After previewing Oregon baseball’s pitching rotation and bullpen, it’s time to gear towards their strength, which is offense. Last year, the Ducks’ lineup was a force and set numerous school records. The team has undergone some shake-ups, but it should be returning a strong offensive core — starting with the infield.

The most notable loss in the infield is shortstop Josh Kasevich, who was taken by the Toronto Blue Jays in the second round of the MLB draft. But the starters at the other four infield positions all remain, and there’s some extra depth to help them out.

Catcher

Josiah Cromwick and Jack Scanlon shared catching duties for most of last season, with Bennett Thompson getting some action near the end of the year. Scanlon transferred, but Cromwick and Thomspon remain, with Cromwick likely penciled in as the opening day starter.

Oregon also had two highly touted freshman catchers last year in Anson Aroz and Logan Paustian, both of whom got injured and ended up redshirting. Paustian is no longer with the program, but Aroz should be healthy and in the mix to compete for playing time. It’s easy to forget that Aroz was the No. 2 rated catching recruit in California (according to Perfect Game).

The Ducks also have Chase Meggers, another redshirt freshman who could vie for time. Mark Wasikowski even named transfer Sabin Ceballos as their fifth catcher, though Ceballos is most likely to see time at third base, the outfield, or designated hitter.

While Cromwick has the early edge due to his power and experience, it should be a competitive and deep group of catchers.

First base

This one is the easiest to project. Jacob Walsh was a staple in last year’s lineup as a freshman, putting up a .295/.363/.454 batting line in 58 games. Barring an injury or drastic downtick in performance, Walsh should be the everyday first baseman once again.

Freshman Dominic Hellman has also seen time at first during scrimmages, despite being most experienced on the left side of the infield. The versatile Tyler Ganus is always a reliable backup option as well. 

But the focus will be Walsh, particularly in seeing if he can avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. Walsh had a stretch last season where pitchers were getting him to chase low-and-away breaking balls, so it will be interesting to see if he can avoid having that weakness exploited.

Second base

Gavin Grant had a superb season as Oregon’s second baseman last year, but with the loss of his double play partner Kasevich, he’ll be taking over for his old friend at shortstop. Luckily for the Ducks, they brought in transfer Rikuu Nishida, a player whose mold is unique to anyone else on this team.

Nishida is the definition of a pesky hitter. He’s just 5-foot-6, and crouches even lower when settling into the batter’s box. He won’t hit for much power, but he has great bat-to-ball skills and can draw his share of walks. He posted a .390 on-base percentage over 43 games in the prestigious Cape Cod League last summer, after putting up a blistering .510 OBP in the West Coast League the summer before. Between the two seasons, he drew 46 walks compared to just 33 strikeouts. He also collected 56 stolen bases.

Nishida is vocal and energetic on the field, and he adds versatility to this power-heavy Oregon lineup. Grant and Kasevich were one of the best up-the-middle combos in the country last year, but Nishida should be able to fill in nicely.

Senior transfer Towns King could get some time here as well, though he also has experience at first base and all three outfield spots.

Shortstop

Playing shortstop is nothing terribly new for Grant, as he manned the position in high school and in Oregon’s brief 2020 season. Wasikowski said he’s dealt with the transition remarkably well. He had perhaps the most surprising campaign last year, batting .287 with a .414 OBP while mostly hitting in the No. 9 spot.

Freshmen Hellman and Carter Garate will be competing with him for playing time, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see Wasikowski find alternate ways of getting them in the lineup, such as putting them at DH. Hellman, in particular, has a large frame that might not be the most suitable for the shortstop position. In any case, Wasikowski will have to get creative with how he distributes people around.

Third base

Drew Cowley is the obvious starter here. He hit an otherworldly .424/.506/.616 in 40 games last season, though he missed a month with a broken hamate bone. Oregon also has four powerful new bats who all fit well at third base: Ceballos, Hellman, Drew Smith and Jackson Jaha. Cowley may need to play some second or short if a freshman forces the issue, but it never hurts to have too many options. Some of these players could end up at first base or even a corner outfield spot.

It’ll be interesting to see how these battles play out this weekend; Wasikowski will likely do some experimenting early in the season. Ultimately, it’ll come down to whoever performs best under the spotlight. On paper, there are more strong players than there are positions, but depth is what makes a team great. And this core has the potential to be great.