Do not overlook our opponent, as they won 40 games last year, the most in 16 years, and they return a ton of players and welcome a bunch of portal transfers. They ended up in the runner-up in the Atlantic-10 conference, and they have a senior pitcher who is pretty good, and I expect to see today.

Speaking of pitchers....the Friday starter was named by Coach Waz as Will Sanford, and you could knock me over with a Duck-feather. I was skeptical if Sanford would even be a starter, let alone the Friday night guy. He was heralded as a major prospect coming out of high school, but had some rough outings last year. But players get better!

Head Coach Mark Wasikowski said, "He's pitched really well. His stuff is improved, just everything that he's been able to roll out there... the kid earned it, and so my expectation is for him to just go out there and pitch the way he's pitched, how we've seen him, you know, in Fall scrimmages and Spring scrimmages. He's just been really elite."

Will Sanford

Sanford said his focus is on setting the tone every weekend, the same way those pitchers before him did — and that his mindset is shaped by what he learned from last season.

"Take it week by week, but I just really want to set the tone each weekend for us," Sanford said. "And, you know, just have a great season." "Last year, I felt like I failed a lot. So learning from them and seeing how they hold themselves, how they go pitch to pitch, and how they respond to adversity — it kind of takes what they did and lets me apply it toward this year."

The Saturday double-header will have starters Collin Clarke, and transfer Cal Scolari as I expected, and the Sunday starter is unknown at this point.

Pitching Depth Takes Center Stage as Oregon Baseball Opens Season Against George Mason

Oregon opens the season with a four-game series vs. George Mason, led by opening day starter Will Sanford and a pitching staff built on depth and competition.

https://247sports.com/college/oregon/article/pitching-depth-takes-center-stage-as-oregon-baseball-opens-season-against-george-mason-274232346/

Wow, did I get surprised with the starting lineup. Four fielders...I did not anticipate. We have Jax Gimenez at LF, Jack Brooks at CF, and new freshman Angel Laya at RF. And we have Gabe Miranda at first base as I reported yesterday.

Will Sanford put them out 1-2-3 in the first half of the first inning, and all three are .300+ hitters. He threw a 95 mph pitch on his first one, so this is a very good start. Great for his and our confidence!

1-0 Ducks after one inning.

We got bases loaded by hits from Jax Gimenez and Dominic Hellman, and a hit-by-pitch on Miranda but could not get much from the opportunity. Drew Smith walked, thus we got a run.

Big surprise...lefty hitter Gabe Miranda was in the clean-up spot on the batting order!

Wow! What a way to start the season. Keep it going, guys.

5-0 Ducks after two innings. Will Sanford gave up a hit, but forced two fly-outs, and got a pick-off at first base with Gabe Miranda!

Freshman Angel Laya got things going with a hit in his first at-bat! A good-looking newbie there... Jack Brooks did a perfect bunt that died between home plate and the pitchers mound, and he jetted with his superb speed to beat the throw. Then Ryan Cooney puts a perfect bunt down the third base line and with his wings flew to first with time to spare.

Jax Gimenez grounds out, but scores Laya. Then Dominic Hellman comes in and unloads a DOM-BOMB that was a line drive that cleared the fence in left field, but also the back fence of the visiting bullpen! Whew!

5-0 Ducks after three innings. Angel Laya got another hit in his second at-bat...maybe that is why he is starting? Other Ducks flied/grounded out.

Will Sanford put them down in order again, but boy...he has got a nasty curve that drops a foot to pair with his 95 mph fastball. A deadly combination, and maybe that's why he is the starter too?

Charles...you gotta trust Coach Waz!

5-0 Ducks after 4 innings. Sanford is giving them much to work with as he retired the side, and is at 62 pitches after four innings. It will be interesting to see how long Waz will let him continue, as they like to gradually build the arm up over the season.

Gabe Miranda has been hit twice by pitch..already. Drew Smith walked but we got nothing else.

6-0 Ducks after five innings. Sanford forces three ground-outs, and the infield looks sharp! Will has 71 pitches after six innings...

Angel Laya got his third hit today, a sweet drive in the gap near center field for a double. What have I said about "Greatness and Weakness Emerge Early?" He has a nice natural swing, and quite a good looking player already. Jack Brooks bunts and doesn't make it, but a bad throw pulled the first baseman to have the ball bounce off his mitt. That scores Laya from second base!

I guess he has speed too?

6-0 Ducks after six innings. Will Sanford finished with a great day, giving up no runs. Our first reliever is Gonzaga transfer, Miles Gosztola, who is a lefty with a big sweeping pitch that whips inward towards the batter. He gave up a double, but then forced two grounders and a fly ball. Good start!

6-2 Ducks after seven innings. Gosztola looked like he was going to get out of a jam, but then gave up a double. Ducks didn't do much on offense...

6-2 Ducks after eight innings. Sophomore Tanner Bradley came in for relief, and last year as a freshman he did not pitch much, (five innings) but he did not allow a run in those and showed promise. The fact that he was brought in so soon made me want to watch him closely. He a righty with a lot of action on his pitches.

He threw one that was clearly headed outside the plate, but then it curved inside, and caught the corner of the plate. Very nasty. He kept 'em scoreless and looks strong!

Ducks win 6-2! Tanner Bradley came in finished them off. Boy, he has action on his pitches. This time he threw inside enough to make the batter lean back, and then the ball whipped in a curve back to the plate for a strike!

This is going to be fun to watch over the season... First of the double-header is at 11:00 AM PST on Saturday!

3 hours ago, Charles Fischer said:

Will has 71 pitches after six innings...

62 pitchers after 4 and 71 pitches after 6 innings? That's impressive in itself.

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2026

BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball

Ducks Open Season With a Win

 

EUGENE, Ore. — Sophomore Will Sanford put together a dominant outing over five innings on the mound while Dominic Hellman sparked Oregon’s offense with a three-run home run in a 6-2 win over George Mason on Opening Day at PK Park on Friday.

 

Sanford (1-0) took control early, striking out the side in the top of the first inning. Things did not get easier for the Patriots (0-1) with Sanford retiring 10 of the first 11 batters he faced while picking off the lone runner at first during that stretch.  Overall, he retired 14 of the 16 batters he faced before giving way to a pair of relievers.

Will Sanford

The Ducks’ starter allowed just one hit and only two base runners in five innings while not allowing a Patriot past first base while striking out five.

 

How It Happened: Oregon (1-0) did not waste time getting on the board taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Jax Gimenez doubled with one out before moving to third on a Hellman single and scoring when Drew Smith bases loaded walk. 

 

The Ducks built on the lead in the second adding four runs while mixing a little small ball with some long ball. Freshman Angel Laya led off the frame with his first career hit before moving to third on back-to-back bunt base hits by Jack Brooks and Ryan Cooney. Gimenez pushed the lead to 2-0 driving in Laya with a ground out to second. Hellman followed with a 385-foot line drive over the left-field wall for a three-run homer and a 5-0 lead.

 

Oregon tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth. Laya led off the inning with a double over the center-fielders head, his third hit of the game, before coming around to score on a throwing error on a Brooks’ sacrifice bunt. 

 

Box Score Notes: Laya became the 30th true freshman position player in the modern era of Oregon baseball to start on opening day … Laya went 3-for-4 with two runs scored … The three hits were the most by a freshman on Opening Day since Tanner Smith and Aaron Zavala both had three knocks at Texas Tech in 2019 … Hellman finished 2-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored, giving him 26 career multi-hit and 14 career multi-RBI games … Gimenez had a career-best two doubles while going 2-for-5 with a RBI and run scored … In addition to Laya, three other players made their Duck debuts … Gabe Miranda got the start at first base and reached on a pair of hit-by-pitches … Miles Gosztola pitched the sixth and seventh innings, finishing with two strikeouts … Elijah Cook entered the game as a pinch runner in the eighth inning and played left in the ninth.

 

On Deck: The teams play a doubleheader at PK Park on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.

 

Quotes:

 

Head Coach Mark Wasikowski

On the opening day performance and fan attendance...

“I thought the guys played well. We got a good performance out of Will Sanford.  I thought Dom Hellman came up really big with a couple of at-bats. For a freshman to do what Angel Laya did in his first game is really good. And for the first game, I really appreciate the fans. The fans packed the house, and I love that.”

 

On Will Sanford's improvement during the offseason...

“He’s just a year older, mental toughness, calmness, and foot-flow have been really good for him. It’s only one game in, but to have Matt Florer and Dan Straily around our pitchers, I've been impressed with both their work and their demeanor. Both their demeanors rub off on those guys.”

 

On Dan Straily and Matt Florer at Oregon...

“Dan Straily played 11 years in the major leagues. I mean, our entire staff earnings — he probably made twice as much as all of us combined. That's how smart in the game Dan Straily is. Matt Florer does a tremendous job and has an elite baseball mind and is a really good developer. We were fortunate enough that we were able to convince him to come up.”

Drew Smith & Dominic Hellman

Dominic Hellman

 

On starting the season off with a homerun…

“It feels pretty good. I had a bunch of guys in front of me put together some tough at-bats. Jax Gimenez scored a guy to get that going and then the juices were flowing from there.”

 

On Will Sanford’s performance…

“The kid is a stud. If you call last year a rough year for him, that speaks volumes to who he is as a kid. Through camp he’s been lights out. To see him go out there and compete like that is great. That’s just what he does on a random Friday or Saturday for us.”

 

On goals for the season…

“Same thing as last year, being consistent. I want to make sure I get healthy and take guys under my wing. I want to let them know that it’s going to be a long season and just because we drop a game or have one bad at-bat, there’s going to be a lot more games. Making sure we’re consistent with taking care of what we need to, still competing, and doing everything we can.”

 

Angel Laya

 

On earning his playing time in the outfield…

“I played to the standard. It’s fun to compete with the guys but playing to the standard and succeeding will help you start.”

 

On avoiding slow starts…

“I just keep going. Everyone has some flaws. I could’ve gone 0-for-4 today but tomorrow is a new day and today is over.”

Angel Laya

On nerves and pregame routine…

“I was generally nervous, but I calmed myself down and reminded myself I’ve done this all my life. Pregame I have no music or energy drinks. I stay to myself, focus, and do my thing.”

Will Sanford

 

On pitching against an aggressive hitting team…

“Knowing that most of their players don’t strike out a lot and they like to put a lot of balls in play, we tried to take advantage of that, get ahead early and make some weak contacts.”

 

On mentality against tough batters...

“Being able to trust each pitch I’m throwing and not being scared to walk guys has been a big thing for me. Being on the attack and forcing them to put it in play, you get a call sometimes to go your way.”

 

On pitching while Oregon is ahead…

“It’s great, we take advantage of that. The thing for us is when we get those big numbers, being able to shut them down right away. We put up a 0 quickly, get our offense back out there and take the momentum from there.”

 

On Matt Florer’s approach…

“His approach with me is to trust my routine and let me do what I need to do. He also helps me on the mental side. If I am struggling with something, he’s there for me and gets me out of that. It’s been a big adjustment for me knowing I have a pitching coach that has trust in me. It makes it easy to pitch.”