Oregon’s pitching staff faced a revamp after a 2024 season that, while successful, lost multiple arms from a Super Regional bullpen. The Ducks lost their Friday starter (RJ Gordon) , Sunday starter (RHP Kevin Seitter), two elite bullpen arms (Brock Moore and Bradley Mullan) and closer (RHP Logan Mercado) to graduation or the MLB Draft. While rising junior Grayson Grinsell was tabbed as the Big Ten’s Preseason Pitcher of the Year, the staff around him faced significant reshuffling.
Enter a group featuring two freshmen who’d start their first games early in the season amongst returning power.
Freshmen reliever Kellan Knox and starter Will Sanford were put on the bump early in the year, in the Ducks’ first series of the season against the University of Toledo. They’re not shy of accolades — Knox was named first-team All-State in Washington and Sanford was Perfect Game and Prep Baseball Report’s No. 9 righty pitcher in California.
“Walking up to the mound on that first inning,” Sanford said after his first-ever appearance, “You see all the fans, get a little nervous, but I think as soon as you throw that first pitch and get that out of the way, you feel good.”
They’ve been vital as Oregon has played its early games in a variety of ways this year. The Ducks won 1-0 (courtesy of a standout performance from sophomore Collin Clarke) and 19-12 in back-to-back doubleheader games in a series against Rhode Island University.
Oregon allowed three or fewer runs five times in its first nine games. Granted, it gave up 40 total runs across the other four, but the Ducks have shown their mettle through the early part of the season.
The full staff looked largely imperious through three series. Grinsell hasn’t yet hit the levels that his preseason award foreshadowed, but still showed why he was the favorite through three series. 6’11’’ junior Jason Reitz had a successful, 68-pitch, 1-earned-run outing against Columbia University (a 35-1 win) and sophomore Collin Clarke struck out eight in the second game of the doubleheader against the Lions.
Early blowouts have provided looks at bullpen freshmen, too. Michael Meckna and Tyler Jones got work against Rhode Island and Columbia, where Meckna pitched 6.2 total innings without a run and Jones threw 1.1 against the Rams and surrendered just one hit.
“They work their tails off around here,” Wasikowski said of the freshmen pitchers. “And so when we can (get them into games), that’s really important — and when we can get some of the guys who’ve been rolled out there as starters off their feet a little bit, that’s important too.”
Veteran nous will be what Oregon relies upon next as it chases postseason success after back-to-back Super Regional appearances in 2023 and 2024. In both those years, the Ducks exited the postseason after giving up 11 and 15 runs in the deciding game. Clarke has some good news:
“They’re reliable,” Clarke said of the Ducks’ young hurlers. “They’re young, but they sure do act old.”
On the mound, there’s an abundance of depth. The talent, the Ducks say, is there. They just have to perform.
