Ducks Begin Week With Civil War In Corvallis
03/08/11 | Baseball
THIS WEEK
Oregon (5-6) travels to Corvallis for a single-game at Oregon State (9-3) on Tuesday with first pitch set for 5:30 p.m. from Goss Stadium.
After four consecutive road games, the Ducks will return to PK Park to host a three-game series beginning Thursday against visiting BYU.
OREGON STATE SERIES INFORMATION
Overall: 148-159
Last Series: Oregon State 3, Oregon 0
May 8-10, 2010 • Goss Stadium • Corvallis, Ore.
Last Meeting: Oregon State 2, Oregon 1
May 26, 2010 • PGE Park • Portland, Ore.
GAME 12 • Tuesday, March 8 at Goss Stadium
First Pitch: 5:30 p.m.
Oregon Starter: TBA
Oregon State Starter: TBA
TV: None
Radio Eugene: KSCR 1320 AM
Radio Portland: KUIK 1360 AM
Internet Audio: O-Zone at www.GoDucks.com
Internet Video: Beaver Nation Online • www.osubeavers.com
Social Media: Twitter: @OregonBaseball
Live Stats: www.GoDucks.com
RADIO BROADCASTS/MEDIA
Brian Prawitz will call Tuesday's game for the Oregon Sports Network. In the Eugene/Springfield area, fans can listen to Tuesday's game on KSCR 1320 AM, while in Portland the game can be heard on KUIK 1360 AM. A live audio simulcast over the internet is also available via the O-Zone on www.GoDucks.com.
TELEVISION
The game will not be televised.
ONLINE
The game will be available via a live video stream on Beaver Nation Online (www.osubeavers.com) for a fee. Live stats are also available by clicking here.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Oregon fans can follow live in-game updates on twitter @OregonBaseball.
O-ZONE: ONLINE VIDEO & AUDIO
Baseball fans can now watch Oregon baseball home games live on the O-Zone at www.GoDucks.com. All home games will offer live video and audio.
TICKETS
A reminder that mini-plans and single-game tickets for the 2011 season remain on sale. Duck fans can purchase tickets online by clicking HERE, over the phone by calling 1-800-WEB-FOOT, or in person at the Casanova Center Ticket Office.
RETURN TO EUGENE VS. BYU
Thursday-Saturday, March 10-12
Oregon will return to Eugene on Thursday, to begin a three-game series with BYU.
Thursday will be $3 Thursday at PK Park, as general admission tickets can be purchased online for $3. Also, all soda in the park will be $1.
ABOUT OREGON STATE
Tuesday • Corvallis, Ore.
Oregon State picked up four wins over the weekend with a sweep of visiting Hartford. The Beavers (9-3), outscored the Hawks 52-7 over the weeekend.
Sophomore catcher Andrew Susac is leading OSU batting .441 with 15 hits, 15 runs scored, 14 RBIs, five doubles and three home runs.
ABOUT BYU
Thursday-Saturday, March 10-12
BYU is currently on an eight-game tour of the Northwest, and has started that stretch with a 3-1 record.
The Cougars (7-4), took 2-of-3 games at Washington last weekend, and began this week with a 7-6, 12-inning win at Portland on Monday. The Cougars will play Portland again on Tuesday before visiting the Ducks.
Andrew Law is batting .395 on the season with 11 runs scored and seven stolen bases. BYU's pitching staff is managing a 3.56 ERA.
SCHEDULE NOTES
The Ducks have 60 games on the schedule, with 30 of those contests to be played at PK Park.
UO's schedule is daunting with nine series against programs that advanced to the postseason in 2010, including three teams that claimed their respective conference titles.
LONG BEACH STATE SERIES RECAP
On Saturday, Oregon was one inning away from clinching a series victory at Long Beach State in game 2, but the Ducks bullpen and defense could not hold up the 6-1 lead Madison Boer handed off in the ninth.
UO allowed five runs on three hits, a walk, a passed ball and a two wild pitches. An infield error also proved costly in sending the game to extra innings as LBSU eventually prevailed 7-6 in 12 innings as Jeff Yamaguchi delivered the game-winning single for LBSU. Oregon then dropped the series finale, 4-1, on Sunday.
While UO's pithing staff posted a respectable 2.86 ERA in the Long Beach State series, Oregon hit just .139 against the Dirtbags, stranding a total of 29 runnners in three games.
HEALTH UPDATE
Freshman Stefan Sabol was on a four-game hitting streak before being hit by a pitch in the sixth inning of Saturday's 3-0 shutout of Saint Mary's.
Sabol suffered a broken left hand as is expected to be out 3-4 weeks. The freshman was batting .556 (5-for-9) with two runs scored, one double, and one triple while recording a .889 slugging percentage and .667 on-base percentage.
ANDERSON FANS 14
Pre-season All-American Tyler Anderson has recorded three consecutive quality starts to open the 2011 season, but unfortunately in opener at Hawai'i and against Saint Mary's, the Ducks were unable to hold the lead when Anderson left the hill.
On Friday, Anderson led the Ducks to their third shutout of the season, striking out a career-high 14 en route to a 5-0 series-opening victory at Long Beach State. UO's junior left-hander tossed eight innings, allowing six hits and three walks. Anderson (1-0) made up for two of those baserunners with pickoffs at first base to end innings.
On the season, Anderson sports a 1.27 ERA in 21 and 1/3 innings on the mound. He leads the staff with 29 strikeouts, and is holding batters to a .188 average.
BOER ON THE MOUND
Despite a third straight quality start, junior right-hander Madison Boer was delivered a no decision on Saturday.
The Eden Prairie, Minn., native pitch eight innings of one-run ball and turned a tidy 6-1 lead against Long Beach State over to the bullpen with three outs to play. But the Ducks couldn't hold the lead, allowing five runs on three hits, a walk, a passed ball and a two wild pitches. An infield error also proved costly in sending the game to extra innings.
Boer's scoreless inning streak ended at 21 1/3 dating back to the 2010 season after surrendering a run to the Dirtbags in the sixth.
This season, Boer has allowed just one run while tossing 23 and 1/3 innings and playing a part in two combined shutouts. Boer (2-0) has fanned 17 and is holding opposing batters to a .120 clip.
JONESING
Christian Jones (1-1) had a solid start for Oregon on Sunday, but the lack of run support forced him to pitch mistake free to have any chance at victory. He went seven-plus innings and was charged with all four runs on three hits - walking four and striking out nine.
Jones was what players call “filthy” in the early going, striking out eight of the first 10 batters he faced, including the side in the bottom of the third inning. He faced the minimum number of batters through five innings, surrendering only a walk to Ino Patron, who was erased on a double-play ball in the fifth.
In his first season as part of the starting rotation, Jones sports a 5.79 ERA. He has fanned 25 in just 18 and 2/3 innings on the mound.
THRILLERS
In Oregon's 11 games this season, six have been decided by one run. The Ducks hold a 2-4 record in those contests.
SERNA RETURNS
Junior shortstop KC Serna returned to action in last Tuesday's 5-3 loss to Portland at PK Park after missing the first seven games of the season due to a suspension for a violation of team rules.
In four starts, Serna is batting .077 with three runs scored and three stolen bases.
MARDER FINDS HIS RHYTHM
Oregon sophomore catcher Jack Marder seemed to find his rhythm at the plate in the Long Beach State series.
Marder hit .429 in three games against the Dirtbags, and was issued four walks while scoring three runs and stealing two bases.
STREAK ENDS
After entering the Long Beach State series on an eight-game hitting streak, freshman Aaron Jones was held without a hit in the Long Beach State series.
Jones still leads the Ducks batting .318 on the year with five extra-base hits, including two home runs.
KURESA'S CORNER
Oregon freshman Tyler Kuresa has started all 11 games for Oregon this season at first base.
Kuresa batted .273 in the Long Beach State series and recorded his first multiple hit game with a 2-for-4 performance at Long Beach State on Saturday.
THE STARTING STAFF
Oregon's four starters, Tyler Anderson, Madison Boer, Christian Jones and Alex Keudell have a 2.16 ERA combined, allowing just 18 earned runs on 75 innings on the mound. The quartet has totaled 83 strikeouts and has recorded a shutout in each series this season.
SLOW START
Oregon's offense is off to a slow start as the Ducks are batting .216 on the year with 22 extra-base hits and 32 RBIs. Oregon has just one starter - freshman Aaron Jones - batting over .300 with a team-leading .318 clip. The San Clemente, Calif., native also leads the Ducks with six RBIs, 14 hits and two home runs.
WHERE'S MARDER
With a new number (7) and new position at catcher, it might be hard to spot Oregon sophomore Jack Marder on the baseball diamond. Marder has started nine games at catcher for Oregon.
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
Oregon junior left-hander Tyler Anderson was named to Baseball America's Preseason All-America third team on Feb. 4.
The southpaw has been named to four collegiate baseball publications' preseason All-America teams heading into the 2011 season, including the 2011 Louisville Slugger Pre-Season All-American team, the NCBWA Preseason All-America second team and the College Baseball Lineup Preseason All-American second team.
Anderson will return to the mound this spring after a very successful sophomore campaign in which he became the first Oregon player since 1971 to be named to the Pac-10 All-Conference team.
The native of Las Vegas finished the 2010 season with a 7-5 record on the mound and a staff-leading 2.98 ERA (5th Pac-10), while leading the Ducks with 102 and 2/3 innings on the mound. Anderson also recorded a staff-best and new Oregon single-season record 105 strikeouts (6th Pac-10).
Anderson held opposing batters to a .219 clip (6th Pac-10), and his 7.36 hits allowed per nine innings ranked 34th in the country.
Anderson's triumphs on the mound also earned him a spot on the 2010 Collegiate National Team, which took home the silver medal at the FISU World Championships. The CNT finished its summer with a record of 16-3, while Anderson was 1-0 on the mound with a 0.00 ERA in three starts. He pitched in two combined shutouts, and in 16 total innings, allowing just six hits and three walks while striking out 14.
Anderson was also rated by Baseball America as the No. 8 prospect from the 2010 Collegiate National Team.
WATCH LIST
Oregon junior right-hander Scott McGough was named to the seventh-annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Watch List on Feb. 1.
McGough is one of 45 collegiate baseball players named to the initial watch list for the Stopper of the Year Award, given out to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., McGough emerged as a go-to reliever for Oregon out of the bullpen in both the set-up and closer roles in 2010. He was named Pac-10 honorable mention, and finished the season with a 2.45 ERA, 5-2 record and four saves in a staff-high 25 appearances, while totaling 58 and 2/3 innings on the mound and 56 strikeouts.
Following his breakout season with the Ducks, McGough was chosen to play for the 2010 Collegiate National Team. He was 1-1 on the mound with a 0.82 ERA in five relief appearances and a total of 11 innings of work. Following his summer with the national team, McGough was ranked No. 16 by Baseball America's “Team USA Top 20 Prospects” list. More recently, he was rated the 47th 2011 College Prospect by Baseball America.
TOP-25 RECRUITING
The 2010 Oregon recruiting class was ranked fifth in the nation by Baseball America's annual evaluation of NCAA Division I classes, it was announced by the publication on Oct. 15.
The ranking marked the third consecutive season a UO baseball recruiting class has earned a top-25 ranking from Baseball America. In September, Oregon's freshman class received a No. 3 ranking from Collegiate Baseball.
USA
Junior pitchers Tyler Anderson and Scott McGough spent their summer playing for the Collegiate National Team, and Baseball America had both slingers ranked in its “Team USA Top 20 Prospects” evaluation.
The duo helped Team USA win the silver medal at the FISU World University Baseball Championships in Tokyo, Japan after traveling to Cary, N.C., Omaha, Neb., and Taipei, Taiwan.
Anderson, a Pac-10 First Team selection in 2010, was rated as the No. 8 prospect on the 2010 CNT by Baseball America after finishing his summer with a record of 1-0 on the mound and a 0.00 ERA in three starts. McGough, a right-hander and Pac-10 honorable mention selection in 2010, was rated by Baseball America at No. 16. The Pittsburgh, Pa., native was 1-1 on the mound with a 0.82 ERA in five relief appearances and a total of 11 innings of work.
SUMMING UP 2010
IN JUST A YEAR'S TIME
Oregon improved its record from 14-42 in 2009 to 40-24 in 2010. The 22-game improvement (difference in games won and difference in games lost divided by two) is the second-best recorded in the country since the NCAA began keeping the stat in 1998. The only team to better the mark was Florida Atlantic which improved from 29-30 in 1998, to 54-9 in 1999.
THE NUMBERS ARE IMPRESSIVE
The Ducks finished the 2010 season 9-6 against ranked opponents, and swept three non-conference weekend series. Oregon also finished 3-3 against No. 1 ranked teams, and won five Pac-10 series - including three (#22 Stanford, #1 UCLA and Washington) on the road - during the 2010 season.
Away from home against ranked opponents, UO accumulated a 7-4 mark.
THE STAFF
Oregon's pitching staff proved itself to be one of the best in the country during the 2010 season. The Ducks finished the season with 3.29 ERA, which ranked second in the Pac-10 and third in the country. Oregon's 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings rated 30th in the nation, while the UO staff's 8.76 hits allowed per nine innings ranked 14th in the country. Oregon also issued just 2.41 walks per nine innings, a number that ranked third in the nation.
The Ducks held opposing batters to a .258 average (3rd Pac-10), totaled 513 strikeouts (3rd Pac-10) and recorded 163 strikeouts looking (2nd Pac-10). The staff was also aggressive with base runners, leading the league with 18 pickoffs.
OFFENSIVE OVERHAUL
After batting just .227 in 2009, Oregon's offense recovered for a respectable showing in 2010. The Ducks batted .292 (6th Pac-10) on the year, and totaled 624 hits (4th Pac-10). The Ducks finished third in the Pac-10 with 120 doubles, and were aggressive on the base paths stealing 73 bases (4th Pac-10).
