Charles Fischer

I am hoping that Ryan Featherston is not injured, and that we see him get some innings. What a fantastic pitching day yesterday--can we back it up on a mid-week? Toby Twist

Oh Don....great article, but I do have two areas of disagreement. First...your beloved Hawkeyes are not in the top five of teams that will make life harder for the Ducks? My friend...they already have made life harder, as we were fortunate to escape that incredibly tough environment this last fall. Any team that goes to Iowa City is in for a big-battle. With a new QB...I see more of that from Iowa. Second...quietly...Bret Bielema has built a strong team at Illinois. They have gradually become better, and this year won NINE games, including a sweet win over the SEC in their bowl game against Tennessee. I see a very tough trip to Champaign this fall, and thus the Illini are certainly going to make life harder for the Ducks and all Big-10 opponents...IMHO. My Duck-Buddies....this article by Don Marsh is well thought out, and fun to discuss. It is a great example of an opinion article that gets us all pondering, and something our writers at FishDuck.com enjoy to contribute to the forum. Do YOU have something to say? Write it in an email or on a Word Document and email it to me charles@fishduck.com and I'll take it from there. We'll have an editor polish it, and I will add pictures. I could use guest articles in the off-season, and I am very grateful to people who contribute as they do so often. Thanks to Jon Joseph, Mike Whitty, Mike West, and of course--Don Marsh. Add your name to that list! Mr. FishDuck

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2026 BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball Ducks 1-hit UC San Diego in 6-0 Win LA JOLLA, Calif. — Miles Gosztola and Leo Uelmen combined to toss a one-hitter while Jack Brooks homered and drove in four runs to lead No. 20 Oregon to a 6-0 nonconference win at UC San Diego at Triton Ballpark on Tuesday. Gosztola (1-1) took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, before finally surrendering a single just out of the reach of second baseman Ryan Cooney with two outs in the inning. He retired the next hitter to finish his day allowing just two runners to reach base. The Ducks’ lefty was in command from the outset retiring the first 15 batters he faced before finally issuing a walk to lead off the bottom of the sixth. He got the next batter to fly out to Brooks in center field before getting a ground-ball double play to end the inning. Miles Gosztola Gosztola faced 22 batters throwing first-pitch strikes to 17 of them on the way to finishing the game with eight strikeouts. Uelmen came out of the pen to retire six of the seven batters he faced, getting a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth with all three outs on weak ground balls to first baseman Gabe Miranda. He issued a walk after retiring the first two batters in the ninth before fanning the final batter he faced to end the game. On offense, Brooks reached base three times (2-for-3, BB) with a home run and a double. Miranda went 3-for-4 with two runs scored. How It Happened: After managing just one hit through the first 4.1 innings, Oregon finally found some offense after Burke-Lee Mabeus started a rally with a bunt single. Miranda moved Mabeus to second with his second hit of the day, before Brooks lined a three-run home run off the scoreboard beyond the right-field wall. Oregon tacked on a fourth run with another home run to right field. This time it was Jax Gimenez doing the honors with his third career homer. The Ducks added some insurance in the ninth inning, scoring two more runs. Maddox Molony led off the frame with a solo homer to left. After Miranda picked up his third hit of the day, Brooks ripped a run-scoring double into the right-center field gap, scoring Miranda from first. Box Score Notes: Brooks’ home run was his third in has last 14 at-bats … It was also the third of his career and the season … Drew Smith failed to reach base in a game for the first time this season … Ryan Cooney had his seven-game hitting streak snapped … Gosztola and Uelmen combined to allow just three base runners … The Ducks got six hits, four runs scored and four RBI out of the seven, eight and nine spots in their lineup. On Deck: Oregon and UCSD wrap up their two-game series on Wednesday with a 3:05 p.m. first pitch.

RPI planning by Waz, as the B1G is weak, and adding San Diego-who has a win over No. 1 UCLA and has a good RPI that helps Oregon for the postseason. Even more so with Santa Barbara-tough team. We have one non-conference week during the B1G schedule, and Waz uses it to boost RPI.

I do not see a political reference. I see legislation proposed by a former college coach who went undefeated one season, and some comments about the legislation. If you disagree--email me charles@fishduck.com

Thanks, and I see Waz developing depth among the Bullpen, as more pitchers are getting their confidence. This team has upside left, and if we see it...

Ducks win 6-0 after Maddox Molony skies a homer over the left wall! Then Gabe Miranda gets a hit to the R-CF, and Jack Brooks hits a double that goes to the CF-RF gap and buzzes to the warning track before the fielders can get their hands on it. This allows Miranda to score from first, and perhaps the big-guy has more wheels than I thought! Leo Uelmen comes in again to finish off the side, and WOW. What great pitching tonight, and big confidence builders for both pitchers. Gosztola was incredible...just ONE hit is all.

4-0 Ducks after eight innings. Jax Gimenez pulverized a pitch, and put it on almost the same spot on the scoreboard that Jack Brooks did earlier for solo HR! Leo Uelmen came in for Gosztola, and put them down 1-2-3!

3-0 Ducks after seven innings. Oregon stranded a runner again, but boy....what a game for Miles Gosztola! He gave up his first hit, and then retired the side with eight KOs.

3-0 Ducks after six innings. Oregon stranded a runner, and Miles Gosztola finally gave up a base runner to a walk. Then he got a flyout, and a grounder to generate a double-play to end the inning! He's HOT. Will we see him in the seventh?

3-0 Ducks after five innings. Burke-Lee Mabeus pulled a perfect bunt down the 3rd baseline to beat the throw. Gabe Miranda got a hit in short-RF, and then Jack Brooks came up and blasted a 3-run homer that popped the scoreboard!

0-0 after four innings. Ducks left another on-base, while Miles Gosztola has put down 12 batters in a row. Thus far, he has three pitches going well between his left-handed sweeper, a changeup, and a fastball down the middle. Barely 50 pitches in four innings...

0-0 after three innings. Ducks left one base runner stranded... But Miles Gosztola has put down nine straight batters!

0-0 after two innings. The Duck starter, Miles Gosztola, has been steadier thus far than other outings. Looks good... The Triton starter is a freshman pitching his first game, and he has been super as well.

Since they are flying down for a big non-conference series this weekend with UC Santa Barbara....Our Beloved Ducks went early to play two mid-week games against UC San Diego. While the Tritons are 9-11, they did get a game off of No. 1 UCLA in the first week of college baseball a month ago. I have no idea who either team is starting at pitcher, although my guess is Ryan Featherston--since he did not pitch over the weekend. Let's get another win streak going! Ryan Featherston

Not his point, just an observation.

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2026 BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball Hellman Claims Big Ten Weekly Honor EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon’s Big Ten Conference series win over Northwestern led to Ducks’ designated hitter Dominic Hellman being named co-Big Ten Conference Player of the Week, the conference announced today. Hellman dominated in a series win over Northwestern hitting two home runs in two different games. The Ducks' DH slashed .417/.533/1.417 with a 1.920 OPS in the three games. He went 5-for-12 with four home runs, eight RBI and five runs scored in the series while also walking three times. In game one, Hellman homered twice in a 20-6 win while reaching base three times (2-for-3, BB) with two RBI and two runs scored. He homered in consecutive at-bats in the third and fifth innings while also walking in the first. In a 6-4 series-clinching win on Saturday, Hellman walked and scored in Oregon's two-run first inning. In the finale, Hellman was instrumental in helping Oregon rally from a 10-2 deficit to force extra innings. After driving in Oregon's first run in a 2-run first inning, Hellman slugged a two-run home run in the sixth to pull Oregon within six runs. In his next at-bat, Hellman capped Oregon's five-run inning with a three-run bomb to cut the NU lead to one. Hellman finished game reaching base four times (3-for-6, BB) with six RBI and two runs scored. Hellman moved into seventh on the Ducks’ career home run list with 26 passing Shaun Chase (2012-15). All-Time Big Ten Conference Players of the Week Dominic Hellman (3/23/26; 3/3/25) Ryan Cooney (5/5/25; 5/19/25) Mason Neville (4/21/25) All-Time Pac-12 Conference Players of the Week Jacob Walsh (3/11/24; 4/3/23) Drew Cowley (5/1/23) Gabe Matthews (4/13/21) Kenyon Yovan (3/9/21) Spencer Steer (4/15/19) Scott Heineman (5/25/15; 4/15/13) Shaun Chase (5/5/14) Mitchell Tolman (4/14/14; 5/6/13) Ryon Healy (4/29/13; 2/19/13) Aaron Payne (5/7/12; 4/29/12) Brett Thomas (4/9/12) Danny Pulfer (5/16/11) Aaron Jones (3/21/11) Eddie Rodriguez (5/17/10; 3/8/10) He hits DOM-BOMBS

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2026 CROSS COUNTRY & TRACK AND FIELD | @OregonTF Bair Named National Field Athlete of the Year Peyton Bair won the NCAA title in the heptathlon with 6,503 points. EUGENE, Ore. – Peyton Bair has been named the 2026 USTFCCCA National Field Athlete of the Year as announced Monday afternoon by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Bair won a second-consecutive NCAA title in the heptathlon while becoming just the third-ever collegian to score 6,500 points in the event. Bair, in his first season at Oregon, becomes the second man in program history to win Indoor National Field Athlete of the Year, joining Ashton Eaton who won back-to-back honors in 2009 and 2010. In winning the NCAA title, Bair posted a lifetime best of 6,503 points to break Eaton’s 16-year-old UO school record (6,499) and become the No. 6 performer in world history. Bair had lifetime bests in the long jump, shot put, pole vault and 1,000 meters during the NCAA Championships. He won the NCAA title by nearly 400 points. The Kimberly, Idaho, native ran 6.67 in the opening event at the meet, good for a new meet and NCAA record for the heptathlon 60 meters. Earlier in the year, Bair clocked a lifetime best of 6.61 at the Don Kirby Invitational (Feb. 14) which is tied for fourth on the UO all-time list. Bair added another program top-10 effort in the long jump when he got out to 7.70m/25-3.25—No. 8 UO—on his final attempt of the day. Overall, he established new lifetime bests in all seven heptathlon events during his standout indoor season. Bair is now a three-time NCAA champion having won the heptathlon and decathlon at Mississippi State last year. With Bair’s performance and Liisa-Maria Lusti winning the NCAA title in the pentathlon, Oregon is the first school to sweep national indoor titles in the combined events since Georgia did so in 2017. The Men and Women of Oregon were both the national indoor runner-up at the NCAA Championships. Bair was the top overall national qualifier in the heptathlon with his 6,371 points during the Razorback Invitational in late January. He opened his postseason with a fourth-place finish in the long jump at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Indianapolis. Oregon will host an open practice Tuesday at Hayward Field. The first session featuring the UO sprints, jumps and multis groups is scheduled to start at 9:45 a.m. Fans will be able to enter through Hayward Hall starting at 9:15 a.m. Ticket packages for the Ducks’ outdoor home schedule are currently on sale. The team is set to host the Oregon Team Invitational (April 18) and Oregon Twilight (May 8), along with the NCAA Championships in June. For more news and information about Oregon cross country and track and field, follow @OregonTF on Facebook, Instagram and X.

While that was a tough loss, all teams lose on occasion such as Sunday. The offense came through with 10 runs, but the pitching gave up 11? Whew! Nonetheless, Oregon (19-4) went from No. 21 to No. 20 this week with the D1Baseball rankings. Other teams of interest.... No. 1 UCLA 21-2 No. 12 USC 24-1 No. 16 Beavis 17-5 No. 24 Nebraska 18-6 It has been a long time, if ever, that the Big-10 has had four in the top-25. While that is not exemplary, it is for this cold-weather conference. Good thing the West Coast teams elevated the conference in this sport! And to help our RPI...Our Beloved Ducks play all four with Nebraska and USC at home. Speaking of them, the Trojans are winning with incredible pitching...something to see later! Dominic Hellman got his hitting Mojo back....

That doesn't concern me at all....

Unlike Howard Cosell, this fellow could play the game. He is Neff Giwa, who lives in Ireland, but was born in Nigeria. He is considered an offensive line prospect, and Mario Cristobal has already offered him, as other D1 schools are jumping in. He is physical because he plays Rugby, and because he is 6'7" and 295 pounds with a 37 inch wingspan--longer than most OTs in the NFL. And he runs a 4.88 40 yard dash, which is elite for offensive tackles. He grew up playing soccer, and is very agile. This came from an article in The Athletic, and I can't copy it. But it goes to show you how now that there is NIL....and agents can get a cut--they will be bringing more international prospects to college coaches. Whew!

Yes, I wrote that.