Oregon baseball, winners of three of four games on a Washington road trip, returns to PK Park to host the conference leading and a consensus top-5 ranked Stanford squad.
The Ducks have been hot, winning 10 of their last 13 games. They also have been clutch, coming away with four walkoffs and two ninth-inning victories on the road.
Shortstop Spencer Steer, fresh off being named the NCBWA, Collegiate Baseball and Pac-12 Player of the Week, and first baseman Gabe Matthews have produced consistently throughout the year.
All this production is coming without 2018’s leading hitter Jakob Goldfarb, who is sidelined with an injury. The right fielder/catcher has been out of action since March 17, which could have led to a team-wide struggle offensively. However, after a couple of lineup switches by head coach George Horton, the Ducks found perfect compliments batting before and after Steer and Matthews.
Beginning April 4, sophomore center fielder Jonny DeLuca moved down from the second spot to fifth and freshman right fielder Tanner Smith moved up to DeLuca’s old spot.
Both DeLuca and Smith’s production have awarded Horton the luxury of easing a returning Goldfarb back into game-action with bottom of the order at bats.
The fifth spot, which is more RBI-focused than the two-hole, has worked wonders for DeLuca. Since April 5, the sophomore has raised his batting average from .227 to .260 and he has recorded 10 RBIs.
Smith’s rise in the order has also been a big part of this recent streak. The freshman has three go-ahead RBIs in the ninth inning or later this season, one of which was a three-run home run to beat Gonzaga in Oregon’s last game.
“I love to be in those situations,” Smith said of game-changing at bats. “I think it just makes it a lot more fun. Being able to be in a situation like that, I mean, you dream about that as a kid. Stepping into the box, there’s nothing I look forward to more than a situation like that.”
Stanford will counteract Oregon’s late-game offense with incredibly dominant pitching.
Thursday’s starter, Brendan Beck, and his 1.98 ERA, will be tough to rough up, but the real power is in the bullpen. Stanford has four relievers with ERAs under two, one of which is closer Jack Little, who has seven saves.
The Ducks might not have many opportunities to put together late-game heroics this weekend like in past games, but if they are able to take two of three games this weekend, they can really open some eyes around collegiate baseball.
“It’s a big weekend ahead of us,” Smith said. “I think with a series win, and maybe a sweep, it would shock the world a little bit. … We’re a pretty special team. I think everyone is pretty happy about the series this weekend.
The series kicks off Thursday night at 7 p.m., but will not be the last top-5 opponent seen at PK Park this season. The Ducks host reigning national champion Oregon State beginning May 10 and then a top-ranked UCLA squad beginning May 23.
“We’ve just got to take care of business,” Steer said. “Our season’s out in front of us. If we play our game and get some wins against these top-ranked teams, it’s really gonna help us going forward.”
Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack