Ducks Take On Defending Pac-10 Champs In Tempe
THIS WEEK
Oregon remains on the road this week, taking its final road trip of the season to Tempe, Ariz. The Ducks are set to play a three-game Pac-10 series with the third-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m., Friday night. Saturday is also a 6:30 p.m. start, while Sunday’s series finale will begin at 1 p.m.
RADIO
All three games from Winkles Field-Packard Stadium will be broadcast by the Oregon Sports Network on KUGN 590 in Eugene with Brian Prawitz making the call. For Oregon fans out of the listening areas, the O-Zone will also stream the audio broadcast.
VIDEO/AUDIO/LIVE STATS
The O-Zone will offer a live audio broadcast of all three games this weekend at Arizona State, available on www.GoDucks.com. Live stats will also be offered on www.GoDucks.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.
NO. 3 ARIZONA STATE PREVIEW
Arizona State had last weekend off in the Pac-10, hosting Winthrop and sweeping the Eagles. The Sun Devils are on a five-game winning streak after posting midweek wins over San Diego as well. With a 38-11 record on the year and a 16-5 mark in Pac-10 action, ASU is in the driver’s seat in the conference standings currently two games ahead of second-place Washington State (25-20, 14-7), and well on its way to a third straight Pac-10 title.
SERIES HISTORY
Arizona State holds a 3-1 series advantage over Oregon. The two programs last met in 1974 when the Sun Devils beat the Ducks, 8-3, in the Riverside (Calif.) Tournament. The last and only time Oregon was in Tempe, the Sun Devils took the three-game series, 2-1, from May 21-23, 1966.
WASHINGTON STATE SERIES RECAP
For the third time this season, Oregon was swept in a weekend series, losing all three games at Washington State last week. Two errors led to three costly runs in a 5-3 loss on Saturday night, while the Ducks were held to three hits in a 5-2 defeat on Sunday. In Monday’s finale, WSU racked up 13 hits to win 10-2. Freshman Darrell Hunter got his bat going for Oregon last weekend, hitting .333 (4-for-12) in the series with one double. Freshman KC Serna picked up his team-leading 18th RBI of the season, while freshman Antony Kreitz had two extra-base hits; his fourth double and second triple of the year. Junior Jett Hart picked up two stolen bases, bringing his season total to 10.
OREGON UPDATE
Oregon (4-17) currently sits 10th in the Pac-10 standings, trailing ninth-place California (8-16) by 2.5 games...freshman Antony Kreitz leads the Ducks on a five-game hitting streak...Oregon scored three runs in the ninth inning during a 5-3 loss at WSU on Saturday, it was the most runs the Ducks have scored in the ninth inning this season...on the year Oregon has been outscored 18-10 in the ninth...the Ducks have used 36 different position lineups this season, but over the last eight games have used the same starting infield of freshman Darrell Hunter (first), junior Josh Hogan (second), freshman KC Serna (shortstop) and freshman Danny Pulfer (third).
FRIDAY’S DUEL
Friday’s match up between Oregon right-hander Erik Stavert and Arizona State right-hander Mike Leake is another duel between two of the Pac-10’s top pitchers. In Pac-10 games only, the two are the only starters in the conference to have ERAs below 2.0. Leake leads the conference with an 1.66 ERA, while Stavert rests at 1.95. In conference games, opponents hit .183 against Leake (4th Pac-10), while Stavert holds Pac-10 batters to a .205 clip (6th Pac-10).
WHO’S HOT?
Freshman outfielder Antony Kreitz is currently on a five-game hitting streak, batting .308 over that span....The Eugene native hit .242 last week at Washington State, picking up his fourth double and second triple of the season....He now has eight extra-base hits on the year......fellow freshman Darrell Hunter has started the last eight games at first base, and last week led Oregon batting .333 (4-for-12)...over Oregon’s last five games, freshman KC Serna is hitting .294 (5-for-17)...on the mound, freshman reliever Scott McGough has not allowed an earned run in his last five appearances, pitching 6 and 2/3 innings of one-run baseball, while surrendering only two hits and not issuing a walk...junior right-hander Erik Stavert boasts a 1.72 ERA and 2-2 record in his last five starts, while racking up 34 strikeouts.
STEADY STAVERT
On the season, junior Erik Stavert has over a third of Oregon’s wins (14) with a 5-4 record. He leads the starting staff with a 2.46 ERA, 84 innings pitched, 71 strikeouts and a .219 opponents’ batting average.
Stavert’s numbers improve in Pac-10 action. The Chabot junior college transfer is 2-3 in conference games with a 1.95 ERA, second in the conference only to Arizona State’s Mike Leake (1.66). In 50 and 2/3 innings pitched, Stavert has dealt 43 strikeouts (9th Pac-10) and is holding opponents to a .205 clip (6th Pac-10).
In his last five starts, Stavert sports a 2-2 record and a 1.72 ERA. He has pitched 36 and 2/3 innings over that stretch, surrendering 12 runs - only seven earned - while striking out 34. Last week, Real Baseball Intelligence, ranked Stavert as the 131st overall MLB Draft Prospect.
FINISH LINE
When the game is on the line, Oregon calls in Oregon sophomore right-hander Drew Gagnier. Oregon has only 14 wins this season, and Gagnier has registered the save in half of those games, a mark that ranks seventh in the Pac-10. The Santa Cruz, Calif., native has appeared in 21 games this season, finishing off 18. He has a 2.96 ERA and a 1-0 record, having pitched 24 and 1/3 innings. He has allowed just 12 hits in those innings while striking out 25 and holding opposing batters to a .141 clip.
HOME RUN TALLY
Of the Ducks 16 home runs this year, 10 belong to freshmen; KC Serna (3), Paul Eshleman (2), Antony Kreitz (2), John Adamson (1), Darrell Hunter (1) and Colby Sokol (1). Senior Caleb Tommasini and junior Jett Hart have two apiece, while sophomore Mitch Karraker and junior Eddy Rodriguez have also hit home runs.
SPEEDY TOMMASINI
Oregon senior center fielder Caleb Tommasini moved from the gridiron to the baseball diamond in 2009, and the Tenmile, Ore., native hasn’t missed a step. His 15 stolen bases on the year leads the Ducks and ties for fourth in the Pac-10. The former defensive back turned outfielder is second for the Ducks in batting .267, while leading the team in runs scored (25), triples (3) and hit-by-pitch (7).
500 AND COUNTING
Oregon’s exhilarating 3-2 comeback victory in the 10th inning over Oregon State on March 28 at PGE Park not only served as the Ducks first Pac-10 victory in 28 years, but was also the 500th Division I victory for head coach George Horton.
CIVIL WAR HEADS TO SALEM-KEIZER
The Oregon and Oregon State baseball programs have scheduled a sixth game this season, the Civil War I-5 Iris Festival Classic, set for 6 p.m., Wednesday, May 20 at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer.
Tickets are currently on sale, and are available through the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes box office, online at www.volcanoestickets.com, or by calling 503-390-2225.
The game will mark the sixth and final matchup between the teams this season. Oregon State took 2-of-3 in a Pacific-10 Conference series in late March. The clubs drew nearly 30,000 over two games at PGE Park in Portland.
Volcanoes Stadium is home to the Single-A Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The park seats 4,252 and was built in 1997.
TIX AVAILABLE
Tickets are still available for Oregon’s final remaining home Pac-10 series against Arizona (May 22-24). Homeplate GA is located in the single bleacher behind homeplate for $15 each. Baseline GA seating is located in the first and third baseline bleachers and tickets are $12 each. To purchase visit www.GoDucks.com or CLICK HERE.
Tickets for Oregon home games can also be purchased at the Casanova Center, by calling 1-800-WEBFOOT or at the PK Park ticket office 90 minutes before game time.
WALKING OFF
John Adamson’s walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th during a 3-2 victory over Oregon State on March 28 was the third game to end in dramatic fashion this season. In addition to Adamson’s game-winner scoring Caleb Tommasini against OSU, senior Andrew Schmidt’s ninth-inning walk-off single gave the Ducks a historic 1-0 victory over the defending College World Series champion Fresno State Bulldogs on Feb. 27 - to christen PK Park. Freshman KC Serna has the honor of Oregon’s second game-winning hit, coming in the bottom of the 13th inning in a 3-2 victory over Santa Clara on March 8.
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 Feb. 20, and in the first game of the Feb. 21 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 Feb. 20, 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 sold out 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 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.
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. 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.
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 broadc ast 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).
