Charles Fischer

2-1 Hoosiers after five innings. Will Sanford retired the side...even faster this time! Drew Smith walked and Nav. Lauiki got plinked. Then Ryan Cooney hit Smith in. Ducks stranded two in scoring position.

2-0 Hoosiers after four innings. Will Sanford gave up two hits, and two wild pitches that resulted in another run. Ducks stymied on offense...

1-0 Hoosiers after three innings. Will Sanford has got it going with retiring the side 1-2-3, but so does the Indiana pitcher. Let's go Ducks!

1-0 Indiana after two innings. Will Sanford does not have his usual control today, but he got through the inning and kept them scoreless. The Hoosier pitcher has a terrible ERA, but that came over a couple of games, while another couple games he kept the opposing team scoreless for his innings. So I guess we see the good side of him today...

1-0 Indiana after one inning. Will Sanford got two outs, then gave up a double and scored him with two wild pitches. Not a good start... Dominic Hellman was left stranded on second...

It should be a good day for baseball--cloudy and not to hot, but not cold either. Indiana is applying a little strategy to their pitchers lined up for the three day series. They are starting pitchers with good ERAs on Saturday and Sunday, as those ERAs are very close to the Oregon starting pitchers. I think they looked at Will Sanford film (3-0) and his ERA at an incredible 0.92 and decided to put their worst against him and save their better pitchers for days with a better chance of winning. Our Beloved Ducks will face Reagan Rivera, (0-2) who has an ERA of 13.50 and thus why I think they decided to play him today instead of Sunday. I did not notice this during the game, but you gotta love it!

Another stat I like to watch is the OB% or On-Base Percentage, which combines hits, walks, and getting plinked. The point is--we can't score unless you get on base, and however you get on base helps the team. (Moneyball strategy takes this to extremes) For example, Gabe Miranda is only hitting .228, but his OB percentage is .384 because the young man has been getting plinked, (6) and he coaxes walks really well. (9) That is 15 more bases he got, and being on base is what matters. Our leadoff hitter, Ryan Cooney, gets on base (OP%) at .480 which is huge. If your leadoff hitter is on base nearly half the time--you have guys right behind him that can hit him in. (Not to mention his speed at stealing) Freshman Brayden Jaksa has an OB percentage of .429 while Jax Gimenez has one of .493! Our top hitter, Drew Smith, is also pretty good at getting on base other ways with 11 extra bases on walks/plinks to elevate his OB percentage to .563! He gets on base over half the time? Whew! Drew Smith finds a way--even when squeezed inside.

I was so delighted to see that Drew Smith returned for his senior year. He is getting all the attention nationally now, and it should help his draft stock when he is hitting .478 and was actually over .500 over the weekend for a bit. We have a couple of Ducks who are trending better in hitting after a tough start to the year. Maddox Molony was over .300 last year, and is now up to .258 and climbing. Gabe Miranda had a difficult start of the year, and has improved it to .228 and has hit three homers, and driven runs at key moments recently. Let's check them all... Drew Smith .478 Angel Laya .368 Jax Gimenez .356 Brayden Jaksa .355 Ryan Cooney .320 Burke-Lee Mabeus .317 Dominic Hellman .313 And yes, I know this is only 17 games into the season of 56 games...but I like the trendline. Batting averages will get boosted by some weak Big-10 opponents like Indiana (7-9), Penn State (4-11) and Washington. (6-10) And it will get dragged down later facing UC Santa Barbara (13-2) No. 1 UCLA (14-2) and No. 25 USC. (17-0) Drew Smith will sacrifice bunt to help the team! We did not know what to expect this year, and thus far it is looking promising. We've lost two games because of pitching, and one game against Purdue (2-1) where we had tons of hits, but not when players were on base, or not a crunch moments. Our of 17 games...you will have one like that, and another you won with poor hitting, but the hits coming at the perfect time. I love the development I am seeing, as Burke-Lee Mabeus had just two home runs last year, and has four this year already including one last night that ignited the team. And Drew Smith? He had five homers last year, and has six already in 2026! This team is fun to watch! Jax Gimenez after his GRAND SLAM!

Doesn't matter what they call him--I am glad he's back!

OK...I gotta wave my Pom-Poms. All those serious shortcomings listed in the posts above--in the last two years occurred against the National Champion, both years. Not the other games, you know how we won a record 13 games a year...twice?

Stewart Mandel was asked this in The Athletic, and here is what he wrote... Has Dan Lanning reached his peak as a head coach? Meaning, the Nike money obtains him talent to the point he can make the Playoff and win a game or two, but the final eight teams all have talent, so coaching becomes the differentiator. — Jorge A. Mandel: I get that Lanning’s teams have suffered blowout CFP losses the last two years, but I don’t consider that a knock on his coaching ability. His teams have been wildly successful. They’ve only lost five games in the last three years, and all five were to teams that won or reached the national championship game (2023 Washington twice, 2024 Ohio State once, 2025 Indiana twice). They also beat those 2024 Buckeyes during the regular season, and the two Washington losses were both decided by three points. The Ducks have also had some bad CFP luck the last two years. They drew an uber-talented Ohio State team in that 2024 quarterfinal; the Buckeyes would have been a higher seed in the new format. With true seeds, Oregon might have reached the championship game. And last year the Ducks had to face Indiana with seemingly no running backs left on their entire team. Oregon probably would have lost anyway, but perhaps it would have been more competitive. If college football were as simple as “the team with the most NIL money wins,” Texas Tech would have won at least one CFP game last season, Steve Sarkisian would have a national title by now and Mario Cristobal would have two or three. You still have to hit on the right players, come up with the best gameplans and call the right plays. History has shown that if a coach can win at a high level, year-in and year-out, he’s probably going to break through at some point. See: Tom Osborne. Or Bobby Bowden. Or Mack Brown. Or more recently, Jim Harbaugh, Kirby Smart and Ryan Day. Lanning’s day is coming. I agree with Mandel...do YOU?

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2026 BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball Pinch-Hit Homer Sparks Ducks To Victory EUGENE, Ore. — For six innings Wednesday, the tension built. It exploded in the seventh, and Burke-Lee Mabeus was the detonator. Playing off the bench Wednesday, Mabeus hit a pinch homer in the seventh that broke a scoreless tie, electrified both dugouts and provided a jolt of energy that permeated the rest of the game before Oregon hung on for a 6-3 win over Xavier at PK Park. The Musketeers had the tying run at the plate in the ninth, but the Ducks pulled it out thanks to a five-run seventh inning sparked by the homer from Mabeus. "We were able to tack on some runs right there, which was really important — was the difference in the ball game," UO coach Mark Wasikowski said. Mabeus pulled his pinch homer to right field, which got both teams chirping at each other on the field and from the dugouts. Once order was restored, the Ducks rallied for four more runs, riding the surge of momentum provided by Mabeus' clutch hit. Burke-Lee Mabeus after his homer "I didn't think it was gone off the bat," Mabeus said. "I had been sitting down for a little bit, and I was thinking, like, hopefully my legs are ready to leg out a double. And then it got over the wall, and I was relieved that I could slow down a little bit." Oregon's seventh-inning rally made a winner of reliever Ryan Featherston (3-0), one of five UO arms to appear out of the bullpen following the first start in nearly three years by right-hander Leo Uelmen. The Ducks (14-3) will take a three-game win streak into their Big Ten home opener Friday against Indiana. "Really excited to be in Eugene, but it starts with taking care of a good practice Thursday, making sure the team's right, spending quality time together and making sure we take care of business Friday," Mabeus said. "And we'll go from there." How It Happened: Uelmen made his first start since May 5, 2023, and pitched into the third while allowing one run. He benefitted from two double plays — left fielder Josh Schleichardt had a memorable first start, catching a flyball in the first and then throwing out a runner at home, and shortstop Maddox Molony snared a line drive before diving to beat a runner back to second base to end the second. Uelmen left with two on and two out in the third. "Good story," Wasikowski said. "He's a worker. He's a great kid, a really good human being. And you know, his stuff now is better than it's ever been." One of those inherited runners came around to score, but that only tied the game after Oregon had scored in the bottom of the second. Gabe Miranda singled to lead off that inning for the Ducks, and later scored from second on a base hit by Naulivou Lauaki, who was also making his first career start. The game remained tied into the seventh, when Mabeus entered as a pinch hitter and untied it. He said UO assistant coach Jack Marder gave him a scouting report on the Xavier pitcher before he stepped into the box. "When we get those rundowns, I've got full faith and trust in those, and so, yeah, I knew what I was getting," Mabeus said. "I was just looking for a ball over the plate, hunting a fastball there, and I was able to get my pitch." Dominic Hellman watches his 3-Run Blast Oregon's dugout exploded in jubilation, and Xavier's did so in frustration. When things calmed down, Schleichardt was hit by a pitch, Ryan Cooney singled and Jax Gimenez walked to load the bases. Dominic Hellman promptly unloaded them with a three-run double, before scoring on a Miranda double that made it 6-1. "Basically it was just keeping what I was doing the same," Hellman said of his approach in that at-bat after being 0-for-3 up to that point. "I mean, obviously I didn't have a great day at the plate before the double, and it was just knowing what I did well throughout the day and knowing how they can possibly pitch me." The Musketeers responded with a two-run homer in the eighth. In the ninth, a leadoff walk drew Oregon closer Devin Bell from the bullpen, and he promptly coaxed a double play. "As soon as I came out of the pen, I talked to Maddox and told him, be ready for the ball," Bell said. "I wasn't looking for strikeouts. I was looking to get the ball in play, turn a double play there. That's what happened." The next two batters reached, but Bell stranded both runners in scoring position with a strikeout to end the game. On Deck: The Ducks open a three-game series against visiting Indiana on Friday (4 p.m., B1G+).

I completely agree, as we actually had a perfect result. We gave young pitchers who are trying to acquire their confidence some valuable game experience, and yet we still won the game.

You and Me.....

I don't see that on GoDucks.com...but it appears my ancient definition of an "assistant" is now extinct. In the old days, you had a head coach, and the other eight were assistant coaches. Now we have coaches listed like A'lique Terry as "Offensive Line," and I suppose Cavanaugh could be an assistant OL coach. They list Koa Ka'ai as "Assistant QBs," so you are correct with the current rendition of "assistant." Thanks for letting me know, as I have to change my terminology to fit what they are doing these days.

Oregon wins 6-3, as Miles Gosztola comes in for one batter, walks him, and pitching coach Matt Flores doesn't like what he sees and replaces him with transfer Devin Bell, who has two saves. Bell was throwing at 95 and 96 mph, and generated a double play, but with two outs Bell gives up two hits. So Xavier has two runners in scoring position and with two outs....Bell strikes the batter out. Whew!

6-3 Ducks after eight innings. Ryan Featherston was doing well...until he gave up a two-run Homer over RF. Three more outs!

6-1 Ducks after seven innings. It was getting to "nervous" time! Josh Hollis had four straight strikeouts to bring it to two outs, but then Ryan Featherston was called from the bullpen to strike the batter out! Coach Waz made an interesting move to pull catcher Brayden Jaksa and put veteran catcher Burke-Lee Mabeus in to bat...and he hits a line-drive over the RF wall! Josh Schleichardt got plinked, and Elijah Cook took over at first as a pinch-runner. Ryan Cooney singles into short RF, and Cook flies to third. Jax Gimenez then walks to load the bases....with Dominic Hellman coming up? He did not disappoint as he smashed the first pitch of a new reliever to the wall to give him a double, and clear the other bases for three runs scored! Gabe Miranda's bat is sure waking up lately, as he hit a double off the RF wall to score Hellman! That was such a beautiful swing...

1-1 after six innings, and Josh Hollis looked good putting them down 1-2-3. We finally got the opposing starting pitcher out, but their reliever is no help for the Good-Guys as we got nothing.

1-1 after five innings. Highly regarded true freshman Oregon pitcher Josh Hollis takes over, and while he has taken some lumps in the earlier games--those forge the experience needed for continued innings to build his confidence. He kept Xavier scoreless as the fielding made some great plays to assist him.

1-1 after four innings. Michael Meckna gave up a hit, who then took second...who was then picked-off on a wonderful example of teamwork between Meckna and Ryan Cooney. He kept them scoreless, and is emerging as a reliable option in the Oregon bullpen. The Musketeer pitching is much better this game, and kept us handcuffed.

1-1 after three innings. Leo Uelmen looked much better than we had seen in the past, but with two outs and runners on the corners...Oregon decided to bring in Michael Meckna. Breaking in Ulemen gradually is a good idea, and he looks like another piece to build in the bullpen. Meckna gave up a hit to allow Xavier their first run, but with a huge moment with bases loaded...got the strikeout!

1-0 Ducks after two innings. Leo Uelmen has a nasty inside curve, and a deceptive changeup to compliment his fast ball. The highlight of the inning was a great low catch by Maddox Molony, and then he scrambles on the turf to get to second base to put that runner out. Double Play! Gabe Miranda got a hit through the RF shift against him, and Drew Smith was plinked. Then comes our new DH for this game RSFr. Naulivou Lauaki, another big-guy on the team at 6'5" 265 pounds...who nails one through the LF/CF gap to score Miranda. Oregon stranded two on base...

0-0 after one inning. The surprise starter is Leo Ulemen, who was a big recruit years ago, and sat out most of the last year and a half due to injuries. He gave up a double to the lead off hitter, who got to third on a wild pitch. Then...the throw from the outfield on a caught fly was overthrown to the backstop, and that was an invitation for the runner to take home. But Ulemen got to the ball in time and fired it to Brayden Jaksa, who made the tag at home for the out! He also had a strikeout on the final batter to get him through a nervous first inning unscathed. Good for him!

Everyone is welcome to join in, and I have no idea who we are starting today...