Unlike previous seasons, this year of Oregon baseball feels less about opportunity and more about expectation.
“This group has unlimited ability,” Carter Garate, Oregon’s third baseman, said after a win over The University of Toledo. He’s not just hyping up his teammates, he’s right.
The 2025 Oregon Ducks are loaded with talent young and old. They boast several personnel options at almost every position on the field.
They’re also one of only five teams to have made the Super Regional round in each of the past two seasons. Oregon, however, is the only team to have finished in the top 16 in back-to-back seasons without hosting a regional.
That’s the expectation this year: to play postseason baseball at PK Park.
Sounds simple enough, and competing in a weak Big Ten Conference — Oregon was one of only two Big Ten teams (Nebraska) to start the season ranked — should help head coach Mark Wasikowski’s squad achieve its mission.
But it’ll require something that previous teams didn’t always have: incredible depth and the ability to win in different ways.
One quality of a great time is being able to find victory on a day where the bats are cold or the wings on the mound are struggling to record outs. That’s something Wasikowski’s squad is highlighting this season.
“You’ve gotta be able to win in a lot of different ways,” Wasikowksi said after a win over The University of Rhode Island. “You’ve gotta be able to win by hitting the ball over the fence; you’ve gotta be able to win by bunting sometimes or stealing a base.”
It’s early in the season, but so far, the Ducks have shown that they can do just that. Entering conference play, Oregon had more shutout wins (three) than total losses (two) while tallying seven games with nine or more runs scored.
In perhaps the most extreme examples of winning in different ways, the Ducks found victory both in a 1-0, 11-inning marathon with Rhode Island and with a 35-1 win over Columbia University that saw them set a new program record in runs scored.
“It’s early,” Garate said of his team’s identity. “I think we’re still trying to figure it out. I don’t really think you can put a cap on one thing. We can come at you many different ways with our pitching staff and offense.”
With as much power as Wasikowski’s team has, he doesn’t want them to be limited or categorized by it. He even mentioned after a game against Toledo — in which his Ducks hit seven homers — that he wishes there would have been more singles to put guys on base before the long balls.
But it seems that nothing makes him happier than his pitching staff throwing a zero on the scoreboard. After all, a team can’t lose if it never gives up a run.
No matter how the Ducks choose to win their games on any given day, they have seemingly countless guys that can make it happen. This 2025 Oregon squad has incredible depth all over the field.
In conference play, the Ducks will only need three starting pitchers, but they’ve got five guys — Grayson Grinsell, Collin Clarke, Jason Reitz, Will Sanford and Ian Umlandt — that have already made starts in 2025. Oregon has options on the bump.
Behind the dish, Wasikowski can turn to any one of Chase Meggers, Anson Aroz, Burke-Lee Mabeus and Coen Niclai with full confidence.
The same can be said in the outfield. When fully healthy, the Ducks can roll out Mason Neville, Aroz, Jeffery Heard, Parker Stinson, Drew Smith, Jack Brooks, Jax Gimenez or Mabeus. The PK Park outfield will be safe all season long no matter who gets the nod from Wasikowski.
But, the area with the most depth might be the middle infield. Already this season, Maddox Molony, Smith, Brooks, Ryan Cooney and Tyler Jones have seen time at either shortstop or second base.
“It’s just really special to have a bunch of guys who love each other and work together,” Cooney said of the competition in the middle infield. “I think it just makes each of us better to be honest. All of us have great ability and love each other in different ways as teammates and I think (we) just push each other to be better, and I think you’ll see that throughout the season.”
“We’re all very athletic people,” Molony said. “It’s cool seeing the guys I work with every day have success.”
Molony will almost certainly have the shortstop position locked up as long as he remains healthy. His counterpart across the way at second base, however, remains to be seen.
Smith is a great bat to have in the lineup when he’s available, but Cooney’s been smacking the cover off the ball early in 2025. Brooks is a wonderful utility option, and will likely see sporadic starts throughout midweek games and non-conference contests.
With temporary injuries and hot streaks moving guys in and out of the lineup, the early-season consistency that the Ducks have shown is all that more impressive. All season long, there’s been power hitters at the top of the lineup and high-average guys at the bottom.
“Me and Cooney have a thing where we call ourselves the ‘eight/nine merchants’,” Garate said. “It’s our job to get on base and let the top of the order drive us in.”
This team is stacked and has high aspirations. Unlike programs ready for a rebuild or a revival, Oregon’s been a game or two away from Omaha two years running. This year, the Ducks feel like they can get there with their unlimited ability and versatility.
“I would say that there’s things to improve on for sure,” Garate said. “But I think we’ve set a good stone to build on.”
For Garate to say his team is still building after back-to-back Super Regional appearances is a bold statement, but it matches the one that his Ducks look to make in their first Big Ten season.
