboard in left field. The top of ninth’s spot wasn’t one of them.

“We forgot to bring out lunch bill and go to work,” Horton said. “(We) left them in the game.”

Leadoff singles from Ty Blankmeyer and Alex Caruso got St. John’s first two-runners on the base paths. It was the first time a Red Storm player touched second base. Blankmeyer eventually reached third, too, on a wild pitch. Jarred Mederos then worked a walk to load the bases.

Then Michael Donadio, St. John’s three-hitter who entered with a .367 batting average and 5 RBIs, struck out.

But long reliever Conor Harber couldn’t best the Red Storm cleanup hitter Zach Lauricella, who singled on a slow ground ball in the infield which gave enough time for all runners to gain 90 feet.

“(Harber) had one walk, the balls weren’t hit hard, I thought he still had good stuff, it’s been a magic formula, he’s been one of our best guys,” Horton said. “Even in a situation where it looked like they were going to make a run at us, we still had the confidence in him to close that inning out. It didn’t go his way.”

Garrett Cleavinger was called in relief to close out the ninth. St. John’s countered the change with a move of its own with pinch hitter Bret Dennis. It worked. Dennis singled up the middle scoring two runs to tie the game at three.

That’s all St. John’s could manufacture in the ninth, but the damage was done and extra innings were needed.

In the eleventh, Oregon got a chance. A leadoff walk from J.B. Bryant and sacrifice bunt from Phil Craig-St. Louis got the Ducks in business. Another walk to Daniel Patzlaff and a past ball moved the two Ducks into scoring position with only one out. With Nick Catalano up, business turned sour. A failed suicide squeeze caught Bryant between third and home. Catalano then struck out to end the inning.

“(The) squeeze bunt has been a very important play in our repertoire and our offense,” Horton said. “(Mark Wasikowski) went for it and it backfired. Then it was like we were shocked that not everything works, that’s great to have that confidence but I didn’t like the response.”

Déjà vu occurred in the 12th. Matt Eureste led off with a walk and Grebeck bunted him over to second. Then Oregon, again with some help, broke their usual trend: Tolman grounded a ball to Mederos at shortstop, who overthrew Harris at first, scoring Eureste to win the game.

Key statistics:

-Cole Irvin: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 K

-Brandon Cuddy: 1-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI

-Conor Harber: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

-St. John’s bullpen between the fifth and 11th innings: 7.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 9 K, 5 BB

-Oregon: 1-11 with runners in scoring position

The series resumes Saturday at 2 p.m. at PK Park.

Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrewbantly

The post Oregon baseball breaks tendencies, wins 4-3 in series opener appeared first on Emerald Media.

When Mitchell Tolman celebrated his first birthday, his father, Bill, got him a wiffle ball, bat and tee. When the infant approached the tee, he naturally took to his right-hand side. But Bill had a different vision for his son. He picked up his one-year old, placed him on the left-handed side and adjusted his hands.

“I knew that would be beneficial,” Bill said. “I always was obsessed with making him swing from the left-hand side.”

Mitchell eventually took to his unnatural side and became the coveted left-handed hitting middle infielder that opposing coaches envied. Soon, Mitchell was a name Oregon hitting coach Mark Wasikowski couldn’t forget during his coaching days at Arizona.

“He was a left-handed hitting middle infielder that had a real aptitude to hit,” Wasikowski said.

After a failed Cal State Fullerton recruitment, Mitchell was without direction late in his senior year. He considered going into the military or attending university as a normal student. It was after an Oregon-UCLA game when Mitchell approached Wasikowski.

“He said if I wanted to walk-on here I could, but that’d be my only opportunity to play,” Mitchell said. “I did it and didn’t expect much out of it. I didn’t expect to start or anything. I just wanted to learn from it and maybe go back home the next year to a junior college.”

Mitchell started 47 games his freshman season hitting .315 with 37 RBIs and was honored as a freshman Louisville Slugger All-American.

“We jumped on and it’s been clearly a good decision,” Wasikowski said.

Bill, who coached Mitchell until he entered high school, was never easy on him.

“He would always be, not hard on me, but tough on me,” Mitchell said. “(He) thinks I need to do things and he’d make sure to let me know.”

In his final years of coaching Mitchell, Bill didn’t allow him to swing the bat until he had two strikes.

“At the time, it was a big deal and he was all mad at me and frustrated,” Bill said.

The reasoning?

So Mitchell could become a comfortable two-strike hitter. Bill believed comfort in a two-strike situation made a hitter more patient to hit the best possible pitch in the at-bat.

“I remember doing it in summer ball a lot and it’s tough watching some pitches go by and knowing that you’re starting yourself in a hole,” Mitchell said.“But in the long-run I’m really glad I did it.”

Last season in 219 at-bats, Mitchell hit .315 with the highest walk-to-strikeout ratio (57.4) on the team with a minimum of 145 at bats.

When Mitchell can’t sleep or is stressed — no matter how late in the night — he heads to the player development area at PK Park.

“I’ll hit off the tee for an hour and half,” Mitchell said. “I like doing things on my own a lot because it’s relaxing for me and I can clear my head and think about stuff.”

It’s a practice he’s been committed to since his first birthday. The only difference is now he’s using real bats, real balls and doesn’t get lost on his way to the left-hand side of the plate.

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @andrewbantly

The post Mitchell Tolman looks back on what changed his swing of the game appeared first on Emerald Media.

After just two series as a Duck, Conner Harber has been named the Pac-12 pitcher of the week. It was announced by the conference on Monday.

The junior transfer from West Nevada College threw six no-hit innings in relief to hold off the New Mexico State Aggies in the final innings of a close 3-1 game. Harber entered the game in the fourth with the game tied at 1-1.

“The fact that he could finish and we didn’t have to go to (Garrett Cleavinger or Stephen Nogosek) sets us up a little better for tomorrow and the rest of the weekend,” Horton said following Friday’s game. “I think he’s very difficult to hit, as I continue to say, I think he has a slippery fastball.”

In two appearances, Harber is 2-0 and has yet to yield a run in 11.0 innings, while striking out 12 and allowing just two hits.

Harber has been Horton’s go-to long-relief pitcher following ace Cole Irvin, who has been limited in his first two appearances because of his recovery from Tommy John Surgery. Harber is expected to be in the running for a starting job as soon as Irvin can go deeper into games.

“It doesn’t really matter to me,” Harber said last Wednesday on entering the game as a reliever opposed to starting. “Last year I was (a starter) then I switched also, so who knows? I think I’m going to switch to a starter after the next couple of weeks or so.”

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @andrewbantly

Oregon averaged 12 runs per game in its series with New Mexico State heading into Sunday. It was mainly because of its performance Saturday, when it scored 22 runs– the most since the program was reinstated in 2009. However, the Ducks didn’t score 12 on Sunday. They didn’t even make it into double digits. But a dominant performance from pitcher Jack Karraker gave Oregon more than enough to cruise to a 6-3 win over the Aggies to complete the sweep.

“I thought (Karraker) was really special today,” head coach George Horton said. “It was probably the best outing (from a starter this weekend), as far as executing pitches and being consistent, I thought he did awfully well.”

Karraker set the tone early in his outing, striking out the opening two hitters he faced, which also tied his career-high count in a single game. He raised that mark Sunday with eight strikeouts in seven innings, while allowing just one earned run on five hits.

“I always believe in myself and I think it’s important to believe in what you got,” Karraker said. “I definitely think it was a good outing, I missed a few pitches. But it worked out.”

Oregon took control of the game in the bottom of the second when Nick Catalano doubled in Mark Karaviotis for Oregon’s first run. The double was followed by three consecutive batters reaching base and a sacrifice fly that resulted in a four-run inning.

“I was real impressed how we broke (New Mexico St. starter Billy Conard) down early,” Horton said.

That was enough for Karraker and the back-end of the bullpen to work with.

Oregon’s sweep of New Mexico State improves their record to 7-1, while NMSU falls to 0-8.

“(I’m) very happy with the sweep, (it’s) something to build on,” Horton said.

Key plays:

-NMSU’s Quinnton Mack led off the second inning with a home run to open the scoring.

-In the second Nick Catalano doubled in a run which proved to be the beginning of a four-run inning, where the Ducks took the lead.

-In the top of the seventh Karraker pitched his way through a first-and-third, two-out jam in his final inning to keep the Aggies’ at one run.

Notable Stats:

Jack Karraker: 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 8 K, 0 BB

Austin Grebeck: 1-3, 2 RBI, 2 BB

Quinnton Mack: 3-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Oregon’s next game will come on Tuesday against Portland at PK Park at 6 p.m.

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @andrewbantly

Whenever a team can score in every single inning after the opening frame, their chances to win are pretty good. When they score 22 runs, it’s nearly a guarantee. That’s exactly what the Ducks did Saturday against New Mexico State.

For the third game in a row, the Aggies scored first. But, like the first two games, New Mexico State soon lost control. Oregon came from behind and won 22-7 to clinch the series.

This is the most runs Oregon has scored since its reinstatement in 2009 and the second most since 1974 when they scored 23.

“That’s not a scoreboard you’ll see at PK Park very often because it’s such a tough park to, not only get a one in, get crooked numbers,” Oregon head coach George Horton said.

The game began in a mutually painful way. Oregon starter Trent Paddon drilled the first three hitters he faced to load the bases. He then walked in a run and surrendered another on a sacrifice fly. However, two runs is all the Aggies could muster in the opening frame.

The hit batters never wavered, though. In total, four batters from both teams were nailed.

“Yea we tied it up,” Horton said. “I told the guys after we hit three in the first we were behind, then we drew closer. I wouldn’t say today’s game was extremely well-pitched by either side.”

In the second, Brandon Cuddy’s lead-off walk manufactured a run on a Phil Craig-St. Louis double to right-center. Oregon only scored one run in the inning, but they never looked back offensively, scoring in every inning that followed. This included 14 runs within the fourth, fifth and sixth inning.

“I thought we were awfully consistent,” Horton said. “What good offenses do, and we are a good offense, is take advantage of the walks and free bases.”

Oregon took control of the game in the fourth inning. With the infield shifted towards home plate to protect against a squeeze bunt, Nick Catalano did exactly that. His bunt, which went towards the pitcher, scored Josh Graham from third and Austin Grebeck from second, who was stealing third on the pitch.

The Ducks’ biggest blow came in the sixth inning where they scored seven runs on four hits and one error.

“I definitely think our offensive is one of the deepest in the nation,” Eureste said. “I think we did the little things right today – move runners over, had unselfish at-bats.”

The Aggies chipped away at Oregon’s massive lead scoring five combined runs in the sixth and seventh. Yet, the deficit was too great for a comeback.

Of the six runs Aggies’ starting pitcher Trey Higginbotham surrendered, only two were earned in result of four errors his defense allowed behind him. In total, New Mexico St. committed six errors costing them 12 unearned runs.

After a rough first inning, Paddon settled into a groove over the following four innings, allowing just one runner to reach base.

“We picked Paddon up,” Horton said. “I think he was still holding on to his last start and trying to hard. He settled in pretty good… Good news is he was able to turn it around.”

In the sixth, though, he allowed the first three batters to load the bases. An RBI single later,  Paddon’s day was over. He went 5.0+ innings, allowing four earned runs on three hits. His outing earned him his first win of the year.

Notable plays:

-Trent Paddon put the first four Aggies on base via three hit batters and one walk, leading to a two-run inning to begin the game.

-Phil Craig-St. Louis doubled to right-center on the first pitch he saw to score Brandon Cuddy from first to score the first Oregon run.

-Nick Catalano dropped a squeeze bunt down to score two runs and give Oregon a 4-2 lead.

-In the fourth inning Mitchell Tolman collected his 90th career RBI on a sacrifice fly putting him tied for fourth all-time with Tom Dodd (1977-79).

Key statistics:

-Trent Paddon: 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 5 Ki

-Trey Higginbotham: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 6 R (2 ER), 2 K

-New Mexico St. suffered 12 unearned runs behind six errors in the game.

-Matt Eureste:4-6, 5 RBI, 3 R

-Austin Grebeck: 4-6, 5 RBI, 3 R

-Phil Craig-St. Louis: 2-2, 3 RBI

The series final begins Sunday at 12 p.m. at PK Park.

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @andrewbantly

In their first-ever meeting, the 0-4 New Mexico State Aggies kept pace with the 3-1 Oregon Ducks. Aggies’ starter Riley Barr was the man in charge of that, pitching six innings while allowing just one run. But the Oregon bats woke up late, scoring two runs in the final two innings, leading to its 3-1 win.

Oregon starting pitcher Cole Irvin wasn’t as sharp as he was in Hawaii, where he pitched four scoreless innings in just 43 pitches. On a 45-50 pitch pitch-count, he only lasted three innings, allowing one earned run and collecting one strikeout in 52 pitches.

“I’m going to take some of the blame,” Horton said. “I think I made him throw too many breaking balls, that’s not his style of pitching. He wasn’t getting ahead with his fastball. The report we got on (New Mexico St.) is that they’re aggressive early in the count and I think I got a little too tricky.”

In the top of the second, New Mexico State got on the board first. A leadoff single from Derek Umphres was followed by a successful sacrifice bunt from Daniel Johnson. With one out, Joseph Koerper singled to right and Umphres scored. Horton quickly offered his opinion to home plate umpire Scott Higgins.

“We thought possibly we could of had an out there,” Horton said.

A two-error inning from New Mexico State helped Oregon tie the game in the third inning. Jakob Goldfarb led off the inning with a single and was moved over to second via Catalano’s sacrifice bunt. Matt Eureste then reached base on a catcher’s interference from Kevin Carswell. Then, both Eureste and Goldfarb gained 90 feet on a wild pitch. Next up was Steven Packard, who dribbled a ball to third slow enough to get Goldfarb home and tie the game.

For the next 29 outs in the game, the score remained 1-1.

“Just a typical ball game here at PK Park at night,” Horton said.

Oregon finally broke through with another run in the seventh. Though, it looked as if poor execution may spoil the opportunity to take the lead. Karaviotis led off the inning with a walk, then Grebeck bunted a ball that resulted in Karaviotis being thrown out at second.  Then, Grebeck nearly got picked off at first, which would have been the second time a Duck had picked off in the game.

“That inning could have gotten away from us,” Horton said.

But it didn’t and Eureste came up with the clutch two-out, go-ahead RBI single to left.

“I was looking for an off-speed pitch to drive the other way,” Eureste said. “It was an awesome feeling.I definitely got the pitch that I wanted and stayed with my approach.”

Then Shaun Chase stepped to the plate in the eight inning, and the “whammer” lived up to his name, blasting a home run to left field to pad Oregon’s lead to 3-1.

“We did just enough offensively to win,” Horton said. “I think Coach (Wasikowski) would tell you that some of the plays got away from us. (That) we could have done better.”

Oregon relief pitcher Conor Harber, who entered in the fourth inning, gave Oregon everything it could ask for.

In six innings of relief Harber pitched no-hit ball with eight strikeouts, only allowing two runners to reach base in his outing.

“The fact that he could finish and we didn’t have to go to (Garrett Cleavinger or Stephen Nogosek) sets us up a little better for tomorrow and the rest of the weekend,” Horton said. “I think he’s very difficult to hit, as I continue to say, I think he has a slippery fastball.”

Key plays:

-In the top of the second, New Mexico State’s Koerper singled in Umphres from second.

-In the bottom of the third, Oregon catcher Shaun Chase completed the strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double play to end the fourth inning.

-With two outs Matt Eureste knocked in Oregon’s go-ahead and winning run in the seventh on a line-drive single to left.

-Shaun Chase blasted a shot over the left field fence in the bottom of the eighth to pad Oregon’s lead.

Notable Stats:

Cole Irvin: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 K, 1 BB

Riley Barr:  6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Conor Harber: 6.0 IP, 0 H, 8 Ks, 1 BB

Shaun Chase: 1-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Matt Eureste: 1-2, 1 H, 1 RBI

Oregon resumes action Friday night at 6 p.m. against New Mexico State for the second game of the series.

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @andrewbantly

The Oregon baseball team opened its season last weekend against Hawaii, winning three out of four games. The Ducks are now set to play at PK Park for the first time this season on Thursday against New Mexico State. Oregon catcher Shaun Chase talked about the team’s success in Hawaii and the upcoming home opener.

How was the weekend in Hawaii?

The weekend was good. I had a lot of fun being in Hawaii, especially for the freshman getting to experience it for the first time in a collegiate atmosphere. Overall it went good, we had one shakeup in the third game but we bounced back and won the series.

What are you going to take away from that third game?

We’re never really out of a game. All game we had good presence and we never gave up on the game. We were always in it, together and that’s what it’s going to take to get to Omaha.

How did the lineup feel throughout the series?

It worked well, we got a lot of people in the first day, which is good to say. A lot of people got their first at-bats and first hits, it was just awesome.

How did you feel the transfers – Brandon Cuddy, Matt Eureste and Phil Craig-St. Louis – performed? 

They carried us, I thought. They did so well: Phil, Cuddy and Matt. Matt going ball out in the first inning. That was pretty cool. They played really well and they’re going to be big for us this year.

Is there a level of excitement being home for PK Park’s season opener?

I’m really excited for tomorrow. The season opener is always fun, we draw a good crowd. We show the people of Eugene the 2015 Ducks.

What do you expect from Cole Irvin tomorrow based on how he through on Friday?

He threw the ball really well, he was really efficient about it. He was right in his pitch count, 43 pitches. He located everything, he mixed in his curve ball which we hadn’t been throwing a lot of. He threw it well, mixed in his change-up. The best thing about Cole is that he hits is spots in, out, up, down, wherever it is he is going to locate.

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @andrewbantly

Freshman acrobatics and tumbling base Lauren Jones passed away Tuesday. Here is how the Oregon athletic community is responding on Twitter:

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Acrobatics & Tumbling freshman Lauren Jones http://t.co/OJzjnfpOc0 pic.twitter.com/yNPBxqAAgv

— GoDucks (@GoDucks) February 18, 2015

Deeply saddened to have lost a member of our Duck family today. Keeping Lauren Jones and her family in our thoughts and prayers.

— O Heroes (@oheroes) February 18, 2015

Our thoughts go out to the @OregonAcroTumb as well as the family and loved ones of freshman Lauren Jones.

— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) February 18, 2015

“@steviejoknapp: My heart goes out to Lauren Jones, her family and friends. My prayers are with you & I hope you rest in peace ❤️”

— Oregon Duck Softball (@OregonSB) February 18, 2015

We are saddened today by the sudden loss of @OregonAcroTumb freshman Lauren Jones. Our thoughts and prayers are with her friends & family.

— OregonT&F (@OregonTF) February 18, 2015

We are deeply saddened by the passing of @OregonAcroTumb freshman Lauren Jones. Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers.

— Oregon Basketball (@OregonMBB) February 18, 2015

The basic guide to winning in baseball is: score early and score often. That’s exactly what Hawaii did in its 10-1 win over Oregon Sunday.

Oregon starting pitcher Trent Paddon surely didn’t start his 2015 season the way he wanted. The sophomore pitched just 1.0+ innings allowing seven runs (all earned) on five hits and a walk, picking up the loss in the process. This was Paddon’s fourth career start at Oregon.

The Rainbow Warriors loaded the bases early in the first inning with a single and back-to-back hit by pitches. Three consecutive hits later by Alex Sawelson, Eric Ramirez and Jordan Richartz tacked four runs across the plate. Hawaii picked up their fifth and final run of the inning on a wild pitch.

Hawaii added to their lead in the second inning when Paddon walked the leadoff man Matt LoCoco and suffered a double to Jacob Sheldon-Collins. Those were the final hitters Paddon faced before he was pulled from the game, failing to record an out in the inning. Jacob Corn came in relief and got two consecutive outs and seemed on track to get Oregon out of the jam. But, again, Sawelson, Ramirez and Richartz collected back-to-back-to-back hits to push three more runs across the plate.

Hawaii’s early 8-0 lead was all they needed.

Hawaii starter LJ Brewster was everything his team needed him to be. Brewster went 5.1 innings allowing one run on five hits en route to the winning decision. Cody Culp pitched the final 3.2 innings in scoreless fashion to earn him the save.

Hawaii’s 14 hits were significant, but their ability to hit with runners in scoring position (7-15) was too much for Oregon to handle. Oregon collected seven hits and two in six at bats with runners in scoring position. Mitchell Tolman and Matt Eureste led the Ducks with two hits each, Tolman collecting Oregon’s lone RBI.

The final game of the series begins Monday at 3:05 p.m.

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @andrewbantly

On the second pitch of the game, transfer Matt Eureste homered to left in his Oregon debut. This was a theme for things to come as Oregon’s bats pounded the Rainbow Warriors 12-0.

Cole Irvin took the mound on a 40-45 pitch count in his return from Tommy John surgery, a raised number since last Monday where Horton said he would be at 30-35. Irvin was dominant in his 43 pitches, collecting four strikeouts in four innings and allowing just two hits and no walks. His command was sharp, but his velocity was down.

The two Seminole State College transfers, Brandon Cuddy and Phil Craig-St. Louis, combined for six hits in nine at bats and Cuddy had two RBIs. Eureste, who had impressed the coaching staff the most of the three, had the most impressive at bat. His leadoff home run would be his only hit of the night, but he did collect two RBIs and set the tone in the leadoff spot.

Oregon controlled the game from the second pitch and never looked back. With the score 3-0, the knockout punch came in the sixth when Oregon scored seven runs on four hits and one Hawaii error. Cuddy started the rally with a triple that knocked in Mitchell Tolman and the runs continued to pour. A single and a wild pitch later and the Ducks were up 6-0. But then freshman Jakob Goldfarb connected for a two-run home run to left field, landing similarly to Eureste’s shot.

Conor Harber came in relief for Irvin in the fifth and was equally dominant. Harber, who Horton said is a starter and was planning on using him in this situation, went five innings with four strikeouts and allowed just two hits to finish off Hawaii.  

The Rainbow Warriors defense didn’t help their cause to get back into it. But their offense was having enough trouble in their own right. Hawaii compiled six errors on opening night.

With all things considered, this was an excellent start for Oregon. The pitching was dominant and the hitting was loud, especially from their new faces. It was a good start for a long journey ahead.

Oregon plays next on Saturday at 3:05 p.m. for the second game of the series.

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @andrewbantly