Ducks Begin Series With ETSU Friday Night
THIS WEEK
The Ducks host a three-game non-conference series beginning on Friday, with East Tennessee State coming to Eugene as UO takes a break from Pac-10 play.
OREGON UPDATE
Oregon (31-18, 10-11) broke a season-long four-game losing streak on Tuesday with a 13-4 win over 19th-ranked San Diego at PK Park.
Last weekend, the Ducks were swept for the first time this season after dropping three consecutive one-run games to Oregon State on the road. UO lost to Portland on May 4 by the score of 3-1, losing four games by a combined five runs.
The Ducks dropped out of two national polls, but remain the No. 22 team in the nation according to the Baseball America Top-25 poll. Oregon’s record of 10-11 in Pac-10 play has the Ducks resting at seventh place in the league standings with league series at Washington (May 21-23), and the final set of the season, hosting California at PK Park (May 28-30), still remaining.
BASEBALL IN MEDFORD
Oregon baseball will now be available in Medford on KCMX 880 AM.
RADIO BROADCASTS/MEDIA
Over the radio airwaves, Brian Prawitz will provide the play-by-play on THE SCORE 95.3 FM in the Eugene/Springfield area for all three games this weekend. A video broadcast of all three games will also be available through the O-Zone at www.GoDucks.com.
Live stats will also be made available at www.GoDucks.com.
O-ZONE: ONLINE VIDEO & AUDIO
Baseball fans can now watch Oregon baseball home games live on the O-Zone at www.GoDucks.com. All home games will offer live video and audio.
TICKETS
A reminder that single-game tickets for the 2010 season remain on sale. Duck fans can purchase tickets online by clicking HERE, over the phone by calling 1-800-WEB-FOOT, or in person at the Casanova Center Ticket Office.
PROMOTIONS AT PK PARK
FRIDAY • MAY 14 • 7 P.M.
Kidsports Day Presented by Red Lion
All children who wear third Kidsports’ T-Shirt will receive free admission into Friday’s game vs. East Tennessee State. The first 500 fans (ages 12 and under) through the gates will receive free mini bats sponsored by Red Lion. The Red Lion mascot will also be on-site with giveaways. Also, four one-night stays to Red Lion in Eugene will be given away, and the prize of the night will be a Disney Getaway for two nights at Red Lion Anaheim as well as four one-day passes for Disneyland.
SATURDAY • MAY 15 • 5 P.M.
Public Service Day
There will be a safety booth on site presented by the Eugene Police Department, as well as fire engines and ambulances on display from the Eugene Fire Department.
Oregon will also host the 1955 class reunion with Pete Williams and Bob Wagner throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.
SUNDAY • MAY 16 • 1 P.M.
O Heroes Day
Student-athletes from the University of Oregon will be in attendance at Sunday’s game, and on hand to sign autographs. The first 96 fans through the gate will receive a free pint of Umpqua ice cream on Sunday Sundaes, while the first 750 fans will receive the second series of UO baseball cards sponsored by PEPSI.
Parent’s Day/Student Promotion
Students can get their parents $5 tickets by bringing them to the ticket window and showing their UO Student ID. A free barbecue for UO students and their parents will take place down the third baseline, next to the student bleacher section.
QUICK HITS
• Oregon welcomes back five position starters from the 2009 squad; Curtis Raulinaitis, Danny Pulfer, KC Serna, Mitch Karraker and Jett Hart.
• The Ducks pitching staff has 11 returners, including sophomore left-hander Tyler Anderson, who is expected to start the series opener on Friday night vs. East Tennessee State.
• Oregon also welcomes 11 newcomers to the roster; eight freshmen and three juniors.
SCHEDULE NOTES
• Oregon opened 2010 on an eight-game road trip to southern California and Hawaii, and came back to Eugene with a 4-4 record.
• The Ducks played 12 of their first 14 games on the road, but returned to play nine consecutive home games before opening up Pac-10 play. The Ducks were 9-5 in their first 14 games, and 8-1 during a nine-game homestand.
• Eight opponents (ARIZ, ASU, CAL, CSF, FS, STAN, UCLA, USD) on Oregon’s 2010 schedule are currently ranked in at least one national poll.
• Oregon’s longest home stretch of the season was nine games from Friday, March 12-Tuesday, March 23 as Seattle, Nevada and Southern Utah traveled to Eugene. The Ducks finished that stretch 8-1.
• Believe it or not, UO’s eight-game road trip to start the season was one of two on the year. Oregon also played eight straight games on the road at then No. 22 Stanford (April 9-10), at then No. 1 UCLA (April 16-18) and at Gonzaga (April 20-21). The Ducks finished that stretch of games 6-2.
• Oregon will now play in the Northwest the remainder of the season playing 15 contests at PK Park while traveling to Oregon State, Portland and Washington.
EAST TENNESSEE STATE PREVIEW
East Tennessee State will play its first baseball game west of the Mississippi River for the first time in program history on Friday.
The Buccaneers are 29-21 on the season, largely thanks to a potent offense. ETSU is averaging 9.0 runs per game, and has set a school record with 85 home runs on the year, and is also in pace to break the school record in hits and doubles as well.
Buccaneer sophomore Bo Reeder, expected to start on the mound on Saturday, was named to the John Olerus Two-Way Player Watch List on Monday. Reeder is batting .386 with 17 home runs.
Junior Paul Holiman currently leads the country in home runs (23), RBI (75), slugging percentage (.935), total bases (187) and runs (72). A Golden Spikes Award nominee, Holiman is hitting.455 on the season.
OREGON STATE RECAP
Oregon dropped its first three-game series of the season, losing three consecutive games to the Beavers at Goss Stadium in Corvallis.
Oregon lost all three games by a run, including the first two contests in extra innings. The Ducks out hit the Beavers 30-24, but left 28 base runners stranded over three games.
Friday-night starter Tyler Anderson pitched 6 and 1/3 innings, allowing just one run while striking out six, while Justin LaTempa lasted seven innings in his start, allowing two earned runs while fanning five.
Senior Curtis Raulinaitis hit .444 followed by Jack Marder (.364) and KC Serna (.308).
INJURY REPORT
Oregon starting third baseman J.J. Altobelli is currently day-to-day with a right ankle sprain. He suffered the injury in Sunday’s 6-5 loss at Oregon State.
TOP HONORS
Oregon’s pitching staff continues to lead the Pac-10 with a 3.00 ERA - a mark that also ranks second in the nation. The Ducks have dealt 399 strikeouts, trailing only UCLA (469) in the conference, and are holding batters to a .249 clip - ranking third in the Pac-10.
The Ducks weekend rotation of Tyler Anderson (2.52 ERA; 5th Pac-10, 33rd nation), Justin LaTempa (2.63 ERA; 6th Pac-10, 37th nation) and Zack Thornton (2.93 ERA; 9th Pac-10, 65th nation) each have ERAs that rank in the Pac-10’s top -10.
TYLER ANDERSON
Anderson, the Friday-night starter, is 6-3 on the season with a 2.52 ERA and 79 strikeouts. In 12 starts, Anderson has pitched a total of 75 innings, issuing just 23 walks. He is holding batters to a .204 clip.
In his last three starts, Anderson has a 1-0 record and an ERA of 2.21, while striking out 24 batters in 20 and 1/3 innings on the mound. He has allowed five runs on 13 hits. His 2.52 ERA ranks third in the nation, and his 6.84 hits allowed per nine innings rank 20th.
JUSTIN LATEMPA
Justin LaTempa is 4-2 on the year with a 2.63 ERA. He is holding batters to a .228 clip, and has struck out 55 in 11 starts and 65 innings on the mound.
ZACK THORNTON
Zack Thornton has split his time this season between starter and relief, excelling in both for No. 22 Oregon. His 2.93 ERA ranks 9th in the Pac-10, while his seven wins on the mound tie for fourth in the conference as the senior is an undefeated 7-0. Of Oregon’s 10 Pac-10 wins, four are credited to Thornton. And of those four victories, three were series-clinching wins for the Ducks.
NATIONAL HONORS FOR LATEMPA
On May 4, The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association named Justin LaTempa the Pro-Line Athletic National Pitcher of the Week. CollegeBaseball360.com also voted LaTempa its Primetime Pitcher of the Week
He was also named the College Baseball Insider National Pitcher of the Week, while the College Baseball Foundation named LaTempa to its weekly National All-Star Lineup. The senior was nearly untouchable on May 1 vs. Washington State, tossing a complete game, one-hit shutout and dealing 10 strikeouts as the then No.15 Ducks defeated the Cougars, 6-0.
THE LONG BALL
After belting just 16 home runs last year, Oregon has improved that total 25 this season. The Ducks have hit a round-tripper in five of their seven Pac-10 series this season, and 10 different players have recorded at least one home run this year.
Senior Eddie Rodriguez leads UO with five homers, while freshman Jack Marder has hit four.Junior Marcus Piazzisi and sophomore Danny Pulfer have hit three each. Against USC on April 25, freshman J.J. Altobelli his first homer of the season - a grand slam that was the first for the Ducks since the reinstatement of the program. On May 2, Paul Eshleman launched his second of the season, a three-run shot that helped the Ducks defeat Washington State, 6-1.
WHAT A CHANGE
Last year Oregon finished its season with a 14-42 record and finished last in the Pac-10 with a record of 4-23. The Ducks were voted to finish 10th in the 2010 Pac-10 Preseason Poll, but are currently sixth in the conference standings with a record of 10-11.
Head coach George Horton has led his squad a No. 22 ranking in the Baseball America Top-25 poll with a record of 31-18 (.633). Horton, a two-time national coach of the year, has produced 30-win seasons in 12 of his 13 years at the Division l level.
Oregon’s offense has improved from batting .227 a year ago to .286 in 2010, as currently three everyday starters are hitting over .300. The pitching staff’s 3.00 ERA leads the Pac-10.
TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Oregon has played 49 games this season, and of those 12 have been decided by one run. The Ducks have won just three of those contests. In games decided by two runs or less, UO is 3-12 (.200). The Ducks have also played in four extra-inning games this season, posting a 1-3 record in those contests.
COMEBACK KIDS
Although not always notching the victory, Oregon has made some finishes very exciting this season. The Ducks have erased ninth-inning deficits in five games in 2010, beginning with a four-run ninth inning comeback that led the Ducks to their first conference win of the year, a 9-8 victory at Arizona on March 28.
In UO’s upset of No. 1 Arizona State on April 2, the Ducks trailed 5-4 heading to the bottom of the ninth. UO tied the game on Ryan Hambright’s RBI single, before eventually winning the game in the 12th on Marcus Piazzisi’s walk-off RBI.
The Ducks scored eight runs in the final two innings, including five in the top of the ninth, to win the series at then No. 22 Stanford on April 10 with a 9-6 victory.
Despite staging three successful ninth-inning comebacks, Oregon did not have the same success last week at Oregon State. In Saturday’s 4-3, 11-inning loss, the Ducks scored three runs in the ninth to push the game into extra innings. In Sunday’s 6-5 loss, Oregon scored four runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game, before OSU completed the series sweep winning it in the bottom of the inning.
TOP-25 RECRUITING
Oregon inked 12 players during the early signing period, and each signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the U of O for the 2010-11 academic year. All 12 newcomers are currently in their senior year of high school.
This is Oregon’s third recruiting class since the reinstatement of the UO baseball program, and if history repeats itself, the 2010 graduating class should garner national honors like its predecessors.
Of Oregon’s 12 signees, six rank among the top-200 high school prospects for 2010, including three of the country’s top-50 ranked prospects, according to PerfectGame Crosschecker.
For two consecutive years, Oregon’s recruiting classes have earned top-25 accolades. The Ducks’ 2009 class, brought in for the program’s first season in 28 years, was ranked No. 2 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball’s annual evaluation, and was also ranked 10th in the nation by Baseball America’s evaluation.
The Ducks’ second class received the No. 24 ranking in the nation from Baseball America earlier this fall.
CIVIL WAR CLASSIC
Tickets are also currently on sale for The Civil War Classic presented by RBC Wealth Management. First pitch is set 6:30 p.m. from PGE Park in Portland on Wednesday, May 26.
Tickets, which range in price from $5-$35, are available at www.ticketmaster.com, and all Ticketmaster locations.
PK PARK
Oregon’s newest facility opened to 2,609 fans on March 2 as UO defeated Washington, 6-2. The park has full locker rooms, clubhouses and team amenities, as well as a state-of-the-art video board and a classic inning by inning score board.
The park has specially designed lighting structures. There is a landscaped area for food and hospitality and even a fan interaction area. There is a student seating area to enhance the intimacy for the Oregon baseball team and spectators.
Eugene architect firm Cameron, McCarthy, Gilbert & Scheibe was the lead landscape architectural firm on the first phase of construction. Larry Gilbert is leading the project.
“We have designed PK Park with all the features and amenities necessary to help the University of Oregon baseball program quickly establish itself as a regular on the ‘Road to Omaha’. The Ducks’ passionate fans will find their new ballpark to be one of the best places in the country to cheer on their favorite team,” said Greg Garlock, Designer and Principal with DLR Group.
PK Park has a total capacity of 4,000, including 3,000 fixed seats, a tiered party plaza named “Fowl Territory”, a picnic plaza and eight upper level suites.
FieldTurf
The field is made of an all-weather base-ball specific FieldTurf, with clay mounds and bullpens. FieldTurf is the leading provider of collegiate baseball synthetic turf. The company has been installing similar products at college ballparks around the country.
History
2008 – On August 15, 2008 The University of Oregon announced that work has begun on the construction of a new baseball park. PK Park is named after then Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny for his leadership, vision, support, and commitment to the University of Oregon. It was projected to cost $15-$18 million.
2009 – Baseball returns to the University of Oregon. In the team’s first game at the park on Feb. 27, the Ducks beat Fresno State, the defending national champions in front of a sellout crowd.
The Ducks host a three-game non-conference series beginning on Friday, with East Tennessee State coming to Eugene as UO takes a break from Pac-10 play.
OREGON UPDATE
Oregon (31-18, 10-11) broke a season-long four-game losing streak on Tuesday with a 13-4 win over 19th-ranked San Diego at PK Park.
Last weekend, the Ducks were swept for the first time this season after dropping three consecutive one-run games to Oregon State on the road. UO lost to Portland on May 4 by the score of 3-1, losing four games by a combined five runs.
The Ducks dropped out of two national polls, but remain the No. 22 team in the nation according to the Baseball America Top-25 poll. Oregon’s record of 10-11 in Pac-10 play has the Ducks resting at seventh place in the league standings with league series at Washington (May 21-23), and the final set of the season, hosting California at PK Park (May 28-30), still remaining.
BASEBALL IN MEDFORD
Oregon baseball will now be available in Medford on KCMX 880 AM.
RADIO BROADCASTS/MEDIA
Over the radio airwaves, Brian Prawitz will provide the play-by-play on THE SCORE 95.3 FM in the Eugene/Springfield area for all three games this weekend. A video broadcast of all three games will also be available through the O-Zone at www.GoDucks.com.
Live stats will also be made available at www.GoDucks.com.
O-ZONE: ONLINE VIDEO & AUDIO
Baseball fans can now watch Oregon baseball home games live on the O-Zone at www.GoDucks.com. All home games will offer live video and audio.
TICKETS
A reminder that single-game tickets for the 2010 season remain on sale. Duck fans can purchase tickets online by clicking HERE, over the phone by calling 1-800-WEB-FOOT, or in person at the Casanova Center Ticket Office.
PROMOTIONS AT PK PARK
FRIDAY • MAY 14 • 7 P.M.
Kidsports Day Presented by Red Lion
All children who wear third Kidsports’ T-Shirt will receive free admission into Friday’s game vs. East Tennessee State. The first 500 fans (ages 12 and under) through the gates will receive free mini bats sponsored by Red Lion. The Red Lion mascot will also be on-site with giveaways. Also, four one-night stays to Red Lion in Eugene will be given away, and the prize of the night will be a Disney Getaway for two nights at Red Lion Anaheim as well as four one-day passes for Disneyland.
SATURDAY • MAY 15 • 5 P.M.
Public Service Day
There will be a safety booth on site presented by the Eugene Police Department, as well as fire engines and ambulances on display from the Eugene Fire Department.
Oregon will also host the 1955 class reunion with Pete Williams and Bob Wagner throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.
SUNDAY • MAY 16 • 1 P.M.
O Heroes Day
Student-athletes from the University of Oregon will be in attendance at Sunday’s game, and on hand to sign autographs. The first 96 fans through the gate will receive a free pint of Umpqua ice cream on Sunday Sundaes, while the first 750 fans will receive the second series of UO baseball cards sponsored by PEPSI.
Parent’s Day/Student Promotion
Students can get their parents $5 tickets by bringing them to the ticket window and showing their UO Student ID. A free barbecue for UO students and their parents will take place down the third baseline, next to the student bleacher section.
QUICK HITS
• Oregon welcomes back five position starters from the 2009 squad; Curtis Raulinaitis, Danny Pulfer, KC Serna, Mitch Karraker and Jett Hart.
• The Ducks pitching staff has 11 returners, including sophomore left-hander Tyler Anderson, who is expected to start the series opener on Friday night vs. East Tennessee State.
• Oregon also welcomes 11 newcomers to the roster; eight freshmen and three juniors.
SCHEDULE NOTES
• Oregon opened 2010 on an eight-game road trip to southern California and Hawaii, and came back to Eugene with a 4-4 record.
• The Ducks played 12 of their first 14 games on the road, but returned to play nine consecutive home games before opening up Pac-10 play. The Ducks were 9-5 in their first 14 games, and 8-1 during a nine-game homestand.
• Eight opponents (ARIZ, ASU, CAL, CSF, FS, STAN, UCLA, USD) on Oregon’s 2010 schedule are currently ranked in at least one national poll.
• Oregon’s longest home stretch of the season was nine games from Friday, March 12-Tuesday, March 23 as Seattle, Nevada and Southern Utah traveled to Eugene. The Ducks finished that stretch 8-1.
• Believe it or not, UO’s eight-game road trip to start the season was one of two on the year. Oregon also played eight straight games on the road at then No. 22 Stanford (April 9-10), at then No. 1 UCLA (April 16-18) and at Gonzaga (April 20-21). The Ducks finished that stretch of games 6-2.
• Oregon will now play in the Northwest the remainder of the season playing 15 contests at PK Park while traveling to Oregon State, Portland and Washington.
EAST TENNESSEE STATE PREVIEW
East Tennessee State will play its first baseball game west of the Mississippi River for the first time in program history on Friday.
The Buccaneers are 29-21 on the season, largely thanks to a potent offense. ETSU is averaging 9.0 runs per game, and has set a school record with 85 home runs on the year, and is also in pace to break the school record in hits and doubles as well.
Buccaneer sophomore Bo Reeder, expected to start on the mound on Saturday, was named to the John Olerus Two-Way Player Watch List on Monday. Reeder is batting .386 with 17 home runs.
Junior Paul Holiman currently leads the country in home runs (23), RBI (75), slugging percentage (.935), total bases (187) and runs (72). A Golden Spikes Award nominee, Holiman is hitting.455 on the season.
OREGON STATE RECAP
Oregon dropped its first three-game series of the season, losing three consecutive games to the Beavers at Goss Stadium in Corvallis.
Oregon lost all three games by a run, including the first two contests in extra innings. The Ducks out hit the Beavers 30-24, but left 28 base runners stranded over three games.
Friday-night starter Tyler Anderson pitched 6 and 1/3 innings, allowing just one run while striking out six, while Justin LaTempa lasted seven innings in his start, allowing two earned runs while fanning five.
Senior Curtis Raulinaitis hit .444 followed by Jack Marder (.364) and KC Serna (.308).
INJURY REPORT
Oregon starting third baseman J.J. Altobelli is currently day-to-day with a right ankle sprain. He suffered the injury in Sunday’s 6-5 loss at Oregon State.
TOP HONORS
Oregon’s pitching staff continues to lead the Pac-10 with a 3.00 ERA - a mark that also ranks second in the nation. The Ducks have dealt 399 strikeouts, trailing only UCLA (469) in the conference, and are holding batters to a .249 clip - ranking third in the Pac-10.
The Ducks weekend rotation of Tyler Anderson (2.52 ERA; 5th Pac-10, 33rd nation), Justin LaTempa (2.63 ERA; 6th Pac-10, 37th nation) and Zack Thornton (2.93 ERA; 9th Pac-10, 65th nation) each have ERAs that rank in the Pac-10’s top -10.
TYLER ANDERSON
Anderson, the Friday-night starter, is 6-3 on the season with a 2.52 ERA and 79 strikeouts. In 12 starts, Anderson has pitched a total of 75 innings, issuing just 23 walks. He is holding batters to a .204 clip.
In his last three starts, Anderson has a 1-0 record and an ERA of 2.21, while striking out 24 batters in 20 and 1/3 innings on the mound. He has allowed five runs on 13 hits. His 2.52 ERA ranks third in the nation, and his 6.84 hits allowed per nine innings rank 20th.
JUSTIN LATEMPA
Justin LaTempa is 4-2 on the year with a 2.63 ERA. He is holding batters to a .228 clip, and has struck out 55 in 11 starts and 65 innings on the mound.
ZACK THORNTON
Zack Thornton has split his time this season between starter and relief, excelling in both for No. 22 Oregon. His 2.93 ERA ranks 9th in the Pac-10, while his seven wins on the mound tie for fourth in the conference as the senior is an undefeated 7-0. Of Oregon’s 10 Pac-10 wins, four are credited to Thornton. And of those four victories, three were series-clinching wins for the Ducks.
NATIONAL HONORS FOR LATEMPA
On May 4, The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association named Justin LaTempa the Pro-Line Athletic National Pitcher of the Week. CollegeBaseball360.com also voted LaTempa its Primetime Pitcher of the Week
He was also named the College Baseball Insider National Pitcher of the Week, while the College Baseball Foundation named LaTempa to its weekly National All-Star Lineup. The senior was nearly untouchable on May 1 vs. Washington State, tossing a complete game, one-hit shutout and dealing 10 strikeouts as the then No.15 Ducks defeated the Cougars, 6-0.
THE LONG BALL
After belting just 16 home runs last year, Oregon has improved that total 25 this season. The Ducks have hit a round-tripper in five of their seven Pac-10 series this season, and 10 different players have recorded at least one home run this year.
Senior Eddie Rodriguez leads UO with five homers, while freshman Jack Marder has hit four.Junior Marcus Piazzisi and sophomore Danny Pulfer have hit three each. Against USC on April 25, freshman J.J. Altobelli his first homer of the season - a grand slam that was the first for the Ducks since the reinstatement of the program. On May 2, Paul Eshleman launched his second of the season, a three-run shot that helped the Ducks defeat Washington State, 6-1.
WHAT A CHANGE
Last year Oregon finished its season with a 14-42 record and finished last in the Pac-10 with a record of 4-23. The Ducks were voted to finish 10th in the 2010 Pac-10 Preseason Poll, but are currently sixth in the conference standings with a record of 10-11.
Head coach George Horton has led his squad a No. 22 ranking in the Baseball America Top-25 poll with a record of 31-18 (.633). Horton, a two-time national coach of the year, has produced 30-win seasons in 12 of his 13 years at the Division l level.
Oregon’s offense has improved from batting .227 a year ago to .286 in 2010, as currently three everyday starters are hitting over .300. The pitching staff’s 3.00 ERA leads the Pac-10.
TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Oregon has played 49 games this season, and of those 12 have been decided by one run. The Ducks have won just three of those contests. In games decided by two runs or less, UO is 3-12 (.200). The Ducks have also played in four extra-inning games this season, posting a 1-3 record in those contests.
COMEBACK KIDS
Although not always notching the victory, Oregon has made some finishes very exciting this season. The Ducks have erased ninth-inning deficits in five games in 2010, beginning with a four-run ninth inning comeback that led the Ducks to their first conference win of the year, a 9-8 victory at Arizona on March 28.
In UO’s upset of No. 1 Arizona State on April 2, the Ducks trailed 5-4 heading to the bottom of the ninth. UO tied the game on Ryan Hambright’s RBI single, before eventually winning the game in the 12th on Marcus Piazzisi’s walk-off RBI.
The Ducks scored eight runs in the final two innings, including five in the top of the ninth, to win the series at then No. 22 Stanford on April 10 with a 9-6 victory.
Despite staging three successful ninth-inning comebacks, Oregon did not have the same success last week at Oregon State. In Saturday’s 4-3, 11-inning loss, the Ducks scored three runs in the ninth to push the game into extra innings. In Sunday’s 6-5 loss, Oregon scored four runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game, before OSU completed the series sweep winning it in the bottom of the inning.
TOP-25 RECRUITING
Oregon inked 12 players during the early signing period, and each signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the U of O for the 2010-11 academic year. All 12 newcomers are currently in their senior year of high school.
This is Oregon’s third recruiting class since the reinstatement of the UO baseball program, and if history repeats itself, the 2010 graduating class should garner national honors like its predecessors.
Of Oregon’s 12 signees, six rank among the top-200 high school prospects for 2010, including three of the country’s top-50 ranked prospects, according to PerfectGame Crosschecker.
For two consecutive years, Oregon’s recruiting classes have earned top-25 accolades. The Ducks’ 2009 class, brought in for the program’s first season in 28 years, was ranked No. 2 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball’s annual evaluation, and was also ranked 10th in the nation by Baseball America’s evaluation.
The Ducks’ second class received the No. 24 ranking in the nation from Baseball America earlier this fall.
CIVIL WAR CLASSIC
Tickets are also currently on sale for The Civil War Classic presented by RBC Wealth Management. First pitch is set 6:30 p.m. from PGE Park in Portland on Wednesday, May 26.
Tickets, which range in price from $5-$35, are available at www.ticketmaster.com, and all Ticketmaster locations.
PK PARK
Oregon’s newest facility opened to 2,609 fans on March 2 as UO defeated Washington, 6-2. The park has full locker rooms, clubhouses and team amenities, as well as a state-of-the-art video board and a classic inning by inning score board.
The park has specially designed lighting structures. There is a landscaped area for food and hospitality and even a fan interaction area. There is a student seating area to enhance the intimacy for the Oregon baseball team and spectators.
Eugene architect firm Cameron, McCarthy, Gilbert & Scheibe was the lead landscape architectural firm on the first phase of construction. Larry Gilbert is leading the project.
“We have designed PK Park with all the features and amenities necessary to help the University of Oregon baseball program quickly establish itself as a regular on the ‘Road to Omaha’. The Ducks’ passionate fans will find their new ballpark to be one of the best places in the country to cheer on their favorite team,” said Greg Garlock, Designer and Principal with DLR Group.
PK Park has a total capacity of 4,000, including 3,000 fixed seats, a tiered party plaza named “Fowl Territory”, a picnic plaza and eight upper level suites.
FieldTurf
The field is made of an all-weather base-ball specific FieldTurf, with clay mounds and bullpens. FieldTurf is the leading provider of collegiate baseball synthetic turf. The company has been installing similar products at college ballparks around the country.
History
2008 – On August 15, 2008 The University of Oregon announced that work has begun on the construction of a new baseball park. PK Park is named after then Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny for his leadership, vision, support, and commitment to the University of Oregon. It was projected to cost $15-$18 million.
2009 – Baseball returns to the University of Oregon. In the team’s first game at the park on Feb. 27, the Ducks beat Fresno State, the defending national champions in front of a sellout crowd.
