The Oregon Ducks looked like a different baseball team last weekend than the one that stumbled into the season against San Diego.

Coming out of a 1-3 opening series which featured errors, miscues and walks galore, the Ducks bounced back in dominant fashion. They put up 58 runs in a four-game sweep of St. John’s, bringing the total to 79 runs in their five-game winning streak. The pitchers settled in at the new-look PK Park with plenty of help from the polished defense behind them.

“I thought we played a much cleaner brand of baseball and it was exciting to watch,” Oregon coach Mark Wasikowksi said.

Highly scouted pitcher Adam Maier made his home debut Friday. Like in his first start, he showed flashes of brilliance with one of the best sliders in the country. But he let the fifth inning get away from him, allowing a three-run homer that briefly got the Red Storm back in the game.

“He’s got great stuff,” Wasikowski said of Maier. “And I think the more comfortable he gets with college baseball, the better you’ll see him get. He’s got electric stuff. The scouts are in love with him. So, big days to come for that kid.”

The Ducks somehow topped last Monday’s 12-run onslaught in the eighth inning, putting up 13 in the eighth inning of Friday’s affair. It was the first time in school history the team scored 20 runs in back-to-back games.

The offense didn’t look back from there. Oregon scored 16 runs on Saturday and 13 on Sunday in blowout wins. The double digits streak ended on Monday with a mere six runs.

The two biggest contributors were Drew Cowley and Colby Shade, both new additions to the everyday lineup. Cowley, a transfer from Cal Poly Pomona, went 8-for-13 with six walks and at one point reached base in 12 consecutive plate appearances. Shade, who only had a small handful of at-bats with Oregon last year, went 8-for-12 with four walks, reaching base in 13 consecutive plate appearances.

“Those guys are really doing a great job, setting the tone for us, scoring a lot of runs,” Wasikowski said of Cowley and Shade. “Just giving us quality at-bats, and not trying to really do too much I think is their secret.”

Fellow newcomers Brennan Milone and Jacob Walsh have also boasted hot bats in the early going. Shortstop Josh Kasevich has lived up to his hype with a .531 average. Even Gavin Grant in the nine-hole has posted an OBP above .400. The result is a Ducks lineup that’s arguably even deeper than last year’s.

“Having that depth in the lineup and having those bats behind me is just awesome,” leadoff hitter Tanner Smith said. “Now it’s just coming to a point where it’s: how can I get on base to allow those guys to drive me in.”

Amongst the offensive bombardment, two of the Ducks’ most talented hitters — Smith and Anthony Hall — haven’t quite gotten their bats going yet.

“Anthony Hall’s got maybe the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’s got so many scouts following him…,” Wasikowski said. “They’re probably putting a little too much pressure on themselves.”

The Ducks also got settled into their freshly renovated park. With the fences being pushed in and an even height all across the outfield, Wasikowski feels like it contributes to a fairer game. The outfield also comes with new designs such as a large O in center field and designs of ducks in the turf.

Smith has even used the duck in left field as a marker for where to set up.

“A lot of times it’s like: I go to the left wing on this guy; I’m at the head of the duck on this guy,” Smith said.

The fresh turf allowed the Ducks to calm down in the field and make crisper plays. The highlight was a double play Kasevich turned Monday, making an incredible flip to Grant with Walsh making a nice scoop at first.

“I think a lot of people, including myself, were trying to make too many plays, trying to do too much,” Grant said of the Ducks’ ugly play in San Diego. “So just stay with what we do, and we know we’re a great defense.”

Beyond Maier, the inexperienced yet talented rotation of pitchers stepped up compared to their first starts. Andrew Mosiello limited St. John’s to one run in five innings, Isaac Ayon retired the first 12 batters in a seven-strikeout performance, and freshman Tommy Brandenburg was fantastic, holding the Red Storm to just one hit in five innings.

The bullpen stepped up as well, giving up only two runs in the series. RJ Gordon, Caleb Sloan and freshman Jacob Hughes all impressed out of the ‘pen, with Rio Britton providing a nasty left-handed option. All-American closer Kolby Somers bounced back from a rough outing in San Diego, striking out the final two batters of the series.

“We thought that a lot of guys going into opening weekend were trying to do too much, not staying within ourselves, so that was the focus going into this week of practice,” Somers said.

Now, the Ducks have the momentum completely in their favor heading into another four-game home series. They’ll take on UCSB this weekend: a team they swept in four games last year. Still, UCSB is a fiercer competitor than St. John’s and is off to a 5-2 start.

“We’re gonna really need to grind out at-bats this weekend,” Wasikowski said. “We’re gonna need to execute. Two-strike battles not being easy outs… To where we can stretch a pitcher into a deeper pitch count and see guys out of the bullpen early in the weekend is gonna be a critical thing.”

First pitch for Friday’s series opener is slated for 4 p.m. with a doubleheader Saturday.

“I’d love to see us match that 58 run total this weekend; I don’t think that’s probably too reasonable,” Wasikowski said. “I know Santa Barbara’s got one heck of a program.”