Charles Fischer

8-4 Ducks after five innings, as Oregon got to the USC starter and put him out. But Trojan hitters got to Clarke, and thus we have a much closer game now. Seth Maddox, the transfer reliever from California Baptist is trying to hold USC off...

3-0 Ducks after four innings, as Collin Clarke is keeping USC scoreless.

Man I love how Carter Garate at third, Maddox Molony at shortstop, and Ryan Cooney at second work sweet double-plays!

OMIGOSH! Dominic Hellman crushes a two-run DOM-BOMB to move Oregon to a 3-0 lead after three innings! Collin Clarke is still keeping USC at bay from scoring...

Game summary is at the bottom of the thread! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1-0 Ducks after two innings! The Trojans have a very good starting pitcher today who has a low ERA of only 2.70 and thus the Duck batters have their hands full. The "Pride of Springfield," Maddox Molony scored Anson Aroz who was jetting from second base. Superb base-running to score the first run! Starting Oregon pitcher Collin Clarke is off to a great start keeping USC quiet thus far.

Ducks Shutdown No. 8 Florida State, 2-0 EUGENE, Ore. – Braiesey Rosa’s first career home run backed Lyndsey Grein’s one-hit shutout of No. 8 Florida State as 12-ranked Oregon upended the Seminoles, 2-0, Friday in front of 1,914 at Jane Sanders Stadium. The Ducks (21-1) won their 16th game in a row for their longest winning streak since taking 16 straight during the 2020 season. Only three Seminoles reached base as Grein kept FSU’s batters off balance all night to improve to 12-0 on the season. “I love how we came out and set the tone defensively and on the mound,” said Lombardi. “And then to come in first inning with Rylee (McCoy) coming up to get the base hit you could feel these guys ready from the start staying with it in the middle and loved how they finished” The Ducks became the first team to shut out Florida State (19-4) this season. How It Happened: After Katie Flannery pulled a two-out single through the left side in the bottom of the second inning, Rosa sent a 1-0 pitch on a line over the wall in center field. Not only was it her first career home run, it was her second career hit. “I celebrated in the moment,” said Rosa. “It was a good hit, but I knew that there was more to the game. In order for me to be proud of the hit and celebrate, I needed to finish the game and lock it down.” That proved to be enough for Grein. She allowed a two-out single to Kennedy Harp in the first inning, but held FSU hitless after that. The only other base runners allowed by Grein came via a walk in the fourth inning and an error in the sixth. Grein struck out the first two batters she faced before Harp’s single. She then sat down the next nine batters before walking Michaela Edenfield with two outs in the fourth. Grein retired 10 of the last 11 batters she faced. She had 1-2-3 innings in the second, third, fifth and seventh. “Honestly, when we got to the seventh, I just wanted to do it for my team,” said Grein, who got the final out on her 100th pitch of the game. “They worked so hard and played an amazing seven innings for me. So, I just wanted to close it out, return the favor, and get everyone the win.” Grein struck out five in going the distance to earn her second straight shutout. She threw a three-hitter against San Diego last Saturday. Notable: The Ducks’ 21-1 start is the program’s best since going 24-1 to open the 2021 season … Kedre Luschar extended her career-best hitting streak to nine games with a double in the fourth inning … Paige Sinicki made her 151st consecutive game at shortstop. Quotable: Head Coach Melyssa Lombardi on the support of the season-high 1,914 fans at Jane Sanders Stadium “What is great is our fans saw up close what we were doing on the road for the last four weeks. I love our fans. I love the rumble, that never gets old. I always talk about this place being a lion's den’s and it feels so good to be on the home side of this place.” Up Next: The Jane Sanders Classic continues Saturday with the first Rivalry Game of the season versus Oregon State (3:30 p.m., B1G+). Looking ahead, Oregon will play Florida State (2:30 p.m.) and Abilene Christian (5 p.m.) on Sunday. The Jane Sanders Classic concludes with a single game Monday against Abilene Christian (10:30 a.m.).

Ducks Jump on USC Early, Pitching Takes Over Late Irvine, Calif. — No. 10 Oregon scored in each of the first five innings to build an early lead while pitchers Grayson Grinsell and Jason Reitz combined to dominate on the mound in a 7-2 Big Ten Conference win at Great Park on Friday night. The Ducks (12-2, 1-0 Big Ten) earned a win in their first ever Big Ten game. Grinsell surrendered two runs in five innings, but he easily could have allowed none. Both runners who scored reached base on outfield misplays that were credited as hits. The first came in the third inning when right-fielder Jeffery Heard called off second baseman Ryan Cooney on a high pop fly in shallow right but could not make the play. The second came on a routine fly ball to center field that ended up as a double after Mason Neville slipped on moist grass and could not recover to make the play. Despite allowing the bad-luck runs, Grinsell (2-1) dominated striking out eight over five innings including two in each of the first four innings. Reitz, who picked up the save in his first appearance out of the bullpen after starting each of the first three weekends, allowed just three hits and no runs in four innings of work with five Ks and just one walk. How It Happened: Neville wasted no time putting Oregon on top. The Ducks center fielder launched the second pitch of the game over the right-field fence. Oregon added to the lead in the top of the second, scoring three more runs. Back-to-back singles by Maddox Molony and Coen Niclai to lead off the frame set the table for the Ducks. Heard picked up the first RBI with a single to right scoring Molony, before Cooney added a squeeze bunt to score Niclai. Carter Garate moved Heard to third while reaching on an error on a sacrifice bunt. Neville finished the scoring in the inning picking up his second RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly scoring Heard. The Ducks pushed the lead to five with another run in the third. After Jacob Walsh reached on a single and stole second to get into scoring position, Niclai doubled into the left-field corner to pick up the two-out RBI. After USC (9-4, 0-1 Big Ten) got on the board in their half of the inning, Oregon got the run right back. Garate doubled with one out and came around to score on a throwing error on a Neville hard-hit single off the first baseman’s glove. For the second inning in a row, USC got a run back thanks to a misplay in the outfield by the Ducks. For the second inning in a row, Oregon answered the miscue. Oregon manufactured a run with two outs when freshman pinch hitter Burke-Lee Mabeus walked and Heard reached on a hit-by-pitch allowing Cooney to deliver a clutch two-out RBI single. Box Score Notes: Neville’s home run was his eighth of the season … He has homered in seven of the 13 games he has played in … The home run was the 24th of his career at Oregon, moving him into a tie with Kenyon Yovan (2017-21) for sixth in school history … Grinsell ran his career total for strikeouts to 192, three shy of tying Cullen Kafka (2018-21) for seventh in program history … Walsh scored his 127th career run, tying him for fourth in school history with J.J. Altobelli (2010-13). On Deck: The teams play game two of the series on Saturday with a 2:02 p.m. first pitch.

Ducks win 7-2, and only used two pitchers? Jason Reitz went four innings in relief, only had 52 pitches and kept them scoreless!

I guess they did count them as earned runs against Grinsell, and below is his final line...

7-2 Ducks after eight innings, as Reitz has kept the Trojans scoreless with an inning to go.

Still 7-2 Ducks after seven innings, as Oregon completed a sweet double play!

Still 7-2 Ducks after six innings. Big Jason Reitz, (6'11') walked two, but blew the other Trojan batters away...

7-2 Ducks after five innings. Got another and Grayson Grinsell finished five innings with his 100 pitches. Jeffrey Heard threw an unbelievable relay throw to get the runner at third base from right field!

6-2 Ducks after four innings. USC has had three errors, and a problem for both teams is the slick field, as it rained earlier and Mason Neville slipped getting to a short fly, and thus dropped in. I believe it is another unearned run for the Trojans, but the slick field has contributed to errors on both sides.

5-1 Ducks after three innings. Trojans got an unearned run as Jeffrey Heard dropped a fly-ball on the run. Oregon bats still kept a four-run lead!

OMIGOSH! 4-0 DUCKS after two innings! Grinsell put them out 1-2-3, and the Oregon batters have shocked the USC pitcher. We got steady base hits from a number of them including true freshman, the Pride of Alaska, Coen Niclai, who they started at catcher and put Anson Aroz in left field. Can't leave Aroz out of the batting lineup, and Niclai got a nice scoring single as one of many from Our Beloved Ducks.

1-0 Ducks after the first inning, as Grayson Grinsell finished his side through four batters. Mason Neville hit a big homer on the first swing an Oregon batter took, and the Oregon fans in stadium shouted their delight.

Game summary is at the bottom of the thread! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- USC is 9-3 with a good team that has been in a turnaround since their new coach took over two seasons back. The Trojans have two really-good starting pitchers, and a bunch of ace relievers, thus our hitting is going to be challenged. Their starting pitcher has a very low 1.80 ERA, compared to our starter Grayson Grinsell, who is at 6.40 ERA and is not playing like a Pre-Season All-American thus far. I suspect he will be up for the game, and the question is whether the coaches are going to take a chance on Ryan Featherston as first reliever, since he also is having a tough start. Our other pitchers have been impressive, so I expect to see changes in who we turn to in the bullpen tonight. I wrote last week that we have four freshman pitchers...and you need to make that SIX freshman pitchers, as two more saw action last weekend and threw scoreless innings!

Please look at the bolded red and green sentences below... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oregon Announces Contract Extensions For Lanning, Lupoi, Stein EUGENE, Ore. – University of Oregon director of athletics Rob Mullens announced on Friday that UO has agreed to terms and is finalizing contract extensions with head football coach Dan Lanning, defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi and offensive coordinator Will Stein. The extensions have been approved by the UO Board of Trustees and are funded from athletics revenues, including donor funds. Lanning’s agreement runs through the 2030 season while the extensions for Lupoi and Stein run through the 2027 season. “Oregon football has reached historic heights under Dan’s leadership,” Mullens said. “His relentless commitment to providing a first-class student-athlete experience is evident in the culture he has fostered within his program. His dedication to this university, our student-athletes and the city of Eugene has put Oregon football in position to compete for championships on a yearly basis. “Dan has surrounded himself with elite coaches and people within his program, and we are thrilled to be able to retain coordinators of Tosh and Will’s caliber. They have done a tremendous job in their respective roles and are terrific representatives of the University of Oregon. We have a great staff in place and look forward to continued success for Oregon football.” Lanning has led the Ducks to a 35-6 overall record in three seasons as head coach, the third-most wins among FBS head coaches during that stretch and the most wins ever by an Oregon head coach in the first three seasons. UO has posted double-digit wins each year under Lanning, and he is just the second Oregon head coach with back-to-back 12-win campaigns after winning 12 games in 2023 and a program-record tying 13 in 2024. “Every morning I wake up grateful and hungry to represent Oregon,” Lanning said. “Sauphia and I continue to be humbled by the support that the University of Oregon provides. I’m also very thankful we have been able to have great continuity with our coaching staff over the last three years. The job Will and Tosh do for our program cannot be overstated. I have seen growth from both sides of the ball which is a credit to their leadership and the support they receive from our offensive and defensive staffs. “Their commitment, along with their families’ commitment to our program, shows great promise for our future. Thank you to Phil and Penny Knight, our athletic director Rob Mullens, and President Karl Scholz for their continued investments in our future. There is no better place to coach or play football than Oregon, and there has never been a better time to be a Duck.” Lanning guided the Ducks to the Big Ten Championship in the program’s first year in the conference in 2024, after securing the second undefeated regular season in program history. Oregon was the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and reached the Rose Bowl, after winning the Holiday Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl in Lanning’s first two seasons. Oregon has gone 19-1 at home in three seasons under Lanning while seeing fan support skyrocket. The Ducks played in front of four of the 15 largest crowds in Autzen Stadium history in 2024, including a stadium-record 60,129 fans for Oregon’s historic win over No. 2 Ohio State on Oct. 12. Recruiting and development under Lanning and his staff has translated into success on the field and beyond for Oregon student-athletes. The Ducks had back-to-back conference offensive players of the year and Heisman Trophy finalists with Bo Nix (2023) and Dillon Gabriel (2024), and UO has had 14 players selected in the last two NFL Drafts. Oregon is expected to again break the program record of eight players taken in the NFL Draft after a record 12 players were invited to the 2025 NFL Combine. Oregon’s defense has been among the nation’s most improved over the last three seasons with Lupoi as defensive coordinator. The Ducks have ranked in the top 25 in both scoring defense and total defense in each of the last two seasons, and they allowed 14 points or less seven times in 2024. Oregon also posted its first shutout since 2012 last season with a 35-0 win at Purdue. In 2023, the Ducks allowed the fewest rushing yards per game (102.6) by an Oregon team since 1989. Lupoi was a 2024 semifinalist for the Broyles Award, given to the nation’s top assistant coach. He has coached eight NFL Draft picks so far in his time at Oregon, including cornerback Christian Gonzalez who was the No. 17 overall selection in 2023. Oregon leads the nation in scoring offense (39.3 PPG) over the last three seasons and is also first nationally over the last two seasons (39.5 PPG) since Stein took over as offensive coordinator. The Ducks were the only team to score 30-plus points in every game in 2023 before doing so 11 times in 2024. Stein was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2023 after Nix and the Ducks led the nation in passing with 346.9 yards per game. Nix set the NCAA record that season with a 77.4 completion percentage before going on to be the No. 12 overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. Stein also coached the two most productive receivers in program history, with Troy Franklin breaking the UO single-season records for receiving yards (1,383) and touchdowns (14) in 2023 while Tez Johnson set the program record for receptions (86). Oregon will host its annual Spring Game on April 26 in Autzen Stadium (1 p.m. PT, Big Ten Network). Season tickets for the 2025 season are on sale now at www.GoDucks.com/FBTix.

Fantastic research as usual Jon, and I love the wordplay. I also suspect that just as Oregon fans have no idea how good Moore is, neither does anyone else. Thus not as much love as usual, but you would think if we did NOT take a portal QB...it says a ton about the confidence the coaching staff has Dante Moore.

Go to 16 teams so there is no doubt that any challengers that could win....is in. That leaves room for the occasional ACC or Big12 team that is exceptional and third in their conference.

I am very grateful for turn-around of the mens team, and cross my Duck Feathers for the best!

Well, I was alluding to how we have the most points of any team in the nation since 2022? And who was the OC for 2023 and 2024?

First...I believe he will gradually evolve into a top-five coach, or better. (Once he learns to take-the-damn-points) and I do believe there is a deferred compensation arrangement with Phil that rewards longevity in Eugene. These DC contracts are private, and do not have to be reported. We are uncertain of its presence, but reference was made to it a few times over the last couple of years. This is a stunning amount for Lanning between both sources, and while I think he is exceptional and is worthy--I also think it is another element to keep him here a long time.