For the second week in a row, one thing is clear about Oregon baseball’s performance so far: A lot can change in one weekend, especially this early in the season.
Three weeks in, the Ducks have already had a roller coaster of an experience on the field: They opened with a sweep, then got swept, then achieved a sweep again. They had an away series relocated to Eugene because of weather, and also experienced two weather delays in a single game at PK Park.
But altogether, they’re 8-3 heading into the first week of Pac-12 play. The offense, which underwhelmed at the start of the year, burst alive over the latter two matchups in last weekend’s four-game sweep of San Diego. Colby Shade and Jacob Walsh burst out of slumps in big ways, Drew Cowley had some clutch hits and Sabin Ceballos continued to impress while playing third base.
“It was awesome,” left fielder Tanner Smith said. “Just seeing, finally, things starting to click together and offense working as a unit, and guys in the lineup really putting their plans together based off one another is awesome. I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
After a few lineup adjustments early on, the Ducks have settled on an order that usually involves Smith batting leadoff, Rikuu Nishida hitting second, Ceballos in the-three hole at third base and Cowley at DH. The versatile Ceballos has shown more range and athleticism than Cowley, giving him the edge defensively. Cowley, though off to a fairly slow start with the bat, still had seven RBIs in key moments during the series.
Everything came together on Saturday. Smith, Ceballos and Shade all homered — Shade also hit a three-run double and collected six RBIs on the afternoon. His batting average rose all the way from .235 to .300 over the course of the series. It resulted in a 13-0 romp that lit a fire under this squad.
“It’s definitely a breath of fresh air,” Oregon pitcher Logan Mercado said. “Seeing our offense in the fall and early winter just absolutely rake, just to see them absolutely come alive with some guys stepping into roles — like Sabin at third base, he’s huge for us.”
The Ducks got production from unexpected places, too — Nishida shocked everyone by slapping an opposite-field home run on Sunday, his first long ball since he came over from Japan.
“There was a lot of buzz about that, but he continues to put good swings on balls, even on the ones that he lined out,” head coach Mark Wasikowski said. “He continues to be a spark plug and a catalyst.”
Another hitter who broke out was Walsh, who began the season in a treacherous 1-for-20 slump. He ended that with a dead-center home run off a lefty, and the rest is history. He batted .500 with a 1.350 OPS in the series, taking a big step to getting his sophomore campaign back on track.
“It was awesome to watch him play this weekend,” Smith said. “It looked like the Dub we saw last year. Just that confidence and chip-on-the-shoulder mentality that he has was in full effect.”
Oregon’s pitchers also quieted a potent San Diego offense, which had six hitters enter the series batting over .300. The Toreros scored only six runs, and just one in the final two days.
It’s still a freshmen-led rotation — Jace Stoffal is the veteran of the group, with first-years Leo Uelmen, Jackson Pace and Matthew Grabmann behind him. Pace has been particularly effective, allowing only three runs in 15 innings so far.
“I’m very impressed. They’re all very mature on the mound for their age,” Stoffal said. “They throw a lot of strikes, and honestly, if you throw a lot of strikes, the odds are in your favor.”
With hitting and pitching working in tandem, these Ducks are starting to look like the team that was hyped in preseason rankings. Some of their early wins came in imperfect performances where they only barely managed to scratch out victories — but if they can put up more showings like their 13-0 thrashing of a good San Diego program, then they could go a long way.
“Just the concept of playing better team baseball overall needs to continue to be a focal point, and what that means from a team offensive standpoint is what we need to continue to teach,” Wasikowski said.
The team also described a different sort of energy at the ballpark before Saturday’s game, which of course preceded the 13-0 win. Even in a short amount of time, the Ducks have molded their attitude and atmosphere to produce their highest level of competition come first pitch.
“The energy’s been great. I’ve said it from the start,” Wasikowksi said. “I love this group, and it’s a lot of fun to show up every single day in the weight room and on the practice field with these guys. It’s a blast being around them. They’re energized, and they’re good. I think you’ll only see us continue to get better.”
