Photo by: Eric Evans Photography
Four Ducks earn ABCA All-Region honors
06/13/23 | Baseball
EUGENE, Ore. – Following a season that saw Oregon fall one game short of advancing to the College World Series, four Ducks have been named second-team ABCA All-West Region in a vote of the region's coaches.
For the second consecutive season, Oregon shortstop Drew Cowley earned a spot on the second team and is joined by senior closer Josh Mollerus, freshman designated hitter Drew Smith and junior starting pitcher Jace Stoffal.
A semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award honoring the nation's top shortstop and a Collegiate Baseball third-team All-American, Cowley finished the season leading the Ducks in hits (85), doubles (22) and RBI (70), while ranking second in home runs (16), slugging percentage (.631), OBP (.427), runs scored (64) and walks (29). The senior set a new single-season program record for RBI, multiple-RBI games (both tied with Sabin Ceballos) and multiple-hit games (28) at Oregon, while tying the school record for hits (Tanner Smith – 2022). He also finished second on the single-season list in doubles, runs and OBP, third in home runs and fourth in slugging percentage. He earned first-team All-Pac-12 Conference accolades and was named to the Nashville Regional All-Tournament Team.
Mollerus, a graduate transfer from Campbell, Calif., finished the season with a team-best 11 saves and a 3-3 record with a 3.44 ERA. The Ducks' closer fanned 50 in 36.2 innings pitched while holding opposing hitters to a .201 batting average. He didn't allow a run over the first 19.0 innings he pitched during the season, and his 11 saves are tied for the sixth most in a single-season at Oregon. Mollerus also claimed honorable mention All-Pac-12 Conference recognition.
Smith earned a spot on the team after moving into the Ducks' starting lineup for good on April 29 against Arizona State. The freshman started 24 of Oregon's last 28 games, including the final 22. Smith finished the season batting .365 with 10 extra-base hits (3 HR, 2 3B, 5 2B) while reaching base at a .430 clip and slugging .552 with 14 runs scored and six stolen bases. He started his career with a 20-game hitting streak, breaking the school record of 18 set by Spencer Steer in 2018. Smith finished the season reaching base in 26 consecutive games (every game he had a plate appearance), which was the second-longest reached base streak on the team in 2023.
Oregon's Friday night starter on the mound, Jace Stoffal put together one of the top seasons ever by an Oregon pitcher on the way to being named first-team All-Pac-12. The right-hander from Roseburg, Ore., finished the season 6-2 with a 2.83 ERA in 10 starts with 56 strikeouts in 57.1 innings while holding opposing batters to a .184 average. He claimed Pac-12 Conference Pitcher of the Week honors three times while finishing with a team-high five quality starts. He had wins over the top two seeded teams (Stanford and Oregon State) in the Pac-12 Tournament, earning pitcher of the week recognition after both victories.
For the second consecutive season, Oregon shortstop Drew Cowley earned a spot on the second team and is joined by senior closer Josh Mollerus, freshman designated hitter Drew Smith and junior starting pitcher Jace Stoffal.
A semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award honoring the nation's top shortstop and a Collegiate Baseball third-team All-American, Cowley finished the season leading the Ducks in hits (85), doubles (22) and RBI (70), while ranking second in home runs (16), slugging percentage (.631), OBP (.427), runs scored (64) and walks (29). The senior set a new single-season program record for RBI, multiple-RBI games (both tied with Sabin Ceballos) and multiple-hit games (28) at Oregon, while tying the school record for hits (Tanner Smith – 2022). He also finished second on the single-season list in doubles, runs and OBP, third in home runs and fourth in slugging percentage. He earned first-team All-Pac-12 Conference accolades and was named to the Nashville Regional All-Tournament Team.
Mollerus, a graduate transfer from Campbell, Calif., finished the season with a team-best 11 saves and a 3-3 record with a 3.44 ERA. The Ducks' closer fanned 50 in 36.2 innings pitched while holding opposing hitters to a .201 batting average. He didn't allow a run over the first 19.0 innings he pitched during the season, and his 11 saves are tied for the sixth most in a single-season at Oregon. Mollerus also claimed honorable mention All-Pac-12 Conference recognition.
Smith earned a spot on the team after moving into the Ducks' starting lineup for good on April 29 against Arizona State. The freshman started 24 of Oregon's last 28 games, including the final 22. Smith finished the season batting .365 with 10 extra-base hits (3 HR, 2 3B, 5 2B) while reaching base at a .430 clip and slugging .552 with 14 runs scored and six stolen bases. He started his career with a 20-game hitting streak, breaking the school record of 18 set by Spencer Steer in 2018. Smith finished the season reaching base in 26 consecutive games (every game he had a plate appearance), which was the second-longest reached base streak on the team in 2023.
Oregon's Friday night starter on the mound, Jace Stoffal put together one of the top seasons ever by an Oregon pitcher on the way to being named first-team All-Pac-12. The right-hander from Roseburg, Ore., finished the season 6-2 with a 2.83 ERA in 10 starts with 56 strikeouts in 57.1 innings while holding opposing batters to a .184 average. He claimed Pac-12 Conference Pitcher of the Week honors three times while finishing with a team-high five quality starts. He had wins over the top two seeded teams (Stanford and Oregon State) in the Pac-12 Tournament, earning pitcher of the week recognition after both victories.
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