After a brief break for finals and spring break, the Ducks returned to practice in preparation for the April 21 spring game.

“We kind of want to pick up where we left off,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “Again, that temperature is going to be turned up a little bit both from a football standpoint, culture standpoint and from a temperature standpoint. It will be a good thing for all of us.”

One unit that has been enjoying competition and is looking forward to getting back on the field is the wide receivers.

The three returners that played a big role last season are projected starters Dillon Mitchell, Johnny Johnson III and Brenden Schooler.

“I know Dillon Mitchell is a guy that we’re looking forward to stepping up and playing a big role,” wide receivers coach Michael Johnson said.

With a year under his belt, junior Brenden Schooler will continue to play at wide receiver and sophomore Johnny Johnson has lost 16 pounds, according to Michael Johnson. 

“He’s a little smoother, faster, quicker and still the same aggressive guy he’s always been,” Johnson said. “I’m just excited about the entire group from the bottom up.”

With Charles Nelson now gone, Johnson expects junior Dillon Mitchell to run with the No. 1 role.

“It’s like any other position,” Johnson said. “If you’re gonna be the number one guy, you have to be a guy we can count on each and every week and it starts with habits…. The older they get, the more they are able to handle that situation.”

Mitchell has been taking advantage of his coaches, listening for anything that can improve his game.

“[I] mostly have been staying in the coach’s ear,” Mitchell said. “Finding out stuff I can do well and stuff I can improve on. Finishing is a big thing coach Cristobal and coach Johnson have been on. Especially being around a program like Alabama. Coach Cristobal, he knows about finishing. That is something those guys do well and we should incorporate that into our play.”

Three younger players looking to contribute are sophomore Jaylon Redd, redshirt freshmen Daewood Davis and Demetri Burch and early-enrollee Jalen Hall.

Hall might have missed the first half of spring ball, but that doesn’t worry Cristobal. The 6-foot, 4-inch freshman from Long Beach Poly is expected to “swim” right away.

“He’s gonna be swimming regardless,” Cristobal said. “At least he is swimming on day one install as opposed to day six. … The receivers in general have had a really strong spring. The benefit of having a veteran quarterback certainly helps out.”

Hall has already gone to work to catch up on what he missed, studying the playbook with coach Johnson.

“We went over about four installations yesterday,” Johnson said. “That’s about 120 plays that are all gonna get crammed into one. So I’ll be behind him and kind of guide him a bit, but we’re just gonna throw him in there and let him get his feet wet. He’s eager to be here.”

Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack

The post Oregon football resumes practice with new receiver roles appeared first on Emerald Media.

After a brief break for finals and spring break, the Ducks returned to practice in preparation for the April 21 spring game.

“We kind of want to pick up where we left off,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “Again, that temperature is going to be turned up a little bit both from a football standpoint, culture standpoint and from a temperature standpoint. It will be a good thing for all of us.”

One unit that has been enjoying competition and is looking forward to getting back on the field is the wide receivers.

The three returners that played a big role last season are projected starters Dillon Mitchell, Johnny Johnson III and Brenden Schooler.

“I know Dillon Mitchell is a guy that we’re looking forward to stepping up and playing a big role,” wide receivers coach Michael Johnson said.

With a year under his belt, junior Brenden Schooler will continue to play at wide receiver and sophomore Johnny Johnson has lost 16 pounds. 

“He’s a little smoother, faster, quicker and still the same aggressive guy he’s always been,” Johnson said. “I’m just excited about the entire group from the bottom up.”

With Charles Nelson now gone, Johnson expects junior Dillon Mitchell to run with the No. 1 role.

“It’s like any other position,” Johnson said. “If you’re gonna be the number one guy, you have to be a guy we can count on each and every week and it starts with habits. …  The older they get, the more they are able to handle that situation.”

Mitchell has been taking advantage of his coaches, listening for anything that can improve his game.

“[I] mostly have been staying in the coach’s ear,” Mitchell said. “Finding out stuff I can do well and stuff I can improve on. Finishing is a big thing coach Cristobal and coach Johnson have been on. Especially being around a program like Alabama. Coach Cristobal, he knows about finishing. That is something those guys do well and we should incorporate that into our play.”

Three younger players looking to contribute are sophomore Jaylon Redd, redshirt freshmen Daewood Davis and Demetri Burch and early-enrollee Jalen Hall.

Hall might have missed the first half of spring ball, but that doesn’t worry Cristobal. The 6-foot-4-inch freshman from Long Beach, California, is expected to “swim” right away.

“He’s gonna be swimming regardless,” Cristobal said. “At least he is swimming on day one install as opposed to day six. … The receivers in general have had a really strong spring. The benefit of having a veteran quarterback certainly helps out.”

Hall has already gone to work to catch up on what he missed, studying the playbook with coach Johnson.

“We went over about four installations yesterday,” Johnson said. “That’s about 120 plays that are all gonna get crammed into one. So I’ll be behind him and kind of guide him a bit, but we’re just gonna throw him in there and let him get his feet wet. He’s eager to be here.”

Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack

The post Oregon football resumes practice with new receiver roles appeared first on Emerald Media.

One night after defeating No. 3 Stanford, the Oregon Ducks returned to action looking to win its first series over the Cardinal since 2015.

That mission was delayed until tomorrow with the Cardinal taking game two 5-1.

Starting pitcher Matt Mercer made his seventh start of the season, going 5.2 innings with two earned runs, one unearned, allowing six hits and striking out two.

Despite having the lead early, Mercer could not hold on, surrendering the 1-0 advantage in the third.

Stanford tied the game when Beau Branton singled Nick Brueser home. Brueser had led-off the inning with a single and then stole second base.

The Cardinal got their first lead of the series in a similar fashion. Brueser had a two-out single and advanced to second on a passed ball by catcher Ray Soderman. Once he was in scoring position, Branton knocked-in the unearned run with his second RBI single of the game.

Mercer ran into trouble in the sixth inning and it wound up being his last. He allowed a lead-off double to Tim Tawa, who then advanced to third on another passed ball by Soderman. After Nico Hoerner was intentionally walked, Andrew Daschbach singled in Tawa.

Mercer got one more out but was eventually relieved by Parker Kelly, who escaped the inning without further damage.

Stanford tacked two more runs on in the eighth off Kelly. Hoerner hit a single and was knocked-in by Kyle Stowers. Stowers then stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by Soderman. A groundout scored Stowers, making it the second unearned run of the ballgame.

Oregon’s lone run came early in the second inning off Cardinal starting pitcher Kris Bubic.

After getting the win on the mound last night, multi-talented Kenyon Yovan got the start at designated hitter and went 1-3, scoring the lone run for the Ducks.

Yovan hit a one-out double and eventually scored on Kyle Kasser’s single with help from an error by Daschbach in left field.

The Ducks struggled to create much offense and were shut down by Jack Little, who relieved Bubic, by striking out the side in the ninth.

The two teams will return tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. with Oregon looking to win the series.

Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack

The post Oregon baseball’s offense silenced, dropping game two against No. 3 Stanford 5-1 appeared first on Emerald Media.

Oregon baseball had its best win of the season Thursday, upsetting No. 3 Stanford 10-1 behind a stellar performance by Kenyon Yovan and a display of power on offense.

This is the first time the Ducks have beaten a top-5 team since 2012. This marks Oregon’s first victory over Stanford since May of 2015.

Yovan picked up his second win of the season in his second career start. The former closer struck out a career-high nine batters and only gave up three hits over six innings.

The offense was led by center fielder Johnny DeLuca, who went 2-4 with four RBI’s and a home run.

The scoring began in the second inning when DeLuca knocked Gabe Matthews in with an RBI single. Matthews had led-off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt.

In the third inning, Spencer Steer doubled the Ducks lead, singling Taylor Travess home.

DeLuca’s fourth inning home run was the third of the inning. Matthews and Jakob Goldfarb led-off the inning with back-to-back home runs. After a Ray Soderman single, DeLuca hit his second home run of the season, making it 6-0 Oregon.

The Ducks added three more in the seventh on only one hit thanks to Stanford pitchers John Henry Styles and Carson Rudd losing the strike zone.

Styles hit Kyle Kasser and walked Daniel Patzlaff. Rudd entered and walked Steer and hit Matthews, which brought in a another run for the Ducks. Soderman then hit in Patzlaff on the lone single and DeLuca hit a sac-fly to score Steer.

With Yovan still stretching out his arm, the Ducks went to the bullpen in the seventh inning with a 9-0 lead.

Hunter Breault was first out of the bullpen and held the Cardinal scoreless. Jesse Hobaica took over for Breault and surrendered the shutout. After allowing a lead-off walk, West Linn’s Tim Tawa doubled in a run to make it 9-1.

The Ducks quickly avenged that run in the next half-inning. Goldfarb hit a leadoff double and was Soderman drove him in to bring the score to 10-1. 

The Ducks will face Stanford again tomorrow at 6:05 p.m. looking to win their first series over the Cardinal since 2015.

Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack

The post Yovan, offense shine as Oregon baseball defeats No. 3 Stanford appeared first on Emerald Media.

The No. 22 Oregon women’s tennis team (12-6, 3-3) was up before the match even started, downing a shorthanded No. 35 Arizona State squad 4-0 Sunday in commanding fashion.

ASU only had five healthy players, which gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead with a walkover at the six position in singles.

Oregon built on its lead by taking the doubles point in odd fashion.

With only two courts of doubles due to the walkover on court 3, Oregon just needed to win one of the two matches.

Alyssa Tobita and Rifanty Kahfiani continued their dominant weekend, defeating the No. 35 doubles pair of Tereza Kolarova and Savannah Slaysman 6-3, which secured the doubles point.

After doubles play, head coach Alison Silverio chose to rest Julia Eshet and move Daniela Nasser to the fourth position and insert Paiton Wagner in the fifth. This move was an easy one for the Ducks thanks to the energy Wagner creates on the court.

“Paiton has been doing a phenomenal job with her mindset everyday in practice,” Silverio said. “She’s very energetic, she’s passionate, there is a lot of fire and that permeates throughout the whole team. It’s contagious.”

After Kahfiani was switched-in late on Friday and was first to victory for the Ducks, Wagner repeated that result. Wagner dominated Kolarova, winning 6-3, 6-2, putting the Ducks one win away from a team victory.

“I was really excited that I was playing,” Wagner said. “It really doesn’t matter to me what spot I am playing in. I know that all points count the same. I came out ready to fight and give it my all, and I left it all out on the court today.”

With the teams playing clinch point, Wagner’s victory created a race between Tobita, Julia Lilien and Daniela Nasser to finish first. With all three one game away from victory, Tobita won the race with a 7-6, 6-2 win over Ilze Hattingh.

Nasser and Lilien were both a little disappointed they didn’t get victories, as Nasser was one point away from victory and Lilien was two, but they were more happy that the team got the win.

“It’s been rough the past couple of weeks,” Tobita said. “I think it’s good that we’re all racing to win. That just shows that our team is right there and we are coming after it.”

This marks win number 73 for Tobita, tying for third all-time with 2013 graduate Julia Metzger.

“It’s kinda cool,” Tobita said. “I came into the program with coach Alison. Before that, we were bottom of the Pac-12 and didn’t know what to expect. Now to be here, and play at this high of level, it’s kinda unreal.”

Tobita was part of Silverio’s first freshman class, making this an enjoyable victory for both.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Silverio said. “She is one of our most reliable players. She is one of our most consistent players. All the credit to her for the work and the preparation that she puts into every match.”

Following the 2-0 weekend, the Ducks will have some time off before traveling to the Bay Area for matches against No. 45 California on April 6, and No. 26 Stanford on April 8.

Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack

The post Oregon downs shorthanded Arizona State 4-0 appeared first on Emerald Media.

After ending its losing streak last week with a 5-2 win over Santa Clara, Oregon men’s tennis returned to the court Saturday to take on a familiar foe.

The Drake Bulldogs and Oregon have played each of the last two seasons, splitting the matches. Drake won 4-3 in 2016 thanks to Vinny Gillespie downing Thomas Laurent for the clinching point. In 2017, Oregon dominated, winning 7-0, which included a 6-2, 6-3 win by Laurent.

With two very different scores, the only constant was that No. 47 singles player Laurent was matched up against Vinny Gillespie.

“I am always trying to stay really focused against [Gillespie] because the first time I played him, it was a tough match,” Laurent said. “I am always ready to play him.”

Laurent wasted no time, finishing first with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Gillespie.

Laurent’s win helped No. 47 Oregon defeat Drake 7-0 Saturday night at the Student Tennis Center. Thanks to dominant singles play on all six courts, the Ducks glided to the win in sweeping fashion.

All six Ducks won the first set and four of the six won in straight sets.

Akihiro Tanaka (6-3, 6-3 over Barny Thorold), Ty Gentry (6-3, 6-4 over Finley Hall), Cormac Clissold (6-3, 6-7, 10-4 over Ben Clark) and Simon Stevens (6-3, 6-7, 10-8 over Tom Hands) all repeated their results from last year by winning their matches

Freshman Riki Oshima was the second to finish his match today, defeating Ben Wood 6-2 in straight sets.

“I have been working on playing steady,” Oshima said. “This score shows that I really worked it well.”

Oshima has adapted well in his move from Japan to Eugene, going 7-5 so far on the season.

“I just think he is starting to find his identity on the court,” head coach Nils Schyllander said. “He’s constructing the points much better. He has really started to put it together over the last month.”

The doubles point was probably the closest part of the match. Stevens and Gentry won their match 6-3 over Hands and Clark. Soemarno and Roberts then dropped a close match against Gillespie and Thorold 6-4.

This left it up to Laurent and Clissold to secure the doubles point.

The No. 36 duo in the country succeeded, with Laurent and Clissold defeating Wood and Hall 6-4.

That victory tied them with Robin Cambier and Jeff Mullen for most doubles victories in program history.

“It’s been almost three years we have played together,” Laurent said. “I say we just enjoy it and I really want this one more win. … So yeah, looking forward to next match.”

That next match for Laurent and Clissold to possibly break the record will be Monday, March 23, against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos at 3 p.m.

Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack

The post Oregon men’s tennis defeats Drake behind strong singles play and record-tying doubles play appeared first on Emerald Media.

After a rough weekend in Los Angeles, the No. 22 Oregon women’s tennis team unleashed its frustration on the visiting Arizona Wildcats, winning 4-0.

“It felt good,” junior Daniela Nasser said. “It feels good being back home. It just feels good getting the win after a couple of tough losses recently.”

The Ducks started their match off differently than those two losses in Southern California, taking the doubles point.

“It’s a great way to start off momentum and to get one point on the board,” assistant coach Elizabeth Lumpkin Robinson said. “We also realize that it’s one point and the match is not over in any way. We wanted to remind the team that after the doubles point.”

Although only three matches in singles play warranted a result, all six Ducks performed well, with only one dropping a set.

“We were active with our feet and we were proactive with our game plans and game style,” Lumpkin Robinson said. “That’s the biggest thing that I saw out here all the way from first point of doubles to the end of singles. We were in that same mindset throughout the entire time.”

Right before singles play got underway, head coach Alison Silverio and Lumpkin Robinson made a change, switching Rifanty Kahfiani for Paiton Wagner at the six spot.

“This was a great opportunity to give her [Kahfiani] some more match experience this year,” Lumpkin Robinson said. “It’s just great to see that she came out and was playing very free and was ready to be aggressive the whole time.”

Kahfiani might have had the most dominant day of her career, dropping only one game. She first won her doubles pairing with Alyssa Tobita 6-0 and then her singles match 6-0, 6-1 over Sophia Thomas.

“Mentally, I was locked in,” Kahfiani said. “It was real good.”

Kahfiani’s job was not finished, however. She began to journal about her match while cheering on the other five Ducks that were still in play.

“I just wrote down, ‘Be at the present; be aggressive; keep attacking,’” Kahfiani said. “All positive sentences so I’m not being negative. So every time I sit down, for example, being negative, ‘Oh my God. I lost this game.’ I open that book and I keep track like okay, ‘we got this.’”

With this this win, the Ducks break their three-match losing streak. Despite losing to three conference opponents, confidence has not wavered.

“I think as long as we come out with the right mindset, we can take any team,” Nasser said. “It is just important to carry the same mindset we have when we’re home, to away matches. [We] just need to continue to build off of today.”

Nasser closed out the victory for the Ducks, taking down Marie Van Aelst 6-1, 6-3 as well.

“I was just trying to play more aggressively today and just going for my shots more,” Nasser said. “It made a big difference. The more aggressive I played, the more mistakes she gave me. That was the big difference today.”

Alyssa Tobita also got a 6-1, 6-3 win over Devin Chypyha after moving down to the second position.

Oregon will continue its home stand, hosting No. 35 Arizona State Sunday at 11 a.m.

Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack

The post Oregon women’s tennis breaks three-match losing streak with 4-0 win over Arizona appeared first on Emerald Media.

For the third straight year, Oregon football will have a new running backs coach.

Former Washington State coach and new Oregon coach Jim Mastro will not get the same luxury that Donte Pimpleton got last year. Mastro has to replace Oregon’s all-time rushing leader Royce Freeman and powerback Kani Benoit; both of whom are entering the NFL draft.

“It’s gonna take some getting used to,” quarterback Justin Herbert said. “But I know the guys we have back there are going to do a great job. … Those guys are special.”

Mastro has experience implementing a new backfield. In 2012, his first year at Washington State, the Cougars rushed for 349 yards. In 2016, the Cougars rushed for 1,560 yards. Last season, with an injured backfield, the team had over 800.

“We’ve got a great running backs coach who will teach them and get them ready,” Herbert said. “He’s a really smart guy. He came from a program where he did some really great things. He’s about as smart as they come so he is the right guy for the job.”

The starter will most likely be Tony Brooks-James, who has 1,557 career rushing yards and is the only back with extensive experience.

“It’s a good feeling,” Brook-James said on being at the top of the depth chart. “But the pressure’s on cause I gotta stay there now. I got guys behind me that want to take my spot.”

Those who seem to have distanced themselves the most are sophomore Darrian Felix and redshirt freshman CJ Verdell.

Felix came in at second on the depth chart thanks to his solid freshman season where he had 30 carries for 182 yards and a touchdown.

“[Felix] is a great guy,” Brooks-James said. “He’s a great young back. He has a lot of talent, great vision. As soon as he gets more comfortable with playing college ball, he’s going to be a guy to watch.”

Verdell will most likely be the power back this season after redshirting last season and working exclusively on scout team.

“Going up against the first defense every day, I think that’s what really prepared me to work at the next level,” Verdell said. “Coming out and competing every day with guys like Tony and Darrian Felix, you know we got a good running back room. It’s great to come out here and compete with those guys every day.”

Within the competition for playing time, the teammates have not lost sight of the common goal of being the best they can be.

“It’s a lot of young guys,” Verdell said. “We’re all trying to help each other out, show younger guys that just came in the ropes. We’re all helping each other; we all want to see each other succeed.”

The running backs have noticed the public attention to their “lack of power,” motivating them to get stronger in the offseason.

“A lot of people think there is going to be a drop-off because we don’t have Royce or Kani,” Verdell said. “But we are going to show people that’s not true at all.”

Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack

The post Oregon’s young backfield has big shoes to fill appeared first on Emerald Media.

Three top-125 ranked Bruins from No. 15 UCLA women’s tennis were able to pull off the 4-0 victory over their No. 20 Duck counterparts.

Five Bruins are ranked in the top-125 for singles, while zero Ducks crack the list. This put pressure on Oregon to try and keep the match close.

The Ducks were unable to do that, with only two players winning a set against the Bruins.

Alyssa Tobita, Shweta Sangwan and Julia Eshet were all tasked with facing top-50 opponents.

Tobita lost to No. 8 Ena Shibahara 6-1 in straight sets and Sangwan lost 6-2, 6-4 to No. 41 Jada Hart, which ended the match. Eshet fought hard against No. 46 Abi Altick, winning the first set 6-1 before dropping the second 6-2. Her match went unfinished, trailing 3-1.

The two freshman were also matched up with top-125 opponents. Paiton Wagner in the six position lost to No. 118 Alaina Miller 6-3, 6-1 and Julia Lilien, was tied with No. 104 Terri Fleming, before her match went unfinished 4-6, 6-2, 1-2.

The Ducks trailed early after dropping the doubles point for the second consecutive match.

Rifanty Kahfiani and Tobita dropped their match against Altick and Ayan Broomfield 6-3 first and then Nia Rose and Wagner dropped their match against Miller and Shibahara 6-4.

This left the 4-4 tie between No. 61 Eshet and Sangwan and No. 22 Fleming and Hart unfinished.

After the disappointing weekend, the Ducks are looking to break their three-loss streak, but will need to wait for the opportunity with a break for finals week.

The Ducks will host Arizona on March 23 and No. 37 Arizona State on March 25 at the Student Tennis Center in Eugene.

Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack

The post Oregon women’s tennis loses third straight as Ducks fall at No. 15 UCLA appeared first on Emerald Media.

Two on, two out, and two strikes. That was the situation for Oregon center fielder Shannon Rhodes with the score tied at zero in the bottom of the seventh.

“There comes a time where you just have to dig deep and not be afraid,” Rhodes said. “I think that’s what I did there. I believed in myself a little more than I was afraid of [Rachel Garcia].”

Rhodes hit the next pitch for a walk-off home run to center field off Garcia, giving the Ducks their first series win since April 2015. No. 6 Oregon’s 3-0 win over No. 3 UCLA came on the back of Megan Kleist, who pitched a complete game, six-hit shutout that featured six strikeouts and a walk. Those scoreless innings perfectly set up Rhodes for the big moment.

“My plan was to hit a ball hard on the ground,” Rhodes said. “With my swing plan being hitting a ball on the ground and a rise ball going up, something’s bound to happen.”

Garcia was dominant for the first six innings of the ballgame, matching her 16-strikeout performance from Friday.

In that Friday 6-2 win for the Bruins, Rhodes struck out three times, leading White to drop her in the order.

“I did some things to try and motivate her maybe,” head coach Mike White said. “She made some great adjustments today at-bat. That’s what you have to do. You have to compete. She made the adjustments and finally got a great pitch to hit.”

Rhodes was ecstatic after the game, getting an ice-bath from her teammates while being interviewed on television.

“You know those times where you just black-out and don’t know what’s going on?” Rhodes said with a smile recollecting her at-bat.

Kleist also bounced back after a poor performance last Friday, where she gave up two home runs in the loss.

“Our execution wasn’t very good [on Friday],” White said. “Today it was awesome. We never really gave them a chance to come up with that big hit in a big situation.”

Kleist was dominant throughout the game, striking out six and mirroring Garcia inning-for-inning.

“My old saying goes is you never lose a shutout,” White said. “And Megan Kleist throwing a shutout against that team, that’s a tremendous effort.”

One of her lone hiccups was in the sixth, when UCLA put two runners on with no outs, forcing a bunt situation for Aaliyah Jordan.

Jordan executed the sacrifice bunt well, moving the runners over, but Briana Perez got greedy and tried to score from second.

Lauren Lindvall quickly hopped off the first base bag and gunned a throw to Gwen Svekis to get Perez at home and to keep the game tied at zero.

“That’s heads-up ball-playing right there,” White said. “They’re gonna put it on you. They have a great team and fast base runners.”

This win meant a lot more than most for the Ducks as this marks their first series win over UCLA since the April series in 2015.

“Hopefully this is something that will change the momentum for us going forward,” White said.

The Ducks will have a week off before heading to Corvallis to take on Oregon State for a three-game series starting on Thursday, March 23.

Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack

The post Walk-off home run gives Oregon first series win over UCLA since 2015 appeared first on Emerald Media.