As Oregon second baseman Danny Pulfer spoke to the media after Friday’s 6-2 victory over Stanford, U2’s “Elevation” played over the loudspeakers.

The song’s title, along with its wholly uplifting nature, spoke to the newfound mind-set of a team that has nothing left to lose.
Just a few weeks remain in a regular season that has been largely forgettable, but the Ducks are going to make it count. They proved it by winning a weekend series against No. 25 Stanford, and Pulfer could see signs of renewed confidence even in Friday’s series opener.
“It’s about time that guys are like, ‘You know what? Who cares?’” Pulfer said. “At this point, let’s just put everything into it, see what we’ve got. Let’s not worry about it … we’re off to a good start doing it so far.”
Indeed, aside from a disappointing collapse in Saturday’s 9-8 loss, Oregon was both self-assured and resilient while taking two of three games against a red-hot Cardinal squad. In Friday’s win, the Ducks supported the staff ace Tyler Anderson with six runs and never trailed. On Sunday, however, Oregon found itself trailing or tied three different times before squeaking by with a 6-5 victory.
It was a grinding effort that had not been seen earlier in the year.
“Even though Saturday didn’t go our way, we knew if we came out today with the same intent and the same intensity that we’d do good things,” Brett Thomas said Sunday. “The scoreboard rewarded us today.”
Head coach George Horton noticed the same change in mindset that Pulfer described.
“We just talked about taking these last 12 games and letting it fly,” Horton said. “Working together and putting personal agendas aside and committing to one another.”
It worked over the weekend, and also kept Oregon’s admittedly slim playoff hopes alive. Horton has a place on the NCAA Regional committee, and will look to plead his case in the days ahead.
“I’m not going to beg for anything,” Horton said. “But I’m going to ask the committee to watch how we do and maybe we can get to 13-14 in the conference, and if we can do that it puts us in position to earn it and not ask for it.”
It is a tall order, for sure, but Pulfer felt that success against a talented Stanford team could be a sign of things to come.
“If we can beat a team like Stanford that’s as good as they are, I think we have a very good shot,” Pulfer said. “To finally get a series win after getting swept by UCLA, losing a series at Cal, it’s just a relief. It lets us know that we can still be a contender in the Pac-10.
“That’s big for a team that’s fighting for its life.”
The opportunity is there. If they are to seize it, the Ducks might have to play that U2 song a few more times.
Boer adjusting to new role

Despite his status as one of Oregon’s most dependable starting pitchers, Madison Boer has moved to the bullpen for the season’s stretch run. It was a switch meant to fortify the team’s late inning pitching, and Boer proved his worth with strong outings in both victories over the weekend.
The junior pitched the final two innings on Friday, and came through with a save in the ninth inning to ensure Sunday’s narrow victory.
“It’s different to see him in that role,” Pulfer said. He’s more of the lock-down closer guy, and with him and Kellen (Moen) in the bullpen, I think it’ll be pretty special.”
Facing challenging teams like Gonzaga, Washington State, and Oregon State over the season’s final weeks, Horton knows that the bullpen will be key.
“I think it will be an important factor starting Tuesday and Wednesday against a good Gonzaga team,” Horton said. “If we’re going to be successful over these last nine games, the bullpen will play a big part in that.”