Photo by: @EricEvansPhoto
Smith's PK Debut The Stuff Of Dreams
02/27/19 | Baseball, @GoDucksMoseley
Freshman Tanner Smith grew up dreaming of playing at Oregon, and in his first game as a freshman at PK Park had a walk-off winner for the Ducks last week.
From the time he first picked up a ball and bat, Tanner Smith envisioned himself playing baseball for the University of Oregon.
The son of a Eugene native who attended Sheldon High, Smith grew up in Newport Beach, Calif. It was a mixed family, but dad's influence was strong.
"My mom was a Trojan," Smith said. "But he made sure he won that battle."
So Smith envisioned himself playing in green and yellow when he started playing as a kid, right around the time the UO baseball program was reinstated. In fifth grade, as documented in his school yearbook, Smith was so enthralled by LaMichael James and the Oregon football team that he wore Ducks gear to school — every single day of that school year.
Fast forward a few more years and Smith was indeed suiting up for the Ducks, and playing in PK Park for the first time as a UO freshman last weekend. How did it go? All Smith did last Friday against Saint Mary's was come up in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded in a tie game, and drive a ball deep enough to the outfield to easily bring in the winning run on a walk-off sacrifice fly.
"Just being able to suit up and wear an Oregon uniform and play here in PK was just awesome," Smith said this week, as the Ducks were preparing for another home series that begins Friday against Loyola Marymount in PK Park at 3 p.m. "And then in the home opener to hit a walk-off and help the team win? I was thinking that night driving home, that's something I dreamed about in third grade when I first picked up a bat. I couldn't have dreamed it any more perfect."
Smith was a four-year letterman for Servite High, alma mater of UO baseball alum Cole Irvin. As a freshman he started to hear from college programs, including Oregon. For all intents and purposes, that ended his recruiting process.
That didn't stop other schools from trying. Smith visited Oregon State, and received a substantial offer from the Beavers. He couldn't be swayed.
"At the end of the day I was going to be a Duck," Smith said. "All you had to give me was a pair of cleats and a uniform and I'd be here."
The Ducks were willing to invest that and more in Smith. The return was immediate, with a walk-off win last week that was the stuff of dreams.
Smith and his UO teammates will be backing up sophomore Cullen Kafka when the Ducks open their three-game series with Loyola Marymount on Friday.
Kafka has gone at least five innings in each of his two starts so far this season, allowing four runs in a no-decision at Texas Tech and then three in a win last week over Saint Mary's. Cole Stringer will start Saturday after throwing the Ducks' home opener last Friday, and Ryne Nelson has been bumped back to Sunday to give him a couple extra days to deal with a minor injury that doesn't involve his pitching arm.
The Ducks will play one more weekend without projected ace Kenyon Yovan, who went two innings in the season opener before leaving with hand discomfort. He was recently treated for some small blood clots and was perscribed a week of rest following his discharge Monday from the hospital.
After that, the hope is that Yovan will be back on the mound.
"That was a real blessing," UO coach George Horton said of the diagnosis. "We were sweating that one out."
Horton said Sunday's series finale against Loyola Marymount could be moved up to become the second game of a Saturday doubleheader should the weather forecast for Sunday look dire.
The Ducks already have had a game in each series so far this season cancelled due to weather. But because they're playing a series this season at Hawaii, which doesn't count against the NCAA limit of 56 regular-season games, they don't feel pressure to scramble and find make-up games at this point.
Oregon had 59 games scheduled prior to the start of the season, and would still be at 57 — one over the NCAA limit — if no more are lost. That's thank to the "free" games being played in Hawaii.
"That's a real bonus this year," Horton said. "Especially since we lost a couple."
The son of a Eugene native who attended Sheldon High, Smith grew up in Newport Beach, Calif. It was a mixed family, but dad's influence was strong.
"My mom was a Trojan," Smith said. "But he made sure he won that battle."
So Smith envisioned himself playing in green and yellow when he started playing as a kid, right around the time the UO baseball program was reinstated. In fifth grade, as documented in his school yearbook, Smith was so enthralled by LaMichael James and the Oregon football team that he wore Ducks gear to school — every single day of that school year.
Fast forward a few more years and Smith was indeed suiting up for the Ducks, and playing in PK Park for the first time as a UO freshman last weekend. How did it go? All Smith did last Friday against Saint Mary's was come up in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded in a tie game, and drive a ball deep enough to the outfield to easily bring in the winning run on a walk-off sacrifice fly.
"Just being able to suit up and wear an Oregon uniform and play here in PK was just awesome," Smith said this week, as the Ducks were preparing for another home series that begins Friday against Loyola Marymount in PK Park at 3 p.m. "And then in the home opener to hit a walk-off and help the team win? I was thinking that night driving home, that's something I dreamed about in third grade when I first picked up a bat. I couldn't have dreamed it any more perfect."
Smith was a four-year letterman for Servite High, alma mater of UO baseball alum Cole Irvin. As a freshman he started to hear from college programs, including Oregon. For all intents and purposes, that ended his recruiting process.
That didn't stop other schools from trying. Smith visited Oregon State, and received a substantial offer from the Beavers. He couldn't be swayed.
"At the end of the day I was going to be a Duck," Smith said. "All you had to give me was a pair of cleats and a uniform and I'd be here."
The Ducks were willing to invest that and more in Smith. The return was immediate, with a walk-off win last week that was the stuff of dreams.
Smith and his UO teammates will be backing up sophomore Cullen Kafka when the Ducks open their three-game series with Loyola Marymount on Friday.
Kafka has gone at least five innings in each of his two starts so far this season, allowing four runs in a no-decision at Texas Tech and then three in a win last week over Saint Mary's. Cole Stringer will start Saturday after throwing the Ducks' home opener last Friday, and Ryne Nelson has been bumped back to Sunday to give him a couple extra days to deal with a minor injury that doesn't involve his pitching arm.
The Ducks will play one more weekend without projected ace Kenyon Yovan, who went two innings in the season opener before leaving with hand discomfort. He was recently treated for some small blood clots and was perscribed a week of rest following his discharge Monday from the hospital.
After that, the hope is that Yovan will be back on the mound.
"That was a real blessing," UO coach George Horton said of the diagnosis. "We were sweating that one out."
Horton said Sunday's series finale against Loyola Marymount could be moved up to become the second game of a Saturday doubleheader should the weather forecast for Sunday look dire.
The Ducks already have had a game in each series so far this season cancelled due to weather. But because they're playing a series this season at Hawaii, which doesn't count against the NCAA limit of 56 regular-season games, they don't feel pressure to scramble and find make-up games at this point.
Oregon had 59 games scheduled prior to the start of the season, and would still be at 57 — one over the NCAA limit — if no more are lost. That's thank to the "free" games being played in Hawaii.
"That's a real bonus this year," Horton said. "Especially since we lost a couple."
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