Today, eight Oregon baseball players were selected to All-Big Ten teams which ranks second in the conference behind No. 1 UCLA’s 11 selections. Tanner Bradley and Drew Smith were selected to the first team with Smith also getting an all-defensive team nod.

Bradley was one of three relief pitchers selected to the first team with the third lowest ERA among first-team pitchers with a 1.83 ERA. Bradley has appeared in 26 games this season and has recorded 69 strikeouts and one save in 44.1 innings.

It was no surprise to see Drew Smith selected to the first team after boasting a .327 batting average with 65 hits including 14 home runs and 53 RBI. He was also named the best defensive third baseman with his selection to the all-defensive team after recording 28 putouts with 89 assists and only three errors.

Three Ducks were selected to the second team: Will Sanford, Devin Bell and Ryan Cooney.

Sanford has been one of the best starting pitchers in the conference all season and ranks third in the Big Ten in strikeouts with 96 over 14 starts. Bell has been elite for the Ducks since transferring from Western Oregon University after recording the third most saves in the Big Ten with 11 and 35 strikeouts in 32.1 innings. Cooney was a first team selection last season, but his performance hasn’t wavered after slashing the tenth most hits in the conference with 73 including eight home runs on a .340 batting average.

The lone third team member was Naulivou Lauaki Jr., who was also named to the all-freshman team alongside Angel Laya and Brayden Jaksa. The trio was one of the best freshman cores in the nation with 31 home runs between them.

Lauaki came on to the scene after some lineup shifts early in the season put him in at designated hitter after originally coming to the team as a pitcher, but an injury last season forced him to redshirt and move into position play. He racked up 32 hits, including 10 home runs, with 27 RBI with a .317 batting average.

Laya made an instant impact after being named a starting outfielder in the first series. The true freshman hit 13 home runs and 41 RBI with a batting average of .296. He also boasted a 1.000 fielding percentage and stole five bases.

Jaksa moved around in the field this season, playing catcher, first base, right field and left field. Despite all the movement in the field defensively, he only recorded five errors with 249 putouts and 13 assists. Offensively, he slashed 46 hits, including eight home runs and 28 RBI. 

Every season, one player from every Big Ten team is awarded a conference sportsmanship award, and center fielder Jack Brooks was selected. On the field, Brooks led the team in stolen bases with 16, as well as sacrifice bunts with six.

The Ducks head to the Big Ten Tournament this week, where they will play May 22, at 9 p.m. CT at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.