Charles Fischer

The Drop-Kick is a lost art, and this rule could revive interest in it. Problem is...those who did it well have long since passed.

Amen. In tournaments you need a fourth or fifth pitcher as you progress, and often it is at crunch time. This was an important building block of confidence for him because he almost blew the first inning. But he came back and gradually refined his control and then really did well.

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2026 BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball Ducks Run Rule Xavier in Win EUGENE, Ore. — Jax Gimenez belted a grand slam while three Oregon pitchers combined on a one-hitter in Oregon’s 10-0 (8-inning) win over Xavier in game one of their two-game midweek nonconference series at PK Park on Tuesday. Toby Twist, making his second start of the season, surrendered just one hit in five innings of work to pick up the win. Twist (2-0) matched a career high in innings pitched while also tying his career best with six strikeouts. Tanner Bradley and Blake Crawford combined to toss three hitless innings out of the bullpen with both striking out three Musketeer batters. Gimenez hit one of two Oregon homers in the game. Drew Smith added his sixth long ball of the season to tie freshman Angel Laya or the team lead. How It Happened: Oregon (13-3) jumped out early, scoring five runs in the bottom of the second. After Smith walked and Laya singled to put runners on the corners, Burke-Lee Mabeus drove in Smith with an infield hit to the second baseman. Ryan Cooney loaded the bases with a bunt single, before Gimenez belted a 384-foot blast over the center-field wall for a grand slam and a 5-0 lead. Toby Twist Oregon tacked on another run in the third inning when Smith led off the frame and hit the first pitch he saw 420 feet over the scoreboard in left field. The Ducks added two more runs in the fourth inning to push the lead to 8-0 without the benefit of a hit. UO loaded the bases with a walk, hit-by-pitch and a throwing error on a force play at second. A Gabe Miranda ground out and a Maddox Molony sacrifice fly to right field drove in the runs. The Ducks swiped another run in the fifth. With two outs, Brayden Jaksa intentionally got in a rundown while attempting to steal second. Mabeus took advantage and scored from third before Jaksa was tagged out. The Ducks finished Xavier (5-12) off in the bottom of the eighth. Cooney reached on an infield single and moved to second on Gimenez’s second hit of the day. Pinch hitter Naulivou Lauaki Jr. then collected his second pinch hit in as many games driving in Cooney to end the game. Box Score Notes: Jaksa made his first career start in right field while Laya started his first game in left field … Gimenez’s grand slam was the third hit this season by the Ducks … Gimenez, Cooney, Miranda and Mabeus all finished with two hits … Oregon’s pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts, the 10th time this season Oregon has double-digit strikeouts … On Deck: The Ducks and Musketeers wrap up their two-game midweek series on Wednesday. First pitch is at 3:05 p.m. Quotes: Head Coach Mark Wasikowski On if Toby Twist is emerging as a mid-week starter… “I don’t know, good question. We’ll probably break that down and talk about it in the coaches’ room. Toby is really good. He wasn’t super sharp at the beginning, but he was able to find it. He turned what was a bit of an interesting start into something that was really positive and productive for him. We got the win. He pitched well and really found his rhythm. It took him a little bit to get a feel for things. I was just happy with his resilience.” On what he liked from the bullpen pitchers… “There is a lot of talent down there. I’ve said it a lot: the experience piece is a big thing. We don’t have a bunch of guys who have a ton of experience. The only way they are going to get that experience is to actually pitch in these games. Every day is good from an experience standpoint. It’s not totally pretty and smooth yet, but I hope they continue to progress by the end of the year. There is a lot of arm talent down there.” On what he liked from Brayden Jaksa at centerfield and why Jack Brooks wasn’t there… “Jack Brooks went into the wall the other day at Purdue. He is not 100% right now. Nevertheless, Jack was our starting centerfielder, so we needed to make adjustments. Brayden Jaksa is a really talented player and getting him more plate appearances and finding places for him to play is great.” On how big Gimenez’s second home run with the Ducks is… “It’s really big. He is a talented player and a really athletic kid. His having more experience now and gaining more experience by the day is only going to help him and us as a team.” Toby Twist On his defense being able to support him... “It’s great. I feel comfortable with the guys behind me while I’m making my pitches.” On getting more strikeouts without giving up runs... “Nothing changes. Strikeouts happen. I just try to make pitches and get ahead when I can to bury guys.” On a shaky first inning... “It was a weird first inning. I was getting behind in counts and things weren't going my way, but it was good to get ahead.” Jax Gimenez and Ducks celebrate his Grand Slam... Jax Gimenez On his grand slam and good team performance... “I think the biggest thing is the team performance. Last week our biggest thing was the day after an off day, making sure we show up midweek. With back-to-back weeks coming back from being on the road, last week we didn’t show up. I think we beat ourselves last week, and the goal was to come out and play our game today, and we did that really well. Overall, I liked how we bounced back this week as a team.” On batting behind great players... “I bat behind Ryan Cooney, who’s one of the best lead-off hitters in the country, and I have Dominic Hellman and the rest of the team behind me to help clean it up. It helps when you’re surrounded by those guys, and everyone, top to bottom, does their job. When we do our job, we’re good, but it doesn’t hurt to come up with the bases loaded and be able to get guys home. On his thoughts of his increased performance... “I try to do what I do well. I feel like when I play my game, I’m successful. It’s still early in the year, so I can continue to learn a lot. There’s a lot of season left ahead. There are things today, both offensively and defensively, that I could’ve done better, so I’ll keep continuing to grow from each game, but I think I’ve done a good job at that so far.” On gaining power while staying efficient... “I think I’m at my best in two-strike hitting, bunting, slashing, doing whatever it is I need to be doing. I need to execute what is being called. I’m not trying to hit home runs, that’s when I am at my worst. I try to keep the ball low right through the middle of the field. I think that’s done in the weight room. I try not to overswing. Today, I struck out at my first at bat. I think I was doing too much and chasing the 3-2 pitch for a strikeout. For my second at bat, I tried to get a good swing on it, which is where the power comes. I think I’ll keep continuing to elevate my hits and the power will come from that.”

Oregon Run-Rules Xavier 10-0 in the eighth inning. Redshirt freshman from West Linn, Blake Crawford, a 6'4" lefty got some good experience in striking out the side! Ryan Cooney gets on base due to a fielding error, and Jax Gimenez hits a mid-field looper between 1st and 2nd to get on base. Redshirt freshman Naulivou Lauaki Jr. got a hit up the middle to score Cooney...and the game was declared! MUCH better pitching for this mid-week game than last week versus Beavis. Another tomorrow at 3:00 PM PST!

9-0 Ducks after seven innings. Tanner Bradley did not take long in the rain... Look at the action on his pitch...

9-0 Ducks after six innings. They brought Tanner Bradley out and he put the Musketeers down 1-2-3. Perhaps they just wanted him a have an inning's worth of work to stay sharp?

9-0 Ducks after five innings. Toby Twist puts them down 1-2-3 and looks good! Burke-Lee Mabeus hits down the RF line for a double. Brayden Jaksa got plinked, and Ryan Cooney sac-flies to move Mabeus to third. Jaksa gets caught in a hot-box, or run-down, and while he is distracting them between first and second...Mabeus slips into home before they record the out--to score another!

8-0 Ducks after four innings, as Toby Twist looks sharp for another scoreless inning. Great to have a good pitcher for mid-week games! Ryan Cooney walks, Jax Gimenez got plinked, and Dominic Hellman hits to the SS, who threw to wide to second, thus Gimenez was safe to set up Ducks on the Pond! Gabe Miranda grounds out, but scores Cooney. Maddox Molony sac-flies to score Gimenez. We're cooking!

6-0 Ducks after three innings. Toby Twist kept Xavier scoreless again! Drew Smith hit a MOONSHOT that did not just clear the wall, but over the scoreboard!

5-0 Ducks after two innings. Toby Twist was really getting his control going--even in the rain. He put them down 1-2-3... Drew Smith walked, and Angel Laya hit a jammed single blooper in short right/center field as Smith jets to third. Burke-Lee Mabeus hits a high-hop infield single to get on base as Smith scores. Brayden Jaksa does sac-fly to move Laya to third, and the Ryan Cooney bunted perfect down the first base line to beat the throw! At this point we have Ducks-on-the-Pond! (Bases loaded) Then Jax Gimenez hits over the CF wall for a GRAND SLAM!

0-0 after one inning. Toby Twist is the pitcher for Oregon, and he has quite a sweeping curve from his left-handed throws. Between a walk, a plinked batter, and some controversy over another play--the Musketeers loaded the bases. But Twist created two pop-ups to finish the inning! We have position switches for this game as CF Jack Brooks is taking a break, while Jax Gimenez moves from LF to CF. Angel Laya moves from RF to LF, and Brandon Jaska comes on the field to RF. Jaska is hitting over .350 and thus a good reason to get him on the field with Burke-Lee Mabeus catching. Oregon left stranded again...yikes!

Like Schmidt...I know nothing about our starting pitcher or the opposing pitcher, so it will be part of the entertainment today!

Now, form charts turn out true about as often as our March Madness brackets do. You have false starts, injuries, sickness...or an athlete has a bad day for your team. Or the other teams have a bad day, that opens the door for your team. That happened in the B1G Womens Indoor Championships, as ChileDuck told me that "Illinois has a powerful team this year, and I don't see the Ducks passing them." Then he texts me on Friday to explain that some Illini female athletes did not come through with the points expected....and there is a crack in the door for Oregon. Well, the Women of Oregon busted through that door to win the B1G Indoor Track Championship along with the Men! You can see the form chart predictions below, thanks to ChileDuck. The top one is the Mens, and the bottom shows how strong the Womens Illinois team is. Go Big-10!

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2026 BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball Laya Claims Second B1G Freshman of the Week Honor EUGENE, Ore. – Four weeks into the season, Oregon true freshman Angel Laya has now claimed the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week honor twice. Laya’s latest award came after a big week in a midweek game against Oregon State and a weekend conference series win at Purdue. Laya continued his hot start slashing .400/.500/1.133 with a 1.633 OPS in Oregon’s four games while belting three home runs and scoring six runs. He was instrumental in securing a road conference series win at Purdue by slashing .364/.500/.909 with a 1.409 OPS while hitting a pair of home runs and scoring four runs. Angel Laya at Purdue In Oregon's series-clinching win on Sunday, Laya homered twice while going 4-for-5 with four RBI and four runs scored. In a Tuesday matchup with No. 18 Oregon State, the Ducks' right fielder homered and tripled while going 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. On the season, Laya did not strike out until his 39th plate appearance of the season and has just three Ks in 61 plate appearances while slashing .370/.443/.778 with a team-high six home runs. 2026 Laya Honors Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week (3/9/26) Live Like Lou Las Vegas College Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team (3/1/26) Perfect Game National Freshman of the Week (2/17/26) Big Ten Freshman of the Week (2/16/26) Oregon All-Time Big Ten Freshman of the Week Honors Angel Laya (3/9/26) Angel Laya (2/16/26) Burke-Lee Mabeus (2/24/25)

Great to have you back Oregonjoneses, and having you cover the women who are competing for another B1G title is fantastic. I am passionate about Oregon Baseball, and having someone keep an eye on the Womens Softball will make it fun for everyone this spring.

Thank you Mike, as you came up with a very reasonable way to solve this. I realize that the teams are swapped every two years, but I do feel that the East is a bit more top-heavy than the West. I would propose moving Wisconsin to the East, and placing Indiana in the West...not because I want to play them, but because we cannot break up Ohio-State Michigan, and Indiana is closer than Penn State. (I believe the 'Lions will be back as a power immediately) Washington has gone from the ashes of only two returning starters to nine wins in just two years under that bastard Fisch, thus once they get to the final stage and are winning 10 games consistently--that can also help balance the power between the two divisions. Great ponder points--thank you.

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | SUNDAY, MARCH 8, 2026 BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball Ducks Clinch Series Behind Potent Offensive Attack WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Angel Laya, Drew Smith and Dominic Hellman combined for 11 hits and nine RBI to lead Oregon to a 15-4 series-clinching win over Purdue at Alexander Field on Sunday. Laya, a true freshman, belted a pair of home runs for the second time this season while going 4-for-5 with four RBI and four runs scored. Smith and Hellman also homered with Smith reaching base five times (4-for-4, BB), scoring four times and driving in a pair of runs. Hellman went 3-for-5 with a double, three RBI, two runs scored and a walk, finishing a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. Cal Scolari (3-0) picked up the win while finishing with eight strikeouts in five innings of work. How It Happened: After not scoring until the eighth inning on Saturday, Oregon got on the board early on Sunday, scoring in the top of the second. Jack Brooks, who had a pair of RBI on Friday, delivered a two-out RBI base hit to score Maddox Molony for a 1-0 lead. Oregon (12-3, 2-1 B1G) tacked on four runs in the top of the third behind four hits that included a double and a home run. Jax Gimenez led off the inning with a hard-hit single to left before coming around to score from first on a Hellman double inside the third-base bag. Smith added to the lead with a two-out base hit in the third to score Hellman from third. Laya followed with a two-run homer into the Ducks’ bullpen beyond the right-field fence. Purdue (9-5, 1-2 B1G) answered with four runs in its half of the inning. After one out free passes on a walk and hit-by-pitch, Aaron Manias fisted one over Smith’s head at third for the Boilermakers first run. Sam Flores followed with an inside-the-park home run scoring three. Flores was able to come all the way around to score after Brooks slammed into the wall hard and stayed on the ground while the runners circled the bags. Angel Laya Oregon came back and added to the lead in the fourth, scoring two more. Back-to-back walks to Brooks and Ryan Cooney set up Hellman for another big at bat. The Ducks designated hitter laced a ball into right-center field to score Brooks. Gabe Miranda followed with a base hit up the middle to plate Cooney for a 7-4 lead. Oregon pushed the lead to five in the top of the fifth. Laya homered again driving in Smith who led off the inning with a base hit. Oregon added three more in the top of the sixth. Hellman and Smith both hit solo home runs to left field, before Burke-Lee Mabeus doubled, scoring Laya from first. Back-to-back singles to open the eighth by Smith and Laya set the table for another three-run inning. Elijah Cook, who entered the game as a pinch runner in the fifth, singled through the right side to score Smith and move Laya to third. Ryan Cooney then doubled into the left-field corner plating Laya and Cook for Oregon’s final runs. Box Score Notes: Oregon moved to 3-0 in weekend series wins this season and now has won 10 consecutive series dating back to April 4-6, 2025 … The Ducks finished with 20 hits, the most since they had 21 on March 6, 2024, vs. Grand Canyon … Oregon homered four times in a game for the third time this season … Laya’s two homers marked the second time this season he has hit a pair of home runs in a game … Hellman extended his reached base streak to 15 with a first inning base on balls, while Smith extended his streak to 15 with a second-inning walk. On Deck: Oregon opens a two-game series against Xavier on Tuesday. First pitch is at 3:05 p.m PST.

It is amazing how a pitcher can just "not-be-on" with a given day. Purdue went through nine pitchers today, as their starter was off his control, and their really good first reliever was having an off-day as well. So..it happens to other teams too!

Ducks win 15-4 on the run-rule after eight innings. Drew Smith beats an infield dribble to first base, and Angel Laya hits to the vacated hole in the opposite field shift. Burke-Lee Mabeus sac-flies to move Smith to third. Elijah Cook comes in to get a hit through the left infield and scores Smith. Ryan Cooney then hits to the left field corner to score two! Miles Gosztola pitched an out, and a walk before Devin Bell came in and finished the inning generating a double play. Run-Rule!

12-4 Ducks after seven innings. Luke Morgan came in to pitch an out, and was replaced by Miles Gosztola, who finished the side. When you're up eight...it is good to get some pitchers some work in this weekend, and allow those relievers who melted down last weekend the chance to get their confidence back.

12-4 Ducks after six innings, as Dominic Hellman blasted a homer into the Purdue Bullpen...and then Drew Smith cratered one over the Boilermaker Bullpen in left field! Angel Laya singles past the SS, and then Burke-Lee Mabeus zips one to the RF corner for a double and scores Laya from first with his jets. Whew! Michael Meckna came in to relieve Cal Scolari, and he creates fly-balls and grounders for three easy outs.

9-4 Ducks after five innings. Drew Smith knocks one up the middle for a hit, and was later advanced to second on a pitch-clock violation. The freshman phenom Angel Laya comes up and hits a two-run home run over the RF wall again! Cal Scolari left them scoreless, as his fastball is a little off today, but his drop-curve has been super. He has 82 pitches after five innings...so I don't know if we will see him in the sixth.

7-4 Ducks after four innings. Jack Brooks walked, as did Ryan Cooney. Then Dominic Hellman nails a short RF shot to score Brooks from second. Gabe Miranda slips one through the infield to score Brooks. Cal Scolari gives up two straight hits, and with no outs...this looked ominous. But he hunkered down and struck out three-straight-batters!

5-4 Ducks after three innings. Jax Gimenez got it started with a hit to short-RF, and then Dominic Hellman hit a screamer-double just inside the left field line to score the speedy Gimenez from first base! Hellman advanced to third base on a sac-fly to move him, and the Drew Smith zings a hit to shallow RF to score Hellman. The incredible freshman, Angel Laya then blows things open with a homer over the RF wall to score two! Unfortunately, Cal Scolari lost some control this inning. He walked and plinked a batter, who then scored later on a bloop single. Another hit went to the wall, and Jack Brooks hit the wall hard trying to catch it, and was dazzled...and collapsed. Thus an in-the-park homer scored three. We have a game.

1-0 Ducks after two innings. Maddox Molony hit an infield dribbler that he outran for the hit. He moved to third on outs, and then Jack Brooks hit a blooper over second base that scored Molony. BTW...the pitcher for Purdue beat Oregon State earlier this season. He has his moments... Oregon's Cal Scolari finished them off 1-2-3, and has a low pitch count of only 19 pitches in two innings. Cool!