Charles Fischer Administrator No. 1 Share Posted June 12, 2023 I thought going into the Pac-12 Tournament that we were toast due to pitching injuries. What they accomplished this post-season is WAY beyond what I thought could happen, and like you--wanted the magic to continue. We had three pitchers returning from last year that we expected to be improved starters or closer, (Isaac Ayon, RJ Gordon and Andrew Mosiello) and we got NOTHING out of them due to injuries? Then our stud pitcher (who is the only pitcher in Oregon history to be a Pac-12 Pitcher of the year three times this year) in Jace Stoffal was out--what we inserted are pitchers that were either inexperienced, or simply not the starter-type material. Yet Waz made it work for all but one game. What I did not know is that freshman (and occasional starter) Matthew Grabmann was out with injury, and Turner Spoljaric was so ill this week that they rushed him to the hospital for an IV? What if NONE of the pitchers were hurt? We could have been a threat for a 'Natty with our hitting. Then losing one of our best hitters, Colby Shade to injury in the last series really hurt us as well. Under Coach Waz, the Ducks will continue to hit well, and with more development of the freshmen pitchers and recruiting--the future SHOUTS some fun times at PK Park in the years ahead! Medford Native, Sophomore Bennett Thompson 1 2 2 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Author Administrator No. 2 Share Posted June 12, 2023 BTW...Oregon signed a Top-50 High School pitcher last fall who is a 6'5" stud at Jesuit HS here in Oregon. But he will probably sign a MLB contract since he is a Top-50 prospect. Keep swinging Waz! 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave23 No. 3 Share Posted June 12, 2023 Great year with a nice postseason run. The coaching kept the team humming in into the tournament. What could have been, the Ducks were looking unstoppable in the mid season before all the injuries. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan2785 No. 4 Share Posted June 12, 2023 (edited) On 6/11/2023 at 8:31 PM, Charles Fischer said: BTW...Oregon signed a Top-50 High School pitcher last fall who is a 6'5" stud at Jesuit HS here in Oregon. But he will probably sign a MLB contract since he is a Top-50 prospect. Keep swinging Waz! Noble Meyer is a cert to go top 20 in the draft, could go as high as top ten, there is no way he ends up at Oregon. Best high school pitcher I've seen, Mick Able was a stud as well, but I feel like Meyer is more polished. Ducks still have a great class coming in including guys from right here in Eugene/Springfield. Edited June 12, 2023 by spartan2785 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUCKED No. 5 Share Posted June 12, 2023 Pitching really let the Ducks down today. the collective inexperience was evide Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUCKED No. 6 Share Posted June 12, 2023 Agree Charles…..the future looks bright, as long as the Ducks stay healthy….and the young pitching staff continues to develop. I love what Waz is doing with this team. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck 68 No. 7 Share Posted June 12, 2023 An amazing finish to the season. PAC-12 Tournament Champions, Regional winners, and, oh so close, to going to Omaha. So much to be proud of for a wonderful group of young men. That said, Sunday's pitching performances were among the worst imaginable. I understand the injury situation to the front line staff, but the absolute inability by accomplished recruits to throw strikes proved fatal. 11 walks and 4 hit batters! 15 free passes made it impossible to compete. Hopefully Coach Was can get some new talent to come to Eugene. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 8 Share Posted June 12, 2023 Hats off to the Ducks. And hats off to Rob Mullens (a guy I have likely too often dissed previously) for bringing Coach W in from Purdue. Heck of winning streak, a conference championship, and a regional title in Dixie are all great accomplishments. In Boston we used to say, for decades: Wait Until Next Year! I think it will be far shorter for Coach W to take Oregon to Omaha and win a national championship as he did as a player. Go Ducks! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUCKED No. 9 Share Posted June 12, 2023 On 6/12/2023 at 6:57 AM, Duck 68 said: An amazing finish to the season. PAC-12 Tournament Champions, Regional winners, and, oh so close, to going to Omaha. So much to be proud of for a wonderful group of young men. That said, Sunday's pitching performances were among the worst imaginable. I understand the injury situation to the front line staff, but the absolute inability by accomplished recruits to throw strikes proved fatal. 11 walks and 4 hit batters! 15 free passes made it impossible to compete. Hopefully Coach Was can get some new talent to come to Eugene. Working from behind in the count is a recipe for disaster. Pitchers start pressing and hitters are digging in, waiting for a fat pitch. I, too, was surprised at the Ducks’ hurlers inability to throw strikes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Author Administrator No. 10 Share Posted June 12, 2023 On 6/12/2023 at 6:57 AM, Duck 68 said: I understand the injury situation to the front line staff, but the absolute inability by accomplished recruits to throw strikes proved fatal. Sometimes your top guys have bad days, then when you have a very thin staff and someone who you needed five innings from can only do two? You run out of bodies who are proven, especially when there are no break days like the Nashville Regional. The pitchers thrown in there late hardly pitched through the season for a reason, but it was all we had. Oregon will get MUCH better at pitching, as I have all the confidence in Waz. And you need some luck with injuries! We needed Isaac Ayon back... Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Author Administrator No. 11 Share Posted June 12, 2023 On 6/12/2023 at 8:44 AM, DUCKED said: I, too, was surprised at the Ducks’ hurlers inability to throw strikes. I wasn't, because I watched them pitch before. But this is all we had, as the magic had all run out with pitchers. This is why in another thread I wrote... 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Waddler Moderator No. 12 Share Posted June 12, 2023 By comparison, it’s important to point out that of the four pitchers used by ORU in game three, not one was a freshman. There starting nine was composed of six seniors and three juniors. Experience - having been there before - is the best remedy for pressure situations. While it hurts to not be going to Omaha, what our frosh pitchers went through was priceless - developmental gold. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 13 Share Posted June 13, 2023 Stanford receives a gift from the Longhorns. At least 1 Pac team is headed to Omaha. Unbelievable! Lost fly ball sends Stanford past Texas and back to the College World Series SATURDAYOUTWEST.COM Stanford outlasted Texas 7-6 in Game 3, reaching Omaha on one of the wildest endings in NCAA Tournament history. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
