Oregon track and field has filled another void left by the departures of Andy and Maurica Powell, hiring former University of San Francisco head track and field and cross country coach Helen Lehman-Winters as associate head coach.

Oregon hired former Virginia Tech coach Ben Thomas last week as an associate head coach as well.

Lehman-Winters coached 15 years at USF, leading the USF women’s team to a second place finish at the 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships and is an eight time WCC coach of the year.

“I am incredibly honored to have the opportunity to contribute to the rich tradition of track and field at the University of Oregon, and I am grateful for the confidence and faith that Robert Johnson and the administration have in me to take on this role,” Lehman-Winters said through the press release, “I can’t wait to get to work, meet the student-athletes, start recruiting and begin the process of contributing to a championship program.”

She does have great experience recruiting internationally and on the West Coast. Prior to USF, Lehman-Winters coached as a volunteer at UCLA and also coached at El Cerrito High School and Carondelet High School where she won numerous titles.

“Helen is an incredible addition to our coaching staff, and we can’t wait for her to get started,” said Robert Johnson in the press release. “She is a seasoned, smart, talented and proven coach, and a relentless recruiter. … I am excited and confident in her ability to take our distance program to new and exciting heights.”

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The Melyssa Lombardi era officially began as she was introduced to fans and media members at Jane Sanders Stadium on Monday. For the first time this decade, the Ducks will be led by someone other than Mike White.

Lombardi, a 21-year assistant coach at Oklahoma with four national championships on her résumé, will be the 12th coach in program history, but will look to be the first coach to win the Women’s College World Series with the Ducks.

“My standard doesn’t change, I expect to compete every year for championships,” Lombardi said. “You see all the Pac-12 championships that have been won, and the trips to the World Series. But what I would like to do is to be able to enhance what is here. Going to Oklahoma City and winning national championships, I think those are things I can bring to Oregon.”

Lombardi was a hot commodity in the collegiate softball world, meaning she essentially was able to wait for the opportunity she saw as the best fit. After visiting, the town, stadium and home-field advantage created by the Oregon fans helped make the decision.

“For me, in order to leave Oklahoma, it was going to take a really special place.” Lombardi said. “I think this position is a tremendous opportunity for me and my new staff.”

Lombardi has already been involved in a game at Jane Sanders Stadium when Oregon defeated the Sooners 5-0 last season. Although the result was not what Lombardi wanted, the memory remained.

“I walked into a lion’s den,” Lombardi said. “I felt like we walked in and walked out. It was that quick. Even though it didn’t go our way, I loved every minute of it. I could see myself here. When this position opened, it was something that had my interest because I could see the success and what we could do here in Oregon.”

The Ducks of course made it to Oklahoma City the last two seasons, and five times overall under White, who went 435-111-1 with five Pac-12 titles. White was hired in the midst of Rob Mullens’ first year as athletic director, making this the first time he had to navigate the softball coaching world for Oregon.

“Obviously when we set out to find the next leader, we were looking for somebody with a tremendous track record to build on the foundation that’s already here,” Mullens said. “Everywhere we turned to the experts in the college softball world, we kept hearing one name. That one name was Missy Lombardi.”

Ultimately, the goal is to do what the previous 11 coaches could not, winning a national title, and Lombardi knows the type of mindset required to win that last game.

“It’s a long process,” Lombardi said. “They’ve got to be willing to grind and still play well when their bodies are tired. … To me, usually the last team that’s standing is the team that really knows how to be mentally tough.”

Oregon lost seniors Gwen Svekis, DJ Sanders, Lauren Lindvall and Jenna Lilley. Returners Megan Kleist, Cherish Burkes, Shannon Rhodes, Shaye Bowden and Lauren Burke were all in attendance at Lombardi’s press conference. 

“We’re really excited about the new era,” Rhodes said. “I think [Lombardi] is really going to bring out the best in us.

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Oregon has hired Ben Thomas to take over the middle distance and distance coaching duties, filling the major void left by Andy and Maurica Powell, the former associate head coach and assistant coach. Thomas was introduced Monday as the associate head coach for cross country and track and field.

“We are beyond thrilled to welcome Ben and his family to Eugene,” said head coach Robert Johnson in a press release. “Ben has transformed the distance program at Virginia Tech, and has a proven record of success in recruiting, developing and mentoring student-athletes. We believe Ben will guide our distance program to heights that honor the incredible legacy of distance running here at the University of Oregon, and help take us into an exciting new era for Oregon track and field.”

Thomas leaves his alma mater with after 17 years with a strong distance résumé. He was the 2012 ACC cross country coach of the year and coached 29 All-Americans.

“I am humbled to be given this awesome opportunity,” Thomas said in the release. “I’d like to thank head coach Robert Johnson and the administration at Oregon for entrusting me with this position.”

Oregon track and field will have an interesting season with Hayward Field now demolished and the construction of the state-of-the-art stadium underway. After a seventh place finish in the women’s outdoor championship and a 35th place finish for the men, Thomas will look to get both teams back to the top.

That will all start with the cross country season in the fall.

“I am excited to get started in helping the men and women of Oregon reach their considerable potential,” Thomas said. “I’m very fortunate to have the opportunity to help launch a new era at Hayward Field and add to the championship legacy of Oregon track and field and cross country.”

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Every year, numerous college football committees release watch lists for the awards they hand out at the conclusion of the college football season.

Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert was named to both the Maxwell Award list and the Davey O’Brien watch list. The Maxwell award is for Maxwell’s college football player of the year and the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is given to the quarterback that is deemed the best in the NCAA.

Herbert will begin the season as the unquestioned starting quarterback for the Ducks once again, this time with Mario Cristobal at the helm. Cristobal will be Herbert’s third head coach in his three years at Oregon.

Last season, the sophomore quarterback put up 1,983 yards and 15 touchdowns in eight games. The Eugene native missed five starts in 2017 after breaking his collarbone in a 45-24 win over Cal.

Oregon does have a previous winner of both awards. In 2014, quarterback Marcus Mariota won both the Maxwell award and the O’Brien trophy while leading the Ducks to the National Championship game.

Other Pac-12 quarterbacks named to the Maxwell list were Stanford’s KJ Costello, Arizona State’s Manny Wilkins, Arizona’s Khalil Tate and Washington’s Jake Browning. Tate, Wilkins and Browning were also named to the O’Brien list.

Senior running back Tony Brooks-James was also nominated for the Doak Walker Award, given to the best running back in college football. With the departures of Kani Benoit and Royce Freeman, Brooks-James will begin the season as the Ducks starting running back.

On the other side of the ball, defensive lineman Jalen Jelks and linebacker Troy Dye were named to the 2018 Bednarik Award watch list.

Dye and Jelks were both named to last season’s Pro-Football Focus All-Pac-12 first team and the All-Pac-12 second team by the coaches poll.

Jelks was projected to be drafted in the first round by many publications thanks to his dominant junior season where he had 59 tackles, 15 for a loss with 6.5 of those being sacks. He was also named the and the defensive line MVP by his teammates.

Dye was named the Defensive MVP by his teammates after a sophomore season that saw 107 tackles, 13.5 for a loss, a fumble returned for a touchdown and an interception.

Only two Pac-12 players have won the award and both were linebackers. Arizona’s Scooby Wright did it in 2014 and USC’s Rey Maualuga did it in 2004.

The Ducks open their 2018 season with a game against Bowling Green in Eugene on Sept. 1.

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After missing the NCAA Tournament this past season, going 23-10 with a sixth place finish in the Pac-12, Oregon men’s basketball has retooled thanks to some notable recruits. CBS and Westgate give the Ducks 7-1 odds to win the national title, trailing just three teams.

The Ducks are behind three of the usual four biggest schools in terms of men’s college basketball. Duke, Kentucky and Kansas are ahead of Oregon. Duke has the top-3 recruits in the nation joining the team this fall in R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish.

Oregon, has a strong incoming freshman class as well, highlighted by No. 4-ranked Bol Bol. Guard Will Richardson (No. 35 recruit according to ESPN) and forwards Louis King (No. 11) and Miles Norris (81) will also join Bol Bol in Eugene.

This will be the third year in a row where the Ducks will have a vastly different starting lineup, but they still have head coach Dana Altman. Elijah Brown, MiKyle McIntosh and Troy Brown Jr. (Altman’s first ever first round draft pick) are gone.

Payton Pritchard, the lone player remaining from the Final Four run just two years ago, will look to take the next step as the leader. Pritchard led the team in scoring and averaged 14.5 ppg.

Other returning players include sophomore Kenny Wooten (92 blocks last season), redshirt-senior Paul White (9.4 ppg) and Victor Bailey Jr. (36.4 three-point percentage).

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The expression “This ain’t my first rodeo” is thrown around a lot, but what do you do if it actually is your first rodeo?

First, I should explain myself. I have never watched a rodeo in my life and have only been on a horse once, when I was five. I’m a suburban boy.

I knew nothing about what makes a rodeo great, but I took my pen and my notebook and attended opening night of this year’s Eugene Pro Rodeo in order to document the perfect rodeo spectator experience.

Don’t be afraid if you have no clue how the events work, it’s all right. I didn’t know how to spell “barrel” before I arrived. The announcers explain all the events in great detail to ensure maximum enjoyment. Although I was terrified the entire time, my favorites were barrel racing, when female riders race around three barrels, and bull riding, when a cowboy tries to make it eight seconds on a bucking bull.

Before you set out on your journey, you need to get dressed. Flannels, jeans and a hat will do. If you are tough enough, wear pink. The Eugene Rodeo has a motto of “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” for its breast cancer night.

It would also be wise to pack a bag of things to make your time more enjoyable.

“You should bring a sealed water bottle because they are $3 here,” said Larry Jensen, a rodeo spectator who has gone to every Eugene rodeo. Bug spray and a blanket were other helpful suggestions. I arrived with none of those things.

The events started at 7:30 p.m., but Jensen recommends arriving before the gates open at 5 to avoid crowded lines.

Which brings me to a very important line. First thing you do once you get through the gate is get your “CHITS,” which are used to buy alcohol. That line gets really long once events start, so it’s best to stock up early.

Next, you should get in the food line where people bond over their favorite rodeo memories and what food looks good.

Apparently it’s weird to have never eaten an “Elephant Ear” before, so get one of those and find a seat up close — you won’t be sorry.

“If you can’t taste the dust, you should stay home,” said Ron Bowker. “And you can quote me on that.”

Ron and his wife Laraine love rodeos. Laraine Bowker has been to around eight while Ron has been to more than 30, including ones in Montana and Reno. In fact, Ron used to help groom the animals for his local rodeo when he was growing up in Wisconsin.

“Been to a lot of rodeos, this one is top-notch,” Ron Bowker said. “All events are great, but the top is bull riding.”

There is naturally a debate on what’s best, however. Eugene native Opal Burdge, 23, worked the rodeo for five years and is now a spectator.

“Team roping is the best, but barrel racing is a close second,” Burdge said.

After the events, stick around for fireworks and the 21-and-over dance. After the festivities, go home and come back tomorrow.

“Come with other people you can have fun with,” Laraine Bowker said.

Overall, there is so much going on that it’s incredibly hard to find a dull moment.

“Have fun and watch and learn about the events,” Burdge said. “These are sports, too. Just kind of depends on if you want to see blood or you want to see speed.”

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Eleven of the 30 current MLB managers were catchers. In fact, seven of the last nine MLB World Series winners were managed by a former catcher.

The position is one of the most physically and mentally taxing in all of sports. Assuming the role of on-field general, they are constantly relaying signs, plays and pitches.

In his long career behind the dish, new Eugene Emeralds manager Steve Lerud watched and learned and is using his experience to get each of his players where they ultimately want to be — Major League Baseball.

“You learn a lot from a guy like Juan Pierre or like Chase Utley (both World Series champions and former teammates of Lerud) and watching them go about their business,” Lerud said. “You try to relay some of that to these guys in this clubhouse right now. That’s the kind of player we want all of them to be, because that means the Chicago Cubs are going to be really good.”

It’s not often you see a player hang up his cleats and go right into the coaching ranks, but that’s what Lerud did. Playing 13 years in professional baseball and parts of two seasons in the MLB created a lot of good and bad memories, but one triumphed over the rest.

“I think working as long as I did to finally get the opportunity to get up to the big leagues — that was pretty cool,” Lerud said.

Lerud was drafted in 2003 by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round out of Galena High School in Nevada. Nine years later, he made his major league debut on Aug. 30, 2012 with the Philadelphia Phillies.

“I think the best moment was getting that first hit in the big leagues,” Lerud said. “My mom was there and to be able to do that in front of her was pretty cool.”

Lerud is in his first year as the manager of the Chicago Cubs’ short season team, but he still remembers the struggles of playing professional baseball, noting the toll that offensive droughts have on teams.

“I think the biggest thing is not being that far removed from it and understanding how hard it is,” Lerud said. “I’ve been there and I know the feelings … I know that these guys are working hard everyday.”

But the coach is not just a baseball player. When he was 14, he became a second-degree black belt in taekwondo and said he “competed in that at a pretty high level for a really long time.”

“That was actually my first love,” Lerud said. “I wanted to do martial arts. I was hoping to fight in the Olympics at one point, but I realized they didn’t get scholarships for that.”

Luckily for the Ems, Lerud chose baseball and is continuously trying to make his team better, especially his old position. Lerud puts his catchers to work, helping them learn all the different pitchers while also helping their technique.

“I have only been here a few days, but I am already getting some early work in to become a more solid defender,” catcher Brennon Kaleiwahea said.

With the constant changing of rosters that minor league baseball brings, Lerud is working on building relationships between players as they get their first true introduction to professional ball.

“It’s a big jump for these guys,” Lerud said. “They’ve never played in front of fans. I think they are starting to get used to it. … I think the biggest thing is trying to develop a relationship with the guys you have to work with everyday.”

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One night after scoring four runs in the ninth inning to win 4-3, the Eugene Emeralds were once again within striking distance, trailing 4-2 in the ninth and looking to come from behind again.

The Ems weren’t as fortunate Monday, dropping the series finale against the Hillsboro Hops 4-2.

After a two-run first inning, the Ems’ offense was silenced by the Hops’ bullpen. Winning pitcher Bryan Valdez, West Tunnell, Ethan Larrison and Kyler Stout gave Hillsboro eight scoreless innings of work.

“[Their bullpen] did a nice job,” Ems manager Steven Lerud said. “The quality at-bats weren’t there. We have to do a better job of grinding out at-bats, so something we have to work on.”

The lone inning which saw runs for the Ems came in the first and started in a strange way. Ems leadoff hitter Fernando Kelli took a pitch in on the hand, which made a pop sound. While Kelli shook his hand in pain, home plate umpire Nick McFarland signaled foul ball.

“The ball hit him in the hand and it sounded like it hit the bat,” Lerud said. “We had to kind of show the umpire where it hit him. You know it doesn’t happen all the time, but we got a call overturned and it ended working out, we scored a couple runs.”

Lerud got his way when McFarland wavered, sending Kelli to first base, which angered Hops manager Shawn Roof. One day after being tossed for arguing a fair ball, Roof came out to argue the newly minted hit-by-pitch, but wasn’t as convincing as Lerud. Luckily for Roof, he was able to stay in the game.

A sac-bunt (Luis Vazquez), a walk (Nico Hoerner) and a fielder’s choice (Jonathan Sierra) put the Ems up 1-0. Nelson Velazquez was able to knock Hoerner home from second with an rbi single, which brought the lead to two.

Ems starting pitcher Ryan Williams pitched well, minus the fifth inning. Through the first four, the righty allowed just two hits and struck out three without allowing a run. In the fifth, things fell apart. Hops first baseman Francis Martinez launched an opposite field home run and then after a hit-by-pitch and a couple bad-luck singles, which included a perfect bunt by Jose Caballero, the Hops were up 3-2.

Hillsboro tacked on one more in the seventh, which brought the score to its eventual 4-2 finish.

One bright spot for the Ems was catcher Jonathan Soto, who threw out two attempted base stealers. Soto now has eight victims this season.

“We have been working on that a lot,” Lerud said. “I think a lot of it has to do with our pitchers [who] are doing better at holding the ball and varying their holds with runners on base and giving him a chance.”

The Ems will take a much-needed day off Tuesday before traveling to Spokane for a five-game series. On Monday, July 16, at 7:05 p.m. they will return to PK Park to host the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.

“Anytime you get a [day off] in the middle of a stretch like this, it’s always nice,” Lerud said. “We hope to reset a bit and get back to it Wednesday.”

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Rarely does someone get to live their dream at the age of 21. But new Eugene Emeralds shortstop Nico Hoerner is one step closer to doing just that.

Hoerner was the No. 24 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft and the first true collegiate shortstop pick.

“It was one of the best moments of my life for sure,” Hoerner said. “To be able to be with my teammates and my best friends and my family as well — it was really special.”

He officially signed for the Chicago Cubs in late June after the completion of his junior year at Stanford. The All-Pac-12 selection hit .345 in 2018 with the Cardinal, including hitting his first two collegiate home runs.

“There’s a little bit of a different experience level coming from a program like Stanford and playing in the Pac-12,” Emeralds manager Steven Lerud said. “You’re gonna see a lot of that from him. He’s a fun player to watch.”

Despite just being called up to Eugene on June 29, Hoerner has had quite an impact for the Ems. As of July 7, Hoerner is batting .438, with four runs scored, a home run, two RBIs and no errors in the field. He also had a clutch, two-out single on July 1, when he knocked in the first run of the ball game and scored the eventual game-winning run.

“He’s kind of the catalyst for a lineup,” Lerud said. “The at-bats he puts together, you see the quality at-bats, and I think that is something that these really young players are gonna learn a lot from.”

With the jump from college to the pros, routines must be established in order to succeed, and Hoerner loves the freedom his manager has given him in that area.

“I appreciate that [Lerud] lets the players go about their business the way they want to,” Hoerner said. “He’s working hard but definitely letting us develop our own routines. It’s a big part of pro ball: understanding your own routines. That will be important moving forward.”

Hoerner is not the only recent collegiate bat called up to the Emeralds. Jake Slaughter (LSU), Tyler Durna (UC San Diego) and Brennon Kaleiwahea (Tennessee Tech) all made their debuts during the last weekend of June.

Slaughter and Hoerner already have experience playing together. The two played for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod League in 2017, using each other’s talent to help elevate their game.

“Any time you have a previous connection with someone entering a new team, it helps that transition,” Hoerner said. “It’s nice to play with him again.”

Given his years in the Pac-12, Hoerner has previous PK Park experience. During his sophomore season, the Cardinal swept the Oregon Ducks in Eugene. Hoerner went 8-for-14 with five runs scored and three RBIs over the three-game series.

“Staying on the West Coast is nice. I got to see my family this weekend (June 29-July 2),” Hoerner said. “Baseball is the same 90 feet and 60 feet, 6 inches. That’s definitely more my comfort place than anything else.”

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Given their struggles, the Eugene Emeralds (now 9-15) are trying anything to right the ship. On Sunday night, they switched coaching duties, having assistant coach Jacob Rogers coach third, while manager Steven Lerud remained in the dugout. It might seem small, but it worked.

“We had to try something else,” Lerud said. “We haven’t scored too many runs lately. It’s maybe superstition … but it worked, so we’ll go with it tomorrow.”

Despite trailing 3-0 in the ninth inning, the Ems scored four runs to walk-off against the Hillsboro Hops, 4-3.

“This is a game of momentum,” Lerud said. “We’ve been in a lot of these games. …. Those guys in there, they’re not gonna quit. They’re working hard everyday to keep getting better.”

The inning started with a leadoff walk by Nico Hoerner, who advanced to third on a single by Jonathan Sierra. After Christopher Morel’s sac-fly, Tyler Durna stepped to the plate as the tying run. The first baseman hit an opposite-field ground-rule double, which could have easily been called foul.

“Just barely fair, it looked like to me,” Lerud said with a grin and a laugh. “It’s about time something like that fell our way.”

After a lengthy argument between Hops manager Shawn Roof and the home plate umpire, the coach was ejected. Gustavo Polanco then stepped to the plate looking to tie the game with runners in scoring position.

“[Polanco] is a veteran,” Lerud said. “He’s been in this league before. He’s been in these situations. I know he has been scuffling lately, but I have all the confidence in the world in that guy at the plate, so I am going to keep running him out there.”

Polanco hit the Ems’ second consecutive ground-rule double to center, leaving no doubt whether it was fair. Fernando Kelli took over as a pinch runner and after two wild pitches the game was over.

“Whether we win or lose, we seem to put together good at-bats in the latter innings and get ourselves back in these ballgames,” Lerud said. “I wasn’t surprised there that we did it. It was just a matter of time before we pulled one out.”

Starting pitcher Jose Albertos turned in his best start of the season, going four innings, striking out five and allowing two runs on four hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch. The Cubs No. 4 prospect showed great command in the first, second and fourth innings. His two earned runs came in the third when he lost control of the zone, walking two batters that eventually came home to score.

“I thought Jose threw the ball a lot better,” Lerud said. “He commanded the zone a little bit better. Obviously he worked around some traffic in a few of them, but it was good to see him get through that fourth inning there. Hopefully he can build on that.”

The Ems will host the Hops for one more game, Monday at 7:05 before traveling to Spokane for a five-game series. They will return July 16 to host the No. 2 overall pick in the MLB draft, Joey Bart, and the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.

Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack

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