The Oregon Ducks may not play a harder five-game stretch the rest of the season than the one they just faced — and conquered — over the past week. 

Big Ten play finally started, but the Ducks’ first conference opponent was a familiar foe: USC. It’s entirely possible that the best teams in this year’s Big Ten are the newcomers from the West Coast. Oregon having to go on the road to face a pesky Trojans squad looked to be a challenge for Mark Wasikowski’s Ducks. 

Instead, Oregon swept USC on the road and outscored the Trojans 20-11. The Ducks — who entered the weekend as the 10th-ranked team in the nation — used some early offense to earn their first conference series win (and sweep) of the season. 

In the first game against USC, Oregon jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in its first three offensive innings. Mason Neville sent the second pitch of the game into the seats and the Ducks’ offense worked to bring across four more scrappy runs. When Grayson Grinsell excited after his five innings of four-hit, two-run ball, he was able to turn the ball over to Jason Reitz to go the rest of the way and protect the advantage. 

Game Two was an even larger example of team baseball. Oregon exploded offensively to score the contest’s first eight runs, but the bats went cold after the fifth inning and USC scored the game’s final six runs. We’ve learned this far, however, that any lead given to the Oregon bullpen is likely a safe one, and the Ducks escaped the nail-biter with the win. The bullpen allowed only two runs, snapping a 22-inning scoreless streak from the Oregon relievers. 

It wasn’t until Neville’s clutch go-ahead homer in the seventh inning of Game Three that the Ducks’ bats made an impact after the fifth inning of a game. Again, Oregon got ahead early with a two-run second, but blew its lead in a three-run sixth from the Trojans’ bats. 

Neville’s timely smash sparked a two-run frame that helped Oregon sweep a series it never trailed in. 

The weekend sweep moved the Ducks up to a No. 9 ranking for its two-game midweek series with the GCU Antelopes. 

Timely hitting evaded Oregon in Tuesday’s 4-2 loss, one that saw the Ducks strand 11 runners on base. Neville again led the game off with a homer, but a complete lack of two-out, clutch hitting left the Ducks grasping at straws in the final innings. The bullpen only allowed two runs, but with no offensive support, it proved to be two runs too many. 

Then, the response Wasikowski wanted came in Wednesday’s 16-6 stomping of GCU. Oregon exploded for five runs in both the first and second innings to build a healthy cushion. That early offensive explosion was one that Wasikowski praised. 

If Oregon can make a habit of building these early leads, I currently have enough trust in the Ducks’ bullpen to carry them the rest of the way. 

GCU and USC are both very good teams and Oregon went 4-1 against them across six days. While the guys in the clubhouse are surely disappointed with the loss, the stretch is still an undeniable success.  

The road becomes slightly easier with Minnesota and Rutgers teams on the horizon, so the next few weeks will be a great opportunity for the Ducks to distance themselves from the rest of their new conference mates. 

Ruth’s Top Three Stars

First Star: Ryan Cooney – 2B

Cooney’s nine RBIs (four in the win over GCU) earned him my top spot. With how deep Oregon is in the middle infield, he’s making it really hard for Wasikowski to take the bat out of his hands when his team becomes fully healthy. He also leads the team in sacrifice hits, a true team player that this Ducks squad loves to benefit from.

Second Star: Jason Reitz – P

Reitz made his first appearance of the season out of the bullpen against USC after being a starter throughout the Ducks’ non-conference slate. The change in roles didn’t faze him. He allowed only three hits and a walk across his four shutout innings to slam the door on the Trojans on Friday. If he moves to the bullpen full-time, he might immediately become Oregon’s best option. 

Third Star: Mason Neville – CF

Neville smacked three homers and had five RBIs over the five-game stretch. He’s established himself as the Ducks’ leadoff guy while limiting strikeouts — something that somewhat dampened his 2024 successes.