Like many local baseball aficionados, I had been anxiously awaiting last weekend’s home opener against Fresno State for months.
Hearing Oregon baseball called play-by-play over the radio from St. Mary’s the weekend prior was certainly a treat, but really just an appetizer for the smorgasbord that opening day at PK Park was sure to be.
I had been to the park several times over the previous few weeks for the team’s media availability sessions but was eager to see it full of Duck fans and rife with the pomp of an historic opening day. Also, after listening to the road games of the previous weekend, I was chomping at the bit to see these Ducks in person to better assess the team for myself.
Of course, in no way, shape or form did I ever come close to thinking the Ducks would take the series from the defending national champions. Sure, the Bulldogs lost all four of their top starting pitchers from last season but returned some serious wood – err, aluminum, excuse me – from last season’s offensive lineup to offset any setbacks to their pitching rotation.
I figured best-case scenario for the Ducks would be to maybe sneak one from the champs and perform competitively in the losses. I also thought we would be lucky to actually see all three games played, given the season and the constant likelihood of rain.
So on all counts, all predictions and all prognostications, I was dead wrong – and I’ve never been quite as pleased with my own ineptitude.
All spring we’ve heard head coach George Horton talk about pitching and defense. He has heralded his infield as potentially one of the best young groups, defensively, he has ever coached. He also hasn’t been shy about how well he thinks this team will pitch.
On offense he talked about a team approach, emphasizing execution and athleticism over the timely home run or extra-base hit.
Turns out he wasn’t just blowing smoke – he was dead on – because for the first two games of the series that’s exactly what we got and exactly why the Ducks won.
Freshman southpaw Tyler Anderson pitched an amazing game Friday, backed up by an error-free defense and a solid relief inning by junior Ryan Fleckenstein. As of right now it looks like Horton’s appraisal of Anderson as a legitimate, lights-out Friday night starter at this level is right on the money.
The winning run didn’t come with one mighty stroke of the bat, either, but rather three well-placed singles. Again, Horton seems to have a finger on this team’s pulse.
On Saturday it was more of the same from junior righty Erik Stavert and the Oregon bullpen, again complemented by a squeaky-clean defensive performance behind the mound and plenty of run manufacturing, as the Ducks scored seven runs over four separate rallies.
The Fresno State Bulldogs scored just one lonely run in both games combined but did finally get it going in Sunday’s finale to salvage a win out of a series they had to feel was theirs for the taking coming in.
To me that 10-run Sunday burst just served as confirmation of the Bulldogs offensive prowess and, hence, the brilliance of the Oregon pitching and defense over the first two games.
So what did we learn about the team from all this? That the Ducks are who we thought they were, only better. They pitch, defend and will have to work to score in most games. It might not be the most exciting brand of baseball but it fits in well with the style of other top West Coast teams, and it looks like these Ducks will play it at a level that will be competitive.
As for PK Park and the periphery issues surrounding the program? Well, those are obviously a work in progress. The field is beautiful and well-proportioned but the stands and other spectator areas feel as temporary as they claim to be. The promotions and fan involvement gimmicks felt awkward at best. The music and sound effects from the public address were glichy and at times inappropriately applied.
And I know this is a learning process for everyone but Duck fans need a little primer in when the appropriate times to cheer are in baseball. They were loud, as always, but not really in the right spots. Not once did a two-strike count with two outs prompt a swell of encouragement for the Oregon pitcher. Not once did a hard-nosed plate appearance that didn’t result in tangible production receive any sort of noticeable mass appreciation.
I don’t want to be a killjoy here – I think baseball being back is a wonderful thing for the school and the community – but there are still some periphery issues that need to be addressed.
At this point my assessment of the baseball program as a whole is this: The team and coaching staff have come roaring out of the gate impressively – the fans and facilities now need to catch up.
[email protected]