Photo by: GoDucks.com
Throwback Uniform Honors 1954 Team
02/22/24 | Baseball, @GoDucksMoseley
The Oregon baseball team on Sunday will debut a new uniform honoring the program's 1954 College World Series team.
The Oregon baseball team will debut a new throwback uniform when the Ducks play the finale of this season's first home series, Sunday at PK Park against Lafayette at noon.
The uniform is a reproduction of the look sported by the UO baseball team in 1954, to this point the lone Ducks team to make it all the way to the College World Series. This season is the 70th anniversary of that historic accomplishment.
"We're honoring that team with these jerseys and tried to make a replica the best we possibly could, and I think the people at Nike did a fantastic job of reflecting that," UO coach Mark Wasikowski said. "I'm excited about what it's going to look like for our student-athletes, and that we're going to be able to honor the 1954 team in this way."
The Ducks (2-1) play their 2024 home opener on Friday against Lafayette at 4 p.m., then host the Leopards in a doubleheader Saturday beginning at noon. The throwback uniforms will be worn for the series finale Sunday.
Some of the most memorable uniforms worn by Oregon teams in recent years have been throwbacks, in sports like football, basketball and track and field. Now, the baseball team has its own alternate look, which will be featured at a handful of home games throughout this season.
"For me to represent the 'O' is pretty special; I've been a Duck fan my entire life," said Ryan Cooney, a freshman from Portland who started all three games at second base when the Ducks opened their season in Texas last week. "So it's special no matter what, but to represent that team from the past and those guys who went to the World Series, that's even more special. It's a great way to show support for them as well as us."
The 1954 team played under the winningest coach in UO baseball history, Don Kirsch. Led by two-sport start George Shaw, an outfielder who also was the No. 1 pick in the 1955 NFL Draft as a quarterback, the Ducks went 18-8 that season. They won their second of three straight Pacific Coast Conference Northern Division Championships, then hosted the NCAA District 8 Championships at Howe Field.
Oregon went 3-0 to win that title, with Norm Forbes — that season's PCC Northern Division batting champ (.476) and also wins leader (six) — pitching a shutout to beat Fresno State in the finale and send the Ducks to Omaha. Seventy years later, that's a feat the current UO team hopes to emulate.
"It definitely brings motivation to us," said shortstop Carter Garate, who led the Ducks with a .545 average and 1.342 OPS in last week's Shriners Children's Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. "We want to bring back what that team was able to bring to the school, and bring it back for this program."
The uniform is a reproduction of the look sported by the UO baseball team in 1954, to this point the lone Ducks team to make it all the way to the College World Series. This season is the 70th anniversary of that historic accomplishment.
"We're honoring that team with these jerseys and tried to make a replica the best we possibly could, and I think the people at Nike did a fantastic job of reflecting that," UO coach Mark Wasikowski said. "I'm excited about what it's going to look like for our student-athletes, and that we're going to be able to honor the 1954 team in this way."
The Ducks (2-1) play their 2024 home opener on Friday against Lafayette at 4 p.m., then host the Leopards in a doubleheader Saturday beginning at noon. The throwback uniforms will be worn for the series finale Sunday.
Some of the most memorable uniforms worn by Oregon teams in recent years have been throwbacks, in sports like football, basketball and track and field. Now, the baseball team has its own alternate look, which will be featured at a handful of home games throughout this season.
"For me to represent the 'O' is pretty special; I've been a Duck fan my entire life," said Ryan Cooney, a freshman from Portland who started all three games at second base when the Ducks opened their season in Texas last week. "So it's special no matter what, but to represent that team from the past and those guys who went to the World Series, that's even more special. It's a great way to show support for them as well as us."
The 1954 team played under the winningest coach in UO baseball history, Don Kirsch. Led by two-sport start George Shaw, an outfielder who also was the No. 1 pick in the 1955 NFL Draft as a quarterback, the Ducks went 18-8 that season. They won their second of three straight Pacific Coast Conference Northern Division Championships, then hosted the NCAA District 8 Championships at Howe Field.
Oregon went 3-0 to win that title, with Norm Forbes — that season's PCC Northern Division batting champ (.476) and also wins leader (six) — pitching a shutout to beat Fresno State in the finale and send the Ducks to Omaha. Seventy years later, that's a feat the current UO team hopes to emulate.
"It definitely brings motivation to us," said shortstop Carter Garate, who led the Ducks with a .545 average and 1.342 OPS in last week's Shriners Children's Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. "We want to bring back what that team was able to bring to the school, and bring it back for this program."
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