The Ducks have been here before. They’ve been at the start of a new school year, diving into fall practices in preparation for the spring. But what separates this year’s squad is the confidence and experience they carry from their previous exploits.
Prior to last year, the Oregon baseball team hadn’t hosted a regional since 2013. They’ve now been in the NCAA Tournament each of the last two seasons. They know what success tastes like, and they’re eager for more of it.
Oregon began fall practices on September 15 with a group that head coach Mark Wasikowski said is bigger and stronger than past teams. Coming off a tough regional loss in June, the Ducks are plunging headfirst back into the action. It’s with this mixture of veteran presence and young physicality that Oregon is hoping to make its deepest run yet.
“You’ve got guys that know what it’s like to be in postseason play,” Wasikowski said. “There’s also a certain level of hungriness now where they’ve tasted success, and now they want more.”
In past years, the Ducks have made it clear that their goal was to get to Omaha. This year, they’re not focused on Omaha — at least not yet. Their sights are set on improving and taking it one day at a time, a process they believe will get them to the biggest stage in college baseball.
“You get so caught up in ‘Let’s get to Omaha. Let’s win a national championship,’” said outfielder Tanner Smith, who’s back for his fifth season. “But this year, I think it’s incredible how we really fine tuned it to take it one day at a time, and just winning each day.”
An immediate difference was the access to the weight room, which is back to the way it was before COVID-19. This year’s players are back on the full weight structure and the full meal plan, which gives them an edge before classes start.
“We’re only a few days into fall camp, and it’s been awesome,” Wasikowski said. “It’s been a lot of fun being around the guys. The guys that have laid the foundation have done a really nice job. So it does feel like we’re further ahead than we have been so far in the years at Oregon.”
Oregon’s fall roster features 20 new players. But an abundance of freshmen certainly doesn’t mean a lack of size — just look at 6-foot-9 pitcher Dylan McShane or 6-foot-6 infielder Dominic Hellman.
With the mix of veterans and young talent, along with the refined and complete facilities, the Ducks are cranking everything into gear.
“We’ve got everyone ready to lift,” senior infielder Gavin Grant said. “The music’s blaring. It’s a fun atmosphere to be in with all these new guys.”
Smith has also noticed an extra sense of zeal in this group.
“I don’t think PK Park’s ever been this vibrant, this positive,” Smith said. “The emotions that are going into this fall — it’s something new to me, and it’s awesome to be a part of.”
Smith rejoins this Oregon squad as a true veteran of the program. Now in his fifth year, he’s chasing all-time school records, particularly those set by Gabe Matthews and J.J. Altobelli. He said he’s in regular contact with Matthews and has joked with him about surpassing his numbers.
His ultimate focus, though, is on the team’s accomplishments, not his own individual accolades.
“The [record] I really want to break is the most wins, and the furthest we’ve ever gone,” Smith said. “That’s what’s important to me, and that’s what I want to do.”
The roster features depth that aims to replace the likes of Josh Kasevich, Anthony Hall, Brennan Milone and Adam Maier, all of whom were drafted by MLB teams this summer. The bullpen also lost both its lefties in Kolby Somers and Rio Britton. However, there are four left-handed pitchers on the new roster, all freshmen.
Wasikowski remarked at the evenness of the position battles all around the field. Less than a week into fall camp, the competition is already red hot between young and old players alike.
“It’s awesome to watch out there,” Wasikowski said. “It isn’t like we’ve got one guy at one spot, then we got four guys at another. Everybody, whether they’re old players and have played a bunch in the past, or whether they’re new players — boy, there’s some battles going on out there.”
A particular area of uncertainty is the pitching rotation. The Ducks lost Maier for most of last season, but now they won’t have him at all. Isaac Ayon will likely lead the way after his first full year of starting experience. He had an uneven 2021 campaign, showing signs of dominance at times but struggling badly at other times.
“As a freshman, the game definitely sped up on me,” Ayon said. “I think last year, getting the experience as a starter, matured me as a pitcher and it slowed the game down a ton.”
Ayon, whose bread and butter is his sinker-slider mix, said he’s been working on a cutter with the help of former MLB All-Star pitcher Tyson Ross. While he said he’s still searching for consistency, he expects to be comfortable with it by the spring, adding a vertical pitch to complement his horizontal slider.
After Ayon will likely be Jace Stoffal and RJ Gordon. Stoffal had a delayed start to his 2021, and he looked shaky before settling in at the end of the year. Gordon has had glimpses of success, but he’s performed better out of the bullpen. Overall, pitching looks to be more of a question mark than the lineup, which retains Smith, Grant and Drew Cowley, among others.
With fall practices back to their pre-COVID-19 normal capacity, Oregon will be holding a scrimmage schedule open to the public. Two of the scrimmages will occur before home football games, including one at 2:30 p.m. on October 1 before Oregon takes on Stanford.
“Those are great opportunities for our guys to play in front of fans, even though it isn’t probably a super rowdy environment,” Wasikowski said. “It’s going to be a social tailgating type of an environment where fans can come and watch — fantastic.”
The Ducks have ramped things back into gear, but there’s still a ways to go before they jump into competitive spring competitions. With experience and physicality on their side, they know what they need to do to accomplish the lofty goals they’ve set out for themselves. The grind has officially begun.
“Practice is one thing,” Wasikowksi said. “Who can do it when the lights come on?”
