Charles Fischer

I have never heard of these guys, but they have Oregon hosting a Super-Regional as a No. 8 Seed, with the Winner of the No. 9 Seed Regional in Corvallis coming to visit if both win their Regionals. Can you imagine THAT drama? Oregon would have to beat Beavis to go to Omaha?

Two things really stand out...1) how bad baseball attendance is in the B1G, and 2) how incredible Nebraska's following is. PK Park could improve a TON and not catch them. Thanks to sports fan for the time spent on research to learn this!

Our OBD member, sports fan, posted this below in a separate thread and I thought I'd combine them into the same topic thread. This prediction is by Baseball America, while mine above is from On3...and they both have us as a Super-Regional host! (For now...) 2025 College World Series Predictions: Picking Our ‘Eight For Omaha’ (May 16) WWW.BASEBALLAMERICA.COM Baseball America's latest "Eight For Omaha" prediction includes a trio of new teams trending toward 2025 College World Series berths. I find it interesting that...1) Oregon has an RPI with them of No. 18? And 2) three of the teams including the Ducks have RPIs worse than No. 8 among the predicted top-8 seeds and Super-Regional hosts... We gotta win the B1G Tournament...it might be possible to be a finalist in the B1G Tournament, not win, but retain the Super-Regional hosting? Thoughts? I think it is very iffy...

On3 released their NCAA Baseball Tournament Projections, and their predictions of what D1Baseball rankings will be in a day or so. First of all...they predicted the D1Baseball would rank Our Beloved Ducks No. 4 in the nation, and Beavis at No. 5. However--let's wait for the actual poll to come out, and D1Baseball is what the NCAA uses to assist their selections (along with RPI) for the NCAA Baseball Tournament. As HDuck reported last night, Oregon's RPI is the highest it has been all season at No. 12 in both ranking systems. This is crucial, as not long ago--our RPI was in the 50s, so I am grateful for the move. On3 NCAA Baseball Tournament Projections Granted things will change over the week with conference tournaments, but not too drastically. The actual NCAA announcement is on ESPN on May 26th on their usual selection show. But let's get to what On3 predicts... Oregon No. 7 National NCAA Seed: They predict that Our Beloved Ducks will make the final eight, and thus if we win the Regional, we would host the No. 10 tournament seed Clemson Regional winner at PK Park in a Super-Regional...if things continue according to form. UCLA is predicted to be a No. 16 Seed, and will host a Regional. Iowa and Michigan were predicted last week to be in the tournament, and today prediction has them out of the field of 64. USC is predicted to make the field, traveling to the Oxford Regional. Scheduling Works: At the beginning of the season, Coach Waz explained that many of our non-conference series were against teams that were predicted to win their leagues, and On3 predicts that both Rhode Island and Columbia (The 36 runs scored?) will win their conference, and be in the tournament. While On3 notes that the Ducks are "surging," they also remind us that even with winning 14 of the last 15 games, and the B1G... they say that, "Barring an early exit in the Big Ten Tournament, Oregon feels somewhat solid as a top eight." I believe we not only have to not exit early--I think we need to win the damn thing to be on the safe side. Field of 64 Projections: NCAA Tournament picture shaken up entering conference tournament week - On3 WWW.ON3.COM It's time to enter conference tournament week in college baseball, but not before some serious changes in our Field of 64 projections.

I have the same past traumas, but our weakness is still pitching consistency. We have had it the last month, but....today's near meltdown of Cole Stokes was not pretty. Collin Clarke could be better, and problem is...when we face elite teams later--they will have stronger, deeper bullpens. But on a given day....our guys can rise to the moment. An aside--our best two pitching recruits of the past two years...have given us very little help. Toby Twist got injured, and had/has a high upside, and Will Sanford has slumped and not returned to even relieving duty yet. So thank goodness pitchers were being developed and improved. Jason Reitz has improved a TON over the last six weeks, and thank goodness he did as he replaced Sanford as the third pitcher. Yet a team with a Neville and Walsh do not come along very often, so let's make the most of it! Jacob Walsh deserves to hold the B1G Championship Trophy!

Ducks are Big Ten Champions IOWA CITY, Iowa — Carter Garate slugged two of No. 5 Oregon’s five home runs at Iowa on Saturday leading the Ducks to a dominant 13-4 win that clinched UO’s first conference championship since the 1974 season. Oregon entered the series at Iowa needing a series sweep and the Ducks got just that doing it in impressive fashion outscoring the Hawkeyes 32-10 in the three games. The Ducks belted 11 home runs in the series. On Saturday, Oregon scored in every inning except the first, second and seventh with two four-run innings and a two-run inning sprinkled in. The victory was Oregon’s 10th straight win and the 14th in the Ducks’ last 15 games. How It Happened: Iowa got out to an early lead with a first inning run, but Oregon bounced back in the top of the third to tie the game. Garate lined his second home run of the series over the right-field wall to get the Ducks on the board. The Ducks took the lead in the top of the fourth with a pair of runs. Drew Smith led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on an Anson Aroz sacrifice bunt to get in scoring position. After a Chase Meggers walk, Ryan Cooney lined a double into the left-field gap driving in Smith and moving Meggers to third. Garate then laid down a perfect drag bunt that he beat out while Meggers scored. The Ducks tacked on another run in the top of the fifth but squandered an opportunity to score more when Meggers grounded into a double play to end the inning with the bases loaded. Dominic Hellman led off the fifth with a walk and moved to third on a Jacob Walsh double that snuck inside the third base line. After a Smith walk loaded the bases, Hellman scored on a high chopper to the first baseman off the bat of Aroz. The First Time I've Seen a Full Smile From Coach Waz Oregon (41-13, 22-8) added four more to the lead in the sixth. Ryan Cooney led off the frame with a solo home run, his second extra-base hit of the day. Garate followed with a walk before Hellman singled on a hit-and-run, setting up Walsh’s long three-run home run and an 8-1 lead. After Iowa cut into a lead with a solo home run in the seventh inning, Hellman joined the home run party with a solo shot to right field in the eighth. Iowa (32-20, 21-9 Big Ten) tried to make it interesting in the bottom of the eighth scoring a pair of runs, but the Ducks put the game away with four runs in the ninth. Maddox Molony and Meggers opened the ninth with back-to-back singles with Molony moving to third on the Meggers base hit. Cooney picked up his third RBI of the game with a sacrifice bunt with Molony sliding head first under the tag by the Iowa catcher. Garate then blasted a three-run home run to center field for Oregon’s final statement. Box Score Notes: Oregon ran its season total to 107 home runs, the most in school history … The Ducks’ 10-game winning streak matches the fifth longest in school history and is one shy of this season’s longest … The five home runs tied for the fourth most in a single game in program history and matches this season’s most (vs. Michigan – April 4) … Cooney slashed .556/.692/1.444 with two home runs and two doubles in the series, while Walsh slashed .533/.533/1.133 with two home runs and three doubles against the Hawkeyes … Oregon’s last regular-season title came in the Pac-12 Northern Division … The 22 league wins matched the Ducks’ 2013 team for the most in program history. On Deck: The Ducks’ open the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday at 4 p.m. (PT) against the No.12 seed at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.

We have people keeping you updated on baseball...how about giving us a softball score?

Yep. Normally when Hawkeye relief pitchers come in with ERAs below three and four...I am concerned. But I knew those stats were built on a weaker schedule, although on a given day... The four former Pac-12 teams will be all in the top five of the conference, but we all had to play each other....which makes our schedule harder! Add to that in how Our Beloved Ducks had to play conference leader Iowa on their home field before a full house? It is all the more remarkable for Oregon.

Below is a video of the award ceremony. In case you do not have Twitter...below is a screenshot!

Ducks win 13-4 as Iowa cannot stop the Oregon onslaught of runs. The Pride of Springfield Oregon, Maddox Molony, line-drives to left field for a single while Chase Meggers zings one on the ground to right field as Molony gets to third. Ryan Cooney bunts down the first-baseline to sacrifice, (GOOD!) and Iowa throws to home late to try to stop Molony from scoring. Carter Garate goes to bunt several times to advance the runners, and then cranks back and says..."what-the-heck," and blasts a three-run homer over center field! With no drama, Santiago Garcia shows some flair with a breaking ball, to finish the Hawkeyes 1-2-3!

9-4 Ducks after eight innings. Dominic Hellman homers over right field, but the Hawkeyes take advantage of the mental weakness of Cole Stokes who came in for relief. I've watched him meltdown TWICE to lose games this season, and we just watched another meltdown--although we can survive this one. Jason Reitz gives up ONE run in his 6 and 2/3rds innings, while Stokes plinks a batter, (as usual) and walks in two runs! Santiago Garcia comes in to end the inning, and save my sanity.

8-2 Ducks after seven innings, as Iowa got a homer off Featherston, and Toby Twist came in for Oregon to finish off the inning as another lefty.

8-1 Oregon after six innings, and my Duck-Tail is wiggling! The Pride of Portland, Ryan Cooney, nails a homer over right field, and yet Oregon is not finished. Iowa keeps substituting pitchers...to no avail, as Carter Garate walks, and then a strange play occurs. Dominic Hellman blasts a pitch that hit the second base umpire, and then bounces off the helmet of the second baseman to slow-roll into center field while Garate jets from first to score! Jacob Walsh steps up and sends another blast into orbit, for a three-run homer! Jason Reitz got the first two outs on the Hawkeyes, and was replaced by Ryan Featherston who got the third out.

4-1 Ducks after five innings, as Iowa throws more relief pitchers at Oregon to try to stop the tide. Dominic Hellman walked, and Jacob Walsh nailed a screamer just inside the third baseline and into the left field corner for a double. At this point...we have runners at second and third and no outs. Later we had bases-loaded and no outs, and my philosophy is to ALWAYS sacrifice two outs for two runs. You have 27 outs to work with...get the damn runs! Anson Aroz grounds out to first base to score Hellman, and then Maddox Molony walks to load the bases again...and we squander it! P.S. Jason Reitz has a manageable pitch count, and could go further...

3-1 Ducks after four innings! Iowa is having a hard time dealing with Oregon's pitcher, Jason Reitz, and the Ducks got the bats going! Maddox Molony shows good discipline batting as he gets a walk, as does Chase Meggers. Then, Ryan Cooney gets a hit that splits the left and centerfield to score Molony. Next we see a PERFECT bunt by Carter Garate, that goes right in between the pitcher and first baseman for a hit while Meggers scores. Even with as good as that was...Our Beloved Ducks stranded two!

1-1 after three innings, as Carter Garate timed the changeup pitch perfectly and blasted it out of the park...despite the temperature. Oregon's Jason Reitz is improving, and put them down easily 1-2-3 this inning.

1-0 Hawkeyes after two innings. Oregon has not found the batting stride yet, and while the Duck's Jason Reitz got into some trouble, but he got a clutch strikeout, and a fantastic pickoff throw by Chase Meggers helped to seal the inning.

1-0 Iowa after one inning. Oregon's Jason Reitz did not have his usual control to start, and between a plinking of a batter, he steals second, a wild pitch to advance him to third...and a sacrifice grounder to score him...some adjustments to the weather needs to be made. Oregon batters blasted fly balls deep, as the wind is at 20 mph, but as Coach Waz stated in the pregame interview..."it's a cold day." Thus, like the Michigan State game...when it is cold--the ball won't travel, and we need to focus on base hits, IMHO.

Agreed. There is no substitute for experience, as a freshman will effectively be overpaid for two years before his actual value is realized on the field. (Especially at quarterback!)

While the press release states that Oregon has won nine straight...another tidbit is how this baseball team has won 13 of the last 14 games...with the only loss to the incredible pitcher at Michigan State. C'mon Ducks...You Can Do It!

Gritty Win, Ducks Rally To Set Up Big Ten Title Showdown IOWA CITY, Iowa — No. 5 Oregon rallied from a four-run deficit for a 9-6 win at Iowa on Friday setting up a battle for a Big Ten Conference championship on Saturday in Iowa City. Oregon (40-13) scored eight of its nine runs in the final five innings after falling behind 6-2 after five innings. Jacob Walsh led Oregon, going 3-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored, while four Ducks' relievers combined to throw 4.2 scoreless innings. With the win, Oregon pulled into a first-place tie with Iowa at 21-8 in the Big Ten Conference. UCLA also picked up a win on Friday against Northwestern to move to 21-8. An Oregon win on Saturday would secure the top seed in next week's Big Ten Tournament, while a loss would leave the Ducks as the No. 2 or No. 3 seed depending on the result of the UCLA-Northwestern game on Saturday. How It Happened: For the second consecutive game Drew Smith got the Ducks on the board in the top of the first inning. After Jacob Walsh doubled with two outs, Smith singled to right field, scoring Walsh for a 1-0 lead. Iowa (32-19-1) scored three runs in the third and another in the fourth to take lead, before Walsh cut into the lead with a solo home run in the top of the fifth. The Hawkeyes built on the lead with a pair of solo home runs in their half of the fifth, then Anson Aroz answered with a solo shot of his own to make it a 6-3 game. Oregon rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh inning to take the lead. Mason Neville led off the frame with a double into the left-field corner before Dominic Hellman reached on a hit-by-pitch, setting up a Walsh RBI double into right-center field. Smith picked up his second RBI of the game with an infield hit off the diving third baseman's glove. Chase Meggers walked to load the bases setting the table for Ryan Cooney who laced a two-out, two-run double down into the left-field corner to give the lead. The Ducks tacked on two insurance runs in the ninth. Aroz reached on a bunt single and came around to score on a Meggers bunt single. Maddox Moloney, who walked before Meggers' RBI, scored on a wild pitch later in the inning. Ian Umlandt (6-1) picked up the win, tossing two scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He gave way to Cole Stokes who fanned three in 1.1 innings of work. Santiago Garcia got the final out in the eighth and the first in the ninth, before Seth Mattox came on to retire the only two batters he faced for his seventh save. Box Score Notes: Oregon's two home runs gave the Ducks 102 for the season, setting a new program record … Walsh's two doubles were the 58th and 59th of his career, moving him into second all-time at Oregon passing Gabe Matthews (2017-21) … Neville scored one run to move into a tie for first in single-season runs scored … The win was Oregon's ninth consecutive victory. On Deck: The Ducks will look to finish off a series sweep and clinch the No. 1 seed in next week's Big Ten Tournament on Saturday (10:02 a.m. PT / Big Ten Network).

Oh, he’s got his GAME-FACE on!

The game summary is at the bottom of thread! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Both Oregon and Iowa are now tied in the B1G, and even if UCLA wins their remaining games....they will be tied with Oregon, who have the series win over the Bruins-- thus the Ducks will be B1G Champions of the regular season IF they win tomorrow morning. (On the B1G Network) Dan Lanning says that "pressure is a privilege," ...to get to be in that position! I noticed that Washington won their first two against Iowa, but got killed in the third game. Beavis did the same thing, and had to stop at 6-6 in the third game to catch a plane. So the Hawkeye pitcher for their third game each week is good. It is RIGHT THERE!

Ducks win 9-6 with an impressive comeback over Iowa. Anson Aroz does a perfect bunt to get to first, and then he steals second. A passed ball by the catcher puts him on third. Maddox Molony walks, and then Chase Meggers does a first-baseline sacrifice bunt, but beats the throw to be safe while Aroz scores! A Duck flies out to move the runner to third, and a wild pitch scores Molony! This is a powerful team that can also play great small-ball with bunts, steals and heads-up base-running! Garcia gets an out, and the Seth Mattox has some drama, but gets the last two outs!