After a frustrating series loss at USC last Sunday, George Horton was at his wit’s end. He had tried everything to cure Oregon’s hitting troubles, but none of it seemed to sink in. Halfway through the season, there was only one option left.
Let kids be kids.
He tore the complex statistics sheets down from the dugout walls and replaced them with a simple lineup sheet. The message was clear: Clear your minds and put the ball in play.
Tuesday night, that last-resort measure looked more like a stroke of genius. The Ducks pounded 10 hits en route to a season high 14-run outburst against Portland. They scored seven runs in the third inning alone to effectively put the game away early, and Horton was encouraged by the early results of his change in approach.
“We have a tendency to over-inform our guys,” Horton said. “Just put the lineup up and go play like they would on a Sunday afternoon. That’s kind of the mentality that we’ve brought to the table, and so far it’s been fairly productive.”
Freshman Aaron Jones proved to be a catalyst in the offensive explosion, pushing in three RBI and scoring two more runs himself.
“We hit the ball well tonight,” Jones said. “I think we’ve kind of bounced back from the beginning of the year when we were kind of scuffling with the bats.”
Alongside Jones, freshman Stefan Sabol pushed his hitting streak to six games with two more hits and an RBI, while junior Danny Pulfer extended his own streak to seven games. The Ducks also walked eight times, showing a new-found patience at the plate.
“That’s something we’ve been having trouble with lately,” freshman Kyle Garlick said. “I think we did a good job of that tonight.”
Oregon took advantage of those free passes with timely hitting, which Jones credited to Horton’s comforting advice.
“You’re not thinking about the scouting reporting when you’re up there,” Jones said. “You’re not thinking about anything else but making the winning hit. I’m guessing guys’ minds are more free and just reacting. I think it’s helping out a lot.”
For his part, Horton was particularly pleased with the way the team responded after giving up two runs in the top of the fourth inning. The Ducks immediately pushed across three more runs in the bottom of the frame, showing Portland that there would be no comeback Tuesday night.
“More than the seven-run inning I was impressed with the three-run inning after they got the two,” Horton said. “We haven’t been able to bounce back and win what we call a ‘skin,’ where you just take it inning by inning. That was a real positive thing.”
Freshmen like Jones, Sabol and Garlick played key roles at the plate, combining for production that Horton could certainly get used to.
“It’s been one of the bright spots this year,” Horton said. “Looks like the future is pretty bright for position players … always good to see that young talent get their feet wet and perform. Even in a lopsided game, it’s always good to get them out there and have them experience success.”
Just about the only question mark for Horton after Tuesday’s showing was whether the offense would carry into the weekend series against Arizona. In this sense, he viewed the team’s youth as a potential advantage, but warned that even he has no idea what to expect in the near future.
“I don’t think their legs are getting tired,” Horton said. “Who knows? It’s a start, it’s very positive … I’ll take it, I’m very happy.
“I guess these guys have shown me that I’m not going to get my pompoms out and get too far ahead. It’s one game at a time.”
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