Oregon baseball began its season by winning 10 of 11 games. What’s followed though is a skid that has prompted head coach George Horton to ask the media for suggestions on how to overcome it. Oregon is 2-7 in Pac-12 play and finished the month of March 7-11. With that said, staff reporters Kenny Jacoby and Andrew Bantly break down what needs to change, how the Ducks stack up with its opponent this weekend and who needs to be a driving force behind the change.
What will Oregon need to change in order to win its first Pac-12 conference series of the season?
Jacoby: Since sweeping St. John’s at home more than three weeks ago, Oregon has been plagued by the inability to play a complete game on both sides of the ball. In its three series from March 10 to March 22, Oregon put together a 2-7 record and averaged just over six hits and exactly three runs per game. The Ducks were able to rebound from their offensive struggles, totaling double-digit hits in five of the next six games. Over that span, however, they’ve accumulated 13 crippling defensive errors. Until Oregon can play a clean game defensively and flash its hitting prowess simultaneously, it’ll have a hard time defeating any opponent.
Bantly: During the month of March the Ducks went 7-11, compared to their 10-1 start in February. I might be naive in this assessment, but it’s baseball after all. Secondly, I think they need to rest. This team is ten games into their 14 games, 19 days-long odyssey, and are 4-6. This includes Tuesday’s loss to Portland, a team who entered PK Park at 5-24.
How does Oregon stack up against Michigan State?
Jacoby: The upcoming series against the Spartans is one the Ducks should, if not must, win. Michigan State is 12-13 this season and hasn’t fared well against Pac-12 competition. Oregon State beat the Spartans 4-3 in extra innings earlier in the year and UCLA swept them easily in three games. Michigan State (.264) is struggling almost as much as Oregon (.252) at the plate. With a combined WHIP of more than 1.50 and strikeouts-to-walks ratio of 1.65, Michigan State’s three starting pitchers should be nothing Oregon can’t handle.
Bantly: Other than the fact I think Oregon will be exhausted from two midweek games – one requiring over four hours of driving – with just a day to ready for Michigan State, I forecast an Oregon series win. This is because Michigan State just might be more tired from a Wednesday night game in East Lansing, Michigan and the 2,300-plus mile journey to Eugene, Oregon that follows. Michigan State (12-13) is another struggling team with an ERA over four and just two hitters hitting over .300. It presents an opportunity for Oregon to take advantage of a suffering club and build some confidence. But then again, so too did Portland on Tuesday.
Who in particular on the Ducks will need to step up?
Jacoby: Friday starter Conor Harber will need to set the pace for the series for Oregon. After tossing six scoreless innings of relief behind Cole Irvin against New Mexico State in what I consider the best game thrown by a Duck in 2015, Harber struggled increasingly in his following three appearances. Harber lost both his outings as starting pitcher, but is beginning to rediscover his groove. He struck out seven and walked none in 5.1 innings against Arizona, and only two of his seven runs were earned. On the offensive side, Matt Eureste may need to follow the footsteps of Shaun Chase and Mitchell Tolman and take a game or two off. Since March 5, Eureste’s weighted on-base average has fallen from .443 to .326, although he remains in the leadoff spot in the batting order.
Bantly: In its recent series sweep from Arizona, Oregon hit .300 for the weekend with double-digit hits in each game. However, along with nine errors defensively, Oregon’s starter pitchers averaged a 13.78 ERA in just 11.1 total innings. The offense was wasted. The Ducks need their starters to last longer than the just over 11 outs they averaged in Tucson to, frankly, just give them a shot to win a game.
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