The main purpose of this piece is to describe just how good the Ducks looked this past week without being overly repetitive about the talent disparity that took place at PK Park.
Oregon entered its four-game series with Columbia ranked No. 11. After outscoring the Lions 70-15 on the weekend, the Ducks moved up to a top-10 ranking for the first time this season.
As the score would indicate, Oregon was fully in control of the entire series. It’s easy to comment on the offensive onslaught that the Ducks’ bats provided, but the thing that really impressed me was the timing of the runs.
On the rare occasion that Columbia was able to score, the Ducks always had a response. The Lions scored in four different innings in Friday’s 20-11 Oregon win. The Ducks responded with multiple runs in each of the following frames. The Lions were never able to build momentum, because Oregon always replied.
Dominic Hellman, who had an insane series, got Friday night started right by becoming the first player in Oregon history to record two grand slams in the same game. That was just Game One.
Game Two was a smackdown of biblical proportions. The Ducks put up a program-record 35 runs as they thumped the Lions in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
The final two contests of the series somewhat resembled normal baseball games. The Ducks took a pair of 8-3 and 7-0 wins from the Lions to finish off the sweep. Their offensive discipline impressed me the most. Across the series, the Ducks wore 18 hit-by-pitches and took advantage of an awful Columbia staff to score in a multitude of ways.
Tuesday’s midweek game was — at least to me — the most impressive win of the last week, however. Not only did Oregon blank Utah Teach 15-0, but the shutout came on the backs of seven different pitchers. For that many arms to all be clicking well enough to preserve a shutout says something. The 15 runs on offense says another. Across the last five games, Oregon has produced 85 runs and only allowed 15. Absurd.
And that’s where this team sits now. The Ducks have about as much momentum as they could possibly muster entering Big Ten play. They’ve won seven-straight games and scored at least seven runs in each win. They’ve thrown back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 2021. They’re relatively healthy, only missing Drew Smith, Chase Meggers and Parker Stinson.
But they’re tasked with topping a very good USC team on the road to start conference play. The last time Oregon played the Trojans, they bounced the Ducks from the Pac-12 Tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona.
If Oregon can take a series win in what could truthfully be the toughest series it plays in the Big Ten this season, the momentum will only build.
Ruth’s Three Stars:
First star: Dominic Hellman – DH
There’s really not much else to say. Hellman has five homers and 17 RBIs in his past five games. He’s swinging the hottest bat in the nation and has taken home several accolades in the past week. I wrote a longer piece about his full weekend where he tells his story.
Second Star: Ryan Cooney – 2B
Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski said that Cooney might have been the Ducks’ MVP from the past weekend (maybe he forgot about Hellman?). He certainly did have one of the best five-game stretches of his career. He scored 12 runs and recorded 10 hits in the last week, bringing his average from .136 to .310. He hit his first homer of the season as a part of his six-RBI performance in the 35-1 beatdown.
Third Star: Carter Garate – 3B
Garate is having one of the quietest .419 season’s I’ve ever seen. He had a great series from the bottom of the Ducks’ order. Garate prides himself on getting on base, and he did a tremendous job of doing so, walking four times and wearing four pitches. He was also the only player to start and finish at his position in each of Oregon’s five games this season. He’s also a stellar interview; I’m a Garate advocate and I will be until proven otherwise.
From the press box is a new series covering the ins and outs of each series the Ducks will play in 2025. This is the third edition of Brady Ruth’s new long-form coverage. Other pieces can be found on the baseball page of the Daily Emerald.
