Jack Marder stepped to the plate at Jerry Kindall Field in Tucson, Ariz., with two outs, two runners on, and Oregon down 8-6. The freshman, always a cool customer, didn’t get flustered, even has he fell down 1-2, hitting a line drive foul.
Then Wildcat pitcher Nick Cunningham made the mistake. He left a fastball up in the zone, and Marder crushed it. The ball sailed over the right field fence, giving Oregon the 9-8 lead.
“I was standing next to (head coach George) Horton, and Jack hit that one down the line and it was foul,” sophomore Danny Pulfer said. “We kind of turned to each other and said that wind is starting to kick up. Then he just put another good swing on the ball, and Horton actually grabbed my arm. We both stood there watching the ball and it went out, and we both went nuts.”
It was a much needed comeback for an Oregon team that had looked flat in losing the first two games of the conference opening series with Arizona. Horton admits that his team was not itself in Friday’s opener, and with Arizona State in town this weekend, the Ducks would like to see more of the production Marder has the potential of giving.
Marder’s .220 batting average doesn’t exactly paint a picture of fearsome hitter, but Horton has high hopes for the Calabasas, Calif., native. So much in fact, that he keeps putting Marder in the third spot in the lineup.
It has paid dividends in some games. Marder had eight RBIs in a game against Nevada on March 19, and he’s tied for the team lead in home runs with three.
“I almost love Jack to a fault,” Horton said. “I think he’s made out of the right cloth. I think he’s a refreshing athlete. He’s a talented athlete. It’s hard for me because I keep plugging him into the three spot, but there are guys on the bench with higher averages than him.
“There’s no doubt in my mind he’s going to be a spectacular baseball player.”
Oregon’s resurgence this year has been a gratifying thing for fans to see, and it’s because of players like Marder that it’s happening. The utility man has played every position under the sun, from the outfield, second base, first base and even a flirtation with catcher. He’s embraced the Duck program under Horton, and begun to fit in with the team.
“I wasn’t a big high school blue chip with power and who could run really well,” Marder said. “I was just this scrappy little kid that could hit all right, played hard, and luckily the coaches saw me.
“Once I got here and after the first practice I knew that it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Being able to play under the coaches we have I know that when I leave here in however many years I’ll be a better baseball player and a better person. “
Horton said Marder is one of those rare talents who gets it. He’ll do whatever it takes for the team — even switch positions. His parents also raised him right, helping him be in the right place to succeed every step of the way.
“We thought we had a fair chance at Jack because his dad and mom get it,” Horton said. “Jack’s been around quality baseball people his whole life. He played up as a youngster with older guys who were the best of the best. Travel teams and stuff like that.”
This fall, Horton and his staff wanted to move Marder to catcher so he could play every day. It got to the point where he was learning the signs, when the first of a couple
injuries happened.
In a fall scrimmage, Marder slid into second base and sprained his ankle. That sidetracked the catcher idea, and it’s worked out for the better. Current catcher Eddie Rodriguez is leading the team with a .405 batting average and 23 RBIs.
Horton said he still wants Marder to be a catcher, with this summer being the best time to work on that.
“I think the best position for him to be a big leaguer is catcher because of his arm strength, his knowledge, his toughness, his hands,” Horton said. “I think it would be good for Jack.”
For now, Marder faces the foe of every freshman: consistency. He’s adjusting to a game that is leaps and bounds better than high school competition, and with half the season left, his teammates understand where he’s at in the progression.
“To see that Jack is struggling as he’s struggling, I was there last year,” Pulfer said. “But his mentality and the way he carries himself has not changed, and that’s big in a freshman. That was the first game he got moved out of the three spot so it could have been really easy for him to slump down, but he stepped right up, had a 3-for-4 game and won the game for us and that was great to see.”
With Marder and the great group of freshman Horton and his staff brought to Oregon, the future of Duck baseball looks bright. There are even talks of the postseason this year — something that is almost unheard of after a 14-42 season last year.
“The word challenge is an exciting thing for Jack,” Horton said. “The fact that we weren’t a powerhouse excited him. He wanted to go somewhere that he could create his own niche and build a future.”
[email protected]
Talented frosh Marder is ‘made out of the right cloth’
Daily Emerald
March 31, 2010
Kevin Minderhout
0
More to Discover