With coconut shavings on the infield and shallower fences in the outfield, PK Park and the Oregon baseball team are gearing up for the 2022 season.
Head coach Mark Wasikowski provided some details into the renovations PK Park is undergoing on Tuesday, in addition to assessing where his team stands. With modifications to the park and to the roster, the Ducks will look a little different when they kick things off on Feb. 25.
Before, a distinct quirk of PK Park was the significantly short fence in right field. Now, the fence will stand at 6 1/2 feet all across the outfield. The fence will also be moved in slightly after a pitcher-friendly season in Eugene last year.
“That’s gonna allow outfielders to make more athletic plays, maybe rob some home runs,” Wasikowski said. He added that balls will be less likely to bounce over the wall for ground-rule doubles, meaning an increase in triples and runners scoring from first on doubles.
He added: “The three base play is the most exciting play in the game.” The field will also feature more graphics which will be completed by opening day, Wasikowski said. This includes a big, yellow O in center field.
Shortstop Josh Kasevich noted the improved infield turf, which he said is actually made of coconut shavings.
“It plays kind of like dirt,” Kasevich said. “It’s more true hops and it plays really nice.”
The field isn’t the only aspect of Oregon baseball getting a new look. Despite losing in heartbreaking fashion in last year’s regional, Wasikowski is proud of what they accomplished and the way this program is trending. Nobody expected the team to compete as well as they did, much less host a regional.
“Boy what an accomplishment it was for us to be able to finish one game out of first place,” he said. “We lost some significant pieces to the draft. There’s no doubt about it. When you lose your top three weekend starting pitchers, plus your top three statistical hitters, you’ve got a lot of people that have left the program that way that made a real impact last year.”
The first particularly barren area is the pitching rotation, which lost Robert Ahlstrom, Cullen Kafka and Brett Walker. The biggest new name coming in to help fill that gap is sophomore transfer Adam Maier, who catapulted himself into draft conversations after his fastball-slider combination impressed scouts in the Cape Cod League last summer.
“He clearly looks like a guy that we feel would be one of our top three starters, if not our best starter,” Wasikowski said.
Wasikowski also noted that Isaac Ayon has looked “tremendous” so far. He spoke similarly highly of Ayon last year in his freshman season. Ayon stayed in primarily a relief role last year but now has the experience under his belt to take the next step. He said his focus right now is on consistency.
“When I was more consistent, I was more relaxed. So when I was on the mound, I was taking deep breaths, just being more relaxed,” Ayon said of his performance last season. “That’s for sure one thing I focused on this fall, just taking deep breaths.”
Ayon also worked on his two-seam fastball with the help of pitching coach Jake Angier. He initially stopped throwing it because it had the same run as his four-seam, but once he began throwing it like he throws his changeup, he was able to get some different run on it. Ayon said Angier compared his new-look two-seam to Kafka’s sinker.
Wasikowski named Maier, Ayon, RJ Gordon and Andrew Mosiello as the top four pitchers who have “really jumped out” to him.
“Boy, those guys could clearly be very good Pac-12 weekend starters,” he said.
Behind the starters, Oregon has a deep albeit heavily right-handed bullpen. Pitchers like Scott Ellis and Caleb Sloan have taken steps forward, while freshman Tommy Brandenburg has also impressed. The limited left-handed arms they have are strong, with Kolby Somers and Rio Britton returning. Wasikowski is excited about the late-inning options.
“I just think there’s some real power arms on the back side of that thing,” he said.
The Ducks also have improved catching depth. Jack Scanlon and Josiah Cromwick are both back to full health and are joined by freshmen Anson Aroz, Logan Paustian and Bennett Thompson. Wasikowksi noted Thompson as someone he didn’t expect to be competing for playing time, but has played surprisingly well.
A major addition to the infield is Jacob Walsh, the No. 1 first baseman from Nevada who Wasikowski described as “spectacular.” He also mentioned junior transfer Drew Cowley, who can play all four infield spots.
“Boy, I could go down a list of probably six or seven guys that have really jumped out,” Wasikowski said of this year’s recruiting class.
With a crop of new faces and a freshly designed field, the Ducks are going to have a different, younger identity. But it’s indicative of where this program stands and where it’s headed that the team has such a deep pool of talent to work with. For now, their sights are set on winning a lot of games this season.
“We really like what we see on the field,” Wasikowski said. “We think we can contend for a Pac-12 championship.”
