No. 11 Oregon welcomes UC Santa Barbara for the second phase of the home-and-home series that began last season in Santa Barbara, Calif. The Gauchos enter the 2016 matchup 8-1 with a team batting average of .341.
Last season the Ducks took two of three games on the road against then ranked No. 14 UCSB. It was a series where Oregon pitchers dominated the Gauchos. The Ducks ended it with a 1.38 ERA and held the Gauchos to a .138 BA.
“They’re always going to be good team, they were a good team last year when we went down there,” starting pitcher Cole Irvin said. “They’re going to battle during at-bats so it’s important for us to throw strikes and as many as we can.”
UCSB is coming to Eugene swinging a hot bat. Last weekend, the Gauchos won the first Tony Gwynn Classic by scoring 36 runs in three games.
UCSB has also slugged seven home runs, five triples and 19 doubles this season. Sophomore Austin Bush is the most dangerous bat in the lineup with a .542 BA, three doubles, a home run and 12 RBIs. Leadoff man Andrew Calica, and last summer’s Cape Cod Baseball League batting title winner, will also be a challenge against Oregon’s arms.
“I think it’s a small sample of what offensive team they’re going to be,” Oregon head coach George Horton said. “But they’re sure scoring a lot of runs.”
The Gauchos’ only loss came on Feb. 23 against St. Mary’s. Most recently, UCSB beat No. 14 UCLA at home, 11-6, on Tuesday.
The Ducks (6-1) took a series win last weekend over Illinois State, winning three of the four games.
The touted southpaw starting rotation has allowed just 6 earned runs in 38.0 innings pitched for a collective 1.42 ERA. In other words, Oregon’s three weekend starters – Cole Irvin, Matt Krook and David Peterson – average an outing of 6 and 1/3 innings, allowing a single earned run.
“I think it’s important to focus on what each individual pitcher needs to do because we’re all different types,” Irvin said. “The deeper in the ballgames we can get our club will benefit.”
Closer Stephen Nogosek hasn’t allowed a run in 5.1 innings of work, either. As a team, Oregon boasts a 2.29 ERA in its seven games.
“Nogosek has been lights out,” Horton said. “Hopefully we can reveal some other guys on the mound that seem to be in character.”
Second baseman Daniel Patzlaff is the only Duck hitting over .300, at .304. Jakob Goldfarb’s 5-for-15 (.333) production against Illinois State led the Ducks at the plate.
Horton says the lineup issues exist because of over eagerness to swing and is confident it’ll straighten itself out. Oregon is hitting .211 as a team.
“Small sampling is, we’re not hitting and they are,” Horton said. “We’ve had some give away at-bats… They get a little over anxious. We think a lot of them are getting themselves out.”
The series begins at PK Park on Friday with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m.
Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @AndrewBantly