With three RBIs in the Ducks’ upcoming weekend series at Washington State, second baseman Mitchell Tolman would break the school record for career runs batted in. He’s quietly making his case as the best position player in Oregon baseball history, and he has more than a full season of NCAA eligibility left to play.
Tolman has been the baseball program’s greatest investment since its reinstatement in 2009. When Tolman walked on to the Ducks’ roster in 2013, he expected to gain a year of Division I experience before returning home to play junior college ball. Instead, the Pac-12 All-Conference honoree ranks in the top-10 in program history in hits, doubles, triples, multiple-hit games and multiple-RBI games midway through his junior year.
Perhaps even more valuable than Tolman’s offensive prowess is his reliability. Tolman earned a start at third base in Oregon’s Pac-12 opener as a freshman and set a school record 128 consecutive starts before manager George Horton rested him on March 14, 2015. Horton made the move in the second game of Oregon’s series with Cal after Tolman had gone hitless in 13 at bats in his last four games.
“In some of the best players I’ve ever coached, when things aren’t going well the devil in them shows up,” Horton said. “Sometimes that’s Mitch. There was a game at USC that got away from him and we had to take him out of the lineup because of that.”
Tolman took the day off as a wake-up call and hasn’t missed a start since. He has hit .432 in Oregon’s last 10 games.
“He doesn’t think anybody can get him out. He thinks he can make any play defensively. I’ll take his personality in my dugout every single day.”
Tolman hit .315 in each of his first two seasons with Oregon, and is on pace to maintain the high average. He’s batting .310 in 2015, while his teammates are batting .249 collectively.
He’s also filled a major void for Oregon’s defense. Although he was recruited to play second base, he spent the first two years of his career at third. He finally got the chance start at his natural position in 2015, but now finds himself back at the hot corner after Matt Eureste’s numbers declined.
“He’s definitely the leader of our team,” starting pitcher Cole Irvin said. “We build off his energy and the way he does, and he’s done great.”
Tolman’s father, Bill, taught him the art of plate discipline. In his final years of coaching Tolman, Bill didn’t allow him to swing the bat until the pitcher had two strikes against him. In turn, Tolman learned to work counts as deeply as possible and grew comfortable hitting while behind in the count.
Tolman’s exceptional patience in the batter’s box has played a huge role in his offensive productivity. As a freshman, his .392 on-base percentage ranked third on the team. He led the team with 31 walks and a .438 OBP as a sophomore. In 2015, Tolman’s OBP soared to .458. He is the only Oregon player walking more frequently than striking out. He ranks in the top-three in school history in walks, intentional walks and hit-by-pitches.
Tolman has never been drafted to a professional team, but will likely hear his name called come the MLB Draft on June 8. Should he play out his senior season, he’d likely shatter multiple school records and cement his place among the greatest Ducks to take the field.
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