Ducks Host Rutgers Starting Friday

Rutgers at Oregon
Friday – March 21 – 3:05 p.m.
Saturday – March 22 – 2:05 p.m.
Sunday – March 23 – 12:05 p.m.
Stream: B1G+
Radio: 590 AM - (Eugene), 910 AM (Portland)

Out Of The Gates Fast

At 17-4, Oregon is off to one of its best starts in school history.
The Ducks enter this weekend's series with Rutgers with the second-best record in program history through 21 games.
The 1963 team that went 19-2 is the only Ducks' squad to have a better start. The '62 team went 1-2 over the next three games and sat at 20-4 after 24 games.

Winning Out West

Heading into this weekend, Oregon is riding recent success that ranks among the best on the west coast.
Since 2021, the Ducks have the third-most wins (173) among teams in the West while boasting the fourth-best winning percentage (.665).
UO trails just Oregon State, UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine in winning percentage.

Clarke Grabs B1G Honor

Coming off an impressive outing in a win over Minnesota, Collin Clarke was named the B1G Pitcher of the Week.
The Ducks' RHP did not allow an earned run on just three hits while matching a career high in both strikeouts (8) and innings pitched (7.0).
Clarke retired the side in order three times, while fanning a pair of hitters in the same inning twice.

Oregon makes move to Big Ten Conference

Oregon heads into its first season in the Big Ten Conference where the Ducks will play 10 conference series that include three with former Pac-12 rivals.
The Ducks continue their home portion of Big Ten play this week hosting Rutgers a week after winning a series at PK Park against Minnesota in the first of seven series against new conference opponents.
The Ducks opened Big Ten play two weeks ago with a sweep over long-time Pac-12 rival USC on the road, while also having home series later in the season against long-time foes UCLA (April 18-20) and Washington (May 9-11).
The Ducks' first road series against a long-time member of the Big Ten comes next week when they travel to Ohio State.
The Ducks host Michigan (April 4-6) in week eight before traveling to Maryland (April 11-13) in week nine, Michigan State (May 2-4) in week 12 and Iowa (May 15-17) in week 14.
Before this season, Oregon had played 17 games all-time vs. teams from the Big Ten and had a 6-11 record, including 6-9 vs. teams the Ducks play in 2025.

Excelling in all three phases

Oregon is off to an impressive start to the 2025 season thanks to excellence in all three phases of the game (offense, pitching, defense).
The Ducks are among the national leaders in ranking in the top 30 in 18 of 31 statistical categories tracked by the NCAA.
Offensively, Oregon ranks in the top 25 in 12 different categories including seven in the top 15 and two in the top 10.
Oregon leads the nation in sacrifice flies, is eighth in runs, 11th in home runs, 13th in hits and scoring, 14th in home runs per game, 15th in doubles, 18th in hit-by-pitches, 22nd in slugging percentage, 25th in walks and 28th in batting average.
On the mound, the Ducks lead the nation in shutouts while ranking 15th in hits allowed per nine innings, 24th in earned run average and 27th in WHIP.
Defensively, Oregon ranks 10th in the nation and second in the Big Ten in fielding percentage.

Going, Going, Gone

The Ducks have increased the home run record by 53 long balls during the first four full seasons of the Mark Wasikowski era.
Heading into his first season at the helm in 2020, the Oregon team record for home runs in a season was 48.
After the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign, each of his next four clubs made a run at the programs home run record with the 2021, 2022 and 2023 teams all managing to increase the mark.
Last year's team fell just three home runs shy of matching the record set by the 2023 squad.
In 2023, Oregon broke the school record of 75 home runs set during the 2022 season, which came a year after hitting 56 to break the old record of 48 that was set in 1974.
With 37 home runs in 21 games (1.76 HR/Game), the Ducks are on pace to belt 98 homers in the 2025 regular season.

Another assault on record books?

During head coach Mark Wasikowski's four full seasons at Oregon, the Ducks have rewritten the program's record book on offense.
Oregon's record-breaking offensive season ended in 2022 with the Ducks setting records in eight major statistical categories.
In 2022, UO set school bests in average, hits, runs, home runs, RBI, doubles, total bases and at-bats.
Of the eight new records, three broke school records set in 2021 when the team broke long-time records for runs (376 in 2010), home runs (48 in 1974) and RBI (332 in 2010).
In 2023, Oregon re-set four of the records with 101 HR, 142 doubles, 1,057 total bases and 2,167 at-bats.
Oregon had also cracked the top 10 in RBI (2nd), runs (2nd), stolen bases (2nd) and hits (2nd).
Oregon had a .298 team batting average, which ranked fourth all-time.
While the 2024 team did not break any of the previous teams' records, the Ducks did finish second in home runs (98), third in runs (420), RBI (383) and total bases (996), fourth in hits (575) and sixth in doubles (107).
While increasing the home run record by 53 during the Wasikowski era, the Ducks have increased the runs scored record by 76 and the RBI record by 84.

Hellman, Mabeus garner weekly awards in consecutive weeks

JR DH Dominic Hellman earned a pair of weekly awards following the Columbia series, which came on the heels of FR C Burke-Lee Mabeus earning the Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor.
The NCBWA honored Hellman with its National Hitter of the Week award after he had a monster series in a four-game sweep of Columbia, while the Big Ten named him its player of the week.
Hellman slashed .500/.583/1.056 with a 1.639 OPS, while slugging three home runs (2 grand slams) with 13 RBI and nine runs scored.
Oregon's first conference honoree as a member of the Big Ten Conference went to FR C Burke-Lee Mabeus the previous week.
The Henderson, Nev., product earned Big Ten Conference co-Freshman of the Week honors after a big weekend series win over Rhode Island.
He started a pair of games behind the plate for the Ducks leading Oregon to wins in both games while slashing .444/.500/.778 with a 1.278 OPS.
He slugged his first career home run, a grand slam, while driving in a team-high eight runs with two runs scored and a stolen base.

Walsh back to finish what he started

During his three-plus seasons at Oregon, SR 1B Jacob Walsh has compiled some staggering numbers that have him either holding a program record or closing in on adding a record to his resume.
The Ducks' first baseman already owns the career home run record at Oregon with 44 long balls, 13 more than former record holder Tanner Smith (2019-23) hit during his career, and the multi-RBI record with 39 multiple-RBI games.
He has also cracked the top 10 in RBI (2nd), doubles (3rd), hits (4th), at-bats (4th), runs (4th), games started (4th) and multi-hit games (T4th).
In his fourth year as a starter at first base, Walsh is a career .272 hitter with 52 doubles and 151 RBI.
Last season, Walsh tied the single-season home run record (18) and finished tied for fifth all-time on the single-season RBI list (56).
In 2022, Walsh became just the 10th Ducks' freshman All-American after setting freshman program records for doubles (18) and total bases (103), while tying the record for home runs (6).

Molony still making his mark

If the first five weekends of the 2025 season are any indication, SO SS Maddox Molony is out to prove his record-setting freshman season was not a fluke.
The Springfield, Ore., native, led Oregon to five series wins batting .357.
It did not take Molony long to put his name in the Oregon record books.
In 2024, the Ducks' shortstop became just the second Oregon freshman, and first position player to ever be named first-team All-Pac-12 Conference.
He joined Kenyon Yovan, who was named All-Pac-12 in 2017 as a relief pitcher following his freshman season.
The all-league honor came after Molony etched his name in Oregon's record books earlier in the season.
The then-freshman belted his seventh career home run in his 93rd career at-bat and 26th career start to set a new Oregon freshman home run record (he finished the season with 10 HR).

Neville tied for seventh in nation in home runs, tied for first in B1G

JR CF Mason Neville has picked up in 2025 where he left off at the end of last season.
The Ducks' leadoff hitter is slashing .329/.416/.780 with a 1.196 OPS while tallying 17 extra-base hits (10 HR, 7 2B) and 29 runs scored (2nd in B1G/17th in the nation).
He has homered in nine of the 20 games he has played, including a two home-run game, giving him home runs in 25 of his 56 career starts at Oregon.
The Ducks' center fielder has hit a home run every 8.2 at-bats through 21 games this season after belting a home run every 9.3 at-bats last season.
The Las Vegas native currently ranks seventh in the nation in home runs and home runs per game, 16th in total bases, 17th in runs scored and 29th in runs per game.
He has extra-base hits in 14 of Oregon's 21 games this season with eight multiple-hit games.
Last season, he finished two home runs behind record holders Jacob Walsh (2024) and Sabin Ceballos (2023) and three shy of setting a new program record.

Neville already up to fifth in career home runs at Oregon

In just 76 games (56 starts), Mason Neville is already fifth in career home runs at Oregon with 26.
He needs two more to pass Guy Krause (154 games/ 1971-74) for fourth all-time on the home run list.
The Ducks' center fielder needs six more to move into second place behind all-time leader and teammate Jacob Walsh.
Last season, he finished two home runs behind Walsh (2024) and Sabin Ceballos (2023) and three shy of setting a new single-season program record.

Clarke in control, named B1G Pitcher of the Week

It has been an impressive start to the season for SO RHP Collin Clarke, who moved into the rotation to start the season after pitching out of the bullpen as a freshman.
Making Saturday starts in all five series this year, Clarke did not allow a run in his first 18.1 inning pitched.
With a 2.08 ERA, Clarke ranks fifth in ERA in the Big Ten Conference.
After his latest start, he earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors after allowing just one unearned run on three hits while matching a career high in strikeouts (8) and innings pitched (7.0).
The Ducks' righty fanned a then career-high seven hitters in a five-inning no-decision against Toledo on Feb. 15.
He followed that outing tossing a career-high seven innings of scoreless ball while allowing just four hits and a walk with five Ks against Rhode Island.
He went 6.2 innings while picking up his first win of the season vs. Columbia, allowing three runs on five hits with a new career high in Ks with eight.
He did not give up a run in the first five innings at USC before the Trojans scored in the sixth.

Grinsell needs one K for 200 in career while climbing top 10 in career Ks at Oregon

Friday night starter Grayson Grinsell moved into sixth in career strikeouts at Oregon during his start against Minnesota.
The Ducks' lefty enters this weekend's series with 199 Ks during his first two-plus campaigns with the Ducks.
Last year, Grinsell fanned 99 batters in 79.1 innings finishing the year with the fifth most Ks in a single season at Oregon.
As a true freshman in 2023, Grinsell struck out 67 in 48.1 innings of work while making 30 appearances with 27 coming out of the bullpen.

Grinsell named to Golden Spikes watch list and preseason All-America teams

Oregon's lone returning weekend starter, LHP Grayson Grinsell was named to the Golden Spikes watch list, while also earning second-team preseason All-America recognition from D1Baseball and third-team honors from the NCBWA.
The Ducks' lefty finished the 2024 season 7-2 with a 4.08 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 79.1 innings of work while allowing 37 runs (36 earned) on 54 hits with 44 walks.
The Ducks' Saturday starter held opposing hitters to a Pac-12 Conference-best .196 batting average, while finishing with six quality starts including a pair against nationally-ranked teams (at #13 Oregon State, at #18 UC Santa Barbara).
He led the Pac-12 and ranked 19th nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (6.13), finished third in the Pac-12, and ranked 51st nationally in strikeouts per nine innings, while ranking fourth in strikeouts in league play and 53rd nationally.

Friday night guy

For the first time in his career, Grayson Grinsell took the mound as the starter on Opening Day.
The previous names of pitchers who have taken the mound on opening day are impressive with future Major League Baseball pitchers, an MLB all-star, an eventual Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year and high MLB draft picks who have toed the rubber as series game-one starters.
Eleven of the 13 previous opening day starters have been drafted with four of them playing in the big leagues.
Three of the starters (Tyler Anderson, Alex Keudell, David Peterson) earned All-America honors the season they served as the "Friday Night" guy.
Of the 15 seasons played since the return of baseball at Oregon, the Ducks' opening day starter has earned first-team all-conference recognition six times (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017).
The 13 pitchers who have served as opening-day starters have a combined 10 first-team all-conference selections on the mound during their careers.

University of Oregon Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Collin Clarke

Grayson Grinsell

Dominic Hellman

Burke-Lee Mabeus

Maddox Molony

Mason Neville

Jacob Walsh

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