PK Hosting Premier Pitching Matchup

The last time Oregon hosted a Pac-12 series that began on a Thursday, the lost day of rest prevented a pitching matchup of two elite Major League baseball prospects. This week, the showdown is on.

When the Ducks host UCLA on Thursday, the scheduled pitching matchup is between UO lefty David Peterson and Bruins righty Griffin Canning. Peterson enters the week third in the NCAA with 131 strikeouts and No. 16 on Baseball America's most recent list of the top 100 2017 MLB draft prospects, while Canning is fifth in the NCAA with 124 strikeouts and No. 21 on the Baseball America prospects list.

Two weeks ago, a rainout the week prior forced Peterson to make a Friday start against Oregon State. That prevented him from going head-to-head with the Beavers' top-flight pitching prospect, Luke Heimlich.

But fortune shines brighter on Thursday's game – as does the weather forecast, which calls for sunny, 70-degree skies as of the 6 p.m. first pitch.

"It's me versus their hitters, and he's going to come up against our hitters," Peterson said. "And we'll see what happens."

Peterson has been nothing short of a sensation this season. He's 11-3 with a 2.31 ERA, and has just 13 walks against those 131 strikeouts, the fourth-best ratio in the country. Less than a month ago, Peterson struck out 20 batters in a win over Arizona State.

Those eye-popping numbers have the attention of MLB personnel, with Peterson now projected to be a first-round pick in the June draft. The attention hasn't been lost on him.

"It's there, and I can't really ignore it," he said. "But it's not something that's too much on my mind. I've tried to kind of stay away from thinking about it, and think about this, about every start."

Given Oregon's dwindling postseason hopes, and Peterson's skyrocketing draft stock, Thursday's start against the Bruins could be his last in an Oregon uniform. Entering the series, he stands tied for sixth in UO history for career wins with 19, and fourth with 41 game started.

With a win Thursday, Peterson would tie Cole Irvin atop the UO single-season record list with 12. He needs 12 strikeouts to catch UO career leader Tyler Anderson, who had 285 from 2009-11. Getting those records would be quite the way to go out for Peterson, if indeed Thursday were to be his UO swan song.

"I've thought about it," he said. "But let's win as many games as possible and see where we go. I don't think about it as my last game here; it could be, it might not be. You never know."

The Ducks could provide another chance for Peterson to pitch in a UO uniform by reaching the postseason, though hopes for that are slim.

Oregon brings a 29-23 record and RPI of No. 78 into Thursday, and is eighth in the Pac-12 at 11-16. With a sweep of the Bruins, the Ducks could finish as high as fifth depending on other results around the conference.

"Everyone knows we've put ourselves in a bad spot," Peterson said. "It's do or die, and it has been the last couple weeks. I don't think there's more pressing; just, the fact is, we need to win. That's the mindset we're taking into it."

UO coach George Horton said the Ducks will have "no place to complain" if they're not selected, after a slump from mid-April to mid-May. But that won't keep them from fighting to the finish.

"It's long a shot, but it's a shot," junior shortstop Kyle Kasser said. "That little bit of hope is going to keep us going."

If the Ducks don't reach the postseason, it won't be because of anything Kasser did. The junior has been Oregon's most consistent hitter all season, and recently moved to the middle of the infield from first base.

Kasser enters the UCLA series hitting .350, which leads the team by 65 points. He's first in both on-base average (.404) and slugging (.432), and has scored a team-high 33 runs.

Clutch hitting was Oregon's bugaboo during the midseason slump, but Kasser is hitting .438 with runners in scoring position, nearly 200 points better than the Ducks' team average of .242 with runners in scoring position.

Kasser, who hits left-handed, has always feasted on right-handed pitching; he hit .343 off righties in 2016, and is at .339 this spring. But he's made a spectacular improvement against lefties – after hitting .091 against left-handed pitching last season, Kasser is hitting .367 off lefties this season.

"I think I've just tried to keep my approach more simple," Kasser said. "I've definitely gotten better at hitting left-handed pitching, and we've seen a plethora of left-handers. … I take what the defense gives me, take what the pitcher throws me and put a good swing on it."