The Chicago Cubs drafted Jae-Hoon Ha out of his high school in Jin Ju City, Korea in 2008, and the outfielder hit .265 with 38 home runs in six major league seasons. Ha climbed his way up to Triple-A, but never got called up to the major leagues.

“He played a long time in the system and saw some time in Triple-A, but it’s tough to get to the big leagues,” manager Gary Van Tol said of Ha.

Ha, who always had a strong throwing arm, now finds himself back in Single-A, only this time as a pitcher. He tossed a scoreless eighth and ninth inning in the Eugene Emeralds’ 7-4 win over the Tri-City Dust Devils at PK Park Saturday night.

Ha hadn’t pitched since his playing days in Korea prior to this season, but earned his second win with the stakes high in just his third outing.

“Win or lose, that’s the guy I wanted on the mound just because of his experience,” Van Tol said. “We go back a long way, and I knew he wasn’t going to panic.”

The Emeralds provided early run support to starting pitcher Jose Paulino, who allowed five hits and three runs (all earned) in 5 2/3 innings in his first Single-A level start last week, a no-decision at the Everett Aquasox. Ian Happ, the 2015 MLB Draft’s ninth overall selection, stole second base and Matt Rose drove him home with a two-out single. Rose, who went 2-4 with an RBI in his professional debut Friday, scored Eugene’s second run on Tyson Alamo’s RBI-single to center.

The Emeralds tacked on two more in the second when Frandy De La Rosa singled up the middle, stole second and third base and came around to score on Eloy Jimenez’s line drive base hit. Jimenez went 3-3 with a walk and RBI and has hit in six of his last seven games. Happ followed with a sacrifice fly to score Donny Dewees, who debuted in the lead-off spot.

Tri-City’s Luis Urias singled to lead off the third, and clean-up hitter Carlos Belen brought him home on a double to left. The Dust Devils tallied one more run but their rally came to an end when Belen was doubled off third on a popout to second baseman De La Rosa.

Right-hander Alex Santana relieved Paulino after five innings, six hits and three runs (all earned), and watched the tying run plate on catcher Alamo’s passed ball in the eighth.

2015 20th round selection Blake Headley broke the 4-4 tie with a frozen rope to left center which brought Kevonte Mitchell home in the bottom of the eighth.

“It was a struggle to get there,” said Headley, who grounded out to the pitcher three times before coming up with the clutch base hit. “That’s the funny thing about baseball—next at bat you do something good. You’ve just got to keep playing the game.”

Alamo scored from third the following play on Vimael Machin’s productive groundout, then Headley came around on De La Rosa’s single, providing Ha a three-run lead heading into the ninth.

The Emeralds (5-5) have now won four straight contests and can clinch the five-game home series against the Dust Devils with a win Sunday at 5 p.m.

Redshirt sophomore Jasmine Todd was poised to finish at least second at the NCAA championships in the women’s 100-meter after she posted the nation’s third fastest time at the Pac-12 championships. But following a devastatingly slow start on the blocks, Todd never advanced past the semifinal.

“Everyone has a bad race, and mine happened at a bad time,” Todd said. “It’s unfortunate, but you’ve got to move on.”

Two grueling weeks of training later, Todd got her groove back.

She learned from her mistakes at the NCAA championships and finished third at the USA Track and Field championships Friday at Hayward Field. By clinching the top three, Todd secured her spot on Team USA for the IAAF World Championship late-August.

“I knew I was capable of making it to the final. Did I think I would make the to three? No,” Todd said. “I’m so excited and happy at the same time. This is my first world team and this is a big one to make it on.”

“I was more happy for her than I was for myself,” former Duck English Gardner of Nike, who finished second, said of Todd. “It’s crazy when you have younger kids come in at school and you talk to them, mentor them, train every day with them and teach them the ropes. Then to see them use the things that you taught them and be able to excel on a higher, elite level, it’s amazing.”

Gardner, who won the event last year and set the world’s fastest time this year at 10.79 in the semifinals, finished second behind Tori Bowie, who was primarily a long jumper until spring 2014 but took first in 10.81 seconds

“Of course I wanted me, Jasmine and Jenna [Prandini] to make it in, but there are only three spots. Jenna has to work hard in the 200 and I know she will. Jenna is strong and overcomes every obstacle that comes against her, so there’s no doubt in my mind she’ll get it.”

Prandini got off to a slow start and never caught up. She finished sixth, thus didn’t qualify for worlds in the 100, but will likely get a bid in the relay pool for finishing in the top six.

“Everybody in that race is so deserving; it’s an honor to be on the line with everybody,” Prandini said. “I’m definitely not disappointed, I’m proud of Jasmine and English, and hopefully I can do even better in the 200.”

Prandini, a candidate for Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year, racked up 49 points at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field championship, the most by any woman in the competition, and propelled the women of Oregon to their first NCAA title since 1985 two weeks ago. She has two more chances this weekend to make Team USA in the 200-meter and long jump.

American men’s 100-meter record-holder Tyson Gay made his first world championship team since 2009, because of an injury in 2011 and a doping ban in 2013. Gay won the men’s 100-meter in 9.87 seconds.

“A lot of people don’t understand that for me to test positive for a supplement I could have got at Wal-Mart or the grocery store, I would have tested positive over $20. I take precaution now,” Gay said of his one-year ban. “For all my fans and all the athletes I compete with, stay on point. The smallest mistake, one freakin’ ingredient can cost you everything.”

Incoming Oregon freshman Matthew Maton won the junior men’s 5,000-meter despite suffering an Achilles injury earlier this season.

“It felt great,” Maton said. “I have never won a national meet. I’ve done a lot of things but never that so to get that under the belt at the end of the year was great.”

Freshman phenom Raevyn Rogers won her preliminary heat of the junior women’s 800-meter with a time of 2 minutes, 7.08 seconds. Rogers already won a Pac-12 title and NCAA championship in her first year as a Duck. She’ll compete in the 800-meter finals Saturday.

Sharika Nelvis of Adidas set the new fastest time in the world in the women’s 100-meter hurdles prelims at 12.34 seconds, and became the third fastest American of all time. Lolo Jones, the American 60-meter hurdles record holder who posed on the cover of The Body Issue by ESPN the Magazine, placed second in her heat. Jones and Nelvis will compete in the women’s 100-meter semifinals Saturday.

Jones competed in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics, and placed seventh and fourth respectively. She was also selected as the brakeman for U.S. bobsled team that finished eleventh at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Wake Forest’s John Maurins broke the American junior men’s shot put record twice, surpassing the old record of 67 feet on his first throw and extending it with a final throw of 71 feet, 10 ¼ inches.

“We had an idea of what I was going to throw and that ended up being about a meter farther than I thought,” Maurins said. “I usually have big success at big meets like this so I knew there was going to be some big throws after my throws in warm-ups.”

The USA Track and Field championships continue through Saturday and Sunday.

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Galen Rupp gave the crowd a thumbs up as he crossed the finish line well ahead of the pack Thursday, clinching his seventh consecutive national championship in the men’s 10,000 meter. He received a warm ovation from the sector of the crowd that still remembers him as the soft-spoken hero who delivered arguably the greatest running season in collegiate history six years ago.

“The support I received down here and everywhere has just been tremendous,” Rupp said. “[The thumbs up] was just a thank you to everybody for their continued support over the years.”

Despite his proven dominance in the event, many fans at TrackTown for the 2015 USA Track and Field championships have already branded an asterisk beside his name. The race was Rupp’s first since he released a statement refuting claims made by the BBC’s Panorama that he used the banned steroid testosterone at the behest of coach Alberto Salazar while competing for Oregon.

“It’s been hard, I’m not gonna lie,” Rupp said. “It’s been difficult to focus, but I’m really happy the report came out yesterday and I stand behind it 100 percent. I believe in clean sport and I think the truth will prevail.”

In the report, Salazar gives a detailed response to BBC, profusely denying any accusation of wrongdoing.

With temperatures steadily upward of 90 degrees and Excessive Heat Warning in effect in Northwest Oregon, Rupp wasn’t the only athlete who felt the heat.

“The thing about it is I’m not used to it,” U.S. Olympian sprinter Tyson Gay said of the extreme conditions. “It kinda winded me out a little bit, being in the humidity now, but I’m feeling pretty good.”

Gay, who withdrew from the U.S. team prior to the 2013 world championships due to doping allegations and served a year-long suspension, finished second in the men’s 100-meter. Gay is the third-fastest man in the event this year behind 2004 Olympic gold medalist Justin Gatlin.

Gatlin was able to sit out the 100-meter due to an automatic bye to worlds, but will compete in the 200-meter Saturday. Gatlin cruised to a new world-leading time of 19.68 seconds last time he ran the 200-meter at the 41st Nike Prefontaine Classic in May.

The world’s best athlete, UO alum Ashton Eaton, disappointed with a 14th place finish in men’s long jump, but also owns an automatic bye into worlds as the defending champion and world record holder. Buffalo Bills wide receiver Marquise Goodwin placed sixth with a leap of 8.09 meters, but previously stated the possibility of traveling to worlds was unlikely due to conflict with NFL training camp. “Maybe if it was the Olympics,” Goodwin told ESPN.

Jenna Prandini won her heat in the women’s 100-meter in 10.9 seconds, thus securing a spot on Team USA for the 2015 IAAF World Outdoor Championships set for August 22-30 in Beijing, China.

“I’m really happy with it,” Prandini said of her performance. “I think it was better than at nationals.”

Prandini played an integral role in the women of Oregon’s first NCAA title bid since 1985 less than two weeks ago. Prandini qualified in four events, the most by any athlete in the meet. She came from behind to win the 100-meter by .01 seconds with a lean at the finish line, and set the world’s fourth-fastest time in the 200-meter at 22.21 seconds.

“I love racing here,” Prandini said. “It’s always special to hear the fans screaming and yelling. You definitely get that sense of Hayward magic.”

Sam Crouser, who also just won an NCAA championship with the men of Oregon, placed third in the men’s javelin. His toss of 249 feet, one inch landed 23 and a half feet short of the winning mark, but still earned him a spot on Team USA come World Championships.

“I felt pretty good,” Crouser said. “I wish it had been a little farther, but now that I got third I can chase the standard. My season can keep going.”

Senior Will Geoghegan finished second in the semifinal heat of the men’s 1,500 behind former Oregon star Andrew Wheating, and both advanced to the finals. Wheating won five NCAA championships as a Duck from 2006 t0 2010: once in the 1,500, twice in the 800-meter and twice in distance medley relay. In his glory, he placed second in the ‘Oregon Sweep’ of the men’s 1,500 at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.

“In 2008 I didn’t know any better,” Wheating said. “The fun part of 2008 was there was no expectation, just run and see what could happen. The last two years it’s been, ‘Okay, you’ve reached the top. Now you’ve got to hold it and prove that you deserve to be here.’

“I needed a race like that to slap me back into reality. ‘You’re a professional, you’re good at what you do. Stop thinking otherwise,’” he reminded himself.

The USATF national championships continue Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Hayward Field in Eugene.

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Eastern Washington quarterback Vernon Adams and junior college linebacker Jonah Moi are the last of 22 Oregon football recruits still to enroll at the university. Adams, a graduate, must pass a math class before he can enroll at Oregon for his final year of eligibility, but Mark Helfrich “doesn’t anticipate any issues.”

Helfrich said Oregon has not heard from the NCAA regarding its appeal of receiver Darren Carrington’s suspension. Carrington could miss at least the first half of Oregon’s 2016 regular season after failing a drug test and missing the national championship game last winter. A successful appeal would provide him “complete relief,” according to NCAA guidelines.

Five-star combo guard Jamal Murray will announce his college decision on Wednesday at 3 PM, his father Roger Murray reported Tuesday. He is choosing between Oregon and Kentucky, but Elgin Cook may have spilled the beans. “Welcoming our newest commit Jamal Murray into the Duck family,” Cook tweeted last week before deleting it.

The NBA Draft begins Thursday, and Joe Young is projected to be a second-round pick by many. Since transferring to Oregon from Houston, the 2015 Pac-12 Player of the Year has scored 1388 points, the most in a two-year stretch in program history.

ESPN four-star quarterback prospect and Nebraska commit Terry Wilson out of Del City High School in Oklahoma is planning a visit to Oregon in the third week of July.  Wilson doesn’t mind that Oregon has already signed quarterback Seth Green to its 2016 recruiting class, and thinks “two quarterbacks in a class is a good thing.” The Opening finalist, Patrick O’Brien, has also committed to Nebraska.

Multi-sport phenom Liz Brenner will rejoin Oregon basketball for the 2015-16 season; in 49 games she’s averaged 6.2 points and 5.8 rebounds a game. Brenner just wrapped up her track and field season for the Ducks with a national championship.

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If the 12 Ducks who were selected in last week’s MLB draft end up leaving Oregon, things might look a bit different at PK Park next year.

Six rostered players and six recruits were drafted last week. They have until July 17 to decide whether to sign with their respective professional teams or return to school to play another season. Their potential departures would undoubtedly impact the Ducks’ 2015 roster.

Garrett Cleavinger was selected in round three by the Baltimore Orioles. Oregon will miss its all-time appearances leader’s mid-90s fastball, which helped him average a whopping 14.85 strikeouts per nine innings in 2015. Cleavinger is one of the Ducks’ few reliable bullpen arms. His successor will be Stephen Nogosek, who was almost equally dominant as the set-up man last season.

Josh Graham, a utility player who Oregon leaned on in 2015, was taken in round four by the Atlanta Braves. He agreed to a $500,000 signing bonus, according to Baseball America. Graham spent time in the five-hole, behind the dish, in long relief and the starting rotation as a Duck.

He emerged and shined as Oregon’s Sunday starter down the stretch of the season. With Shaun Chase graduating, Tim Susnara is primed to be Oregon’s everyday catcher next season. With Matt Krook returning, David Peterson will occupy the Sunday starting role.

Mitchell Tolman, one of Oregon’s all-time great offensive producers, was selected in round seven by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Defensively, he was named to the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I Gold Glove Team as a third and second baseman in 2015.

Transfer Matt Eureste may take over at third base, should he return to Oregon his senior year. Daniel Patzlaff and Kyle Kasser will be the main competitors at second base next season.

Scott Heineman, who played infield and outfield for Oregon, was chosen in round 11 by the Texas Rangers. Heineman gave Oregon a much-needed offensive spark down the stretch of the 2015 season, batting .290 with a .432 slugging percentage and team-high 16 steals.

Transfer Brandon Cuddy will likely take over at first base, where Heineman ended the season. The outfield position is up for grabs; Austin Grebeck and Nick Catalano may finally take the field simultaneously after their back-and-forth position battle over the last two seasons.

Conor Harber, who has now been drafted three times, was selected in round 16 by the Milwaukee Brewers despite a mediocre season with the Ducks. The junior college transfer became Oregon’s Friday starter while Cole Irvin regained strength in his throwing arm, but was relegated to long relief and spot start duties after several disappointing starts. Trent Paddon, Joe Reta, Jacob Corn and Jack Karraker (if he returns) will all contend for Harber’s midweek starting role.

Irvin, the ace of Oregon’s 2015 staff, was chosen in round 32 by the Pirates. His draft stock fell after a disappointing return from Tommy John surgery that caused him to redshirt his sophomore year. He will likely return to Oregon and remain a crucial component in the starting rotation rather than sign with Pittsburgh. He’ll compete with Matt Krook, who redshirted last season after Tommy John surgery, for the Friday starting role.

The Milwaukee Brewers drafted outfielder Demi Orimoloye, a top Oregon recruit from Ontario, in round four out of St. Matthew High School.

Pitcher Parker Kelly and outfielder Colton Sakamoto, who were teammates at Westview High School and Portland, were drafted in the 34th and 37th rounds by the St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners. Both have signed to play at Oregon.

Branden Becker, a shortstop at Cajon High School in San Bernardino, Calif., was drafted in the 17th round by the Orioles. Isaiah Carranza, a 6-5 right-handed pitcher from Damien High School in La Verne, California, was drafted in the 35th round by the Rangers. Third baseman Matt Kroon of Scottsdale, Arizona, son of former big leaguer Marc Kroon, was drafted in 38th round by the Cincinnati Reds. All have committed to play at Oregon.

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Mililani High School (Hawaii) three-star running back Vavae Malepeai will join Byron Marshall, Thomas Tyner and Royce Freeman in Oregon’s backfield, per multiple reports. 247Sports ranks Malepeai as the No. 34 running back in the 2016 class.

Oregon men’s and women’s outdoor track and field each captured 2015 NCAA championships over the weekend. Edward Cheserek, Eric Jenkins and Will Geohegan finished first, second and fourth in the 5,000 to defend their 2014 title. Oregon men won with 85 points, Florida finished second (56) and Arkansas took third (53).

Oregon women clinched their first track and field championship since 1985 with 59 points, finishing ahead of Kentucky (50) and Texas A&M (47). Jenna Prandini broke her own school record and set the fourth fastest time in the world with 22.21 in the 200; she collected 26 points for the Ducks. Freshman Raevyn Rogers won the 800 in 1:59.71, the fourth fastest time in school history.

Men’s track and field claimed two individual titles in their repeat championship quest. Cheserek earned his seventh individual title with a 28:58.92 finish in the men’s 10,000; Jenkins followed in second. Oregon senior Sam Crouser took first with a 259-foot, nine-inch toss in javelin.

Oregon infielder Mitchell Tolman was named to the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I All-West Region second team and Gold Glove Team, one of nine players nationwide to receive the latter honor and the first Duck. The third baseman became Oregon’s all-time leader in doubles (47), RBI (128), on-base percentage (.433), multiple-RBI games (32) and consecutive starts (128) during the 2015 season and finished the year with a .982 fielding percentage. Tolman was picked Tuesday in the Major League Baseball Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the seventh round, one of six rostered Ducks selected.

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Three more Oregon baseball players’ names were called on the final day of the MLB Draft: Scott Heineman, Conor Harber and Cole Irvin. A total of six currently rostered Ducks will now weigh the decision whether to sign with professional teams or return to Oregon another season.

The Texas Rangers chose Heineman, a redshirt junior, with pick No. 301 in the 11th round. He began the 2015 season in the outfield but wound up at first base and provided the offense a much-needed spark down the stretch. He batted .290 with a .432 slugging percentage and led the team with 16 steals. After four years in the program, he ranks in the career top 10 in eight different offensive categories—stolen bases (3rd), intentional walks (4th), doubles (5th), hit-by-pitches (5th), at bats (8th), games started (8th), multiple RBI games (8th) and multiple-hit games (10th). The Kansas City Royals selected Heineman in the 19th round of the 2014 Draft.

The Milwaukee Brewers selected Harber with pick No. 482 in the 16th round. The junior college transfer from Western Nevada College had 59 strikeouts in 55.2 innings with a 5.34 ERA in his only season with Oregon. He turned down Draft offers in 2013 and 2014 and fortunately for him his stock rose. He was a 38th round pick by the Baltimore Orioles after his freshman season at Western Nevada and a 40th round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays after his sophomore season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Irvin with pick No. 967 in the 32nd round. The redshirt sophomore didn’t have the season he had hoped for in 2015. Oregon’s Friday night starter finished with a 2-5 record and a 4.10 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 79 innings. As a freshman in 2013, Irvin went 12-3 with a 2.48 ERA while fanning 60 in 116 innings pitched. Irvin was previously drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 29th round of the 2012 draft. He will likely return to Oregon to play a full season uninhibited by injury before signing with an MLB team; Irvin was hindered by a pitch limit while recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2015.

The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted Kyle Garlick, a 2014 graduate from the University of Oregon, with pick No. 852 in the 28th round. Garlick, who played at Division II Cal Poly Pomona in 2015 while attending grad school, led the Broncos to the NCAA Division II College World Series semifinals batting .358 with 17 home runs and 56 RBI. Garlick is Oregon’s career triples leader and ranks sixth all-time with 155 games played at Oregon. He ranks top 10 in RBI (3rd), multiple-RBI games (3rd), at bats (7th), doubles (7th), walks (7th), multiple-hit games (8th) and hits (10th).

Garrett Cleavinger, Josh Graham and Mitchell Tolman were all drafted on Tuesday, day two of the MLB Draft.

35 Oregon baseball players have been drafted since 2009, and 54 all-time. None are currently playing in the Major League.

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Oregon baseball fared well on day two of the MLB Draft, June 9. As projected, Juniors Garrett Cleavinger, Josh Graham and Mitchell Tolman, were the first Ducks taken off the boards.

The Baltimore Orioles selected Cleavinger in the third round with pick No. 102. The left-handed closer had nine saves and a 1.58 ERA in 40 innings in 2015. As a freshman he finished with a 9-0 record and team-best 1.24 ERA, while striking out 57 in 43.2 innings. Cleavinger set the Oregon all-time record for appearances this season with 107.

The Atlanta Braves chose Graham with pick No. 120 in the fourth round. Graham spent time at catcher, designated hitter, reliever and starting pitcher for Oregon in 2015. He found his niche as the Sunday starter down the stretch of the season, tossed nine innings in Oregon’s win over No. 1 UCLA and finished the year with a 2.63 ERA in 65 innings. The Minnesota Twins selected Graham in the 22nd round of the 2012 MLB Draft.

The Pittsburgh Pirates nabbed Tolman with pick No. 217 in the seventh round. Tolman posted a .315 batting average in each of his first two seasons as a Duck and led the offense with a .325 batting overage and .457 on-base percentage in 2015. Tolman broke four Oregon all-time records in 2015: consecutive starts, career doubles, career RBIs and career multi-RBI games.

Scott Heineman, Cole Irvin, Conor Harber, Shaun Chase and Phil Craig-St. Louis also may hear their names called in the draft’s later rounds.

Since manager George Horton took over the baseball program in 2009, 30 of his players have been drafted, including starting pitchers Jake Reed and Tommy Thorpe in the fifth and eighth rounds last year. A record eight Ducks were chosen in the 2011 Draft, including four in the first seven rounds.

Seventeen former Oregon Ducks are currently playing professional baseball: Zack Thornton of the New York Mets organization is in Triple-A, five are in Double-A, two in Class-A (Advanced), three in Class-A, two in short-season A, one in Rookie League, two in the Independent League and one in the Canadian American League.

Three more Ducks were taken on day three of the MLB Draft.

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After winning their first Northern Pacific regional title since 2008, the Oregon Ducks headed to Kentucky for the National Club Baseball Association World Series. The players were “awestruck” to be there, but their nerves manifested in game one of the single-elimination tournament. They found themselves down 4-0 to No. 3 Florida State with five innings left to play.

“We went down in the first inning and that kind of demoralized us,” junior Jason Ross said. “We started to second guess whether we could actually do it.”

The Ducks scored a run in each of the next four innings and trailed 6-4 in the ninth, when junior Cam Russ golfed an inside, knee-high fastball over the fence in left for a go-ahead three-run home run.

“After that, we felt we like we couldn’t lose,” said Mikey Finneran, one of four rostered seniors and the club coordinator. “That was by far one of the most exciting games I’ve ever played in.”

With momentum rolling in their favor, the Ducks flourished. They outscored their next three opponents 28-6 and captured the NCBA championship with a 7-4 win over Arizona State.

“After winning the national championship, seeing everyone’s reactions was awesome,” third baseman Cam Russ said. “We had a huge dogpile, and got to bring home a nice big trophy and everyone got to take turns passing it, holding it and kissing it a little bit.”

Ross was named tournament MVP after picking up a save in game one and wins in the quarterfinal and championship. In 17 innings, he struck out 14 batters and walked none. He allowed 10 hits and four earned runs for a tournament-low ERA of 1.64.

Ross effectively employed a strategy of “pitching backwards” in the postseason. If he found himself in a fastball count, like 2-0, he’d throw anything but a fastball. For the most part he threw sliders and curveballs, and mixed in fastballs.

“That kid’s unbelievable,” said Russ. “He’s a bulldog, he’s a warrior. The best thing about him is his attitude. He stays calm at all times, and never really gets down when things are going south. Without that kid, I don’t know where we’d be.”

The Ducks’ bid to the national championship was somewhat of a cinderella story to start. Oregon State won two out of three against Oregon and took control of the conference with just a few games remaining in the regular season.

“Mikey told us if we don’t win out our season is over,” Russ said. “Once we heard we’d be kicked out if we lost another game, the team came together and said ‘Let’s go.’”

After Oregon State dropped two out of three games to Central Oregon Community College, the Ducks swept its series with COCC and won the conference outright.

“It’s the culmination of a perfect team coming together,” Finneran said. “All the right pieces, all the right attitudes—really a selfless team.”

On top of their medals and trophy, the Ducks are rewarding themselves with personalized championship rings for every player.

“It’s so big for the whole program to be able to say we can beat anyone,” Ross said. “We are the best team in the country.”

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Oregon prided themselves on late-inning comebacks this season.

Sunday, the Ducka failed to deliver and saw their magical postseason run come to an end. Oregon stranded the bases loaded with no outs and the game on the line in a 2-1 extra innings loss to No. 2 Iowa in the Springfield Regional.

The Ducks fell 3-1 to Iowa in their regional opener Friday and knocked Canisius out in a do-or-die game yesterday.

Stephen Nogosek dealt 4.2 innings of one-hit relief and was credited with the loss in his 39th appearance of the season, marking the most all-time in a single season by an Oregon pitcher. He and starting pitcher Josh Graham scattered five hits over 10.2 combined innings, but the offense’s one run of support proved insufficient.

Mark Karaviotis singled, stole second then advanced to third on a passed ball to get the ball rolling in the third inning. With two outs, Austin Grebeck legged out a bang-bang infield single to score Karaviotis for the game’s first run.

Iowa lead-off hitter Eric Toole scored on Graham’s wild pitch to knot the score in the sixth. Left fielder Phil Craig-St. Louis preserved the tie by throwing a one-hop seed to catcher Tim Susnara to nab Corbin Woods at the plate.

Nogosek walked the bases loaded in the seventh, but struck out Jake Mangler with a 95-mph upstairs fastball to escape the jam.

Oregon missed a golden opportunity to walk off with no outs, the bases loaded and a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the ninth. But Brandon Cuddy struck out swinging and pinch hitter J.B. Bryant grounded into a double play to send the game into extras.

Nogosek appeared to pick a runner off first in the 11th, but the first base umpire ruled a balk and the runner advanced to second. The runner scored the next play on Daniel Aaron Moriel’s single up the middle to provide Iowa the winning run.

After squeaking in the playoffs, the Ducks failed to advance to Super Regionals for the third straight season. Oregon’s streak of four straight seasons with 40+ victories is over.

As a team, the Ducks had a mediocre .256 batting average and 3.71 ERA. The coaching staff struggled to find answers with a high influx of new players, and the players never settled into a rhythm. The coaching staff changed the batting order and lineup from that of the previous game in all but a handful of occasions in 2015.

Mitchell Tolman, along with numerous rostered Ducks, expects to hear his name called come the MLB Draft in June. Tolman led Oregon in batting average for the second consecutive season and broke four all-time program offensive records.

No. 4 St. John’s, who Oregon swept earlier this season, won the Stillwater Regional, so Oregon would have hosted Super Regionals if it won it won the Springfield Regional.

Iowa will battle Missouri State for the title at 7 p.m. on just a couple hours rest.

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