Baseball Weekly Release: Belmont & No. 17 Vanderbilt
02/23/12 | Baseball
Week Two Live Coverage
• Game 5 2:00 p.m., Thur. Feb. 23 (Belmont)
• Game 6 2:00 p.m., Fri. Feb. 24 (#17 Vanderbilt)
• Game 7 12:00 p.m., Sat. Feb. 25 (#17 Vanderbilt)
• Game 8 10:00 a.m., Sun. Feb. 26 (#17 Vanderbilt)
• Radio/Audio KSCR 1320 AM/O-Zone
• Broadcaster Brian Prawitz
• Webcast (Vanderbilt only)
www.vucommodores.com (fee)
• Belmont Series Record First Meeting
• Vanderbilt Series Record First Meeting
• Live Audio: O-Zone • Live Stats: www.GoDucks.com
• Twitter: @OregonBaseball for in-game updates, stats, etc
• Facebook
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Oregon continues its eight-game road trip to open the 2012 season in Nashville this week. The Ducks will play a single game (2 p.m. PT) at Belmont on Thursday, before playing a three-game series at 17th-ranked Vanderbilt beginning on Friday.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
Belmont won its first ever Atlantic Sun Conference Championship in 2011 after finishing a perfect 4-0 in the A-Sun Conference Tournament to clinch the Bruins' first NCAA Regional berth.
The Bruins opened the 2012 campaign with home wins over Evansville (2-0) and Saint Louis (5-4) sandwiched around a home defeat to Kansas (0-2). Freshman Scott Moses was named A-Sun Pitcher of the Week after tossing four innings of shutout baseball out of the bullpen. The right-hander struck out eight and allowed only one hit in the win over Evansville.
Vanderbilt was the No. 6 seed in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, and moved on to the CWS after taking two games from Oregon State in the Super Regional.
The No. 17 Commodores were swept in a three-game series at #3 Stanford to open the 2012 season. The sweep was the first for Vanderbilt since dropping three straight to Tennessee in 2009.
2012 Schedule
Oregon's 2012 schedule is ranked the third strongest in the country according boydsworld.com. In fact, eight teams from the Pac-12 rank in the Boyd's World Strength of Schedule top-10: Stanford (1), USC (2), Oregon (3), UCLA (4), California (6), Washington State (7), Arizona State (8), and Washington (9).
Currently seven of Oregon's 2012 opponents are ranked in the Baseball America Preseason College Top 25 poll. In addition, 13 opponents on Oregon's schedule reached the postseason a year ago.
PRESEASON ACCOLADES
Perfect Game
Preseason All-Conference Team
UT So. Ryon Healy .320, 4HR
Top 50 Draft Prospects
28. Jr. LHP Christian Jones
(missing 2012 season with injury)
40. So. 1B/RHP Ryon Healy
47. So. RHP Jimmie Sherfy
50. So. C/OF Aaron Jones
Top 100 College Seniors
46. Sr. RHP Alex Keudell
98. RS-Jr. RHP Joey Housey
BASEBALL AMERICA
Top 50 Freshmen
23. Fr. RHP Jake Reed
26. Fr. OF Billy Flamion
HEALTH REPORT
The Ducks' starting rotation took a hit in the preseason as Oregon went from returning two starters from last year's rotation to only one - senior Alex Keudell.
Junior left-hander Christian Jones (7-2, 3.24) will miss the 2012 season with an injury.
FRESHMAN CLASS RANKING
Once again a highly-touted recruiting class has joined the Oregon baseball program as the 2011 class received a No. 9 ranking from Baseball America's annual recruiting evaluations.
For the second year in a row, head coach George Horton brought in a top-10 class, and for the fourth consecutive year, Oregon has recruited a top-25 class.
A NEW LOOK
Oregon enters the 2012 season with 17 newcomers on the roster.
From the 2011 squad, the Ducks lost three position starters with shortstop KC Serna, second baseman Danny Pulfer and catcher Jack Marder all departing Eugene after being selected in the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
On the mound, Oregon has taken its biggest hit. The Ducks lost 322 and 1/3 innings of pitching, 15 wins and all 17 saves as Tyler Anderson, Madison Boer, Scott McGough and Kellen Moen were lost to the 2011 MLB Draft. Freshman Porter Clayton (0-1, 1 SV) is also missing from the 2012 roster after choosing to depart on a two-year mission.
HAWAI'I SERIES RECAP
Oregon opened its season 3-1 for the second time under head coach George Horton – the first time was 2010 - after taking three of four from Hawai'i last week.
After losing their season opener in a 4-1 loss on Friday night, the Ducks fought back from a two-run deficit to even the series with a 3-2, 12-inning victory on Saturday evening.
Oregon's offense prevailed in the final two games, outscoring the Rainbows 26-11.
For the series, Oregon batted .335 in Honolulu with 30 runs scored, 53 hits, 10 doubles, one triple, two home runs and 25 runs driven in.
UO's pitching staff maintained a 3.08 ERA, holding Hawai'i to a .215 clip. Two starters (Jake Reed and Brando Tessar) also recorded quality starts.
MORE HAWAI'I SERIES NOTES
• Alex Keudell was the starting pitcher in Oregon's season opener - the first time Tyler Anderson did not start on opening night for Oregon since the program was reinstated.
• Jake Reed was the first Oregon freshman to start in a weekend series since Ryon Healy received the nod vs. Wichita State on March 27, 2011 at PK Park.
• Jimmie Sherfy's five and 2/3 innings pitched and 13 strikeouts were both career highs in his performance at Hawai'i last Saturday. Sherfy was the first Duck since Christian Jones (vs. BYU, March 12, 2011) to strike out 13 batters as well as six consecutive batters.
• Oregon's eight hits in the fourth inning of last Saturday's 14-5 victory is a new program best.
• J.J Altobelli's career-high five hits were the most for Oregon since Danny Pulfer totaled five at USC on April 16, 2011, and Altobelli's three doubles were the most an Oregon player has recorded in a single game since the program was reinstated in 2009.
• In three tries since 2010, Oregon won its first series against Hawai'i, taking 3 of 4 with a 12-6 victory at Les Murakami Stadium on Monday.
• UO recorded back-to-back wins with double-digit runs for the first time since defeating Gonzaga 19-10 (4/21/10) & USC 12-2 (4/23/10).
PITCHING
The only returner from Oregon's 2011 starting rotation is senior Alex Keudell.
Keudell was drafted in the 38th round by the Minnesota Twins in the 2011 MLB Draft, but chose to return to Eugene for his senior campaign.
Keudell, who threw out the first pitch on opening day, allowed one unearned run on four hits in four innings of work while striking out three.
In three seasons with the Ducks, Keudell posts a 12-16 record with a 3.74 ERA.
Keudell's junior campaign was his first season as a full-time starter, posting a 7-3 record and 2.89 ERA while striking out 71 and walking just 24 in 90 and 1/3 innings on the mound.
ROOKIE BALL
Last Saturday freshman Jake Reed took the mound for Oregon. The La Mesa, Calif., native kept Oregon in the game, surrendering two runs on five hits in six innings of work as the Ducks eventually stormed back in a thrilling 3-2,12-inning victory.
Reed was selected in the 40th round (1,221 overall) of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox. A 2011 graduate of Helix High School, he helped Helix to a 25-9 record and its first CIF San Diego Section II Championship since 1988. He was named to the Max Preps California All-State Second Team, Cal-Hi Sports Third Team, the San Diego Section First Team and the Grossmont Hills League First Team after finishing his senior season with a 9-1 record, 0.63 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 67 innings pitched.
SOPHOMORE SHOW
Oregon's trio of sophomore pitchers - Jeff Gold, Brando Tessar and Jimmie Sherfy - each played a role in Oregon's series victory over UH last week. On Monday, Gold picked up his second career win after tossing five innings and holding Hawai'i to four runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out five.
In Sunday's 14-5 victory, Tessar earned the win, tossing six and 2/3 innings, allowing four runs – three earned – while surrendering five hits and issuing four walks, but also striking out three.
After Oregon fought back from a two-run deficit to even Saturday's game at 2-2 in the top of the sixth, the Ducks looked like they might once again fall behind as Hawai'i put runners on first and second with just one out on the board in the bottom of the seventh. But Jimmie Sherfy came on in relief striking out the next two batters – his first two strikeouts of 13 on the night – to keep Oregon in the game.
Sherfy tossed five and 2/3 innings of shutout relief as the game remained tied into the 12th inning. At one point, Sherfy fanned six consecutive batters from the 10th inning through the first out of the 12th. But the righty saved his best heroics for last when Oregon took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the 12th. Hawai'i loaded the bases on a single and two walks, but Sherfy recovered as Kaeo Aliviado went down swinging on Sherfy's full-count, two-out offering to end the game.
BIG BATS
Freshman Shaun Chase and sophomore Aaron Jones will enter this week as the only two Oregon players on a four-game hitting streak.
Jones batted .444 (8-for-18) at Hawai'i, scored five runs and drove in two runs. In his first start at catcher on Sunday, he also threw out the first base runner that attempted to steal against him.
Chase batted .313 in the Hawai'i series as three of his five hits were for extra bases. In Monday's 12-6 victory, Chase homered and tripled before taking the mound in relief.
THE NEW DUO
Junior J.J. Altobelli made the move from third base to shortstop this season, and his infield mate is sophomore Aaron Payne.
During the Hawai'i series, Oregon's defense turned five double plays.
At the plate, Altobelli led Oregon batting .476 (10-for-21) as the Newport Beach, Calif., native had a career day on Monday. In UO's 12-6 win, he batted 5-for-6, (tying Oregon's single-game hit record), while breaking Oregon single-game record with three doubles.
Payne batted .250 during the series, but recorded a career-high four hits in Saturday night's win. He gave Oregon its 3-2 lead in the top of the 12th after driving a one-out double into left center. Payne then stole third, and as Hawai'i pitcher Patrick O'Rourke bounced his offering to J.J. Altobelli in front of the plate, was able to score on the wild pitch.
IN THE OUTFIELD
Sophomores Kyle Garlick and Brett Thomas both spent time last week patrolling the Oregon outfield along with Aaron Jones and Andrew Mendenhall.
Garlick had a stellar offensive series, hitting .556 (5-for-9) with four runs scored and four RBIs. The native of Chino Hills, Calif., was also responsible for Oregon's first home run of the year on Sunday, and stole home in Monday's win.
Thomas hit .308 during the series with three runs scored and one RBI.
2011 SEASON RECAP
Oregon finished the 2011 season with a 33-26-1 record and an eighth place finish in the Pac-10 with a mark of 11-16.
The Ducks clinched three conference series victories with wins over two Super Regional participants; Stanford and Oregon State as well as regional participant, Arizona.
