This season’s Oregon baseball team is blessed with incredible depth at a number of positions, but maybe none more so than catcher.
This was a big theme of last year’s team and identity. It wasn’t uncommon to see two or three traditional catchers in the lineup with Bennett Thompson, Anson Aroz and Chase Meggers filling the lineup card both behind the dish and in the outfield.
Meggers and Aroz are back in 2025, but the addition of three freshmen keeps the catcher competition fresh. Meggers has been banged up to start the year, but it was originally expected that he’ll be the main backstop when he gets healthy as the season rolls along.
But these freshmen are making it really tough to take anyone out of the lineup.
First, there’s Burke-Lee Mabeus, a 6-foot-4 option from Henderson, Nevada. He’s been hitting the cover off the ball so far in the young season. His first-career home run came in grand-slam fashion in a win over The University of Rhode Island and is racking up extra-base hits on the daily. Mabeus already has a Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week under his belt.
“He’s a special kid on and off the field,” Aroz said of Mabeus. “He’s been one of my favorites to work with so far and in a short amount of time has made an impact on my life both within baseball and outside of it.”
Then there’s Coen Niclai, a young backstop from Anchorage, Alaska. Niclai has made a handful of starts, and while he’s not swinging the bat the same way Mabeus is, Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski has praised his defense on several occasions. With weekends chalked-full of four-game series opened the season, Niclai has been a solid option to give guys some much-needed rest.
“Coen’s a great player,” Mabeus said. “I’m great friends with Coen, (he’s) one of my best friends here. The talent that he has, I can feel it on my side for sure and it pushes me.”
Even Zach Justice, a local kid from Bend, Oregon, has seen playing time in the young season. Wasikowki has a constant conundrum on his hands each time he fills out his lineup card. Each guy can contribute, but that only makes his decisions harder.
Of course, we can’t forget about Aroz. He’s been slugging like nobody’s business through the early parts of the season. He only hit six homers in 2024, but was already up to five by March of this year. He’s more of a utility option for the Ducks and has spent a lot of time in the outfield. When Meggers returns, Aroz may establish himself as Oregon’s everyday left fielder.
“We’re not a team that chases stats,” Aroz said. “We’re a team that’s very process-oriented.”
Several pitchers have praised each option behind the plate. They’ve had good things to say both about each individual option, but also the core as a whole. It would appear that the majority of the pitching staff is comfortable with whoever their backstop is on any given day.
“That’s good to hear,” Mabeus said. “I spend a lot of time with the pitchers (in) bullpens or practices. My overall goal is to make sure they’re pitching good. I think they can feel that that’s my intent and I think it rubs off on them pretty good.”
As the season progresses, it’s entirely possible that we see these names flowing in and out of the lineup and even flexing from position to position. That’s the privilege Wasikowski has with this season’s loaded catching core.
