Thus far, the Big-10 baseball feels like Oregon may have the better team, but we will have to fight and scratch to win the games. (Which is what you want to build your team's resolve) The Wildcats strike as another team like Indiana or Purdue where it is evident they can beat us, but we will prevail if we give our best. (Taking account that the occasional game of not hitting well does happen like the 2-1 Purdue loss)

Looking at the Northwestern pitchers--I see some good ERAs with the first two, and this is from those who have pitched the most, and I assume the starters. Today's starters on both sides were not announced yet. The Wildcats have a couple of relievers with good ERAs, along with some poor ones. (It was in the snow, but they did give USC their only loss!)

Matt Kouser, ERA of 2.57

Garrett Shearer, ERA of 3.60

Jake Rifenburg, ERA of 5.63

Ryan Weaver, ERA of 8.76 (The pitcher who started today, and got shelled in the first inning)

Sam Hliboki, ERA of 11.34

And we know that the ERA is only showing their best day. Last week--Indiana's best pitcher against us had an ERA of over 13 coming into the game! And their relievers who had an ERA below 2.00 is who we were able to score on. It all depends upon that day--as we know.

It is possible that the reason for Northwestern being 7-9 is because of their hitting? The Wildcats only have one player hitting over .300, while the Ducks have six over .300 with another at .299 and Maddox Molony at .250 who will be back over .300 before long.

The weather will be cloudy with super-low chance of rain...which is the forecast for all three games this weekend.

Jack Brooks is projected back in the lineup today!

10-0 Ducks after the first inning. Sorry for the delay, but an appointment went long....like this first inning. Oregon was killing the starting Wildcat pitcher...

Will Sanford looks really sharp to start the game and keep Northwestern off the scoreboard.

Ryan Cooney got it started with a lead-off hit up the middle, and Jax Gimenez got plinked. Drew Smith hits to deep LF to score Cooney, and it all begins. Angel Laya hits deep, but a fielding error allows him on base and to score Gimenez. Maddox Molony hits to shallow LF and delays the fielders long enough for Smith and Laya to score!

Burke-Lee Mabeus gets plinked, and Gabe Miranda hits opposite field (LF) for him, and scores Maddox. Then Jack Brooks gives the crowd a big welcome back with a three run homer!

Ryan Cooney hits opposite field (RF) and a pitching change for the Wildcats was necessary. Jax Gimenez was plinked again, and Dominic Hellman walks. Angel Laya comes up and knocks to shallow CF to score Cooney and Gimenez. These Ducks are SO FAST running the bases!

10-1 Ducks after two innings. Will Sanford gave up a solo homer and dispensed the rest. He's got a 94 mph fastball with his big-dropping curve today!

13-1 Ducks after three innings. Boy...when it goes your way--enjoy it! Will Sanford is dialed in, and so impressive as he takes care of business 1-2-3.

Dominic Hellman got the timing down on a low pitch and drove a line-drive over the CF wall for a solo homer! Then Drew Smith hits to a hole in mid-LF to get on base.

Then Angel Laya hits a two-run homer over the RF wall!

15-1 Ducks after four innings. We've got Super-Sanford running batter out--so sweet!

Burke-Lee Mabeus hits to a gap in CF, and Gabe Miranda walks. Jack Brooks hits to his opposite field (LF) to the wall to score Mabeus. Ryan Cooney sac-flies to score Miranda.

The next hour is dicey for my reporting as I'm entering my Intermittent Fasting window...and I gotta eat!

16-1 Ducks after five innings. Will Sanford walked two, but no problem as he disposes of the rest.

Dominic Hellman got his second homer in the game!

20-1 Ducks after six innings as Leo Ulemen comes in for relief, and was a little nervous at first, but settled in to generate a double-play to finish off the inning!

Jack Brooks is plinked, and Ryan Cooney walks while Jax Gimenez beats out an infield single. Nauvata Lauaki hits to score Brooks, and Tyler Holley hits off the wall to score two runs! Josh Schleichardt hits up the middle to score the speedy Holley from second!

Ducks win 20-6 in a run-ruled seventh inning. Oregon ran a bunch of freshmen pitcher through who gave up a lot, but they got experience, and we all got the win! (Hudson Carvalho, Shane Johnson, etc.)

Safe to say Oregon had their bats going today😂

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2026

BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball

Ducks Roll to Win in Series Opener vs. Northwestern

 

EUGENE, Ore. — Will Sanford allowed just one hit over five innings while No. 21 Oregon’s offense had eight extra-base hits including four home runs in a dominant 20-6, 7-inning, win over Northwestern in Big Ten Conference action on Friday at PK Park.

 

Sanford moved to 4-0 on the season after allowing just a second-inning solo home run while fanning eight over five innings of work.

 

Dominic Hellman slugged two of Oregon’s four home runs, while Jack Brooks and Angel Laya each added one. Laya finished 3-for-3, adding a double and a career-high five RBI. Brooks went 2-for-3 with four RBI, also a career best.

 

How It Happened: Oregon (18-3, 6-1 B1G) made an early statement sending 15 batters to the plate while putting 10 runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Drew Smith, the nation’s 10th leading hitter going into the game, delivered a one-out, RBI single scoring Ryan Cooney while putting runners at the corners. 

 

Laya followed with a hard-hit ball at the center fielder who misjudged the ball resulting in a run-scoring double. Maddox Molony picked up a pair of RBI scoring Smith and Laya with a base hit into left-center field for a 4-0 lead.

 

Burke-Lee Mabeus reached on a hit-by-pitch putting runners at first and second, which led to a Gabe Miranda RBI single through the left side scoring Molony. Brooks made it 8-0 when he slugged his second career home run in his first start since the Purdue finale when he left the game after running into the outfield wall.

Angel Laya

The Ducks were not done scoring, loading the bases with two outs for Laya, who lined a single sharply into right center scoring two more runs.

 

After Northwestern (7-10-1, 1-3 B1G) cut the lead with a solo home run in the top of the second, the Ducks answered with two homers and three runs in the bottom of the third. Helman belted a two-out solo shot 411 feet over the center-field wall, before Laya added two-more RBI with a homer to right field.

 

Oregon tacked on two more runs in the fourth inning. After a Mabeus single and Miranda walk, Brooks added RBI number four on the day with a run-scoring double to left center scoring Mabeus. Cooney added a sacrifice fly scoring Miranda for a 15-1 lead.

 

Hellman added home run No. 2 on the night to lead off the fifth, this one going over 425 feet. The Ducks then capped their scoring with a four-run inning in the sixth getting production from their bench. Freshman pinch hitter Naulivou Lauaki Jr. drove in a run with a bases-loaded ground out. Tyler Holley added a two-run double off the wall in right field before Josh Schleichardt drove in the final run with a single up the middle. Malosi Mata’afa-Alferos capped the inning with his first career hit.

Box Score Notes: Cooney made his 100th career start, joining Smith and Molony in the 100-start club … Oregon’s 10-run first inning marked the first time the Ducks scored double-digit runs in an inning since putting 10 on the board in the first inning vs. San Francisco on March 29, 2022 … Hellman homered twice in a game for the third time in his career … Hellman moved into a tie for eighth in career home runs at Oregon with Anson Aroz (2022-25) and Kenyon Yovan (2017-21) … Laya was the last Duck to homer twice in a game (3/8/26).

 

On Deck: The Ducks and Wildcats meet in game two of the series on Saturday at 2:05 p.m.  (B1G+).

 

Quotes:

 

Head Coach Mark Wasikowski

 

On takeaways from today...

“Well, what can you take away? Take away a win. You can take away, you know, all the positives and all the things that you need to correct, and it’s another good day to be with the team. I mean, just being around the guys. You know, every single day, sometimes games are close, and sometimes it's like that. But the bottom line is, we were able to get some really talented people in the game and, you know, and get people experience. This is a young group that's got a lot of talent, and they need experience.

And the way you can get experience is by playing in games and playing in games against somebody else, in front of people that have beer and hot dogs and popcorn and all that kind of stuff. It's just a lot different than it is when you come out here on a Tuesday, and you play a scrimmage, and you see that with each one of your players. And so, the biggest takeaway is the fact that we get a chance to be around each other again for another day. We win the ball game, that was the objective of the day. And those guys got experience, which is great.”

 

On later pitch hitters and relievers...

“Well, I mean, [Tyler] Holley and Malosi [Mata’afa-Alferos], those two kids worked their tail off, right? And both of them got hits today, their first hits in Duck uniforms, I think, which was awesome, you know? And they flat out are grinders, whether it's in the weight room or whether it's in the practice field. And so, everything that they are getting, they deserve. When the success happens, they deserve it. They're really good players. And so, it's, it's really happy. I'm really happy to see those guys succeed, because they succeed every day in our work.”

Will Sanford

On Will Sanford...

“Yeah, I mean, we saw it coming. Last year in scrimmages, he was the most dominant guy we had as a freshman in scrimmages. And then he got out there in game, and he wasn't the same guy that we saw when nobody was here, you know. And then the band showed up, and it was different, a little bit for him. He's settling in now. He's still on Friday nights. He's been successful for us.

You'll see the same thing with Hudson Carvalho and Cooper Markham and Shane Johnson, and all those freshmen. You're going to see the same type of thing as soon as they settle down. Those guys have tremendous ability, once they settle down, to do the same things we watched them do in every scrimmage that we play. I mean, once they do that, they're going to be lights out, you know. I mean, guys like Carvalho, are going five innings against our hitters, and giving up no runs. And today, you’d go, ‘Whoa, that doesn’t seem like that would be accurate based off what I see today,’ but it’s just an experienced thing. And they got to get out there and get comfortable.”

 

No. 6 Jack Brooks

 

On his first at bat...

“Hitting is contagious. I mean, you see everyone else doing it. I mean, [Ryan] Cooney leads us off with a single up the middle, and then everyone else is just kind of teeing off. So, after that, you're pretty loose, going up there knowing you can't fail. Just got to keep doing your thing.”

 

On contributions off the bench...

“You see the work they put in day in and day out. I mean, they're coming to the field every day, fighting to play. I mean, they're fighting to get their time or their spot, and it's really special to see those guys getting hit stuff like that or just being on the field. Like seeing Malosi [Mata’afa-Alferos] go get his first hit today. I mean, that was amazing. Seeing [Tyler] Holley do the same exact thing. I love cheering those guys on, because, those guys are putting in the work, and they deserve it, and they deserve every, every moment of it.”

 

No. 28 Will Sanford

 

On freshman pitchers’ performances...

“I just kind of relate it to myself last year, and I was in those shoes where it is hard to pitch at this level. And like, we have a really good freshman class, and like, all those guys dominated in high school, and that's why they're here. But it's more so just trying to get them in that mode. They dominated our hitters in the fall. Just because you're in a game now doesn't mean you need to change anything. And it's all a mental thing where it is hard to work at, and it took me a while to get to that, like, freeness, but it's something where a guy like Hudson [Carvalho], where he has all the talent like that, I'm just trying to help him mentally, where he can feel free on the mound.”

 

On having a 10-run lead...

“It does make it easier, but at the same time, it's hard to stay competitive in that state when you're up so much. But that's why I like to take it inning by inning. And you know, I'm trying to win innings. It's my job. So, the more innings I win, the more chance we have a winning so that's all I have to do mentally to keep myself going.”