Oregon baseball fields a star-studded roster filled with weapons at every position. None more important than the man the Ducks trust up the middle of their defense — sophomore Maddox Molony.
Molony’s breakout campaign in 2024 proved one of the prevailing stories to come out of Oregon’s successful spring. Going into the 2025 season, both the Ducks and Molony were expected to keep stride with previous successes.
Molony slashed .315/.402/.566 with 10 home runs, 31 RBIs and finished with an incredible OPS of .968. The freshman phenom was also named to both the First-Team All-Pac-12 and NCBWA Second-Team All-Freshman.
The 10 home runs and .566 slugging percentage also ended up as Oregon freshman records.
Even after a brilliant start to his college career, Molony mentioned earlier in the season that he made a point to gain weight in the offseason, and now weighs in at 210 lbs.
“It’s helped a lot. Don’t know if that last home run gets out if I am not 210,” Molony said after hitting two home runs in a win over The University of Toledo Rockets.
Molony missed the back half of the series against The University of Rhode Island due to injury, but returned as a crucial part of Oregon’s sweep over Columbia University. Molony tallied five hits, seven RBIs and two home runs in the series sweep over the Lions.
“His presence is awesome. He’s a settling force. Big, strong kid…he’s just a good player,” Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski said. “A scout grabbed me this morning and said that ‘he walks around and the aura around him makes him look like a major leaguer.’ I couldn’t agree with him any more, he’s that kind of kid.”
In just a fraction of the time, Molony has already reached half of his home run total from last season. The Springfield native has used his increased power to his — and the Ducks’ — advantage by hitting five home runs as of the end of the Columbia series.
Four of those home runs came in two games, as Molony sent a pair of blasts over the fence in two different contests.
Along with the five homers, Molony has posted an OPS of 1.195 and .695 slugging percentage. His .390 batting average also places him first in the team standings.
Molony solidified himself as the chosen player at the most-important position in the infield. He plays a very good defense, only committing three errors in 2024. After three home series, Molony’s fielding percentage of .964 lagged slightly behind his .980 clip from 2024, but the more he plays — and the more he plays well — the more his fielding percentage will improve.
Molony set the tone with an incredible 2024 and a tremendous start to the 2025 season. A solid shortstop is important to any successful baseball team, and the Ducks boast success behind Molony and the infield.
