This weekend, the Oregon baseball team will complete another stage of preparation for its first season when it holds open tryouts for University of Oregon students. The event will be this Saturday, Oct. 4, at 3 p.m. at Thurston High School in Springfield. Any student who wishes to tryout must bring proof of enrollment, such as a student schedule with your name printed on it.

The current roster is at 43 players, but the tryouts are for head coach George Horton to find that missing piece to the puzzle. Who knows? Maybe the next Pacific-10 Conference Pitcher of the Year is sitting next to you in your math class.
Not likely, but it’s possible.
Horton doesn’t know how many will be chosen to stay, but he expects some good athletes to show up at tryouts.
“There are a few football and club baseball players that have expressed interest,” Horton said. “It’s a problem because we have to cut eight guys as it is, but there are guys who play on the club team and otherwise who are probably good enough to make our team.”
The cuts are a part of the process that Horton is not looking forward to. Throughout his career as a baseball coach, he’s only had to cut one player.
“We have to whittle it down to 35 guys,” he says. “It’s a bad thing, but that’s the train that’s coming down the tracks. Honestly, I think it’s a level playing field. There will be a few guys that will probably make the team.”
One of the players who hopes to make it through the cuts unscathed is junior Cam Gaulke. He’s a two-year player from the club baseball team who has shown a lot of dedication in preparing for this weekend’s tryouts.
“I’ve been working out quite a bit,” he said. “There was a joke that all I did this summer was wake up, go to work, workout, then go to bed.”
Gaulke batted .366 last year and played outfield, and the fact that he is a left-hander will help him in the tryouts. Gaulke says there are another eight or so club members who will also be on hand for the tryout on Saturday.
The Ducks have been practicing since Sept. 15, taking advantage of the good weather to prepare for their season opener on Feb. 20 at Saint Mary’s. With a newly filled roster of top recruits, Horton has been able to see where the holes are.
Oregon was in a unique situation, considering there hadn’t been a team in 27 years. That meant Horton had to start from scratch and recruit an entire team. Most coaches only have to get a fraction of their team each year, to replace dropouts, transfers and graduates. Horton had to find upwards of 40 players.
Most can agree that Horton passed this test with flying colors. The Collegiate Baseball newspaper ranked Oregon’s recruiting class as No. 2 in the nation for 2008. But Horton feels the ranking might be inflated because of the numbers he had to recruit.
“That’s a testament to my coaching staff,” Horton said. “Since we came on late to this job last year, they pretty much said goodbye to their families and traveled constantly trying to find these guys.”
The draft class included nine players who were drafted in the 2008 Major League Baseball draft, and two of the top five junior college pitchers, according to Perfect Game USA. The pitchers are Bennett Whitmore from Fresno Community College and Justin LaTempa from Golden West College.
The roster breakdown by class includes 26 freshmen, 13 junior college transfers and five Division I transfers. Horton says that catcher is a strong point for his club, and after getting two catchers late after grade troubles were cleared up, he likes what he sees. Still, he feels there are some speed and depth issues in the outfield and in the area of overall hitters.
Who knows? Maybe he’ll find just what he’s looking for Saturday.
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