Ducks open Pac-12 play vs. No. 13 UCLA at PK Park

Ducks Open Pac-12 Play With UCLA

For the first time in the history of the program, Oregon will open Pac-12 play against UCLA.
The Ducks were supposed to travel to UCLA for the 2020 conference opener, but the series was canceled because of COVID.
The Ducks will also open league play at home for the seventh time since the 2019 season (13 seasons not counting 2020) with three home series coming since 2019.

International Flavor

Oregon's roster has a distinct international look. In addition to featuring players from eight states, Oregon has players from four different countries.
JR OF Owen Diodati and FR RHPs Matthew Grabmann and Turner Spoljaric hail from Canada, while JR INF/C Sabin Ceballos is from Puerto Rico and JR 2B Rikuu Nishida grew up in Osaka, Japan.

Fresh Arms

With returners Isaac Ayon and RJ Gordon sidelined to start the season, Oregon has turned to its No. 5 ranked recruiting class on the mound to carry the load.
Ten freshmen have taken the hill through 11 games combining to toss 56.1 of the team's 97.0 innings pitched (58.1 percent).
Jackson Pace (15.0) and Leo Uelmen (14.1) lead the team in innings pitched.

Series History - UCLA

UCLA leads the all-time series 35-16, including a 16-7 edge in games played in Eugene.
The Bruins have won 24 of the 38 games played between the two teams since the 2009 season, including 14 of the last 17.
The Ducks won eight of 12 between 2012 and 2015.
The Ducks won two of three the last time the teams played in Eugene, while UCLA swept the series in Los Angeles last season winning three one-run games.

History of tight games in modern Oregon era

When Oregon and UCLA meet, you can almost guarantee a series of fingernail biting.
The two teams have played 38 games since baseball returned to Oregon in 2009.
Of those 38, 15 (39.5 percent) have been one-run games.
Six have been two-run games making 21 of 39 (53.3 percent) settled by one or two runs.
There has also been a pair of three-run games making 23 (60.1 percent) of the games settled three-or-fewer runs.
In the last 26 games, 14 have been decided by one run, 18 by one or two runs and 20 decided by three or less runs.

Ducks in conference opening series

While Oregon has traditionally struggled in their conference-opening series, the Ducks have turned it around under Mark Wasikowski.
In the Wasikowski era, Oregon has won both of its series to open Pac-12 play winning two of three against both Arizona State (2021) and Stanford (2022).
The 2020 Wasikowski team did not play a Pac-12 series after the season was prematurely canceled due to COVID-19.
Overall, Oregon has won five (2013, 2014, 2017, 2021, 2022) of the 13 conference-opening series it has played since 2009.
Four of those teams (2013, 2014, 2021, 2022) advanced to the postseason.
Oregon's overall record in the opening weekend of conference play is 16-23 (41 percent).

Rewriting the record book

During head coach Mark Wasikowski's two full seasons at Oregon, the Ducks have rewritten the program's record book on offense.
Oregon's record-breaking offensive season came to an end in 2022 with the Ducks setting records in eight major statistical categories.
Oregon set school bests in batting average, hits, runs, home runs, RBI, doubles, total bases and at-bats.
The Ducks also finished in the top 10 in walks (6th) and stolen bases (T6th).
Of the eight new records, three broke school records set in 2021 when the team broke long-time records for runs (376 in 2010), home runs (48 in 1974) and RBI (332 in 2010).
While increasing the home run record by 27 during the Wasikowski era, the Ducks have increased the runs scored record by 76 and the RBI record by 84.

Three years running?

Oregon has set a new school record for home runs in each of the last two seasons.
The Ducks have increased the home run record by 27 long balls during the first two full seasons of the Mark Wasikowski era.
Oregon set a new school record with 75 home runs during the 2022 season, a year after hitting 56 to break the old record of 48 that was set in 1974.
The Ducks went yard six times in their season-opening series matching the number the 2022 team hit in its four-game season-opening series at San Diego.
Oregon was held without a home run in the Ducks' three-game sweep at the hands of UC Santa Barbara last season.
Oregon hit seven long balls in the San Diego series to get back on track.
The Ducks are averaging 1.18 home runs per game through the first 11 games which if they continue will give them 65 in their 55-game regular season.

Cromwick earns Collegiate Baseball Players of the Week recognition

It was a big first weekend against Xavier for C Josiah Cromwick.
The Ducks' backstop slashed .444/.500/1.556 while hitting three home runs and doubling once.
In game one, Cromwick doubled in Oregon's 3-2 win.
In game two, Cromwick hit a pair of home runs (the first multi-home run game of his career) and matched a career best with 5 RBI.
In that win, he hit a 3-run homer in the first to give Oregon a 3-0 lead and then blasted a 2-run shot in the third in a 9-2, 7-inning win.
In that Sunday game, with Oregon trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh, Cromwick ripped a leadoff home run to tie the game. Oregon added two runs in the eighth for the win.
He also had one of Oregon's three stolen bases in the series

Nishida hard to ignore

Leading off or batting second while starting all 11 games this season, 2B Rikuu Nishida has made his presence felt on the base paths.
The Osaka, Japan has already swiped seven bags, including two in two separate games.
If Nishida maintains his current pace of 2.33 stolen bases per series he will easily set a new Oregon single-season record.
The Ducks play 14 series during the season as well as 10 midweek games.
The Oregon record for stolen bases in a season is 18 set by Don Banderas in 1965.
The most stolen bases in the modern era of Oregon baseball came when Aaron Payne swiped 17 in 2014.

Smith after all the school records!

Heading into the UCLA series, OF Tanner Smith already holds five school records (2 career; 3 single season)
In 2021, Smith broke the single-season school record for doubles when he finished with 24 (breaking the old record of 20 held by Gabe Matthews, Mitchell Tolman and Ryon Healy).
Last season, Smith added the single-season hits and multi-hit games records to his resume, finishing with 85 base knocks (KC Serna - 81) and 27 multiple-hit games (tied Serna).
The Ducks' first career record to fall to Smith came during the 2022 season when he broke the runs scored record during game one of the Washington series (April 14).
The Ducks' left fielder broke the career multi-hit games record vs. San Diego on March 3 in game two of the series against the Toreros.
In all, Smith could add as many as 10 more career records during the 2023 season.
Heading into the UCLA series, he needs just 10 hits and 20 RBI to add those marquee records to his list.
He already ranks in the top five in career at-bats, games started, hits, doubles, RBI, base on balls, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, multi-hit games and outfield assists; while ranking in the top 10 in home runs and multiple-RBI games.

Smith setting PK Park records

It is not just overall career records OF Tanner Smith is threatening.
The Ducks left fielder already owns the runs scored, hits and total bases records at PK Park (which opened in 2009) and has a chance to set a number of others during his final season in Eugene.
He set the runs record during the 2022 season, added the hits record in game two of the UCSB doubleheader on Feb. 25 and set the new total bases record with a home run in game three of the USD series.
Oregon plays its next four games at home, so there is a good chance Smith will set some records over the week.
Heading into the UCLA series, he needs four doubles and six at-bats to set new Park records.

Stoffal returns to rotation

When Oregon took the field on Feb. 24 against UC Santa Barbara, JR RHP Jace Stoffal was on the mound after missing the Xavier series.
Last year's Sunday starter for the final half of the season, Stoffal put together his best outing in his last regular-season start of 2022.
On May 21 vs. No. 25 Arizona, Stoffal recorded both his first career win and first official quality start in a dominating performance against the Wildcats.
He allowed just one run on three hits in 7.0 innings while striking out three and walking just one. He Retired 16 straight batters at one point.
Oregon is hoping Stoffal, who was scratched from his start in the season-opening series, has the success the previous pitchers experienced who have taken the mound on "Friday nights" for the Ducks.
Of the 11 pitchers who have entered the season as the team's No. 1 starter, four have played Major League Baseball, nine were selected in the MLB Draft (2 - 1st Rounders) and one claimed Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year honors.

Trio of freshman open season in rotation

When FR RHPs Leo Uelmen, Matthew Grabmann and Jackson Pace made starts in the season-opening series vs. Xavier, they became just the eighth, ninth and 10th Oregon pitchers in the modern era to crack the weekend rotation during the opening weekend.
The list of freshmen to start during opening weekend is impressive with six of the previous seven getting drafted and four of the seven making it to the big leagues.
Before starting a freshman during the opening weekend last year, the last freshman to start a game in the season-opening series was David Peterson, who eventually was selected in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the New York Mets with pick No. 20.

Mollerus steps into closer role

Oregon boasts a proud tradition of fantastic closers who have locked up wins for the Ducks with clutch performances late in games.
San Francisco transfer RHP Josh Mollerus has stepped in as Oregon's stopper after two-time All-Pac-12 first-team selection Kolby Somers graduated.
He found immediate success in the role, earning his first win as a Duck in the season opener and his first save at Oregon in the series finale against Xavier.
Against UCSB, Mollerus worked a scoreless 0.2 innings in the series finale.
In four seasons at USF, Mollerus worked in a variety of rolls before settling into a bullpen role in 2022 when he finished with a 4-2 record and a career-low 3.96 ERA with five saves and a career-high 52 strikeouts.
He also had a 1.07 WHIP and held opponents to a .221 batting average last season.