Step by step, inch by inch, No. 17 Oregon baseball keeps steadily climbing in the Pac-12 race. It’s been somewhat of a “two steps forward, one step back” feeling lately — which is progress nonetheless, but head coach Mark Wasikowski isn’t satisfied.
“There’s just things in baseball where you’ve got to really impose your will on the opponent,” Wasikowski said. “And it happens throughout the game, whether it’s pitching; whether it’s stuff you can do on the bases; stretching a single into a double. Maybe sometimes it’s foolish and you get thrown out, but it leaves a lasting image on the opponent that says, ‘We’re here to play.’”
Wasikowski thought the team’s play was lacking in Tuesday’s 11-6 loss to Oregon State. It was a similar story as two weeks ago against No. 8 Stanford; the team won two out of three against one of the top teams in the country, but they still felt like they could have had more. Their performance has been good enough to creep into the top 20, but they’ve suffered tough midweek losses to Portland and Oregon State while failing to complete weekend sweeps. One area that’s been a particular bugaboo all season is the team’s struggles on the basepaths — whether it’s getting caught stealing, running into unnecessary outs or not taking the extra base — particularly on Tuesday, when Wasikowski thought their energy ran out.
“You create less opportunities when you’re playing careful. I thought we played careful, and we have played careful against Oregon State. And that infuriates me. I can’t stand it,” Wasikowski said. “I think for us to get the program where we need to be, I think that we’re going to need to coach them better, and get our guys to play with such a reckless, carefree nature where they’re attacking people relentlessly. Until we can get to that point, we’ll be a good program but we won’t reach our maximum potential.”
With recent series wins over Stanford, Cal and Arizona State, Oregon sits at third place in the Pac-12 with a 13-8 conference record — 30-14 overall. The Ducks are 1.5 games behind the Sun Devils and two games behind the Cardinal.
However, in each of their last three weekend losses, they’ve blown a lead and lost by a small deficit. The combined score of those three games has been 23-16, with no margin greater than three.
One struggle has been getting a competitive Sunday start, as freshman Leo Uelmen couldn’t find consistency in that role. The last two weeks, Matthew Grabmann has provided a better effort, but he hasn’t gotten deep into games, and the bullpen has let the games get away from them. In Grabmann’s last start, he didn’t give up a hit, yet was taken out in the fourth inning.
“I don’t like taking guys out of games when they’re throwing no-hitters,” Wasikowski said. “So if we’re taking a guy out when he’s throwing a no-hitter, then there’s probably a reason for that. He’s either fatigued, or he’s not built up, or whatever it may be. So we’re not just taking guys out of situations because somebody else is getting more scholarship money or something stupid like that. We’re trying to win a game, and at the same point in time, we’re always having a mind’s eye for keeping guys healthy and doing the right thing for them.”
Grabmann, typically a ground ball pitcher, had a lot more fly balls hit against him on Sunday — some of which came close to leaving the yard — which could help explain Wasikowski’s decision. That, and Grabmann hasn’t thrown more than 62 pitches in a game since his debut on Feb. 18. He’s also yet to complete five innings.
Uelmen came in after Grabmann and was shaky, leading to Oregon’s eventual collapse as it tried to squeeze eight outs out of closer Josh Mollerus.
On the bright side, the offense has still been going strong, and Jace Stoffal is still pitching like an ace. One notable offensive piece has been Drew Cowley, who has homered five times in his last six games. Entering the season, he had only homered five times in four years of college baseball.
Cowley, who’s been a fantastic contact hitter his entire career, said he hasn’t changed a ton mechanically. But he has tried to get into his legs more, which has helped him square up good pitches.
“Not trying to do too much,” Cowley said. “We’ve been working on some stuff with my swing since I got here, and [Jack] Marder does a great job with us, and all the coaches. Getting stronger in the weight room, too, I think has played a big factor.”
Despite hitting his 11th home run of the year on Tuesday, Cowley went just 1-for-5 on the day, and Wasikowski thought he missed some pitches he could have tagged. The coach’s message about energy extends to everyone, even Cowley, who just earned the Pac-12 Player of the Week award.
“Not making any game too big,” Cowley said of what he’s focusing on. “Just playing free, going out and having fun. At the end of the day, it’s just a game.”
Oregon’s offense has been without third baseman Sabin Ceballos the last couple games after he got shaken up on Saturday. While Wasikowski said Ceballos is expected to be back in the lineup this weekend, freshman Drew Smith has filled in remarkably well for him. He’s off to a 10-for-21 start to his college career, along with a 1.256 OPS.
“Maybe a bit much to ask of him, ‘Hey, go in there and replace Ceballos, who’s one of the best hitters in the country,’” Wasikowski said. “For Drew to go in there and hit and do well, I think he’s done that. He’s played well. I’d like to be able to use him in a different spot, and I think we’ll get that opportunity this weekend.”
A high-powered offense with Smith and Ceballos, along with the way Cowley’s hitting right now, should be a daunting force for USC to go up against this weekend. Oregon has also been able to mix Anson Aroz and Bryce Boettcher in there, two players who have succeeded in spurts and displayed just how deep this offensive unit is.
The Ducks will lead with their ace, Stoffal, who has been magnificent lately. He’s taken home Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week three of the last four weeks, joining now-professional players David Peterson and Robert Ahlstrom as the only Ducks to win it three times in a season.
“With Peterson and Ahlstrom, I hope he breaks that record to where he can get four and those guys are looking up to him,” Wasikowski said. “They can’t get four now with where they’re at in pro ball.”
In between Stoffal and the Sunday committee is Logan Mercado, who’s had a plethora of ups and downs this year. He’ll be another key to this team reaching its full potential. With Stoffal ahead of him, he has someone to feed off of — like he did when he threw a complete game against Stanford.
“He’s a tone setter. Jace is one of those guys; he’s an intense, tough guy. He pitches through a lot,” Mercado said. “He’s our guy, and to follow him up is always a challenge. But he gives me a lot of confidence when I go out there on the mound the day after him, and he’s just a blessing to have on this team.”
The Ducks and Trojans will kick things off Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Los Angeles.
