Charles Fischer

You can see the B1G standings this week, and we have a lot of sorting out to do as time goes on. The former Pac-12 teams are doing pretty good, and will probably rule the B1G, just as Oregon and UCLA are in Baseball. (USC does not have a Softball team) Other former Pac-12 teams are in the top-25 in Arizona at No. 11 and Stanford at No. 13.

First of all, how wonderful is this for the Softball program! If they can keep winning and hold a ranking like this--they could host a regional and Super-Regional, but that is still a long ways away. But the way they are playing makes this ranking deserving! Note that in the ranking...UCLA at No. 13, Nebraska is No. 20, and Ohio State is No. 22 from the B1G.

He was the MaxPreps California State Player of the Year....this is a recruit that is fairly unknown to Oregon fans, compared to if such a player came to us in the past.

He could be a faster LeGarrett Blount when fully developed... (And he runs a 10.30 now?)

A couple of things surprise me about that Baseball listing above: --This is one sport where Ohio State is not strong, and Our Beloved Ducks travel to Ohio this week to play a series with them. Sounds like a good "get-right" weekend! --Of the 18 B1G schools...only ONE does not have a baseball program, that is Wisconsin. I would have thought more would bow out.... So Wisconsin doesn't, but all the other cold-weather teams play baseball? BTW...Oregon's Tuesday and Wednesday games with Kent State have been cancelled due to unfortunate weather conditions this week. Just the Buckeyes for now! Jacob Walsh fields it himself, and makes the out!

D1Baseball has Oregon at No. 10 this week, (19-5) one off from last week's No. 9, but I do not have a problem with it as we are in a team hitting slump at the moment. Top ten is fantastic for this time, as there is SO MUCH upside to this team. The new team from the B1G to be ranked? It is UCLA (18-5) at No. 24 and since they have solved their injury problem--they'll be moving up over the next couple of months. As you see below, they are also tied for first with Oregon in the B1G as is Iowa at 14-8, and Our Beloved Ducks will be playing both teams this season to sort it all out. What was amusing to me as well, is that the former Pac-12 had FIVE teams in the Top-25 in Oregon State No. 5, Oregon No. 10, Stanford No. 20, Arizona No. 23, and UCLA at No. 24. We had a good Baseball conference! Why is Iowa put ahead of Oregon? I assume it is the alphabetical thing again...

The recruit in the article is an incredible athlete that is either peaking now as a sophomore in high school, or will become a HOF NFL player. The 2027 signing is a long ways off, but it is great that Lanning builds the bonds early to give us a chance...

Ducks Clinch Series With Gutty Win EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon relief pitcher Santiago Garcia inherited a bases-loaded jam in a one-run game when he came out of the bullpen in the top of the eighth inning. Unfazed, Garcia got a weak ground out to third to end the threat before getting a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth to clinch the series for the No. 9 Ducks over Rutgers in a 4-2 win on Sunday at PK Park. After Garcia got out of the eighth inning with the Ducks still leading, Oregon (19-5, 7-2 Big Ten) got the Ducks’ lefty some insurance he would not eventually need. Mason Neville worked a one-out walk on a full count and then swiped second on a delayed steal with two outs. Jacob Walsh took advantage of Neville’s hustle lining an RBI single to right center for a two-run lead. How It Happened: The Ducks drew first blood for the first time in the series scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning. After three walks loaded the bases, Chase Meggers ripped a double up the right-field line scoring Parker Stinson and Ryan Cooney. After Rutgers cut the lead in half with a sacrifice fly in the fourth, Oregon got the run back in the fifth when pinch-hitter Burke-Lee Mabeus grounded out with the bases loaded and drove in Anson Aroz. Rutgers (10-14, 2-4) cut the lead back to one in the top of the eighth before Garcia game out of the pen to shut the door. Ducks’ starter Will Sanford (2-1) (above) picked up the win after giving Oregon his second quality start of the season. The freshman allowed just one run on two hits through six innings while striking out five. Box Score Notes: Parker Stinson, who made his Ducks’ debut with a pinch-hit walk-off sacrifice fly on Friday, made his first career Oregon start at designated hitter … Oregon’s 19-5 start to the season is its second-best start in program history, behind the 1963 team’s 20-4 record … Oregon has won all six weekend series it has played this season and has not lost a regular-season weekend series since losing two of three games at Stanford last season (April 19-21). On Deck: The Ducks hit the road for a three-game series at Ohio State starting on Friday. Quotes: Head Coach Mark Wasikowski On the series and win today… “We won the series and that was the objective today because that’s all we can control. We went 1-0 today and that was good, we won.” On Will Sanford’s performance… “He got more competitive as he went. I think through 4.0 innings he wasn’t perfect, but then in the fifth and sixth he was able to have 1-2-3 innings. I think he had a five and 12-pitch inning. I thought his competitiveness was elevated then and we really needed that. It was great to be able to see Will (Sanford) lock in like that.” On Santiago Garcia’s performance out of the pen… “He was huge. I think he probably got the save or whatever it is scored as. He got the save in the game and he saw four hitters. He pitched in the toughest time of the game and he elevated his game. I don’t know if he threw any balls at all today, he was that good and he was really on point with his stuff.” Will Sanford On the start today… “It felt good. Just some things to work on, but I battled through some tough innings and made pitches when I needed to. Overall, it felt pretty good.” Maddox Molony (No. 9) and Ryan Cooney complete an ALL-Oregon double play! On what was clicking today… “I was just making pitches when I needed to. My defense played well and made a lot of good plays behind me. They probably saved a couple runs for me, but I was really trying to land off speeds when I needed to, get early strikes, and keep it simple.” Santiago Garcia On coming in during a crucial situation... “Yeah, I mean we got a coach out there. He tells us what the situation is and I kind of get mentally ready to go into the game. I just think of the battle that's coming in and I kind of just go out there and just execute in my mind what's rehearsed that's it.” On what was working today... “Fastball felt really good off the hand. I just gave it everything up there.” Chase Meggers On swing adjustments... “Yeah, I got some video after my first series back, and Marder and I had a little meeting about some swings that I had late in the year last year when I was hitting well. Made a few adjustments and then kind of built off of it during practice and then it showed in the game.” On where the team is at now following this weekend... “I mean, we're in first place, we're in a good spot, but we're not playing our best baseball, so that tells us that, you know, we need to start hitting on the details that we're missing on and keep building off what we're doing, we're not playing our best baseball and we're still winning. So, you know, we just need to keep building off of everything we're doing and getting better, every day. Nailing the details, and I think that we will get better from there.”

I am a Happy Cat again...

Wow. The 28-3 start is the best since in eight years...when the Ducks were in the top five. Could this be a magical finish for Our Beloved Ducks this year?

Santiago Garcia comes in, and pitches the third out in the eighth...and ALL of them in the ninth for the save!

4-2 Ducks after eight innings! Jacob Walsh has been so much better this year at not going for the homer every time, but getting us a hit when needed. Oregon was 1-11 today with runners in scoring position until Walsh came to the plate...

3-1 Ducks after seven innings. Oregon got six great innings from Will Sanford, and then big 6'11" Jason Reitz came in and continued the scoreless innings!

Top of the sixth with Will Sanford pitching for Oregon...

3-1 Ducks after five innings. Oregon got one run, but has bases loaded with no outs! Damn.

2-1 Ducks after four innings. Boy we have stranded a ton on base...we need more timely hits!

2-0 Ducks after two innings. So great to have Chase Meggers back from injury and making timely hits again!

Great to see Our Beloved Diamond Ducks bounce back! More at the bottom of the thread later.... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a pretty big game in so many ways...how will Oregon respond after yesterday? We are not playing like a No. 9 team right now, and I have to admit that Rutgers has good players, and are well coached. Win the series, DUCKS! Will Sanford on the Hill today...

Too bad. Kelly Graves surprised me this year, and but question is...can he ever return Oregon to glory?

8-0 Rutgers is the final.

We are getting our butts-kicked, 8-0 Rutgers after seven innings.

4-0 Rutgers after six innings, as the Ducks are running out of outs! The Scarlet Knight starting pitcher has been impressive...

Boy, things can turn in a hurry. 3-0 Rutgers at the end of three innings. Just when I was bragging on Clarke...he hits a batter, another gets a lucky infield hit, and then another batter caught a pitch for a three-run homer. Damn.

0-0 after two innings. Like yesterday--both starting pitchers are very, very tough. How do you strike out FOUR in one inning? A third strike slipped through the catcher's mitt to the backstop, and the batter made it to first base. But it did not matter with Clarke...

We don't need to see a game summary of this one. We couldn't hit, and we did not pitch well... ------------------------------------------------------------- Thank goodness the weather report is for clouds, but little or no rain today. The Ducks feature starting pitcher, Collin Clarke, who has an incredible 2.08 ERA vs. the starter for the Scarlet Knights who is at a very good 3.80 ERA. In the end...the ERA is helpful looking at past history, but today could be quite different with how a pitcher is doing. Yesterday the Rutgers starter had an ERA over 9.00, because of early outings, (like two of our pitchers) but yesterday we only got one run off him. He was super, thus ERA in the past meant nothing. Ditto for last Sunday when Oregon's Will Sanford had an ERA of only 2.25, but had a bad day and got shelled. We just have to assume that all opposing pitchers are good, and fortunately for Our Beloved Ducks...we have pitching depth unlike any other year that I've watched Oregon Baseball. Let's win the series today! Stud Collin Clarke on the Hill for OBD...