Veteran Infield Gives Ducks Solid Base
02/13/18 | Baseball, @GoDucksMoseley
The Oregon baseball team opens its season Friday in Las Vegas, with a veteran infield providing the team's foundation for 2018.
On Friday, the Oregon baseball team opens its 2018 season against Loyola Marymount, at the Marucci Desert Classic in Las Vegas.
The Pac-12 season begins exactly one month later, at Arizona State on March 16. In the interim, UO coach George Horton hopes to find answers to some of the Ducks' lingering questions, about a pitching staff looking to replace David Peterson, and an outfield that could feature two freshmen.
One place where no uncertainty lurks is the infield. The Ducks return three starters, who were the team's top three power bats last season, and added to the mix an exciting new face at shortstop, converted pitcher Ryne Nelson.
"That's the strength of our team," Horton said, along with a back end of the bullpen that features stopper of the year candidate Kenyon Yovan, plus set-up men Nelson and Parker Kelly.
Nelson has been plugged in to the middle of the UO defense with Kasser, who moves to second base after posting a .994 fielding average playing half of last season at first base and half at short. At the corners are sophomores Gabe Matthews and Spencer Steer; Kasser's .408 slugging average led the Ducks in 2017, followed by Steer at .387 and Matthews (below) at .384.
Steer started 54 of 55 games at third base as a true freshman last spring, and his classmate Matthews started 30 at first base. Thus, the Ducks return players who combined for 129 infield starts in 2017. That has UO assistant Jay Uhlman, who coaches the infielders, "walking around like it's getting close to Christmas," Horton said.
"It's very helpful," Kasser said. "With all the bunt defenses, the first-and-thirds, and just the normal defenses that we work on, it's nice to have some guys you think you can rely on, and not have to worry about."
Nelson flashed his potential on the mound as a freshman in 2017, striking out 17 hitters over 13.1 innings before shoulder problems derailed his season. Over the summer, he went back to his hometown of Henderson, Nev., and played with his American Legion team. That squad, the Southern Nevada Blue Sox, went all the way to the Legion World Series title, with Nelson hitting .481 in 198 plate appearances.
"He came back a different guy as a position player," Horton said.
At 6-foot-3, Nelson has the length to range into the hole or over the middle in just a couple of long strides. Once he's gloved the ball, he fires it to Matthews at first using an arm that can touch 97 mph off the mound.
"He's like our version of Chris Boucher or Jordan Bell in the middle of the paint," Horton said, using two former shot-blocking UO men's basketball players as an analogy. "He makes the field smaller."
At the plate, Nelson got 24 at-bats as a freshman last spring, recording four hits with 10 strikeouts and five walks. The summer of Legion ball told the story of his potential in the batter's box; not only did Nelson hit .481, he drove in 71 runs in 48 games, while striking out just 14 times and working 27 walks.
Kasser led Oregon in all three triple-slash categories in 2017, hitting .352 with a .408 slugging average and .435 on-base average. Matthews hit .282 while splitting time between first base and designated hitter, and Steer led the team with 17 extra-base hits, including a team-high 12 doubles.
As a senior coming off an all-conference season, Kasser is the Ducks' team leader – but Steer (below) and Matthews are developing into similar roles as well.
"Their attention to detail, their camaraderie, their chemistry – they've got all the intangibles, with a lot of physical ability as well," Horton said.
Those are welcome traits on a team with some other spots still up in the air as Friday's opener approaches. The Ducks are still sorting through options at catcher following the departure of Tim Susnara. And though outfielders Jonny DeLuca and Evan Williams have earned raves for their work in the fall and winter, they're still freshmen about to make their collegiate debuts.
With those question marks plus a pitching rotation to settle on in the absence of Peterson, the Ducks enter the 2018 season looking to earn some respect nationally. Their veteran infield intends to lead that effort.
"We're not ranked or anything; no one's looking for us to do anything big," Kasser said. "We're gonna be overlooked, but that might be a good thing for us. We're just going to go play our game, and see how we fare."
