Charles Fischer

This is from ChicoDuck, who does superb player analysis. All is not lost, as there are talented targets remaining! Eli Holstein 6' 3-1/2" and 226 Pounds - Zackary High School - Zackary, Louisiana Zackary H.S. Enrollment about 1,600 kids (9-12) Four-Time 5A State Champions in Football Holstein led his team to 15-0 Record and the 5A State Tile in 2021 as a Junior. He was also 5A Louisiana Player of the Year. As a sophomore, he led Zackary to a State Quarterfinal round before bowing out. He is a great athlete. According to Geaux247 at a sanctioned event (May 19, 2021) he recorded a 4.69 40-Clock, a 4.40 Short Shuttle, an impressive 38" Vert and an equally impressive 42'0 Power Ball. His 118.50 SPARQ score at 6'3 and 212 pounds is eye-opening. FRESHMAN YEAR He started and played very well for a 14-year-old at the Varsity level. His mechanics, though clunky were good considering his age. He made impressive 40 yard Go routes, 35-yard flag routes and even executed a screen play. SOPHOMORE YEAR He looked like a different guy with a year of snaps under his belt. His decision-making was faster. The clock in his head starting to phase with the speed of the game. His mechanics eroded as he was playing some hero ball. He was looking like a gunslinger. He can really fire a ball. He unhinges his trail leg when he does it, but the velocity is there. JUNIOR YEAR Can make all the throws to all three levels. Their offense went vertical. Very impressive passing attack. Reminded me of the Rams "Greatest Show on Turf" His Center had trouble snapping to him at the same point. Holstein handled these errant snaps without any problems. It didn't appear to affect his clock. This kid is a very cool cat. Big arm. Lots of 50+ yard vertical routes either from a set platform and on the move. Very impressive core strength. Looked off the Safety and came back to throw a 25-yard laser to his opposite Split Receiver for a TD. Next level stuff right there. He's ready for D1. MECHANICS He has a very compact stride. It's a bit odd. I think at the next level (wherever he goes) the QB coach is going to try to uncoil him by lengthen his lead leg a little. Though that affects his release time a microsecond, his clock is running fast enough it won't matter. It will help him generate a little more velocity when he needs it, and flatten the trajectory. He has quiet feet for a HS kid. He remains anchored and rarely unhinges. His core is very strong and will only get stronger as he matures. One film clip where he's flushed out of the pocket and he uncorks a 58 yard throw on the run without setting his feet is a testament to how strong he is. This kid is D1 ready right now. At his next stop they will adjust the level of where ball is received at the snap. He has a bit of a baseball windup. They will get him to bring it more to his chin/ear for a more consistent launch platform. It will make him even more accurate than he already is. SUMMARY He decommitted from Texas A&M three days after Oregon offered him on March 15th. The key phrase in his decommit tweet "...with all of the coaching changes...". Of his potential finalists only Miami and Oregon could have prompted this, as they're the only two schools on his radar with staff changes. Let's not kid ourselves here. This kid is really good. He's nobody's "backup" plan. He is a premier talent that can take a team to the Big Show and win it.

This is a good one, but on other sites--it is evident that there are more targets for the Ducks, although this one is key to focus on. Oregon Recruiting: Ducks’ eyes turn to 5-star QB Jaden Rashada DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM With the expected news that Nico Iamaleava Jr. has committed to Tennessee, Oregon’s efforts will likely ramp up on recruiting a new 5-star QB to Eugene.

The past and the future is addressed in this article...seems like next year is a crossroads year. Are they vaulting back, or settling in? Oregon Basketball: Kelly Graves looking at bright future for Ducks DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM The 2022 season didn’t end how they planned, but Kelly Graves and the Ducks have reasons for optimism going into the offseason.

This is good, but get more help on defense! (As Bill Walton would say...."Please.") Oregon Legends: Justin Herbert adds TE Gerald Everett in free agency DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM It appears that talented pass-catchers are showing a desire to play with Justin Herbert and the LA Chargers.

Canzano: Pac-12 Standing a Little Taller Amid Broken Brackets (How did the selection committee do?) The Pac-12 put two teams in the men’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. The Pac-12 Conference has to feel a little better about itself today. The conference put two teams — Arizona and UCLA — in the men’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. I’m celebrating this today because the conference only had three total teams in the entire bracket. That’s a 67 percent bracket survival rate, folks. I checked in with Pac-12 deputy commissioner Jamie Zaninovich this morning to see how he was feeling about things. He’s the supervisor in charge of basketball for the conference. Zaninovich said, “Our universities continue to invest in basketball and it is great to see that paying off in annual national competitiveness in March Madness.” A lot was made of the Big Ten landing nine teams in the men’s tournament field. It was the second straight year the selection committee over-bought the Big Ten. Last year only one of the Big Ten’s nine teams reached the Sweet 16. This year only two of the nine (Michigan and Purdue) survived the opening weekend — a 22 percent survival rate. Here’s the Sweet 16 by conference: ACC: 3 Big 12: 3 Pac-12: 2 Big Ten: 2 Big East: 2 The SEC, WCC, American Athletic Conference and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference each have one team left. SELECTIVE JUDGEMENT: I talked with two members who served on the men’s NCAA Tournament Selection Committee in the last week. UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond told me it was a time-consuming endeavor. Said Jarmond: “It’s not something that starts with six days in Indianapolis. You’re watching games all year. Each committee person has conferences that they monitor and you do weekly calls with the conference to learn more about the teams. You’re not just watching games, you’re getting feedback from the conferences about the teams in the conference. “It’s intense.” That little line about “feedback” is ringing in my ears today. Because right now it really looks like someone from the Big Ten did an especially nice job lobbying the selection committee and selling the strength of the conference. How did the selection committee do in general with the Sweet 16? Take a look at the remaining seeds by each region: West: 1, 2, 3, 4. South: 1, 2, 5, 11. Midwest: 1, 4, 10, 11. East: 3, 4, 8, 15. The committee has to feel good about how things played out in the West. The region performed exactly as the committee predicted it would — (1) Gonzaga, (2) Duke, (3) Texas Tech and (4) Arkansas all advanced The South wasn’t awful aside from maybe No. 11-seed Michigan knocking out No. 3 Tennessee in the second round. But the committee did some shaky work in the Midwest, where only two of the top-four seeds are still in play. The East is messy, too. The top-two seeds (No. 1 Baylor and No. 2 Kentucky) were both upset and No. 15 Saint Peter’s has been a bracket wrecking ball. Picking the field is never easy and there’s a ton of subjectivity involved but I’m always interested in seeing how the committee’s work lines up against the actual results on the court. CINDERELLA LIVES IN JERSEY: You’re going to read a lot about Saint Peter’s University in the coming days. It’s playing the role of Cinderella in the men’s NCAA Tournament. The Peacocks are a private university in New Jersey with an enrollment of 3,554. They play in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Saint Peter’s beat No. 7-seed Murray State to advance to the Sweet 16. Before that it upset No. 2 Kentucky in a first-round shocker. Fun fact… Saint Peter’s endowment: $37 million. Kentucky coach John Calipari’s contract: $86 million. Calipari’s contract also gives him a country club membership and use of two “late-model, quality automobiles.” Just throwing that out there in case you wonder what he’ll be doing with his free time in the next week or two. Stanford is a No. 1-seed in the women’s NCAA Tournament. FUN CONTINUES: The Pac-12 had a terrific women’s NCAA Tournament a year ago, landing two teams in the national title game. Stanford, a No. 1-seed, has already advanced to the Sweet 16 in this year’s tournament. No. 4-seed Arizona can do the same with a win today over No. 5-seed North Carolina. Keep an eye on the Elite Eight, though. At least two Pac-12 women’s teams have made the Elite Eight every year since 2016. There was an interesting moment that bridged the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments over the weekend. A USA Today reporter based in Portland asked Memphis coach Penny Hardaway a question he wasn’t totally prepared for in his news conference on Friday at Moda Center. Stanford women’s coach Tara VanDerveer has pledged $10 in humanitarian support to Ukraine for every three-point basket made in the NCAA women’s tournament. The reporter asked Hardaway if he’d match $10 per three-point basket for the men’s tournament. The exchange: Hardaway: “I didn't know about it. And it's our team? However many threes we make?” Reporter: “No. It's however many threes are made in the entire NCAA Tournament to give a lot of money.” Hardaway: “I need to call Tara and ask can I just give a donation. I don't know if I can commit to that because — obviously I want to be a part of it, so I'm sure I can get in touch with coach but I don't know about — I will give a donation.” Hardaway wasn’t alone with his reaction. Gonzaga’s Mark Few got the same question a few minutes later. So did Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett and UCLA’s Mick Cronin. They all agreed to make a donation in some form to Ukraine relief. Said Few: “Sounds like a worthy endeavor and we will look into it.” Said Bennett: “Let me know what those numbers look like before I totally join it, but I would definitely support that.” Said Cronin: “Yeah, that's easy, that's not even a hard one… I think we should have a charity thing every year where we donate $1 from every ticket sold from every first-round game in both tournaments. The NCAA should take $1 from every ticket from every first game including the First Four and we should decide where we're giving it.” The 5-year old and 7-year old played on the beach over the weekend. BEACH ENERGY: I have three daughters. The youngest two, ages 5 and 7, absolutely love playing on the beach. Maybe your kids do, too. On Sunday they got a chance to get their feet on the sand. They dug holes, climbed dunes, ran in circles, picked up sticks, collected broken seashells and bird feathers, and pretty much went wild on the Oregon coast. They were filthy, hungry and smiling by the end. Neither of them seemed to care that it was cold and windy. My wife and I sat for a spell and watched them play. Anna noted, “There’s just something about the beach that energizes kids and dogs.” Ain’t it the truth.

Wow. Incredible quotes, Jordan. Very illuminating-thanks. Whew!

I am still blown away....nine of eleven are over .300?

My Friends, what you see below is the current batting average of the Oregon Baseball team, and while I cannot imagine it will hold up....it has been fun to watch them develop and flourish! Drew Cowley .467 Colby Shade .441 Brennan Milone .351 Josh Kasevich .351 Gavin Grant .351 Jacob Walsh .349 Josiah Cromwick .342 Anthony Hall .318 Tanner Smith .318 Sam Novitske .244 Jack Scanlon .129 With coaching like this--I think we have GREAT TIMES ahead for Oregon Baseball!

EUGENE, Ore. — Anthony Hall went 3-for-3 and gave Oregon the lead for good with a sixth inning solo home run in a 7-2 win over Utah on Sunday at PK Park. The Ducks (13-6, 5-1 Pac-12) wrapped up a sweep of the Utes (11-7-1, 2-4 Pac-12) with the win and moved into sole possession of first place in the Pac-12 Conference with the three wins over Utah. How It Happened: Oregon struck first scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning. Josh Kasevich led off the inning with a walk and moved to third on a Hall base hit before scoring on a Josiah Cromwick ground out. One out later, Gavin Grant plated Hall with a RBI single giving the Ducks’ nine-hole hitter four RBI in the series. Utah battled back to tie the game scoring single runs in both the third and fourth inning, before Oregon responded with a pair of home runs in a three-run bottom of the fourth to take the lead for good. Hall broke the 2-2 tie lining the second pitch he saw over the right-field wall to put Oregon on top. After a Cromwick single and two outs, Tanner Smith made it a 5-2 game with a two-run homer against Utah starter Cam Day. The Duck added to the lead with a run in the fifth. Brennan Milone singled to lead off the inning, moved to second on a Jacob Walsh base hit and to third when Josh Kasevich grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Hall delivered again, driving in Milone with a two-out single. Oregon tacked on and unearned run in the bottom of the seventh. Colby Shade singled to lead off the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch. Utah second baseman Landon Frei misplayed the throw from the catcher allowing Shade to move to third. Shade scored on a throwing error by Frei on a Kasevich ground ball that should have ended the inning. Box Score Notes: Oregon used seven pitchers in the win … The six Ducks’ relieves combined to allow no runs on just three hits with one walk and eight strikeouts … Logan Mercado earned the win after entering the game in the top of the fourth with the bases loaded and two outs … He walked the first batter he faced before ending the threat with a strikeout … Oregon’s pitches combined for 12 strikeouts … Starter Caleb Sloan had four in 3.2 innings, while Stone Churby and Rio Britton had two each in an inning of work … Mercado, Dylan Sabia, Christian Ciuffetelli and Matt Dallas each contributed one K … Hall’s three-hit game was his seventh multi-hit game of the season and the 22nd of his career … Milone had his ninth multi-hit game of the season, including in all three Utah games … Smith had multiple RBI games for the second straight day, running his career total to 17 … Hall drove in multiple runs for the third time this season and the 14th time in his career … Oregon has won 12 straight against Utah. Series Notes: The Ducks batted .347 in the series with seven home runs and three doubles … Milone paced the Ducks batting .636 (7-for-11) with two home runs, a double five RBI and three runs scored … Hall batted .600 (6-for-10 with two homers, a double, four RBI and six runs scored … Smith led the Ducks with six RBI in the series while belting a pair of homers … Oregon’s bullpen combined for 16 strikeouts and just two walks, while allowing three runs in 14 innings of work (1.93 ERA). Up Next: The Ducks travel to Spokane to play No. 19 Gonzaga at 3 p.m. at Patterson Baseball Complex.

I would agree with that; the 5-Stars have not panned out that way. It seems others run easily past our players at times...

Absolutely. Mix the components of hearing how great they are for years, with the poor judgment of youth and add a bunch of money? That is a cocktail that is bad for anyone...

Maybe he has to be more up-front in the recruiting process..."My system has proven to work and put players into the NBA. If you cannot follow our system, then this might not be your cup-of-tea." "If you do not follow our system, then you will not play."

Look, I know it is early, but this is a GREAT START, and the Baseball team has averaged scoring 8.5 runs per game and are fighters who quack their way back in games! (It used to be that I could find this in the paper during the season, but not anymore! So I will start bringing them to us each week.) Again...a great start building confidence in a growing Softball program!

The Ducks have a chance to be in sole possession of first place of the Pac 12, or at minimum, tied for first after the second weekend! Yes it is early, but it is a great start, and one to celebrate!

I do think this is a particularly amusing discussion, considering I just finished a five part series of articles on the culture that Dan Lanning is going to bring to Oregon, and how it is different than what we currently have. I believe it is a very relevant discussion, as do the majority that are reading here.

Ducks win the third game 7-2 with more information coming!

I will politely disagree as well; the culture of Mark Helfrich, Mario Cristobal and Dan Lanning are all quite different. And, per-our-rules...everybody is entitled to express their opinion here, and in fact I WANT to see all opinions on all topics. We do not tell others what to discuss or not...

So MUCH better than what we've had for...at least five years. (IMHO!)

While I did not comment in the thread....I was surprised to see statements of "Expectations" of what Phil "bought" for Oregon? You cannot buy a championship; yes, you need talent, but the talent has to listen to coaching. It was not a losing year in basketball, but not one up to the fans expectations. It happens some years that way....

Crew is not an NCAA Mens sport; it is club sport. For the Women...it is an NCAA sport, and they do have a championship in it. The Huskies have eight National Championships, all by the women. Oregon has 34 National Championships...

Ducks Rally With Five Runs in the Eighth to Clinch Series EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon scored five runs in the eighth inning to rally from a three-run deficit in an 8-6 win over Utah on Saturday at PK Park. The Ducks (12-6, 4-1 Pac-12) clinched the series with the win after beating the Utes (11-6-1, 2-3 Pac-12) 11-4 on Friday night in game one of the series. How It Happened: Brennan Milone gave Oregon an early 1-0 lead homering in the bottom of the first inning, his second round tripper in as many days. Utah rallied with three runs in the top of the third to take the lead. After a two-out throwing error, the Utes strung together a walk and three straight hits to plate three and take a 3-1 lead. It stayed that way until the bottom of the fifth when Gavin Grant reached with on a base hit to set up Tanner Smith, who ripped a two-run homer over the right-center field wall to tie the game. Utah answered scoring a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to take a three-run lead, but it wasn’t enough. Anthony Hall and Sam Novitske started the eighth-inning rally with one-out walks. Pinch-hitter Josiah Cromwick loaded the bases with a hit-by-pitch on a no-ball, two-strike pitch. Grant cut the lead to two with a RBI single to left field scoring Hall. Smith followed with a two-run single to tie the game, before Shade gave the Ducks the lead with a sacrifice fly. Milone doubled driving in Smith for a two-run Duck lead. All-American closer Kolby Somers came in to get the final three outs and notch his second save of the season. Box Score Notes: Matt Dallas picked up his first career win as a Duck, tossing a scoreless eighth … Dallas allowed a leadoff double in the inning, but pitched out of the jam without allowing a run … Milone homered in consecutive games for the second time this season … He had homers in games one and two against St. John’s … Smith (2-for-5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R) had his ninth multi-hit game of the season and his first multiple-RBI game … His career totals are now 46-multi-hit and 16 multi-RBI games … He tied KC Serna (2009-11) for the eighth most multi-hit games in school history … Milone (2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R) had multiple hits for the eighth time this season and the second in the series … Shade (2-for-4) also had his second multiple-hit game in the series and his ninth of the season … Grant had his sixth multi-hit game of the season and the 17th of his career … Grant also had his third multiple-RBI game of the year and the sixth of his career … Oregon has won 11 straight against Utah. Up Next: Oregon will look for the series sweep on Sunday with an 11:05 first pitch. The game will be televised on Pac-12 Oregon and Pac-12 Mountain.

Ducks Score Four in the Seventh to Sweep Utah SALT LAKE CITY – No. 11 Oregon scored four times in the seventh inning of game two to sweep a doubleheader from Utah Saturday at Dumke Family Softball Stadium. Following an 8-2 win in the first game, the Ducks rallied from three down in the final inning to defeat the Utes, 7-6, in game two and win their first Pac-12 series of the year, two-games-to-one. “Every time we’re playing a Pac-12 series, we’re playing a super-regional,” said coach Melyssa Lombardi. “This weekend was our first super-regional. So to be able to go on the road and take two was huge.” Both Jasmine Williams and Paige Sinicki were 3-for-7 with three RBI on Saturday. Sinicki had a clutch two-out RBI that gave Oregon (21-4, 2-1) the lead in the seventh inning of game two. “Paige is just gritty,” said Allee Bunker, who belted her sixth home run of the season prior to Sinicki’s hit. “She is probably the most gritty person on the team. ‘”She just consistently puts up a fight every at bat no matter the situation,” said Bunker. “I just know when she gets up in those situations, she’s going to put a ball in play somewhere and give us a chance to win.” How it Happened (Game 1): Utah (16-13, 1-2) got on the board first with a run in the third, but the Ducks scored twice in the fourth and fifth innings to pull away before adding three runs in the seventh. In the top of the fourth, Williams tripled to score Ariel Carlson, who doubled earlier in the inning. Hannah Galey then dropped down a perfect bunt single to bring Williams home, giving the Ducks a 2-1 lead. “What I love about Jas is she’s so versatile,” said Lombardi. “We have her in the infield and the outfield, but any time we call upon her she’s ready to go.” With two runners on and two outs in the top of the fifth, Sinicki came up with a clutch single to score both runners for a 4-1 Duck lead. The Utes cut the lead to 4-2 on a home run in the bottom of the fifth, but Raegan Breedlove came out of the pen to induce a 5-3 double play followed by a fly out to left field to end the threat. In the sixth, Rachel Cid walked and Bunker sent Cid to third with a single that extended her hitting streak to 14 games. Hanna Delgado then hit a RBI single up the middle that scored Cid. The Ducks put the game away in the seventh thanks to a three-run home run by Allison Benning. Williams got things going with a two-out double before Tehya Bird drew a walk on four balls. Benning then drilled an 0-2 pitch over the fence in right field for an 8-2 lead. It was the first career home run for Benning. “I’m so excited for Allison having the opportunity to do that – just taking a big hack and getting that home run,” said Sinicki. Breedlove gave up just one hit in three innings to earn her first save of the season. How it Happened (Game 2): KK Humphreys staked the Ducks to a 1-0 lead with her fifth home run of the season in the first inning. The lead was short-lived as the Utes scored four times in the bottom of the first. Oregon cut the lead to a run in the second inning when Sinicki singled and Williams sent a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left center for her first home run of the season. Utah countered with two more runs in the bottom of the second and led 6-3 going into the seventh inning. Cid led off the frame with a double and scored on Benning’s RBI single down the left field line to make it 6-4 Utah. Bunker then delivered one of her biggest hits of the season, a two-run homer that just cleared the wall in left center to tie the game at 6-6. “Here I am year four and I’ve been in these types of situations many times,” said Bunker. “As a veteran, I think it’s my role to perform in those big situations.” After Bunker’s homer, Delgado tripled to right field. With two outs, Sinicki fouled off two 0-2 pitches before dropping a double down the right field line to score Delgado with the winning run. “It’s awesome that we could just keep passing the bat and we’re going to keep fighting to get those runs in,” said Sinicki. “In that moment I was trying to at least get something in play and it ended up finding a hole and I’m super-happy about it.” Utah got its first two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but Stevie Hansen induced two fly balls around a strikeout to seal the win. “That’s really tough and I think that goes to show you how tough this team is and the fight we will show throughout the rest of the season,” said Bunker. Noteworthy: Bunker’s homer in the second game extended her hitting streak to 15 games. With hits in both games, Delgado now has an 11-game hitting streak. In two pinch-hitting appearances, Benning was 2-for-2 with four RBI. Hansen was the winning pitcher in both games and is now 6-0 on the season. Kai Luschar got her first hit of the season, a pinch-hit double in the fourth inning of game two. Vallery Wong threw out her fifth runner of the year in the fourth inning of game two. Oregon and Utah played a doubleheader to complete their three-game series on Saturday because of a weather front expected to hit Salt Lake City Sunday. Quotable Head Coach Melyssa Lombardi “What I really liked about our team is we came into this day going ‘were going to find a way to get two.’ We didn’t know exactly what it was going to look like, but we were locked in to find a way to walk away with two wins.” On Deck: The Ducks have Sunday off before playing at BYU Monday at 3 p.m. Pacific.

This is not macho football information, but it is the stuff of life.

More details to follow, and thank goodness softball and baseball could rescue the day today for Our Beloved Ducks!

We needed some good news today!