Charles Fischer

I recall how Oregon State had such a great pitching staff when we played them, but when you get to your fifth game in three days--you are on fumes. LSU beat them 13-7 in the Regional Championship today. It makes me even more grateful for how Oregon pulled out two tough one-run victories to be in the winner's bracket, (5-4 & 8-7) and survive without four starting pitchers from this year, and returned from last year. (Ayon, Mosiello, Gordon, and Jace Stoffal) Does Stanford have any pitchers left? They play Texas A&M at 6:00 PM, and I am delighted at how TCU beat Arkansas in Fayetteville today. This is how you wear black!

I did not know that--good point. Perhaps schedule earlier in the day for the Ducks? Thanks for your first post, and do jump in often. WELCOME!

Oregon has gone before, but before even I was born. (1954)

I just received an email from the Athletic Department promoting the sale of Super-Regional tickets if we are announced at 7:00 AM Tuesday by the NCAA as a location. Apparently they officially announce all the locations once the Regional finals today are finished. So, it is not official yet, but it would be a stunner if we did not host Oral Roberts this next weekend. I really loved the quote from Coach Waz from last night... “(Pitching coach Jake) Angier was pitching 10 freshmen (this spring), and we're going to a Super Regional,” Wasikowski said. “No, it wasn’t perfect throughout the course of the year. And he knew it wasn't perfect, and we knew it wasn't perfect. And all we asked for was improvement. … And you saw development, real development, throughout the course of the year with those young arms.” Boy did we, as the benefit to having four starting pitchers out from injuries is how our freshmen are going to be very battle-hardened for next year. Grayson Grinsell (above) is looking like a stud, and the question is where to you use him in 2024? He has been incredibly helpful as a reliever, but I could see him going six innings next year as a starter, and frankly...with that nasty sideways-and-down curve/slider as a left-hander--I could see him as a closer as well. With all these young pitchers? Oregon is building an exciting base for the future, but wait! The future is now, as Our Beloved Ducks have a real shot at OMAHA!

Joshua....I did not know how Troy passed the ball so little, and thus your observation about the numbers of Tez Johnson are even more remarkable. Fun read, thank you! I would suggest that another receiver might also be pushing Franklin for Superstar status before his time at Oregon ends, and that is Gary Bryant Jr., the transfer from USC. Bryant's numbers in 2021 would have topped all receivers at Oregon that year and would have made him our No. 1 WR, had he been at Oregon. Lincoln Riley then is hired, brings Addison from Pitt, and his own WRs from Oklahoma, and Bryant is left out. I think we got a dandy in him; when you consider all three along with Traeshon Holden and Kris Hutson? Whew!

Super-Regional in Eugene versus Oral Roberts! Two more wins to OMAHA!

11-2 after EIGHT innings.

10-1 Ducks after SEVEN innings. Colby Shade came in as a pinch runner and had a brace on his left wrist.

10-1 Ducks! Oregon took some walks, got an infield single to load the bases with two outs. Then Rishida hits a double with a wood bat to score them all! Then Drew Cowley hit a three run homer to blow this open!

Ian Umlandt, freshman from Tualatin, pitched a scoreless fifth inning, and was cool to see him throwing to Bennet Thompson from Medford.

4-0 Oregon after FIVE innings. Nishida created a throwing error stealing second, and scored a Duck, and the inexperienced Xavier pitcher got rattled and did a balk, to score another run!

1-0 Oregon after four innings from Sabin Ceballos blast that cleared all the seating! I sense we are not as intense as if playing Vandy, and beating them five times in a row can hurt us.

0-0 after THREE innings. Grinsell has SEVEN strikeouts!

0-0 after two innings. For some reason, star centerfielder, and extraordinary, .300+ hitter Colby Shade is not playing!

So Dallas Baptist beat Washington 9-1, and this means that if Oregon wins one of two games tonight or Monday--we host a Super Regional! Can our pitchers hold out for ONE MORE GAME?

Vandy has a deeper bullpen, but it was hard enough to beat Xavier for a fifth time, let alone a sixth time.

Right now in Stillwater Oklahoma...an elimination game is being played between Washington and Dallas Baptist, and DBU is up 4-0 after five innings. From a conference standpoint...we really want the damn Huskies to win, but if they lose--DBU would play Oral Roberts in the Regional final and that would be a No. 3 seed playing a No. 4 seed in the Regional Championship. Washington is a No. 2 seed, and I believe is a higher No. 2 than ours, due to our late-season injuries and losing three out of the last four against them. The higher seed gets to host a Super-Regional. For Oregon...that means that as a No. 2 regional seed....if we won today or Monday and DBU beat Washington....Oregon would host a Super-Regional! Yet if we did not win--it would be better for the conference if Washington won. I can't say it dominates my thoughts, but it is quite interesting and brought about by the big upsets in that Regional. (We will cover it later....but a ton of regionals were awarded over Oregon where it is becoming obvious should not have happened.) You could hear it in the SEC broadcasters last night. They began with a tone of "Oregon has a nice little team," while Vanderbilt is powerful. By the end of the game and seeing our superb hitting, athleticism in the field and coaching to coax our pitchers...they changed their tune. "Oregon has a good team." Right. Thoughts on my dilemma?

I am predicting we go with Matthew Grabmann (Another freshman Canadian as last night) as starter tonight and hope he has good control. I expect to see more of Grayson Grinsell again, and for Austin Anderson....today is another day! I'll be we see Mercado and McShane for a few innings as well. If we have to play on Monday...with our pitching situation then?

Congrats to Texas Tech on their Baseball victories in their Regional. Way to take out the SEC! Beating No. 2 Seed Florida in Gainesville must have been sweet; do finish them off! ”The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

Omigosh! The winner of this bracket was supposed to play the No. 11 Seed, Oklahoma State, but they have been bounced from the tournament. If Oregon were to win this regional, and a lower seed wins the Stillwater regional....Oregon could host a Super-Regional? We gotta win one of two games over Sunday, and Monday if needed....whew! It could happen because first Oklahoma State lost twice, and while Washington was the No. 2 Seed in the Stillwater Regional, but they just got beat by Oral Roberts 15-12 after leading 8-1!

Sure on Tez, but I would put Gary Bryant Jr. ahead of Jordan James...

When they hit the two-run homer off Mollerus....it made me think about the end of the Portland game...its not going to be "Deja Vu all over again?"

The play of the game--HUGE.