50 games into the 2015 college baseball season, the Oregon Ducks lacked an identity. They ranked as high as eighth nationally when they boasted a 13-2 record to begin the season. Then they fell off the map almost completely, dropping 10 of their next 14 games and falling out of Pac-12 title contention rapidly. The Ducks found themselves on the outside looking in at an NCAA tournament berth, with a 28-22 record and ten regular season games to play.
During its final 10-game stretch, Oregon clinched five series wins, including the final series of the season against No. 1 UCLA in back-to-back walk-off efforts. The Ducks won nine of 10 games and earned a three seed in the Springfield Regional this weekend.
Regardless of its last second surge into the postseason, the Ducks collectively underperformed in 2015. When the season began, manager George Horton described his team as one of his best ever on paper. With nine former MLB Draft selections rostered, Oregon was voted to finish second behind UCLA in the Preseason Pac-12 Coaches Poll. Oregon ended with a 16-14 record in conference, good for sixth place.
Had Mitchell Tolman, who walked onto Oregon baseball and now owns four all-time records, not put the offense on his shoulders down the stretch, certainly Oregon would not have landed a spot in the NCAA tournament. When third baseman Matt Eureste was benched, Tolman slid from second base to the third. Since then, his massive 381/.480/.560 line in the Ducks’ last 21 games propelled them to a 15-6 record. Tolman, along with junior Garrett Cleavinger, earned first-team Pac-12 honors and will hear their names called at the MLB Draft in June.
Scott Heineman also contributed a .562 batting average in Oregon’s last four games, all versus ranked teams. He hit two home runs versus No. 1 UCLA as Oregon took two out of three. Heineman earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors.
Despite the two corner infielders’ late-season heroics, Oregon hit a dismal .254 as a team this season. Oregon’s bullpen is what kept it competitive.
Closer Cleavinger and set-up man Stephen Nogosek formed Oregon’s devastating one-two punch, and Cooper Stiles has excelled as a middle reliever using his new sidearm delivery. Oregon’s starting rotation struggled for much of the year but came up huge when the team needed it most. Against UCLA, the starting trio of Cole Irvin, David Peterson and Josh Graham combined to allow just seven earned runs in 22.1 innings for a 2.82 ERA. In the last three weeks combined, the UO starters have a 2.19 ERA allowing just 15 earned runs in 61.2 innings pitched.
Fresh off of Tommy John Surgery, ace Cole Irvin took all of nine starts to finally throw six full innings. Easing into his role paid off, however, as he threw 27.2 innings and ended the regular season with four straight quality starts and a 2.93 ERA vs. Stanford, WSU, Utah and UCLA.
Freshman David Peterson endured a five-game losing streak, but turned the tables and threw five straight quality starts to finish the regular season. During that time he’s struck out 32 batters while walking ten and compiling a 3.08 ERA.
Josh Graham, who was recruited to Oregon to play catcher, filled the large void Conor Harber left in the starting rotation. After throwing 11 innings in two appearances in relief of Harber, the Ducks leaned on Graham to throw 29.2 innings in five starts, including nine and a career-high 11 strikeouts versus UCLA. Graham has a 1.71 ERA over his last three starts with back-to-back quality starts, and all this came after he put together a 2-0 record and 1.84 ERA in 13 relief appearances as a reliever.
Because the regional tournament consists of four teams and a double-elimination bracket, three consecutive wins or a loss and four wins would secure Oregon a spot in the super regional. In the history of the program the Ducks have never faced any team in its bracket, which includes No. 4 Canisius, No. 2 Iowa and host No. 1 Missouri State.
Fortunately Oregon has experience on its side. Horton is making his 16th regional appearance as a head coach, where he’s compiled a 40-17 record. Horton teams have won at least one game every year and advanced to the College World Series six times. Horton won the 2004 NCAA Division I title with Cal State Fullerton.
Oregon has qualified for the postseason four straight years, including five times in the last six years, in which its gone 10-6 with multiple wins each year. The Ducks advanced to the super regional in 2012.
Oregon’s tournament opener tomorrow versus Iowa will be televised on ESPN3 at 11 a.m.
Follow Kenny Jacoby on Twitter @KennyJacoby