Oregon baseball has a deep roster. Sometimes, there are talented players who don’t get a chance to display their skills in games.

On Wednesday’s 16-6 defeat of San Francisco, three unlikely heroes got their chance and thrived.

Bryce Boettcher, Anson Aroz and Drew Smith each had a special day, one they’ll remember for the rest of their baseball careers and lives. Boettcher, a junior who’s been mainly utilized as a late-innings defensive replacement, had the game of his life, hitting his first career home run and reaching base six times. Aroz and Smith, on the other hand, are freshmen who can now say they’ve recorded a base hit in a Division I baseball game.

It’s been quite a road for Boettcher. The Eugene native has constantly had to fight for playing time, switching among all three outfield spots and even some second base. This year, he also joined Oregon football as a walk-on, making his life all the busier.

“It’s challenging,” Boettcher said. “Obviously I grew up here, so it’s been a dream to do both. So that’s in the back of my mind. I’m doing it for my family and all the other kids in Eugene, to give them hope that they can do the same thing one day.”

Wednesday’s contest was the 26th game Boettcher has appeared in this year, but only the fourth start. With a reputation as a defensive replacement, it would be tempting to write him off as an easy out.

But there are no easy outs on this Oregon team.

Boettcher, remarkably, was hit by a pitch in three of his first five plate appearances of the day. In the other two, he doubled and walked.

“I gave a little smile,” Boettcher said of when he was plunked a third time. “I’ve never been hit by three pitches in my career, so that’s a first.”

But reaching base five times apparently wasn’t enough. With Boettcher batting in the eighth, and the game already well out of hand, he smacked a ball into the left field bullpen for his first collegiate homer.

“I’m not looking to get hit by pitches,” Boettcher said. “I’m looking to do damage.”

Oregon’s dugout must have been exhausted from celebrating, because by the time Boettcher hit that home run, they’d already cheered on two freshmen achieving something special of their own. It’s a simple achievement, but one that’s remembered by every baseball player at any level: the time they got their first hit.

Aroz, a highly touted catching prospect, hasn’t found success as quickly as he would have liked. Part of it has been his brutal luck with injuries; he had only one at-bat last year and ended up redshirting. In five at-bats this year over very limited playing time, he was yet to record a hit.

But in the sixth inning, with runners on the corners, he had his chance, and he delivered. He knocked one through the right side, collecting his first hit and first RBI in one swing.

“Personally, it took a little longer than I would have hoped,” Aroz said. “But I loved every part of it.”

Aroz recalled the first thing he remembers seeing when he looked up: hitting coach Jack Marder, looking on with his signature smirk and saying something Aroz couldn’t quite make out. After that, he reveled in the mass of teammates in the dugout cheering him on.

“We’ve got a group of 40 guys that are a lot of my closest friends,” Aroz said. “It was really cool to hear that support.”

It’s been a long time coming for Aroz, who’s third on the catching depth chart behind Josiah Cromwick and Bennett Thompson. The Ducks also have fellow redshirt freshman Chase Meggers as their fourth catcher. It might be Oregon’s deepest position on the field.

Aroz embraces this depth, though, and works with the other catchers rather than strictly competing against them.

“Chase is one of my best friends in my life. Not even just on the team. But regardless, I love that guy,” Aroz said. “Bennett and I had a class last term and we sat together every single day. You’d think a guy that I’m competing with, I wouldn’t love, but that is completely incorrect. Same with Josiah.”

Another talented player blocked in a deep position battle is Smith. Sabin Ceballos, Oregon’s starting third baseman, is arguably the best player on the team and one of the best players in the country. But Smith is one of many inexperienced yet talented freshmen on this squad. Just an inning after Aroz’s hit, he followed suit, swinging on the first pitch to smack an RBI single.

It was just his second collegiate plate appearance, after getting hit by a pitch in his first one.

“Just a really special moment for me and my teammates,” Smith said. “Everybody’s on the top rail for me, and I just really appreciate it.”

In a sunny postgame press conference, all three players brought their respective ball with them — Boettcher with his home run ball, and the freshmen with their first hit, of course. Boettcher and Smith both said they’re gonna give it to their dad, while Aroz said he’ll give it to his family because they’ve been saving all his big career moments since Little League.

“He’s helped me a lot in my life, and my No. 1 role model when it comes to baseball,” Boettcher said of his father.

With this roster having established its depth of talent, Oregon should be at full power as it goes into the remainder of a tough Pac-12 schedule. The Ducks begin an important series against No. 8 Stanford Friday at 5 p.m.