Oregon junior right fielder Jett Hart wasn’t recruited to Eugene out of Lower Columbia College for his power at the plate. What turned Oregon coaches’ heads was his speed.
He stole 62 bases in two seasons for Lower Columbia, 42 in his sophomore campaign, to help his team to two consecutive division championships. He hit for average, ranking second on the team with a .407 average for the 2007 season, but Hart said he hit just four home runs in his two years there.
You can forgive his teammates and coaches, then, if they were surprised when the first home run of the modern era of Oregon baseball came off of Hart’s bat: a line-drive shot in the fourth inning of Oregon’s second game at St. Mary’s that easily cleared the left field wall and put Oregon ahead 2-1.

“It was a pleasant surprise,” said Oregon head coach George Horton of the historic blast. “It’s going to probably be a little bit of a surprise every time anybody hits the ball over the fence for us. We don’t teach that. Although it’s good, that’s not our style of game.”
Fitting, then, that Hart wasn’t looking to hit the long ball when he did. The pitch came with two outs in the top of the fourth, after junior catcher Eddy Rodriguez singled to extend the inning. Hart said he was just looking to keep things going with a gap line drive or really any form of base hit when St. Mary’s starting pitcher junior Scott Schneider made a critical mistake.
“He came with a fastball in and he left it over the plate,” Hart said with a grin after practice Wednesday. “I just got lucky.”
That wasn’t the only first Hart accomplished for Oregon baseball’s modern era last weekend, as Hart had already notched the program’s first triple with a two-run shot off the left-center field wall in the top of the fifth Friday, driving in two runs that turned out to be the difference in a 5-3 win Oregon win.
For the weekend Hart went 4-of-11 at the plate (.364), with a single, double, triple and home run for the series cycle. He was the only Oregon hitter to notch a hit beyond a double in the series and led the Ducks offensively with 5 of the team’s 10 RBIs. The three extra base hits were good for a .909 slugging percentage.
Horton said that while he didn’t expect the home run, he did expect big things out of Hart offensively as a catalyst for his “small-ball” style, where speed and execution are crucial to success.
“He’s a very conscientious young man who has a very disciplined approach at the plate,” Horton said. “He caught my eye early in the fall as being a tough out and a guy that, once he gets on the bases, then he’s a disrupter and you need that in your batting order.”
Hart – in his calm, understated style – is humble about his abilities and early success.
“I didn’t foresee doing what I did. I just got lucky to barrel some balls up,” he said. “Some other guys hit the ball really well, too. Theirs just didn’t fall like mine did.”
Hart’s roommate and fellow outfielder Caleb Tommasini accomplished his share of “firsts” for the program as well against St. Mary’s, laying claim to the first hit, walk and run scored.
“We’re roommates and we’re the corner guys in the outfield and we both accomplished a lot of the first things. Just being really good friends and both of us being able to share that experience is kind of a cool thing,” Tommasini said.
Tommasini and Hart were both brought in for their speed, athleticism and experience but aside from that they appear to be a study in contrasts when it comes to personality. Hart is smooth and soft-spoken with a quiet confidence; Tommasini a brash firecracker with a quick wit.
“He’s just a ball of energy. He talks a lot; a very energized kind of guy,” said Hart of Tommasini. “He’s probably one of the most positive guys on the team, really. He keeps the energy good as far as in the dugout and off the field as well.”
Much of that good energy comes from Tommasini’s sense of humor, on full display as he discussed Hart’s home run.
“I was excited for him to get the long ball. I gave him a big old hug when he came back in,” said Tommasini of Hart, adding: “Now I call him big-timer.”
And that wasn’t the only good-natured ribbing Hart received from his teammates over the historic homer.
“A couple guys had said ‘It was a pop-up’ or ‘You got lucky that the wind carried it over the fence,’” Hart said. “That’s just them giving me crap, you know, baseball guys being baseball guys.”
Ribbing aside, Tommasini said everyone was glad to see Hart get the milestone hit.
“He’s a good kid,” Tommasini said. “He deserves it because he’s worked hard, so good for him.”
[email protected]