Ducks wrap up 10-game homestand vs. Gonzaga before traveling to Arizona State

What you need to know

Oregon will wrap up its 10-game homestand with a game against Gonzaga. The Ducks are 7-2 in the first nine games at PK Park. Oregon opened the homestand with a 14-0 win over Seattle and then won three of four from both FAU and UC Davis. UO had won five in a row before losing to UC Davis on Saturday.
JR RHP Parker Kelly was named both a Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week and the Pac-12 Conference Pitcher of the Week on Monday. Kelly tossed 7 scoreless innings in three appearances. The Ducks' righty allowed just one hit while fanning 14 and walking just one. Kelly had a career-high 7 Ks vs. UC Davis.
Gonzaga's roster features a pair of former Ducks who are graduate transfers. JR 2B Carson Breshears has started all 14 games for the Zags and is batting .244 with two RBI. JR C Slade Heggen has just one at bat.Breshears played in 79 games while starting 31 at UO. Heggen made 22 starts and played in 41 games.

Kelly national and conference honors

It was a good week for JR RHP Parker Kelly. The Ducks' reliever was named a Collegiate Baseball Player of the Week and the Pac-12 Conference Pitcher of the Week after making three appearances last week.
struck out 14 batters in seven innings while not allowing a run. He allowed just one walk and one base on balls. Opponents batted just .048 against him in the three games.
In first outing vs. FAU, inherited a no-out, runners on second and third situation with UO leading 5-3. He proceeded to get out of the inning with only one run scoring while striking out final hitter.
In second outing vs. UC Davis, he entered a tie game with no outs and a runner on first. Kelly got out of the inning without allowing a run while fanning two. He struck out the side in the eighth and fanned two more in the ninth to pick up his fourth win.He struck out seven of the 10 hitters he faced, while setting a new career high for Ks.
In third outing vs. UCD, he struck out six of the 10 batters he faced.

Ducks host Gonzaga in midweek contest

Oregon hosts Gonzaga on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in a single game at PK Park.
The matchup will be the final game of a 10-game homestand.
The Ducks hold a 16-2 series advantage between the two teams, including a 12-2 edge since baseball returned to Oregon in 2009.
Gonzaga has won the last two, with two wins in the 2016 season.
Oregon has won six of eight meetings in Eugene.
Gonzaga's roster features a pair of ex-Ducks in graduate transfers Carson Breshears and Slade Heggen.

Ducks win four-game series against UC Davis

Oregon won three of the four games it played over the weekend against UC Davis (5-4, 4-1, 7-2, 7-9).
The Ducks batted .310 in the series with 12 extra-base hits.
JR OF Jakob Goldfarb (.571), SO SS Ryne Nelson (.500), SR 2B Kyle Kasser (.438) and SO 1B Gabe Matthews (.308) all hit over .300 in the series.
JR RHP Parker Kelly and SO RHP Ryne Nelson combined to toss eight scoreless innings out of the bullpen while fanning 18 and walking 1.

Records fall in Ducks win over Seattle

The Ducks set a pair of all-time records in their win over Seattle.
Oregon's 10 runs in the second inning tied for the most in school history. The 1972 team scored 10 vs. Portland State (April 2) and the 2017 team scored 10 at Utah (March 31).
Oregon sent 15 hitters to the plate vs. Seattle in the second inning to set a new record. The Ducks had 14 hitters bat in the game at Utah last season.
Oregon's 14 runs were the most scored by a Ducks' team since they beat Portland 15-4 on May 17, 2016.
The 14-run difference was the biggest for the Ducks since the beat New Mexico State by 15 (22-7) on Feb. 21, 2015.

Postponed Portland game rescheduled

Oregon's postponed game on Feb. 21 at Portland has been rescheduled for April 25 at 6 p.m. in Portland.
The game was postponed because of cold weather.

Ducks put on power display in win over Indiana State

Oregon hit four home runs in an 8-5 win over Indiana State to wrap up the Marucci Desert Classic during the season's opening weekend.
JR RF Jakob Goldfarb hit two solo shots, while SO 1B Gabe Matthews and SO 3B Spencer Steer both hit two-run homers.
The four home runs were the most by a Ducks' team in a game since UO hit four in a game against Cal on April 13, 2013.
In that game, Scott Heineman hit two HRs, while Ryon Healy and Brett Thomas each hit one.
two bombs in a game were the first by an Oregon Duck since Shaun Chase did it vs. Oregon State on May 20, 2014.

Milestone and record book watch

SR INF Daniel Patzlaff needs one walk to move into sole possession of 10th all-time at Oregon.
SR 2B Kyle Kasser needs one walk to tie Patzlaff, Ryon Healy (2011-13) and KC Serna (2009-11) for 10th all-time.

Ducks in the NCAA rankings (as of 3/12/18)

JR RHP Parker Kelly is tied for the national lead in victories with four. He is one of 15 players in the country who has four wins.
also ranks 16th in the nation with nine appearances.
FR CF Jonny DeLuca ranks second in the country with four sacrifice flies. He is one behind national leader David Anaya of Incarnate Word.
SO RHP Kenyon Yovan is tied for 21st in the nation with four saves.
As a team, the Ducks rank in the top 25 in five different statistical categories. They are 12th in WHIP (1.07), 13th in walks allowed per nine innings (2.66) and sacrifice flies (10), 22nd in hits allowed per nine innings (6.95) and 24th in shutouts (2).

Ducks have veteran infield, gaining experience in the outfield

Oregon returns a wealth of experience, particularly in the infield, heading into the Gonzaga game.
Six different infielders have combined to start 347 games during their careers at Oregon with SR Daniel Patzlaff leading the way with 108 starts in the infield. Patzlaff also has 12 starts at DH for a team-leading 120 career starts.
Patzlaff needs to start 20 games in 2018 to tie Scott Heineman (2012-15) and Brett Thomas (2011-13) for 10th on the all-time list.
SR 2B Kyle Kasser has a team-best 70 consecutive starts and 110 career starts.
Kasser has started games at all four infield positions with 50 starts at first base, 29 starts at shortstop, 19 starts at third base and 17 starts at second base during his career.
Kasser needs six more consecutive starts in to tie Aaron Payne (2012-13) for the sixth-most consecutive starts in program history since 2009. Mitchell Tolman (2013-15) started a school-record 128 straight games, one more than Ryon Healy (2010-12) started.
Kasser needs 28 more starts to tie Heineman and Thomas for 10th on the all-time list.
SO 3B Spencer Steer and SO 1B Gabe Matthews have extensive consecutive games streaks as well. Steer has started 60 games in a row at third base, while Matthews boasts a 48-game streak with the last 44 of those coming at first-base. His four other starts in the streak were at designated hitter.
SO SS Ryne Nelson rounds out the infield. He made his first 15 starts at shortstop during the first four weeks of the season. Nelson has also started six games at DH as well as one game on the mound.
Oregon has a combined 139 starts in the outfield.
JR C/RF Jakob Goldfarb, who redshirted in 2017 because of a toe injury, has a team-best 71 outfield starts with 66 of them coming in right field. The other seven starts were in left field. He also has seven starts at DH.
SR OF Taylor Travess started 26 games (22 in LF, 3 in RF) in the outfield. He also has three starts at DH.
SO C Braden Stutzman gave Oregon 13 starts in right field in 2017 due to injuries.
FR CF Jonny DeLuca has started Oregon's first 15 games this season, while FR LF Evan Williams started the first eight games of his career and 14 of Oregon's first 15.
Nobody on Oregon's roster had started a Division I game at catcher before JR C Ray Soderman started the season behind the plate. He started UO's first six games, as well as 13 of 15 this season. SO C Braden Stutzman got his first career start at catcher vs. Seattle, while also catching the second game of the UC Davis doubleheader.

Ducks have experience in the bullpen led by an All-American closer

Ten different Ducks pitched out of the bullpen during the first four weeks of the season with JR RHP Parker Kelly leading the team with nine appearances and SO RHP Kenyon Yovan pitching eight times.
Five freshmen saw the first action of their careers during the first four weeks of the season. RHP Cullen Kafka, RHP Peyton Fuller, RHP Brett Walker, LHP Kolby Somers and RHP Hunter Breault all have made their college debuts.
Six different Ducks (SR LHP Jesse Hobaica, Kelly, SO INF/RHP Ryne Nelson, SO LHP Zack Noll, SO LHP Nico Tellache and Yovan) in the bullpen spent time on the mound in 2017, while one more (SO RHP Jacob Bennett) was a part of the 2016 bullpen before suffering an injury that forced him to miss last season. Five of the six who pitched last year have made at least one appearance in 2018 (Noll is yet to pitch).
was a consensus freshman All-American while also being named first-team All-America by the NCBWA and second-team All-America by Collegiate Baseball.
was a Stopper of the Year finalist after finishing the season with 15 saves, a 1-1 record with a 1.97 ERA and 36 Ks in 32.0 IP.
has made 35 career appearances including 14 last season. He has a 5-0 career record with a 3.23 ERA while fanning 57 in 47.1 career innings.
is 4-0 with a 0.00 ERA in nine appearances this season with 23 Ks in 14.0 innings pitched. He struck out a career-high seven batters while getting a win over UC Davis.
started fast in 2017 before hurting his arm. He didn't allow a run in three February late inning set-up appearances for Yovan before being shut down until May 9.
Nelson has made three appearances this season heading into the Gonzaga game and hasn't allowed a run while fanning 10 in 4.2 inning pitched.
picked up his first career save in UO's win over LMU on Feb. 25 fanning two in 0.2 IP. He got his second save, a two-inning outing, against UC Davis on March 10. He struck out five in the game.

Kelly tied for national lead in wins

JR RHP Parker Kelly is tied for the national lead in wins with four.
last win came in what was arguably his best career outing. He struck out a career-high seven batters in three innings while allowing no runs on just one hit.
picked up both of Oregon's wins over LMU in the three-game series between the teams pitching a combined three innings while allowing no runs on one hit with three Ks and a walk.
first win of the season came against Indiana State in the Marucci Desert Classic in Las Vegas. In that game, he tossed 1.1 scoreless innings while fanning two of the four batters he faced.

Yovan earns spot on preseason Stopper of the Year watch list

SO RHP Kenyon Yovan is on the preseason Stopper of the Year watch list after putting together an All-American season as a freshman in 2017.
finished 2017 with 15 saves, which tied for fourth nationally following the regular season, and had a 1.97 ERA with a 1-1 record.
He was a finalist for the 2017 Stopper of the Year Award and earned NCBWA first-team All-America honors.
became the second Oregon pitcher to be named a finalist for the Stopper of the Year Award. Jimmie Sherfy was a finalist in both 2012 and 2013.

Yovan named first-team preseason All-America by both Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA

SR RHP Kenyon Yovan was named a first-team preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and Collegiate Baseball heading into the season.
is one of two relief pitchers named to the Collegiate Baseball team.
is one of five relief pitchers named to the NCBWA team.
He earned the honor after putting together a stellar freshman season where he with 15 saves, which tied for fourth nationally following the regular season, and had a 1.97 ERA with a 1-1 record. The Ducks' stopper struck out 36 and walked just six in 32 innings pitched. He picked up a save in half of Oregon's 30 wins and finished with the fourth-most saves in school history.
was named first-team All-American by the NCBWA, while claiming second-team All-America recognition from Collegiate Baseball. The right-handed pitcher was one of five finalists for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, while also being named one of four National Freshmen of the Year by Collegiate Baseball, a first-team Freshman All-American by Baseball America and a second-team freshman All-American by D1Baseball.
was one of three Ducks named first-team All-Pac-12 Conference in 2017.

Yovan continuing tradition of superb closers

It wouldn't be a stretch to call Oregon "Closer University" with the run of top notch relievers the Ducks have had in the back end of the bullpen over the last six seasons.
SO RHP Kenyon Yovan became the latest in a string of dominant closers last year when the freshman finished as a finalist for the Stopper of the Year Award after finishing the season with 15 saves and a 1.97 ERA.
He picked up his 19th career save last weekend while throwing a scoreless ninth inning in the series opener vs. FAU.
followed four closers who combined for a 19-8 record with 78 saves and a 1.85 ERA in the previous five seasons.
All four were drafted in the first 10 rounds of the MLB Draft.
Jimmie Sherfy started the run in 2012 and combined for a 7-3 record with 40 saves and a 2.22 ERA during his two seasons as the closer before being drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 10th round of the 2013 draft.
Jake Reed inherited the closer role and finished 4-1 with 13 saves and a 1.93 ERA before being picked in the fifth round of the draft by the Minnesota Twins.
In 2015 Garrett Cleavinger went 6-2 with nine saves and a 1.58 ERA, and then was selected in the third round by the Baltimore Orioles.
Stephen Nogosek was the next Ducks' pitcher to excel in the role, finishing his final season at Oregon 2-2 with 16 saves and a 1.13 ERA before being drafted in the sixth round by the Boston Red Sox.

Yovan in the top 10 in single-season and career saves and games finished at Oregon

He's only appeared in 30 games, but SO RHP Kenyon Yovan has already put his name in Oregon's single-season and career record books with 19 saves.
passed Stephen Nogosek (2014-16) for second on the all-time saves list with his 17th career save at Loyola Marymount on Feb. 24. Jimmie Sherfy (2011-13) is the all-time leader with 40 saves, 21 more than Yovan.
On the single-season list, Yovan (2017) ranks fourth, one shy of Nogosek (2016).
is first (2013) and second (2012) on the list with 21 and 19.
is seventh in career games finished with 27 and needs two more to pass Jake Reed (2012-14) for sixth.
finished his freshman season sixth in single-season games finished with 20.

Yovan finishes freshman year second in Pac-12, sixth in the nation in saves

RHP Kenyon Yovan finished second in the Pac-12 with 15 saves while ranking in a tie for sixth in the country.
picked up saves in 15 of his 22 outings, while getting a win in another appearance.
The Ducks' closer, who didn't give up an earned run in his first 19.1 innings pitched, finished just four saves behind the national leader.

Mercer one of the top prospects for 2018 MLB Draft

JR RHP Matt Mercer is the latest pitcher on the Oregon staff to appear prominently on the radar of Major League Baseball teams.
Mercer was No. 24 on College Baseball Daily's Top 100 Countdown.
ranked No. 42 on D1Baseball's College Top 100 Prospects.
Mercer checked in at No. 53 on Baseball America's March 1 update of the magazine's top 300 MLB draft prospects.
Oregon has had 29 pitchers drafted in the MLB Draft since the sport returned in 2009.
Of those 29, 15 were drafted in the top 10 rounds while nine were picked in the top five rounds.
Tyler Anderson (2011) and David Peterson (2017) were both first-round picks. Both were the 20th overall pick in their respective drafts.

Mercer brings experience to Friday nights

JR RHP Matt Mercer made his 24th career start against UC Davis on Friday night striking out a career-high nine in a no-decision.
He also picked up a win in his first start of the 2018 season allowing just one run on three hits in 6.1 innings against Loyola Marymount with four Ks and three walks. LMU turned the tables on Mercer scoring three runs (two earned) on five hits in six innings pitched in a 4-2 LMU win.
got his second win of the season against FAU allowing just one run on three hits in seven-plus innings.
was Oregon's Saturday starter for all 15 weekends in 2017, finishing 6-7 with a 3.16 ERA and 59 Ks in 88.1 IP. He held opponents to a .241 batting average against.
made five starts as a freshman in 2016 including the last four weekends of Pac-12 Conference play. He finished with a 2-2 record and a 4.28 ERA.

Young arms join Mercer in weekend rotation

When Oregon faces Gonzaga and Arizona State this week, Oregon won't have much experience in the starting rotation outside Friday night starter RHP Matt Mercer.
Oregon's other available starters have combined to start 10 games, eight coming during the 2018 season.
SO RHP James Acu made his first four weekend starts pitching on Sundays during the season's first month. After getting no decisions in his first two starts, he picked up back-to-back wins against FAU and UC Davis.
made two starts in 19 appearances as a true freshman last year. His best outing as a starter came in his first career start when he held Santa Clara scoreless through four innings while allowing just three hits and striking out four.
FR RHP Cullen Kafka got his first three career starts, and first two career wins, during Oregon's 10-game homestand that wraps up with Gonzaga.
The Ducks' righty picked up his first career win vs. Seattle on Feb. 27 allowing no runs on two hits in three innings pitched.
Win number two came five days later when he beat FAU while allowing three runs on four hits in 5.1 innings with three Ks.
FR LHP Kolby Somers got his first career win in his first career start. The Oregon native allowed no runs on just two hits in five innings with four Ks.
FR RHP Brett Walker will make his first career start vs. Gonzaga on Tuesday.

Kasser continues to be "Mr. Consistent" for Ducks

SR 2B Kyle Kasser picked up in 2018 where he left off in 2017. The Ducks' leadoff hitter batted .364 in Oregon's opening weekend at the Marucci Desert Classic in Las Vegas.
After going 0-for-3 while reaching base on a HBP in the opener, Kasser went 5-for-11 in the final two games including a 3-for-5 game on Saturday.
Kasser finished the weekend with a .500 on-base percentage adding two walks to the four hits and the HBP.
Kasser went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored in the win over Seattle, before going 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored in the series finale against FAU. His two RBI vs. Seattle was his 16th multi-RBI game tying him with Scott Heineman (2012-15) for ninth all-time.
In the UC Davis series, Kasser batted .438 (7-for-16) with two multi-hit games. It was his 39th and 40th multi-hit game moving him within one multi-hit game of Aaron Payne (2011-14) for eighth all-time at UO.
A first-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2017, Kasser set the modern era (since 2009) program record for highest single-season batting average, hitting an impressive .352.
He led the team in hits (75), runs (34), on-base-percentage (.435) and slugging percentage (.408).
finished third in the Pac-12, hitting .381 in conference games while leading the conference in Pac-12 play with an on-base percentage of .459.
He proved to be one of the more versatile players on the team defensively, starting at least one game at every infield position with most of his starts coming at shortstop or first base.
tied the school record for longest hitting streak in one season, hitting safely in the final 15 games of the year. That streaked ended when he went hitless in the 2018 season opener against Loyola Marymount.
He also led the team in 2017 with 24 multi-hit games putting him in a tie for third on Oregon's single-season list.

Goldfarb returns to lineup with a bang (and a bang, and a bang)

JR RF Jakob Goldfarb returned to the starting lineup at the Marucci Desert Classic after missing the entire 2017 season with a toe injury.
finished the tournament batting .545 (6-for-11) with three home runs and seven RBI, while boasting a 1.455 slugging percentage and a team-best .583 on-base percentage.
Goldfarb was 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and a career-high five RBI in the opener against Loyola Marymount. He finished that game with four two-out RBI, including three on his first home run of the season.
On Sunday, Goldfarb was 2-for-4 with home runs in back-to-back at bats in the sixth and seventh innings.
two bombs in a game were the first by an Oregon Duck since Shaun Chase did it vs. Oregon State on May 20, 2014.
three home runs matched the total he put up in his first two seasons (2015-16) at Oregon.
Goldfarb also had an outstanding week last week. In Oregon's five games he batted .529 (9-for-17) with a home run, four extra base hits and four RBI in four games against UC Davis and the Monday gave vs. FAU. He had multiple hits in three of the games.

Matthews gets third career four-hit game in win over Indiana State

SO 1B Gabe Matthews went 4-for-4 with a walk in an 8-5 win over Indiana State at the Marucci Desert Classic.
The four-hit game was the third of Matthew's career and his first this season.
launched a two-run home run over the right-center field wall in the seventh inning to break a 5-5 tie. He also had an RBI single in the fifth inning that got the Ducks within one run of the Sycamores.
He finished the weekend batting .500 (6-for-12) with a homer and three RBI. He also had a .750 slugging percentage and a .538 on-base percentage.
has 16 career multi-hit games.

Steer leads team in multiple RBI games; needs one more to crack career top 10

SO 3B Spencer Steer heads into the Gonzaga game with a team-high five multi-RBI games, one more than JR RF Jakob Goldfarb.
also had 10 multi-RBI games as a freshman giving him 15 for his career.
He needs one more to tie teammate Kyle Kasser (2015-pr) and Scott Heineman (2012-15) for 10th on the all-time list at Oregon.
matched a season high with three hits (and three RBI) in the win over Seattle before getting his fourth multi-hit game of the season in game two vs. FAU.
He had his first two multi-hit games at the Marucci Desert Classic.
Steer went 3-for-5 with a home run in a win over Indiana State. It was his third career three-hit game (he added his fourth against Seattle).
opened the season going 2-for-4 in a win over Loyola Marymount.
has run his career total to 19 multi-hit games.

Steer and Matthews earn freshman All-America honors in 2017 while playing corner infield positions

SO 3B Spencer Steer and SO 1B Gabe Matthews led a talented group of freshman who saw significant action during the 2017 season.
Both Steer and Matthews were named freshman All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball following the 2017 season.
finished second on the team in batting average, hitting .282 with three home runs and 26 RBI.
was also named to the all-tournament team at the Tony Gwynn Classic after batting .571 with a .667 on-base percentage.
hit .262 with a team-high (and Oregon freshman record) 12 doubles and a team-best 35 RBI.

Nelson breaks out vs. UC Davis

SO SS Ryne Nelson put some early season struggles to rest with a big series against UC Davis, batting .500 (6-for-12) with a double, four runs scored and three RBI.
raised his average in the UC Davis series by .72 points going from .158 to .240.
He put together his second and third multi-hit games of the season, as well as his second three-hit game.
His other three-hit game came at Loyola Marymount on Feb. 25 when he went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in a 9-7 Oregon win.

Ten Ducks on D1Baseball's list of the Pac-12's top prospects/freshmen

Oregon placed 10 players on D1Baseball's list of top prospects from the Pac-12 Conference for the 2018 Draft, the 2019 Draft and a list of the conference's impact freshmen.
In the 2018 draft prospect list, the Ducks placed two players. JR RHP Matt Mercer was the seventh-ranked prospect and the fourth-ranked pitcher. SR 2B Kyle Kasser checked in at No. 36 on the list.
Oregon had four sophomores on the 2019 draft list. RHP Kenyon Yovan was eighth overall and the fourth-ranked pitcher. SS/RHP Ryne Nelson was 10th on the list, while 3B Spencer Steer was 20th and 1B Gabe Matthews was 27th.
Oregon also had four players on the impact freshmen list. OF Jonny DeLuca was fourth, RHP Cullen Kafka was 16th, OF Evan Williams ranked 23rd and RHP Hunter Breault was 30th.

Ducks 28-21 all-time against ranked teams at PK Park

Despite going 2-5 against ranked teams in 2017, Oregon has been successful against ranked teams at PK Park.
The Ducks have played 49 games against teams ranked in the Baseball America top-25 and compiled an impressive 28-21 record in those games.

Oregon will play 14 games on Pac-12 Network

The Pac-12 Network will televise a total of 14 Oregon baseball games in 2018.
Four Pac-12 series will have all three games broadcast with three of those coming on the road. The series at Washington (April 13-15), at Oregon State (April 19-31) and at UCLA (May 18-20) will all be televised.
The season-ending series against Arizona (May 24-26) is Oregon's lone Pac-12 series televised at home.
All five Oregon State games will be broadcast including the two non-league games vs. Oregon State (May 1, May 8).
All Oregon home games will be streamed live on Pac-12 Conference's Oregon live stream (http://pac-12.com/live/university-oregon).

Ducks join Team IMPACT and sign 15-year old James Dahl

Oregon Baseball joined Team Impact and signed 15-year old James Dahl of Eugene to a letter of intent on Friday, Feb. 9.
has been bravely living with Rasmussen's Encephalitis, a rare inflammatory neurological disease, since 2012.
At the signing ceremony, Dahl was presented with season tickets for his family and was given his own locker inside the Ducks' locker room.
Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 1,400 children with over 500 colleges and universities in 47 states, reaching more than 40,000 participating student-athletes.