Ducks Open Big Ten Play At USC

Series History - vs. USC

Oregon hits the road for the first time this season with a trip to Irvine, Calif. to play USC on its temporary home field.
The Trojans lead the all-time series 36-28 while also leading in games played in Los Angeles 24-10.
The Ducks lead the series 26-20 in games played since the return of baseball to Oregon in 2009.
The teams split four games last year.

Winning Out West

Heading into Big Ten Conference play, Oregon is riding recent success that ranks among the best on the west coast.
Since 2021, the Ducks are tied for the third-most wins (167) among teams in the West while boasting the fourth-best winning percentage (.663).
UO trails just Oregon State, UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine in winning percentage.

Hellman Honored

Oregon designated hitter Dominic Hellman earned a couple of weekly awards for his play last weekend.
The Ducks' junior was named the National Hitter of the Week by the NCBWA on Tuesday after being named the Big Ten Conference Player of the Week on Monday.
Hellman started the week hitting two grand slams in a 20-11 win over Columbia.

Oregon makes move to Big Ten Conference

Oregon heads into its first season in the Big Ten Conference where the Ducks will play 10 conference series that include three with former Pac-12 rivals.
The Ducks open Big Ten play this week when they travel to Irvine, Calif., to face USC, while also having home series later in the season against long-time foes UCLA (April 18-20) and Washington (May 9-11).
Oregon will face seven new conference opponents starting with back-to-back home series against Minnesota (March 14-16) and Rutgers (March 21-23) in weeks five and six of the season.
The Ducks' first road series against a long-time member of the Big Ten comes in week seven when they travel to Ohio State.
The Ducks host Michigan (April 4-6) in week eight before traveling to Maryland (April 11-13) in week nine, Michigan State (May 2-4) in week 12 and Iowa (May 15-17) in week 14.
Oregon has played 17 games all-time vs. teams from the Big Ten and has a 6-11 record, including 6-9 vs. teams the Ducks play in 2025.

Oregon's offense is potent

Oregon is off to an impressive start offensively averaging 12.2 runs per game through the first 13 games.
The Ducks have scored nine or more runs in eight of the 13 games with six double-digit scoring games.
The Ducks scored double-digit runs in four straight games (Feb. 22-March 1) marking the first time they had done that since 2023 (April 25-29).
Oregon's 35 runs vs. Columbia on March 1 broke the old school record of 23 runs scored in a game.
Oregon's 19 runs in the second game of a doubleheader against Rhode Island tied for the ninth most runs ever scored by a Ducks' team (now ranks tied for 10th).
UO ranks third in the country and first in the Big Ten in home runs with 31, while ranking first in runs scored, fourth in hits and fifth in slugging percentage.
Four Ducks have already hit five-or-more home runs and rank in the top 30 in the nation in long balls.
Of the four, Mason Neville leads the way with seven (6th), while Anson Aroz, Maddox Molony and Dominic Hellman have all slugged five (T30th).

Going, Going, Gone

The Ducks have increased the home run record by 53 long balls during the first four full seasons of the Mark Wasikowski era.
Heading into his first season at the helm in 2020, the Oregon team record for home runs in a season was 48.
After the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign, each of his next four clubs made a run at the programs home run record with the 2021, 2022 and 2023 teams all managing to increase the mark.
Last year's team fell just three home runs shy of matching the record set by the 2023 squad.
In 2023, Oregon broke the school record of 75 home runs set during the 2022 season, which came a year after hitting 56 to break the old record of 48 that was set in 1974.
With 31 home runs in 13 games (2.38 HR/Game), the Ducks are on pace to belt 133 homers in 2025.

Another assault on record books?

During head coach Mark Wasikowski's four full seasons at Oregon, the Ducks have rewritten the program's record book on offense.
Oregon's record-breaking offensive season ended in 2022 with the Ducks setting records in eight major statistical categories.
In 2022, UO set school bests in average, hits, runs, home runs, RBI, doubles, total bases and at-bats.
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).
In 2023, Oregon re-set four of the records with 101 HR, 142 doubles, 1,057 total bases and 2,167 at-bats.
Oregon had also cracked the top 10 in RBI (2nd), runs (2nd), stolen bases (2nd) and hits (2nd).
Oregon had a .298 team batting average, which ranked fourth all-time.
While the 2024 team did not break any of the previous teams' records, the Ducks did finish second in home runs (98), third in runs (420), RBI (383) and total bases (996), fourth in hits (575) and sixth in doubles (107).
While increasing the home run record by 53 during the Wasikowski era, the Ducks have increased the runs scored record by 76 and the RBI record by 84.

Hellman, Mabeus garner weekly awards in consecutive weeks

JR DH Dominic Hellman earned a pair of weekly awards following the Columbia series, which came on the heels of FR C Burke-Lee Mabeus earning the Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor.
The NCBWA honored Hellman with its National Hitter of the Week award after he had a monster series in a four-game sweep of Columbia, while the Big Ten named him its player of the week.
Hellman slashed .500/.583/1.056 with a 1.639 OPS, while slugging three home runs (2 Grand Slams) with 13 RBI and nine runs scored.
Oregon's first conference honoree as a member of the Big Ten Conference went to FR C Burke-Lee Mabeus the previous week.
The Henderson, Nev., product earned Big Ten Conference co-Freshman of the Week honors after a big weekend series win over Rhode Island.
He started a pair of games behind the plate for the Ducks leading Oregon to wins in both games while slashing .444/.500/.778 with a 1.278 OPS.
He slugged his first career home run, a grand slam, while driving in a team-high eight runs with two runs scored and a stolen base.

Walsh back to finish what he started

During his three-plus seasons at Oregon, SR 1B Jacob Walsh has compiled some staggering numbers that have him either holding a program record or closing in on adding a record to his resume.
The Ducks' first baseman already owns the career home run record at Oregon with 44 long balls, 13 more than former record holder Tanner Smith (2019-23) hit during his career, and the multi-RBI record with 39 multiple-RBI games.
He has also cracked the top 10 in RBI (2nd), doubles (T3rd), hits (4th), at-bats (4th), runs (5th), games started (5th) and multi-hit games (6th).
In his fourth year as a starter at first base, Walsh is a career .267 hitter with 47 doubles and 150 RBI.
Last season, Walsh tied the single-season home run record (18) and finished tied for fifth all-time on the single-season RBI list (56).
In 2022, Walsh became just the 10th Ducks' freshman All-American after setting freshman program records for doubles (18) and total bases (103), while tying the record for home runs (6).

Molony still making his mark

If the three weekends of the 2025 season are any indication, SO SS Maddox Molony is out to prove his record-setting freshman season was not a fluke.
The Springfield, Ore., native, led Oregon to three series wins batting .425.
It did not take Molony long to put his name in the Oregon record books.
In 2024, the Ducks' shortstop became just the second Oregon freshman, and first position player to ever be named first-team All-Pac-12 Conference.
He joined Kenyon Yovan, who was named All-Pac-12 in 2017 as a relief pitcher following his freshman season.
The all-league honor came after Molony etched his name in Oregon's record books earlier in the season.
The then-freshman belted his seventh career home run in his 93rd career at-bat and 26th career start to set a new Oregon freshman home run record (he finished the season with 10 HR).

Neville second in Big Ten in home runs, sixth in the nation

JR CF Mason Neville has picked up in 2025 where he left off at the end of last season.
The Ducks' leadoff hitter is slashing .340/.452/.880 with a 1.332 OPS while tallying 13 extra-base hits (7 HR, 6 2B) and 21 runs scored (1st in B1G).
He has homered in six of the 12 games he has played, including a two home-run game, giving him home runs in 22 of his 48 career starts at Oregon.
The Ducks' center fielder has hit a home run every 7.1 at-bats through 13 games this season after belting a home run every 9.3 at-bats last season.
The Las Vegas native currently ranks sixth in the nation in home runs, seventh in runs scored, 13th in total bases and 15th in home runs per game.
He has extra-base hits in 10 of Oregon's 13 games this season with five multiple-hit games.
Last season, he finished two home runs behind Jacob Walsh (2024) and Sabin Ceballos (2023) and three shy of setting a new program record.

Neville already up to seventh in career home runs at Oregon

In just 68 games (48 starts), Mason Neville is already seventh in career home runs at Oregon with 23.
He needs to more to pass Kenyon Yovan (152 games/ 2017-21) and move into a tie for fifth with Shaun Chase (167 games/2012-15) for fifth all-time on the home run list.
The Ducks' center fielder needs nine more to move into second place behind all-time leader and teammate Jacob Walsh.
Last season, he finished two home runs behind Walsh (2024) and Sabin Ceballos (2023) and three shy of setting a new single-season program record.

Clarke in control

It has been an impressive start to the season for SO RHP Collin Clarke, who moved into the rotation to start the season after pitching out of the bullpen as a sophomore.
Making Saturday starts in all three series this year, Clarke did not allow a run in his first 18 inning pitched.
With a 1.45 ERA, Clarke ranks fourth among starters in ERA in the Big Ten Conference and five overall.
The Ducks' righty fanned a then career-high seven hitters in a five-inning no-decision against Toledo on Feb. 15.
He followed that outing tossing a career-high seven innings of scoreless ball while allowing just four hits and a walk with five Ks against Rhode Island.
He went 6.2 innings while picking up his first win of the season last weekend, allowing three runs on five hits with a new career high in Ks with eight

Grinsell climbing top 10 in career Ks at Oregon

Friday night starter Grayson Grinsell moved into eighth in career strikeouts at Oregon during his start against Columbia last Friday.
The Ducks' lefty enters this weekend's series with 184 Ks during his first two-plus campaigns with the Ducks.
Last year, Grinsell fanned 99 batters in 79.1 innings finishing the year with the fifth most Ks in a single season at Oregon.
As a true freshman in 2023, Grinsell struck out 67 in 48.1 innings of work while making 30 appearances with 27 coming out of the bullpen.

Grinsell named to Golden Spikes watch list and preseason All-America teams

Oregon's lone returning weekend starter, LHP Grayson Grinsell was named to the Golden Spikes watch list, while also earning second-team preseason All-America recognition from D1Baseball and third-team honors from the NCBWA.
The Ducks' lefty finished the 2024 season 7-2 with a 4.08 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 79.1 innings of work while allowing 37 runs (36 earned) on 54 hits with 44 walks.
The Ducks' Saturday starter held opposing hitters to a Pac-12 Conference-best .196 batting average, while finishing with six quality starts including a pair against nationally-ranked teams (at #13 Oregon State, at #18 UC Santa Barbara).
He led the Pac-12 and ranked 19th nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (6.13), finished third in the Pac-12, and ranked 51st nationally in strikeouts per nine innings, while ranking fourth in strikeouts in league play and 53rd nationally.

Friday night guy

For the first time in his career, Grayson Grinsell took the mound as the starter on Opening Day.
The previous names of pitchers who have taken the mound on opening day are impressive with future Major League Baseball pitchers, an MLB all-star, an eventual Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year and high MLB draft picks who have toed the rubber as series game-one starters.
Eleven of the 13 previous opening day starters have been drafted with four of them playing in the big leagues.
Three of the starters (Tyler Anderson, Alex Keudell, David Peterson) earned All-America honors the season they served as the "Friday Night" guy.
Of the 15 seasons played since the return of baseball at Oregon, the Ducks' opening day starter has earned first-team all-conference recognition six times (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017).
The 13 pitchers who have served as opening-day starters have a combined 10 first-team all-conference selections on the mound during their careers.

University of Oregon Athletics

Players Mentioned

Anson Aroz

Collin Clarke

Grayson Grinsell

Dominic Hellman

Burke-Lee Mabeus

Maddox Molony

Mason Neville

Jacob Walsh

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