Charles Fischer

You can read the article from 247 right here, but the bottom line is that both D1Baseball and Baseball America have dropped their predictions of Oregon's seeding tomorrow to much worse than I ever thought possible. Yes, we would still host an NCAA Regional at PK Park, but one loss killed our National Seed hopes. Never mind that Oregon has won 15 of their last 17 games, so we had to win the B1G Tournament for a National Seed? Only winning 14 in a row will do it? Boy, if you do NOT want to award something, any reason will do. When the first one come along--we gotcha! From the Article: Following the completion of the Big Ten Tournament, D1Baseball.com has moved Oregon out of the Top 8 national seed to No. 13 overall, hosting a Eugene Regional against two-seed Big-12 Champion Arizona (39-18, 18-12), three-seed Connecticut (38-21, 17-4), and four-seed North Dakota State (20-32, 13-15). Baseball America has moved Oregon to the No. 12 overall seed with two-seed Big-12 Champion Arizona (39-18, 18-12), three-seed Kentucky (29-24, 13-17), and four-seed North Dakota State (20-32, 13-15). Oregon's NCAA Tournament schedule will be unveiled on Monday, May 26th, during the Selection Monday special on ESPN2 starting at 9 AM PT. PK Park

In an interview with John Canzano, Oregon Athletic Director Rob Mullens made an interesting declaration that might be reassuring to the Oregon Baseball fan that I am. He notes how funding is remaining the same for non-revenue sports, (good!) but only mentions womens sports in terms of new scholarships. But the discussion here and other places has been how non-revenue sports could be eliminated, and this below seems to be a statement that they are not at Oregon. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canzano: I have wondered, not just with Oregon, but around the country, how athletic departments will begin to tier their sports. You want to invest at the maximum level you can with every sport, but you can't do it when you're carrying the number of sports that you're carrying. Hard decisions have to be made. How do you do that? Mullens: Yeah, it’s really difficult. One of the things we’re very fortunate in is that we’re not going to have to go backwards with any team. So the funding is going to stay in place. Resource allocation has always been one of the most difficult parts of this job. Because you want to give everything to everybody. But that’s just not reality, particularly when you look at the economics in our asset base. So we’re going to have to make strategic investments and strategic allocation. And that starts with football. Football generates 80 percent of our resources. We have to be successful in football to generate the resources to help fund the other 19 sports. And so then we’ll study the marketplace, the landscape, obviously, where we have a rich history and tradition. We want to continue our competitive advantage. And then we’re also going to make an investment in the new roster limit scholarship pieces in almost every one of our women’s sports to allow them to remain competitive. As you were noting off the top here in the spring, when you look at what women’s golf has done, what softball has done, what women’s track has done, we want to continue to excel in those sports.

Oregon AD Rob Mullens danced around the same subject recently, as he saw the value (revenue) and the experience of the home game versus the bye. So...go to 16 teams with no byes!

Nevada, if YOUR team had been hosed in the CFB Playoffs…you would feel different. But wait! That’s not all… As Oregon was ranked 12th in the nation, the last two years in a row at the end of the season in baseball, but yet we were hardly ever on television this year, not even on the Big Ten network. And it does not stop there, as we were hosed in the playoff format for the Big Ten baseball tournament. Oregon softball was hosed in the original seating, as they were ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation, and ended up with a freaking No. 16 seed? They have overcome it, but I am sick of it. If reasonable people cannot do the right thing, then we must take it from them, and I will not feel sorry considering what has happened to Our Beloved Ducks. P.S. I have asked before, and request again that you use punctuation and paragraph spacing for easier reading for our members. I had to edit your post again, and simply ask that you proofread when done. My thanks.

“No more Mr. Nice Guy from the B1G and the SEC.” Great article Jon, and thank goodness we are part of the Super-Two!

That is an exaggeration...IMHO. The Ducks most certainly are above a No. 17 National Seed, and thus have a Regional secured, while a Super-Hosting is not out of the question. Meh. Oregon did not play like usual today...and after eleven straight wins--that is Baseball. Oregon lost 7-3, to return to Eugene, and find out their fate Monday morning on the Selection Show.

7-1 against the good-guys after eight innings.

6-1 ‘braska, after seven innings. I cannot believe how the bounces of the ball have gone against us today…

6-1 Nebraska after five innings. Grinsell, like the rest of the Ducks, are not having a good day.

4-1 Nebraska after four innings, as the breaks continue to flow against Our Beloved Ducks. The Cornhuskers are a team that is only a game over .500 in wins for the season, and needed an error to beat Michigan State. Oregon is not playing their best by a mile, and while we have been down three runs before, (like against Iowa) we gotta turn it around NOW.

3-1 Nebraska after three innings, as Oregon's Grayson Grinsell got 'em 1-2-3 and is looking much sharper. The Ducks have had a ton of bad luck today, and I hope we got it out of the way. Dominic Hellman gets a nice hit, but Walsh nailed a good hit, but it bounced the right way for the Cornhusker pitcher to begin a double-play against us. The breaks got to start going OUR way!

3-1 Nebraska after two innings. Jacob Walsh made a rare error that allowed a runner to score with another Cornhusker hit. Anson Aroz hit into the right field corner for a double to start things for Oregon, and the Maddox Molony hit up the middle to score him for the Ducks. Burke-Lee Mabeus was called for batter interference when he momentum after a swing carried him back into the batters box, so the catcher was unable to throw to second to stop a Molony steal. Mabeus was called out, but I do not know how he could have avoided it.

We will have a game summary later, if you are a glutton for punishment. It was not our day; we still could have won if Grayson Grinsell pitched as he has this last month, but EVERYONE had a bad day today, pitching, in the field, (how many errors?) batting, and just some bad-luck bounces. Key question...how do the Ducks respond? ------------------------------------------------ 2-0 Nebraska after one inning. It has been a LONG time since Grayson Grinsell gave up a hit, and a two-run homer to start a game. Oregon bats were quiet...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 23, 2025 Schedule Changes Made to Big Ten Baseball Tournament Presented by IFS.ai Friday’s game postponed, three games slated for Saturday OMAHA, Neb. – The Big Ten Conference has announced schedule changes to the 2025 Big Ten Baseball Tournament Presented by IFS.ai. Due to inclement weather, tonight’s pool play game between Oregon and Nebraska, delayed by rain, will move to Saturday with first pitch at 9 a.m. In addition, the order of Saturday’s semifinals will be switched with new start times. The revised schedule tomorrow at Charles Schwab Field Omaha is: Saturday, May 24 9 a.m. CT — No. 1 seed Oregon vs. No. 8 seed Nebraska (pool play) 1 p.m. CT — No. 2 seed UCLA vs. No. 3 seed Iowa (semifinal #1) 5 p.m. CT — Oregon-Nebraska winner vs. No. 9 seed Penn State (semifinal #2) Sunday’s championship game is still slated for 2 p.m. CT.

The heck of it is...Oregon has played in a lot worse rain than this! Once I know something--I will post it, but I'll bet it won't be until 7:00 PM PST....you know...the same time as Softball!

So...we have a double-header tomorrow! (Confidence!) Grayson Grinsell agrees...

Here is a preview of today's game from a Nebraska site...some good stuff, and do see the end of it! On Deck: Nebraska Baseball vs. Oregon in Big Ten Baseball Tournament It's win or go home for the Husker baseball team on Friday against No. 1-seed Oregon in the Big Ten Baseball Tournament. After winning in improbable fashion over Michigan State in the opener on Tuesday, the Huskers now face an Oregon team with Top-8 national seed aspirations and firmly in the mix to host a regional. The Huskers will face an Oregon team with few blemishes. They can pitch it well (3.95 team ERA entering Friday night's game), slug it (107 homers as a team, with five different players with double-digit dingers this season) and field it (.978 fielding percentage to tie for third in the Big Ten this season). Here's a look at the first-ever matchup on the diamond between the Ducks and Huskers with first pitch set for 6 p.m. CT, though that time could be affected by forecasted weather. Scheduled Pitching Matchup: LHP Jackson Brockett (3-3, 3.62 ERA) vs. LHP Grayson Grinsell (9-2, 2.33 ERA) The Matchup: >>> Nebraska will turn to Jackson Brockett on Friday night against the Ducks. Brockett is no stranger to big games in Omaha, having started the team's Big Ten Championship appearance last season against Penn State. In that game, the veteran lefty went 8.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out five. The pressure will be high, but the task taller against Oregon's lineup, which has five players with double digit homers, led by Mason Neville's 26 long balls. Oregon Needs Mason Neville to be Headed for Home Again... Five different Duck regulars hit .299 or better on the season, so Brockett will need to be dialed in from the first pitch and limit free passes. Brockett has been quietly steady during Big Ten play, going 3-2 with a 2.98 ERA in 10 starts. Oregon has set a program record for home runs in a season in four of its last five seasons. >>> The Husker bats will see one of the Big Ten's top arms for the second consecutive game, this time it's lefty Grayson Grinsell, who also made a strong case for Big Ten pitcher of the year this season. The lone marks on Grinsell's record this season came when he was out-dueled by Michigan State's Joseph Dzierwa, and an early season matchup against Rhode Island, where Grinsell exited with the score tied at two and runners on base. The Oregon bullpen then gave up a pair of three-run homers, falling 12-11. Nebraska is going to have to show good plate discipline on Friday, but take advantage of their opportunities when they come, because they're unlikely to be frequent with Grinsell in the game. >>> Nebraska could have a pair of its better hitters available for Friday's game. Ty Stone hasn't played since taking a pitch on the hand/wrist against Michigan, and Max Buettenback hasn't played since May 2 because of a long-term illness. Matchups could keep the left-handers out of the lineup initially on Friday evening, but both could be pinch hitting options in Friday's must-win game. >>> Nebraska used a good number of its high-leverage arms in Tuesday's win over Michigan State, with Tucker Timmerman, Drew Christo and Luke Broderick all throwing multiple innings to back up starter Ty Horn. For all the faults of the Big Ten Tournament format, and there are many, one benefit is that Nebraska was able to rest each of those arms the past couple days and all will be available for Friday's game if needed. >>> If Nebraska has to find late-inning magic once again on Friday, it will fly in the face of how Oregon's bullpen has operated this season. The Duck bullpen allowed just 11 earned runs in 52.2 innings pitched for a 1.88 ERA over the final 15 games of the regular season.

Shoot. The Nebraska starter, Jackson Brockett, has a pretty good ERA at 3.62, and a lefty as well. To me...this game is critical, because if we were to lose in the semis or finals...the pundits would see that the Ducks went 2-1 or 3-1 for the week. And with a 12 game winning streak, (if we beat Nebraska) and we finally lose one--I'd like to think we keep our national seed. If we were to win all four--a national seed is assured, and we might very well rise. I hope to see a TON OF... Home Run Huddles!

Phil Kilkenny is a massive supporter, and I'd like to think will continue the program.

This is a very interesting article, and in particular--the part about moving the baseball schedule yields a bunch of questions. Who IS stopping it? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Big Ten Baseball on the Rise, but Will Teams Commit Resources to Take the Next Step? OMAHA, Neb. — Mark Wasikowski, the sixth-year baseball coach at Oregon, harbored concerns last year that entry into the Big Ten would negatively impact the Ducks. The travel was daunting. The potential RPI hit, in comparison to their years in the Pac-12, would pose challenges for the four new Big Ten programs from the West. And the acclimation to a different style of play in unfamiliar ballparks with unpredictable spring weather conditions weighed on Wasikowski’s mind. “I think all those (worries) snuck in from time to time,” he said. Ultimately, Wasikowski chose to stop worrying. “We won our games,” he said. “And that’s what I told the guys: ‘If you just take all the math and everything else out of it, it’s real simple. Win your games. Then nobody is going to be able to do or say anything.’” As it enters the final weekend of play before the 64-team NCAA Tournament is unveiled on Memorial Day, Oregon is in contention to earn the first top-eight seed for the league — and home-field advantage in both postseason rounds ahead of the College World Series — since Illinois in 2015. No Big Ten program has qualified for the CWS since Michigan lost in the championship series against Vanderbilt in 2019. As schools in this wealthy conference consider their futures in the revenue-sharing era, the league’s competitiveness in baseball appears on the rise. The addition of Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington this season has pushed the profile of Big Ten baseball firmly into the fourth spot nationally behind the SEC, ACC and Big 12. “I think the question now is,” ESPN commentator Kyle Peterson said, “are they going to spend money, or are they not going to spend money?” As Oregon illustrated this season in winning 41 of 54 games in the regular season, a blueprint exists to achieve national success in the Big Ten. UCLA, too, has positioned itself to host a Regional next week. “It’s pretty hard to ignore,” Nebraska coach Will Bolt said of the impact delivered by new teams in the league. “And their commitment to baseball is something that the traditional Big Ten schools continue to strive for.” Oregon second baseman Ryan Cooney, a sophomore who played in the Pac-12 a year ago, said the Big Ten play compares favorably to what he’s experienced on the diamond outside of the conference. “There was this initial narrative that the Big Ten wasn’t as strong,” Cooney said, “but I would say that’s not the reality.” Oregon brought national home run leader Mason Neville, an Arkansas transfer, to Big Ten stadiums this year. UCLA sophomore Roch Cholowsky was named the Big Ten player of the year. But the rosters of traditional Big Ten schools contain many of the top players, including the league’s pitcher of the year, Joseph Dzierwa of Michigan State. Schools such as Penn State, which has qualified for the NCAA postseason once in the past 47 years, are investing in the sport. Though the Nittany Lions have yet to get over the hump under second-year coach Mike Gambino, they finished the regular season with a winning record for the second consecutive year. And Penn State beat USC on Thursday to earn a spot in the Big Ten tournament semifinals, remaining alive to earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAAs. Administrative leaders obsessed with success in football and basketball are buying into baseball, according to league coaches. “I think it’s been trending up for a few years,” Michigan coach Tracy Smith said, “maybe as far back as Michigan and Indiana (in 2013) making it to the College World Series.” Smith coached that Indiana squad 12 years ago, the first Big Ten team in 39 years to appear in the CWS, then he left to coach Arizona State in 2015. He returned to the Big Ten in 2023. So Smith has experienced both sides of the power struggle. Before this season, he fielded questions often about the West Coast invasion. “Do you like it?” fans and interested parties in the sport asked him. “I absolutely like it,” Smith said. “That does nothing but elevate the league. I think the Big Ten is in a great spot. I’m not so sure we’re getting the national attention that we deserve, but maybe people will wake up at some point and start realizing that this is a pretty darn good baseball league.” Still, the conference falls short in comparison to the top three leagues. Since 2013, the SEC has placed an average of 9.1 teams per year into the NCAA Tournament, followed by the ACC at 7.8 and the Big 12 at 4.7. The Big Ten has averaged 3.3 over that time. It was outnumbered in the 64-team field by the Sun Belt in each of the last three seasons. This year, the conference RPI of the Big Ten sits at No. 4 nationally, ahead of Conference USA. But only Oregon, UCLA and USC appear in solid shape to make the bracket on Monday, and USC’s spot is a bit tenuous after Thursday’s loss to Penn State — the Trojans’ sixth defeat in their last eight games. “We have more teams this year,” Nebraska’s Bolt said. “We should certainly have more bids and get the benefit of the doubt.” We’ll see on Monday. The others left alive this week at the conference tournament in Omaha — Iowa, Nebraska and Penn State — likely must win the crown to receive an invite. Oregon’s Wasikowski coached Purdue from 2017 to 2019. He and Michigan’s Smith advocate for a restructured college season that starts and ends a month later than its current February-to-June regimen. An opening weekend in March and a CWS built around the MLB All-Star break in July would undoubtedly drive interest in regions less exposed to college baseball. Mason Neville steals second... “I think baseball has the biggest growth opportunity in any sport in college athletics,” Wasikowski said. “But the (college) presidents and ADs are going to have to come to grips with that and decide to go with it.” When Smith coached in the Pac-12, he listened to coaches from the North make their case to shift the calendar. Then he watched coaches in spots similar to his shake their heads and dismiss the proposal. “My blunt opinion on it,” Smith said, “is that it’s disgusting we don’t do it. This sport is growing. If you put a gun to my head and said, ‘What is the reason we don’t do it?’ I think it’s self-serving. Certain leagues and certain institutions know that they have an advantage. So why change it? “No one could ever convince me that we couldn’t do this if we sat down and made it a priority. But the world is politics, man, and you’ve got some people controlling it at the top. I was part of that. It’s sad but true.” Part of the commitment to baseball in the Big Ten involves reasonable travel and a functional system to award the automatic postseason bid. The Big Ten switched this year to a pool-play system for its conference tournament, modeling it after a defunct ACC method. The result? Three games out of four on Thursday in Omaha were meaningless for both teams involved. Oregon and Nebraska are scheduled to play Friday night for the last open spot in the semifinal round. In March, Nebraska served as a guinea pig for a travel arrangement that sent the Huskers to Los Angeles for consecutive Big Ten weekend series at UCLA and USC. The Huskers spent 12 days on the road — and 11 consecutive nights in a Venice Beach hotel. “Not a fan,” Bolt said. “You don’t even see big-league clubs do that.” Yes, hurdles remain for the Big Ten to clear before it’s recognized in every realm on the level of the top three leagues. It comes down to the investment made by each program. With revenue sharing expected to be introduced once the House settlement passes, how much of that money will Big Ten schools allocate to baseball? On many campuses in the league, hockey and/or wrestling might be higher up the food chain among the fan base. “I don’t know that there’s an absolute answer to that,” said Peterson, an Omahan who pitched at Stanford and has long helped lead ESPN’s television coverage of the CWS. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I know that … our game is so much better if the power athletic departments, the athletic departments that are football powerhouses and potentially the basketball powerhouses are the ones that are committing money to (baseball).” The ball, so to speak, is in the Big Ten’s court.

The terrible Wildcat fans were throwing full water bottles at Oregon fans, and cheerleaders. So a building contractor, (Oregon fan) helped the cheerleaders!

In 2009, they were moving to storm the field thinking the game was over....OOPS! And now you get to SUCK in the Big-12? Love it! (No, I never said I was noble)

My hope is that Grayson Grinsell can keep his pitch count low, and pitch the entire game. He will not be available to use the rest of the weekend, thus when he did this a few weeks ago--it saved all our relievers for the last two games and really helped us. Hope he goes deep into the game!

So...Oregon would not have faced Ohio State until the finals? Geez, that doesn't SUCK at all!