Ducks Play Four At Nevada This Week
THIS WEEK
Oregon heads to Reno, Nev., for a four-game series with the Nevada Wolf Pack this week. The Ducks and Wolf Pack will play one game on four consecutive days, Thursday-Sunday, at Peccole Park.
BROADCASTS/MEDIA
Brian Prawitz will handle the call for all four games this week from the University of Nevada. In Eugene, each game will be broadcast on KUGN 590, with the pregame show scheduled for a 12:45 p.m. start. For Oregon fans out of the listening areas, the O-Zone will also stream audio broadcasts for each game. Live stats will also be available on www.GoDucks.com. A live video broadcast of all four games will be available on www.nevadawolfpack.com
O-ZONE
Oregon baseball fans can now watch all home games live on the O-Zone at www.GoDucks.com. All home games will offer live video and audio. Live stats will also be available for all home games at www.GoDucks.com.
NEVADA PREVIEW
Nevada heads into the weekend with a 4-8 record, after defeating UC Davis, 2-1, in 11 innings on Tuesday. Last weekend the Wolf Pack hosted the University of Washington, dropping the series 2-1. Nevada is led by Nick Melino’s .333 batting average, while Matt Bowman leads the roster with four home runs. Nevada is batting .228 as a team, and the pitching staff manages 5.52 ERA.
LEADING THINGS OFF
Only two Oregon players have batted in the same spot of the lineup in every game this season, senior Caleb Tommasini and junior Curtis Raulinaitis. Tommasini, the Ducks starting left fielder, has taken hold of the leadoff spot. The fifth-year senior, who made the move to the diamond after a collegiate football career, is currently leading the Ducks with a .364 batting average and a .451 on-base percentage. Last week, he hit .643 (9-for-14) in the Santa Clara series, scoring six runs, hitting two triples and stealing four bases on five attempts. Tommasini currently leads the squad on a four-game hitting streak and with five multiple-hit games on the year. His seven stolen bases this season tie with Raulinaitis and Arizona’s Bryce Ortega for tops in the Pac-10.
Raulinaitis, the team’s starting center fielder, is Oregon’s other hitter currently over .300 with a .333 average. He has a .444 on-base percentage, and has been walked team-leading nine times. The Sacramento, Calif., native is 5-for-7 in reaching as a leadoff batter, and 11-for-23 in advancing runners.
SMALL BALL
Oregon may rank ninth in the Pac-10 with just four home runs this season - from Jett Hart, Antony Kreitz, Mitch Karraker and John Adamson - but the Ducks have found their own way to cross the plate.
Oregon has moved itself into scoring position this season with 28 stolen bases, second in the Pac-10, led by Caleb Tommasini (7-8), Curtis Raulinaitis (7-9) and Jett Hart (4-4). The Ducks have also executed nine sacrifice bunts, fourth in the league, led by Eddy Rodriguez (3) and Tommasini (2).
TURN TWO
Heading into this week, Oregon’s .977 fielding percentage ranks second in the Pac-10, trailing only California (.977). The feat is hard to believe considering the Ducks have three regular freshman starters, and at times, even four rookies manning the infield. The Ducks’ defense has turned 13 double plays, also second in the Pac-10, with freshman shortstop KC Serna having a hand in 11 of those efforts. Joining Serna in the infield are freshman third baseman John Adamson and freshman second baseman Danny Pulfer. Freshman Darrell Hunter has also played first and third at times this year, allowing for the four-freshman infield.
Helping these rookies out is junior catcher Eddy Rodriguez. The Warden, Wash., native has not missed a start this year, getting the nod seven times behind the plate and five times at first base. Rodriguez boasts a .989 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 92 chances.
THE ROTATION
With three weekend series under its belt, Oregon has settled on a rotation for 2009. Freshman lefty Tyler Anderson has cemented himself as the Friday starter, with a 1-1 record and a 2.66 ERA. He pitched in Oregon’s season-opening 5-3 win at Saint Mary’s, and also threw eight scoreless innings vs. the defending College World Series champion Fresno State Bulldogs, setting up the Ducks 1-0 win in the bottom of the ninth.
Junior right-hander Erik Stavert has recorded victories over Fresno State and Santa Clara in his last two starts. Against the Broncos last week, he allowed two runs in seven innings and struck out 10.
Bennett Whitmore (0-2) has yet to pick up a victory, but his effort against Santa Clara last Saturday played a major role in Oregon’s eventual 3-2 win in 13 innings. The Clovis, Calif., native pitched 6 and 1/3 innings, holding the Broncos to two runs on seven hits.
Right-hander Madison Boer got two starts last week, Tuesday at Washington and last Sunday vs. Santa Clara. In driving rain at UW, Boer pitched five innings and allowed four runs on three hits. Against Santa Clara, the freshman right-hander regrouped and allowed just one run on four hits, while tallying four strikeouts in five innings.
ROOKIES
Oregon’s 2009 roster, which totals 34 student-athletes, has 17 freshmen listed, 50 percent of the team. And of those freshmen, six position players are regular or part-time starters, while three first-year pitchers also have seem significant time on the mound.
KC Serna and Danny Pulfer man the middle infield at shortstop and second base, respectively. Serna, currently hitting .229 on the season, leads the team with seven RBIs, while also totaling three extra-base hits. He leads the infield defense as well, turning 11 double plays this year.
Pulfer leads the infield with a .976 fielding percentage in 42 chances.
John Adamson, Darrell Hunter and Dylan Gavin have also earned time in the infield at third and first (Hunter) base.
On the mound, left-hander Tyler Anderson has shown the strength to be the Friday start, sporting a 1-1 record and a staff-leading 2.66 ERA. He earned Oregon’s season-opening win at Saint Mary’s, and threw eight scoreless innings to set up the Ducks 1-0 victory over Fresno State.
Right-hander Madison Boer is the fourth starter in the rotation, earning his first victory pitching a five-inning complete game against Santa Clara, 5-1, last Sunday. Scott McGough has also been one of the Ducks top relievers, making five appearances.
NEW FACES
As head coach George Horton continues to adjust his lineup (the Ducks have used nine different lineups the season), Oregon fans continue to learn new names and faces. Last week, senior Andrew Schmidt started all four games of the Santa Clara series, splitting time between first base and designated hitter. The fifth-year senior from Roswell, Ga., hit .313 on the week with three runs scored and two RBIs.
Also entering the lineup was John Adamson. The native of Medford, Ore., made his first appearance as a defensive replacement against Washington last Tuesday, before making three consecutive starts to finish the Santa Clara series. Adamson went 3-for-8 from the plate, totaling nine bases as each of his hits was for extra bases - double, triple and home run.
FIRST OF MANY
Oregon began its modern era on Friday, Feb. 20 at Saint Mary’s, and the 2009 Ducks began to log some firsts for the program in 28 years.
Freshman left-hander Tyler Anderson will go down in the record books with the first pitch, first strikeout and first win on the mound.
Senior Caleb Tommasini led off the game with the first at-bat and hit of the season, as well as the first walk drawn and the first run scored.
The first RBI and double of the new era belong to freshman shortstop KC Serna.
The first defensive assist and putout belong to freshman Danny Pulfer and Mitch Karraker.
Jett Hart’s two-run triple in the fifth was the first triple of the modern era on Friday, and in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, Hart slugged a two-run homer to left field in the fourth to go down in the record books.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh on Friday, junior left-hander Ryan Fleckenstein, junior catcher Eddy Rodriguez and freshman first baseman Darrell Hunter turned the first double play, 1-2-3, of 2009.
HOME OPENER
Oregon played its first home baseball game in 28 years on Friday, Feb. 27, christening PK Park and a soldout crown of 2,777 with a dramatic 1-0 victory over the defending College World Series champion Fresno State Bulldogs. A pitching duel between Oregon freshman left-hander Tyler Anderson and Fresno State’s Holden Sprague left the game scoreless headed into the ninth. Oregon junior left-hander Ryan Fleckenstein retired the side in the ninth to set up the Ducks victory. Junior catcher Eddy Rodriguez started the rally in the bottom of the ninth with a two-out single, and junior Jett Hart continued with another single that advanced Rodriguez to third. Senior Andrew Schmidt, pinch-hitting, secured the victory with a walk-off single to score the game-winning run. In six at-bats during 2009, Schmidt’s walk-off single was also his first hit of the year.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Trailing Fresno State by eight runs entering the ninth on March 1, redshirt freshman Antony Kreitz entered the game as a defensive replacement in right field. In the bottom of the inning, the Eugene native received his first at-bat of the season and promptly made history. Kreitz hit the first-ever Oregon home run out of PK Park over the left field wall.
2008-09 ACCOLADES
The 2008-09 Oregon baseball recruiting class received two top-10 rankings during the fall. First, Collegiate Baseball’s annual evaluation ranked the Ducks’ recruiting class second in the nation, while Baseball America put Oregon’s class at No. 10.
The 2008-09 class includes nine players that were taken in the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, but chose to instead attend the UO.
The 2008 class, includes two of the top five junior college pitchers as rated by Perfect Game USA, in Bennett Whitmore (Clovis, Calif./Fresno CC) and Justin LaTempa (Huntington Beach, Calif./Golden West College). Also included in the 2008 class are freshmen Tyler Anderson (Las Vegas, Nev./Spring Valley HS), Chris Garrison (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin HS), Joey Housey (Hollywood, Fla./Nova HS), Scott McGough (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum Senior HS) and Colby Sokol (Puyallup, Wash./Emerald Ridge HS), who were each drafted this spring.
RBC WEALTH MANAGEMENT PORTLAND CLASSIC AT PGE PARK...THE RETURN OF THE CIVIL WAR
Tickets for the historic return of the Civil War baseball series remain available through Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (503) 224-4400.
The second and third games of the series will be played at PGE Park in Portland at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, and at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 29.
Duck fans will be on the first baseline, and Beaver fans on the third.
The first game of the series will be played at PK Park on Friday, March 27, and is now sold out.
STANDING ROOM ONLY
Standing Room Only tickets for University of Oregon home baseball games are still available through the UO Athletic Ticket Office announced today.
Tickets can be purchased on www.GoDucks.com, via telephone (541-346-4461 or 1-800-WEBFOOT) and in person at the Casanova Center Ticket Building.
Standing Room Only tickets for all home contests will cost $8 each. Standing Room Only tickets for the matchups against Sacramento State and Portland will cost $6. There is a limit of four Standing Room Only tickets per customer per game.
For more information, please visit www.GoDucks.com or call 541-346-4461 or 1-800-WEBFOOT.
DUCKS ON CSNNW
The Oregon Sports Network announced that it will broadcast 13 games during the season.
“My staff, the student-athletes and the program are delighted about the news that OSN will be producing a 13-game schedule this season,” head coach George Horton said. “The University and the Athletics Department has made a great step to reach out to all of our fans.”
All 13 games broadcast during the year will be aired on Comcast SportsNet Northwest (37) as well as CSN’s new HD channel (737).
OSN will cover the entire season from March through May, broadcasting three non-conference games and 10 conference games, including the Civil War Series from PK Park and PGE Park.
Two Oregon opponents on the television schedule competed in the 2008 College World Series; Fresno State (March 1) and Stanford (April 4), with the Bulldogs winning the championship.
The first broadcast of the season will be March 1, when Oregon hosts Fresno State, the defending CWS champions, at PK Park.
OSN will also broadcast three games against opponents that competed in last year’s Regionals and Super Regionals; UCLA (May 3) and Arizona (May 23-24).
OSN’s first Pac-10 broadcast of the year will be the conference opener and first Civil War baseball game in 28 years, when the Beavers visit PK Park on March 27. Oregon will also broadcast the third game of that series, Sunday, March 29, from PGE Park in Portland.
Oregon heads to Reno, Nev., for a four-game series with the Nevada Wolf Pack this week. The Ducks and Wolf Pack will play one game on four consecutive days, Thursday-Sunday, at Peccole Park.
BROADCASTS/MEDIA
Brian Prawitz will handle the call for all four games this week from the University of Nevada. In Eugene, each game will be broadcast on KUGN 590, with the pregame show scheduled for a 12:45 p.m. start. For Oregon fans out of the listening areas, the O-Zone will also stream audio broadcasts for each game. Live stats will also be available on www.GoDucks.com. A live video broadcast of all four games will be available on www.nevadawolfpack.com
O-ZONE
Oregon baseball fans can now watch all home games live on the O-Zone at www.GoDucks.com. All home games will offer live video and audio. Live stats will also be available for all home games at www.GoDucks.com.
NEVADA PREVIEW
Nevada heads into the weekend with a 4-8 record, after defeating UC Davis, 2-1, in 11 innings on Tuesday. Last weekend the Wolf Pack hosted the University of Washington, dropping the series 2-1. Nevada is led by Nick Melino’s .333 batting average, while Matt Bowman leads the roster with four home runs. Nevada is batting .228 as a team, and the pitching staff manages 5.52 ERA.
LEADING THINGS OFF
Only two Oregon players have batted in the same spot of the lineup in every game this season, senior Caleb Tommasini and junior Curtis Raulinaitis. Tommasini, the Ducks starting left fielder, has taken hold of the leadoff spot. The fifth-year senior, who made the move to the diamond after a collegiate football career, is currently leading the Ducks with a .364 batting average and a .451 on-base percentage. Last week, he hit .643 (9-for-14) in the Santa Clara series, scoring six runs, hitting two triples and stealing four bases on five attempts. Tommasini currently leads the squad on a four-game hitting streak and with five multiple-hit games on the year. His seven stolen bases this season tie with Raulinaitis and Arizona’s Bryce Ortega for tops in the Pac-10.
Raulinaitis, the team’s starting center fielder, is Oregon’s other hitter currently over .300 with a .333 average. He has a .444 on-base percentage, and has been walked team-leading nine times. The Sacramento, Calif., native is 5-for-7 in reaching as a leadoff batter, and 11-for-23 in advancing runners.
SMALL BALL
Oregon may rank ninth in the Pac-10 with just four home runs this season - from Jett Hart, Antony Kreitz, Mitch Karraker and John Adamson - but the Ducks have found their own way to cross the plate.
Oregon has moved itself into scoring position this season with 28 stolen bases, second in the Pac-10, led by Caleb Tommasini (7-8), Curtis Raulinaitis (7-9) and Jett Hart (4-4). The Ducks have also executed nine sacrifice bunts, fourth in the league, led by Eddy Rodriguez (3) and Tommasini (2).
TURN TWO
Heading into this week, Oregon’s .977 fielding percentage ranks second in the Pac-10, trailing only California (.977). The feat is hard to believe considering the Ducks have three regular freshman starters, and at times, even four rookies manning the infield. The Ducks’ defense has turned 13 double plays, also second in the Pac-10, with freshman shortstop KC Serna having a hand in 11 of those efforts. Joining Serna in the infield are freshman third baseman John Adamson and freshman second baseman Danny Pulfer. Freshman Darrell Hunter has also played first and third at times this year, allowing for the four-freshman infield.
Helping these rookies out is junior catcher Eddy Rodriguez. The Warden, Wash., native has not missed a start this year, getting the nod seven times behind the plate and five times at first base. Rodriguez boasts a .989 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 92 chances.
THE ROTATION
With three weekend series under its belt, Oregon has settled on a rotation for 2009. Freshman lefty Tyler Anderson has cemented himself as the Friday starter, with a 1-1 record and a 2.66 ERA. He pitched in Oregon’s season-opening 5-3 win at Saint Mary’s, and also threw eight scoreless innings vs. the defending College World Series champion Fresno State Bulldogs, setting up the Ducks 1-0 win in the bottom of the ninth.
Junior right-hander Erik Stavert has recorded victories over Fresno State and Santa Clara in his last two starts. Against the Broncos last week, he allowed two runs in seven innings and struck out 10.
Bennett Whitmore (0-2) has yet to pick up a victory, but his effort against Santa Clara last Saturday played a major role in Oregon’s eventual 3-2 win in 13 innings. The Clovis, Calif., native pitched 6 and 1/3 innings, holding the Broncos to two runs on seven hits.
Right-hander Madison Boer got two starts last week, Tuesday at Washington and last Sunday vs. Santa Clara. In driving rain at UW, Boer pitched five innings and allowed four runs on three hits. Against Santa Clara, the freshman right-hander regrouped and allowed just one run on four hits, while tallying four strikeouts in five innings.
ROOKIES
Oregon’s 2009 roster, which totals 34 student-athletes, has 17 freshmen listed, 50 percent of the team. And of those freshmen, six position players are regular or part-time starters, while three first-year pitchers also have seem significant time on the mound.
KC Serna and Danny Pulfer man the middle infield at shortstop and second base, respectively. Serna, currently hitting .229 on the season, leads the team with seven RBIs, while also totaling three extra-base hits. He leads the infield defense as well, turning 11 double plays this year.
Pulfer leads the infield with a .976 fielding percentage in 42 chances.
John Adamson, Darrell Hunter and Dylan Gavin have also earned time in the infield at third and first (Hunter) base.
On the mound, left-hander Tyler Anderson has shown the strength to be the Friday start, sporting a 1-1 record and a staff-leading 2.66 ERA. He earned Oregon’s season-opening win at Saint Mary’s, and threw eight scoreless innings to set up the Ducks 1-0 victory over Fresno State.
Right-hander Madison Boer is the fourth starter in the rotation, earning his first victory pitching a five-inning complete game against Santa Clara, 5-1, last Sunday. Scott McGough has also been one of the Ducks top relievers, making five appearances.
NEW FACES
As head coach George Horton continues to adjust his lineup (the Ducks have used nine different lineups the season), Oregon fans continue to learn new names and faces. Last week, senior Andrew Schmidt started all four games of the Santa Clara series, splitting time between first base and designated hitter. The fifth-year senior from Roswell, Ga., hit .313 on the week with three runs scored and two RBIs.
Also entering the lineup was John Adamson. The native of Medford, Ore., made his first appearance as a defensive replacement against Washington last Tuesday, before making three consecutive starts to finish the Santa Clara series. Adamson went 3-for-8 from the plate, totaling nine bases as each of his hits was for extra bases - double, triple and home run.
FIRST OF MANY
Oregon began its modern era on Friday, Feb. 20 at Saint Mary’s, and the 2009 Ducks began to log some firsts for the program in 28 years.
Freshman left-hander Tyler Anderson will go down in the record books with the first pitch, first strikeout and first win on the mound.
Senior Caleb Tommasini led off the game with the first at-bat and hit of the season, as well as the first walk drawn and the first run scored.
The first RBI and double of the new era belong to freshman shortstop KC Serna.
The first defensive assist and putout belong to freshman Danny Pulfer and Mitch Karraker.
Jett Hart’s two-run triple in the fifth was the first triple of the modern era on Friday, and in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, Hart slugged a two-run homer to left field in the fourth to go down in the record books.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh on Friday, junior left-hander Ryan Fleckenstein, junior catcher Eddy Rodriguez and freshman first baseman Darrell Hunter turned the first double play, 1-2-3, of 2009.
HOME OPENER
Oregon played its first home baseball game in 28 years on Friday, Feb. 27, christening PK Park and a soldout crown of 2,777 with a dramatic 1-0 victory over the defending College World Series champion Fresno State Bulldogs. A pitching duel between Oregon freshman left-hander Tyler Anderson and Fresno State’s Holden Sprague left the game scoreless headed into the ninth. Oregon junior left-hander Ryan Fleckenstein retired the side in the ninth to set up the Ducks victory. Junior catcher Eddy Rodriguez started the rally in the bottom of the ninth with a two-out single, and junior Jett Hart continued with another single that advanced Rodriguez to third. Senior Andrew Schmidt, pinch-hitting, secured the victory with a walk-off single to score the game-winning run. In six at-bats during 2009, Schmidt’s walk-off single was also his first hit of the year.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Trailing Fresno State by eight runs entering the ninth on March 1, redshirt freshman Antony Kreitz entered the game as a defensive replacement in right field. In the bottom of the inning, the Eugene native received his first at-bat of the season and promptly made history. Kreitz hit the first-ever Oregon home run out of PK Park over the left field wall.
2008-09 ACCOLADES
The 2008-09 Oregon baseball recruiting class received two top-10 rankings during the fall. First, Collegiate Baseball’s annual evaluation ranked the Ducks’ recruiting class second in the nation, while Baseball America put Oregon’s class at No. 10.
The 2008-09 class includes nine players that were taken in the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, but chose to instead attend the UO.
The 2008 class, includes two of the top five junior college pitchers as rated by Perfect Game USA, in Bennett Whitmore (Clovis, Calif./Fresno CC) and Justin LaTempa (Huntington Beach, Calif./Golden West College). Also included in the 2008 class are freshmen Tyler Anderson (Las Vegas, Nev./Spring Valley HS), Chris Garrison (Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin HS), Joey Housey (Hollywood, Fla./Nova HS), Scott McGough (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum Senior HS) and Colby Sokol (Puyallup, Wash./Emerald Ridge HS), who were each drafted this spring.
RBC WEALTH MANAGEMENT PORTLAND CLASSIC AT PGE PARK...THE RETURN OF THE CIVIL WAR
Tickets for the historic return of the Civil War baseball series remain available through Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (503) 224-4400.
The second and third games of the series will be played at PGE Park in Portland at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, and at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 29.
Duck fans will be on the first baseline, and Beaver fans on the third.
The first game of the series will be played at PK Park on Friday, March 27, and is now sold out.
STANDING ROOM ONLY
Standing Room Only tickets for University of Oregon home baseball games are still available through the UO Athletic Ticket Office announced today.
Tickets can be purchased on www.GoDucks.com, via telephone (541-346-4461 or 1-800-WEBFOOT) and in person at the Casanova Center Ticket Building.
Standing Room Only tickets for all home contests will cost $8 each. Standing Room Only tickets for the matchups against Sacramento State and Portland will cost $6. There is a limit of four Standing Room Only tickets per customer per game.
For more information, please visit www.GoDucks.com or call 541-346-4461 or 1-800-WEBFOOT.
DUCKS ON CSNNW
The Oregon Sports Network announced that it will broadcast 13 games during the season.
“My staff, the student-athletes and the program are delighted about the news that OSN will be producing a 13-game schedule this season,” head coach George Horton said. “The University and the Athletics Department has made a great step to reach out to all of our fans.”
All 13 games broadcast during the year will be aired on Comcast SportsNet Northwest (37) as well as CSN’s new HD channel (737).
OSN will cover the entire season from March through May, broadcasting three non-conference games and 10 conference games, including the Civil War Series from PK Park and PGE Park.
Two Oregon opponents on the television schedule competed in the 2008 College World Series; Fresno State (March 1) and Stanford (April 4), with the Bulldogs winning the championship.
The first broadcast of the season will be March 1, when Oregon hosts Fresno State, the defending CWS champions, at PK Park.
OSN will also broadcast three games against opponents that competed in last year’s Regionals and Super Regionals; UCLA (May 3) and Arizona (May 23-24).
OSN’s first Pac-10 broadcast of the year will be the conference opener and first Civil War baseball game in 28 years, when the Beavers visit PK Park on March 27. Oregon will also broadcast the third game of that series, Sunday, March 29, from PGE Park in Portland.
