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Here's hoping these three Ducks stay healthy (knock wood) and come through this season. YardbarkerThree Oregon Ducks Entering Make-or-Break SeasonsEUGENE – The 2026 Oregon Ducks season already features lofty expectations and National Championship ambitions. In addition to big team goals, individual players have a lot to compete for.

RIP 30Duck. Here's a prayer you have found the embrace of heaven. Thank you for the wonderful eulogy, Charles.

Evan Stewart ready to lead the receiver room again. Oregon Ducks On SIWide Receiver Evan Stewart's Latest Update Has Oregon Duc...EUGENE – The Oregon Ducks made it to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff in 2025 with one of their top offensive weapons sidelined. Oregon wide recei

First of all....I spent $240.00 of my own money to get that, and it put my mind at ease. And I am learning about a ton of other factors that build up over time, and I was not aware of...such as "gut health," and how many of us have become "Insulin resistant" from all the processed foods with the sugar, and industrial fillers that turn to glucose in the body, (sugar) along with vegetable and seed oils eaten over our lives. Ever hear of Beef Tallow? Up to a year ago...I'd never heard of it. Now, it is the healthier way to cook by a mile, and it adds to the flavor. So we've all three taken a turn on the soapbox, but I have a TON more to learn...and am doing so. And, I don't mind you guys at all helping everyone to be aware, and what we can do for prevention. I want everyone here to cheer our Ducks for as long as possible!

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2026 BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball Ducks Open Season With a Win EUGENE, Ore. — Sophomore Will Sanford put together a dominant outing over five innings on the mound while Dominic Hellman sparked Oregon’s offense with a three-run home run in a 6-2 win over George Mason on Opening Day at PK Park on Friday. Sanford (1-0) took control early, striking out the side in the top of the first inning. Things did not get easier for the Patriots (0-1) with Sanford retiring 10 of the first 11 batters he faced while picking off the lone runner at first during that stretch. Overall, he retired 14 of the 16 batters he faced before giving way to a pair of relievers. Will Sanford The Ducks’ starter allowed just one hit and only two base runners in five innings while not allowing a Patriot past first base while striking out five. How It Happened: Oregon (1-0) did not waste time getting on the board taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Jax Gimenez doubled with one out before moving to third on a Hellman single and scoring when Drew Smith bases loaded walk. The Ducks built on the lead in the second adding four runs while mixing a little small ball with some long ball. Freshman Angel Laya led off the frame with his first career hit before moving to third on back-to-back bunt base hits by Jack Brooks and Ryan Cooney. Gimenez pushed the lead to 2-0 driving in Laya with a ground out to second. Hellman followed with a 385-foot line drive over the left-field wall for a three-run homer and a 5-0 lead. Oregon tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth. Laya led off the inning with a double over the center-fielders head, his third hit of the game, before coming around to score on a throwing error on a Brooks’ sacrifice bunt. Box Score Notes: Laya became the 30th true freshman position player in the modern era of Oregon baseball to start on opening day … Laya went 3-for-4 with two runs scored … The three hits were the most by a freshman on Opening Day since Tanner Smith and Aaron Zavala both had three knocks at Texas Tech in 2019 … Hellman finished 2-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored, giving him 26 career multi-hit and 14 career multi-RBI games … Gimenez had a career-best two doubles while going 2-for-5 with a RBI and run scored … In addition to Laya, three other players made their Duck debuts … Gabe Miranda got the start at first base and reached on a pair of hit-by-pitches … Miles Gosztola pitched the sixth and seventh innings, finishing with two strikeouts … Elijah Cook entered the game as a pinch runner in the eighth inning and played left in the ninth. On Deck: The teams play a doubleheader at PK Park on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. Quotes: Head Coach Mark Wasikowski On the opening day performance and fan attendance... “I thought the guys played well. We got a good performance out of Will Sanford. I thought Dom Hellman came up really big with a couple of at-bats. For a freshman to do what Angel Laya did in his first game is really good. And for the first game, I really appreciate the fans. The fans packed the house, and I love that.” On Will Sanford's improvement during the offseason... “He’s just a year older, mental toughness, calmness, and foot-flow have been really good for him. It’s only one game in, but to have Matt Florer and Dan Straily around our pitchers, I've been impressed with both their work and their demeanor. Both their demeanors rub off on those guys.” On Dan Straily and Matt Florer at Oregon... “Dan Straily played 11 years in the major leagues. I mean, our entire staff earnings — he probably made twice as much as all of us combined. That's how smart in the game Dan Straily is. Matt Florer does a tremendous job and has an elite baseball mind and is a really good developer. We were fortunate enough that we were able to convince him to come up.” Drew Smith & Dominic Hellman Dominic Hellman On starting the season off with a homerun… “It feels pretty good. I had a bunch of guys in front of me put together some tough at-bats. Jax Gimenez scored a guy to get that going and then the juices were flowing from there.” On Will Sanford’s performance… “The kid is a stud. If you call last year a rough year for him, that speaks volumes to who he is as a kid. Through camp he’s been lights out. To see him go out there and compete like that is great. That’s just what he does on a random Friday or Saturday for us.” On goals for the season… “Same thing as last year, being consistent. I want to make sure I get healthy and take guys under my wing. I want to let them know that it’s going to be a long season and just because we drop a game or have one bad at-bat, there’s going to be a lot more games. Making sure we’re consistent with taking care of what we need to, still competing, and doing everything we can.” Angel Laya On earning his playing time in the outfield… “I played to the standard. It’s fun to compete with the guys but playing to the standard and succeeding will help you start.” On avoiding slow starts… “I just keep going. Everyone has some flaws. I could’ve gone 0-for-4 today but tomorrow is a new day and today is over.” Angel Laya On nerves and pregame routine… “I was generally nervous, but I calmed myself down and reminded myself I’ve done this all my life. Pregame I have no music or energy drinks. I stay to myself, focus, and do my thing.” Will Sanford On pitching against an aggressive hitting team… “Knowing that most of their players don’t strike out a lot and they like to put a lot of balls in play, we tried to take advantage of that, get ahead early and make some weak contacts.” On mentality against tough batters... “Being able to trust each pitch I’m throwing and not being scared to walk guys has been a big thing for me. Being on the attack and forcing them to put it in play, you get a call sometimes to go your way.” On pitching while Oregon is ahead… “It’s great, we take advantage of that. The thing for us is when we get those big numbers, being able to shut them down right away. We put up a 0 quickly, get our offense back out there and take the momentum from there.” On Matt Florer’s approach… “His approach with me is to trust my routine and let me do what I need to do. He also helps me on the mental side. If I am struggling with something, he’s there for me and gets me out of that. It’s been a big adjustment for me knowing I have a pitching coach that has trust in me. It makes it easy to pitch.”

Great matches, especially the last three. Thanks for the heads up Jon!

Desert Duck, I couldn't agree more. Once we hit that 'golden' age of 60 the risks pile up for cardiac disease and not just for those of us of the coarser gender. Family history, high cholesterol or LDL, hypertension, smoking (or history of) or being a bit fluffy. Check a few of those boxes and add in a little exertional chest tightness or shortness of breath (SOB, as we appropriately used to call it), fatigue and sleep apnea. A cardiac stress test is smart if you have some symptoms. And if you don't, but check some of those those boxes, a cardiac CT calcium study is worthwhile as a screening test, even if insurance won't cover it. It identifies possible dangerous coronary disease. There is a reason a left anterior descending artery blockage is called "the widowmaker" Sorry to sound like a heart health PSA in the middle of Charles telling us about his friendship with 30Duck. I'm a retired surgeon that still thinks about this stuff and has a wife that pushed me to identify my heart issues before she became a 'widow'. Most of us are now at the age where we are seeing friends pass and if a little knowledge will maybe prevent a passing or two, hopefully I can be forgiven for my soapbox medical advice.

I certainly understand your POV. However, what if an 8-4 team played the most difficult schedule in a given season and a 10-2 team played the easiest schedule? Last season with this format, No. 23, 8-4 Iowa, would have been the only 4-loss team in the field. And Iowa defeated 2-loss Vandy in a bowl game with all hands on deck except for an Iowa LB who will go in the first two rounds of the draft.

Ducks win 6-2! Tanner Bradley came in finished them off. Boy, he has action on his pitches. This time he threw inside enough to make the batter lean back, and then the ball whipped in a curve back to the plate for a strike! This is going to be fun to watch over the season... First of the double-header is at 11:00 AM PST on Saturday!

6-2 Ducks after eight innings. Sophomore Tanner Bradley came in for relief, and last year as a freshman he did not pitch much, (five innings) but he did not allow a run in those and showed promise. The fact that he was brought in so soon made me want to watch him closely. He a righty with a lot of action on his pitches. He threw one that was clearly headed outside the plate, but then it curved inside, and caught the corner of the plate. Very nasty. He kept 'em scoreless and looks strong!

6-2 Ducks after seven innings. Gosztola looked like he was going to get out of a jam, but then gave up a double. Ducks didn't do much on offense...

6-0 Ducks after six innings. Will Sanford finished with a great day, giving up no runs. Our first reliever is Gonzaga transfer, Miles Gosztola, who is a lefty with a big sweeping pitch that whips inward towards the batter. He gave up a double, but then forced two grounders and a fly ball. Good start!

6-0 Ducks after five innings. Sanford forces three ground-outs, and the infield looks sharp! Will has 71 pitches after six innings... Angel Laya got his third hit today, a sweet drive in the gap near center field for a double. What have I said about "Greatness and Weakness Emerge Early?" He has a nice natural swing, and quite a good looking player already. Jack Brooks bunts and doesn't make it, but a bad throw pulled the first baseman to have the ball bounce off his mitt. That scores Laya from second base! I guess he has speed too?

5-0 Ducks after 4 innings. Sanford is giving them much to work with as he retired the side, and is at 62 pitches after four innings. It will be interesting to see how long Waz will let him continue, as they like to gradually build the arm up over the season. Gabe Miranda has been hit twice by pitch..already. Drew Smith walked but we got nothing else.

5-0 Ducks after three innings. Angel Laya got another hit in his second at-bat...maybe that is why he is starting? Other Ducks flied/grounded out. Will Sanford put them down in order again, but boy...he has got a nasty curve that drops a foot to pair with his 95 mph fastball. A deadly combination, and maybe that's why he is the starter too? Charles...you gotta trust Coach Waz!

5-0 Ducks after two innings. Will Sanford gave up a hit, but forced two fly-outs, and got a pick-off at first base with Gabe Miranda! Freshman Angel Laya got things going with a hit in his first at-bat! A good-looking newbie there... Jack Brooks did a perfect bunt that died between home plate and the pitchers mound, and he jetted with his superb speed to beat the throw. Then Ryan Cooney puts a perfect bunt down the third base line and with his wings flew to first with time to spare. Jax Gimenez grounds out, but scores Laya. Then Dominic Hellman comes in and unloads a DOM-BOMB that was a line drive that cleared the fence in left field, but also the back fence of the visiting bullpen! Whew!

Wow! What a way to start the season. Keep it going, guys.

1-0 Ducks after one inning. We got bases loaded by hits from Jax Gimenez and Dominic Hellman, and a hit-by-pitch on Miranda but could not get much from the opportunity. Drew Smith walked, thus we got a run. Big surprise...lefty hitter Gabe Miranda was in the clean-up spot on the batting order!

Wow, did I get surprised with the starting lineup. Four fielders...I did not anticipate. We have Jax Gimenez at LF, Jack Brooks at CF, and new freshman Angel Laya at RF. And we have Gabe Miranda at first base as I reported yesterday. Will Sanford put them out 1-2-3 in the first half of the first inning, and all three are .300+ hitters. He threw a 95 mph pitch on his first one, so this is a very good start. Great for his and our confidence!

Thanks for sharing Charles....

Good gosh, the Big-10 is powerful in winter sports! Thank you for that Jon, as I had no idea how incredible conference teams stack up in those sports.

Thanks Charles for a beautiful and heartfelt tribute to 30Duck. I never knew why '30Duck' was his moniker until today. Knowing that great Ronnie Lee was the impetus behind it, for me, only makes his name all the better. Charles -- You mentioned that you thought his passing may likely be due to a heart issue. As someone who out of nowhere found himself having triple-bypass open-heart surgery about 15 months ago, I've kind of become a major league evangelist in encouraging those of us over 50 (men & women), to get a simple, non-invasive, cardiac stress test -- especially if cardiac issues run in your family. Prior to my cardiac stress test, I had absolutely no idea that I had any sort of a heart issue. Then I found out I had 90% blockage in two of the three main arteries to the heart, and 70% in the other one. At that time, I was truly a dead man walking. And while it is still, of course, major surgery, the medical industry really has this stuff down. I got a new lease on life and I'm probably good to go for another 30 years (well... that would put me at 94, so something else will probably get me before then 😅). Sorry to go off on this, but there's so much that can be done today, if we find out we have a problem. Thanks again, Charles, for sharing. My condolences to you, to his family, and other friends.

Tonight on Big Ten Network - 7E/4P - No. 2 in the nation, Ohio State Men's Wrestling visits No. 1 Penn State. 16,000 fans will be on hand to watch this B1G battle. Penn State has won a record 77 dual meets in a row. The last dual meet the Nittany Lions lost was on January 31, 2020, 17-19 to Iowa in Iowa City. The effervescent, high-on-life Shane Sparks will be on the call for BTN. This is a real wrestling match, not a WWE fixed wrassling match. All 10 of the PSU wrestlers are All-Americans. Ohio State brings four All-Americans to Penn State. In other winter sports, Michigan State is No. 1 in Men's Ice Hockey, and Michigan is ranked 2nd. Women's Ice Hockey Rankings - No. 1 Wisconsin, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Minnesota, and No. 4 Penn State. Men's basketball - 2nd-ranked Michigan is odds-on to win a CBB title for the first time since Michigan State won in 2020. Women's CBB - 2nd-ranked UCLA, No. 7 Michigan, and No. 8 Ohio State are ranked in the top 10. Enjoy!

So freakin' dumb to have 24 teams, that's an embarrassment, a 8-4 team has no business being in the playoff. Might as well allow a field of 64 at that point, just have the season go on forever. Basketball, baseball, volleyball, all very different sports where having that many games makes sense. You can play multiple back to backs, you can't do that in football. Just cap it at 16 or 12. I will add that I at least appreciate not having conference championship games. I would hope that under this proposal that we would have games at home sites until the semi-finals. You have to be very wealthy to be able to go to all these playoff games, they can at least make it a bit easier by reducing the amount of games that you have to travel to.