Dietrich Wants Blue-Collar Approach — And Strikes — From UO Pitchers

EUGENE, Ore. — New Oregon pitching coach Jason Dietrich has a simple formula for success.

In the bullpen: show up and work hard. Between the lines: throw strikes, limit the running game and field your position.

If Dietrich instills those values in the pitchers at Oregon as well as he did at Cal State Fullerton, the Ducks will be armed for success in coming seasons. Dietrich, officially hired earlier this month to replace departed assistant Mark Wasikowski, helped the Titans lead the NCAA in ERA this past spring while finishing as one of the best strike-throwing staffs in the country for the fourth year in a row.

Dietrich takes over a UO staff needing to replace weekend starters Cole Irvin and Matt Krook, as well as closer Stephen Nogosek. Juniors David Peterson and Brac Warren headline the returners in the rotation and bullpen, respectively, but Dietrich will spend the coming months molding the entire staff in the "hard-nosed, blue-collar" image he envisions.

"I can be demanding," he acknowledged last week while settling into his new office during his first week in Eugene. "But I think if you don't challenge players, they're not going to tap into or maximize their potential."

Dietrich's results at Fullerton illustrate his ability to get the most out of his players.

In the last three years, the Titans had 10 pitchers selected in the Major League Baseball Draft. According to Baseball Reference, just one had been drafted out of high school. The rest weren't on the MLB radar — until being groomed by Dietrich.

"They do the work, and if you keep them accountable to what they're doing it's all their hard work that pays off," Dietrich said. "They buy into being aggressive in the strike zone, and fielding their position, and trusting their off-speed stuff — just pitching."

Fullerton pitchers bought into that philosophy well enough to compile a 2.22 team ERA in 2016, tops in the nation. The Titans also led the NCAA from 2013-15 in walks per nine innings, and though they slipped from the top spot in 2016, it was only down to seventh in the country, at 2.54 per game.

Nobody pounded the zone better than 2015 second-round draft pick Thomas Eshelman. His freshman year, also Dietrich's first year at Fullerton in 2013, Eshelman walked just three batters in 115.2 innings. He finished his three-year career with all of 18 walks surrendered over 376.1 innings.

"You've got to recruit guys that throw strikes," said Dietrich, who also will serve as Oregon's recruiting coordinator. "That's one of my theories — get guys who can throw strikes with at least two pitches. And if they've been successful (in high school), that probably means they're pretty competitive, too."

Though Dietrich came to Oregon from Fullerton, where UO coach George Horton made his name and won a College World Series title, the two have never before worked together. Horton has managed the UO pitching staff in recent seasons, duties Dietrich will formally take over.

Dietrich said he's been tasked with designing workouts programs for the staff and managing their progress in practice. When it comes to in-game duties like pitch-calling and such, "I would assume we're going to work together," said Dietrich, whose UO tenure began while Horton was overseas coaching the U.S. Collegiate National Team. "He's a pro, so I hope to continuously learn from him."

Dietrich said he's been calling his new players to establish relationships and earn the respect he'll need to implement his demanding, blue-collar approach.

"It's going to take a little time," he said. "I'm not going to come in and go crazy. I need to come in and get to know them, as people first and foremost. …

"When you lose two of your three weekend starters, that's a question mark. Guys need to step up. It's just, who has a head start, and then letting fall (practices) answer that question. That's the fun part, too. It's a good challenge. Guys will come in and compete their butts off, knowing there's two spots available. And that's what you want guys to do."