Oregon’s entire pitching staff is in a state of transition. Last week, the Emerald previewed the Ducks’ rotation, which is largely unproven. Next up is the bullpen, which is arguably even less established.
Last year, Oregon had a handful of relievers who held down the fort, proving valuable when the starters underwhelmed. Logan Mercado had a team-best 2.61 ERA. Kolby Somers tied for the most saves in the Pac-12 with nine. Rio Britton posted a 3.20 ERA as Oregon’s only lefty besides Somers, and Christian Ciuffetelli put up a 3.55 ERA between opening and relieving duties. Matt Dallas was a reliable option as well, eating up 38 innings with a 4.50 ERA.
It’s possible that not a single one of those players will serve a major role in this year’s bullpen.
Mercado and Dallas are the only ones still on the team, with Britton transferring and Somers and Ciuffetelli graduating. Mercado is projected to be Oregon’s No. 3 starter, and he confirmed he’s building up his endurance for that role. D1Baseball also projects the veteran Dallas to slide into a rotation spot. Suddenly, the bullpen has a gaping hole that needs to be filled.
The first reinforcement comes in the form of Josh Mollerus, a senior transfer from the University of San Francisco. He was the Dons’ primary closer last year, collecting five saves while posting a 3.96 ERA. It’s important to note that his ERA was inflated by the long ball; of the 30 hits he gave up, six were home runs. But he had an impressive 52-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 36 1/3 innings, and he held the opposition to a .221 batting average. Mollerus likely won’t be as good as Somers was, but he should still be a solid closer for the Ducks. He may even be dominant if he can limit the homers.
The rest of the depth chart is a bit murky. With last year’s bullpen core all but gone, Oregon will need a new core to step up. Some of it depends on how the rotation shakes out; for example, Dallas is projected as a starter, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make some relief appearances.
The two most intriguing freshman arms are Matthew Grabmann and Turner Spoljaric. As noted in last week’s rotation article, both have been heavily scouted by Perfect Game and D1Baseball, and could vie for rotation spots. However, if they don’t make the rotation, then they’ll likely get their first collegiate reps as relievers. What their roles will look like is to be determined, but they have a chance to be significant assets.
“We were able to get some high school freshmen that are really talented kids,” head coach Mark Wasikowski said. “There’s some polish to those guys, which is great. They have great arms.”
According to Aaron Fitt’s fall report for D1Baseball, Wasikowski named Jackson Pace and Grayson Grinsell as “wait-and-see” guys — freshmen who have shown promise but have also looked “like a freshman” at times. Fitt also noted that lefty Ian Umlandt looks “more advanced and ready to assume a bigger bullpen role early in his career.” Umlandt isn’t huge physically, and his fastball sits in the high 80s right now, but Fitt was impressed by his quality changeup. Throwing from the left side should make Umlandt a valuable asset too, as Oregon lost both its southpaws from last year.
Another freshman pitcher, Leo Uelmen, was mentioned by Ducks starting pitcher Jace Stoffal in his preseason press conference as a newcomer who’s impressed him. Uelmen is a 6-foot-3 right-hander out of Nevada, and Perfect Game ranked him the No. 9 recruit in the state. Stoffal was quick to clarify that Uelmen isn’t the only freshman he’s taken notice of; he thinks the Ducks have a talented new class of arms.
“They all have to step up. We have a really young staff,” Stoffal said. “I think they’re gonna do just fine. They’re all really competitive, they throw strikes, they’ve got good stuff.”
Sophomore Jacob Hughes is another name to keep an eye on. He got a cup of coffee last year and struggled mightily with walks, but Fitt noted that he had strong command of his over-the-top fastball and breaking ball this fall.
“Last year he was just a freshman figuring things out, but this year there’s a different look in his eye,” Wasikowski told D1Baseball.
Veteran Stone Churby should also be in the mix after appearing in 20 games last year. Freshman Dylan McShane is another pitcher to monitor, if for no other reason than the fact that he’s 6-foot-9. The Ducks will also hope to get some production from Andrew Mosiello, whose status is uncertain with injuries derailing his development. Meanwhile, lefties Hunter Hyatt, Gus Rogers and Logan Olson could help amend the Ducks’ lack of southpaw options.
There are competitions at every position for Oregon this year, but arguably no area is more wide open than the bullpen. The rotation has taken some hits, which has bled into the bullpen like a falling stack of cards. It’s an area where no job is secure, where roles could change with each passing day. But it’ll also give some of Oregon’s less experienced pitchers a chance to prove themselves and take charge of uncharted waters.
