Oregon baseball starts its postseason campaign in Springfield, Missouri Friday. The Ducks are guaranteed a matchup with the No. 2 seed Iowa in game one, then will face either the host team Missouri State, or No. 4 seeded Canisius in game two.
Let’s take a look at each of Oregon’s potential opponents and see how the Ducks stack up against them.
No. 1 Missouri State (45-10, 18-3) Missouri Valley Conference Champions
Pitching
Jon Harris, Matt Hall and Andy Cheray represent the Bears’ rotation, and they’re one of the best trios in the country as the team sports the seventh best team ERA in the country (2.74).
Harris (7-1, 1.91) is a tall right-hander with loads of velocity and good command. Hall (10-2, 2.17), a lefty, rarely touches 90 mph on his fastball, but owns a devastating curveball and prides himself on pitching deep into ballgames. Cheray (3-3, 4.95) is a veteran southpaw who, like Hall, uses his off speed pitches to get hitters off balance in his efficient outings.
Offense
Missouri State’s offense is led by Tate Matheny – the son of the Cardinals’ manager Mike Matheny – Jake Burger, third baseman Dylan Becker and outfielder Spencer Johnson.
Burger leads the team with a .333/.382/.505 clip, while Becker sports a solid .316/.450/.508 mark. Johnson leads the team with 41 RBI and is second on the team in home runs with 5. Matheny is a five-tool outfielder with a .294/.419/.441 clip.
No. 2 Iowa (39-16, 19-5) No. 2 in the Big Ten Conference
Pitching
Calvin Mathews (5-3, 2.67), Blake Hickman (9-2, 2.90) and two-way star Tyler Peyton (6-4, 3.18) lead the Hawkeyes’ rotation. Coming into the 2015 season, Mathews was the star of the unit, but Peyton has taken over as one of the more intriguing stories in college baseball this season.
Peyton will get the start against Cole Irvin and the Ducks on Friday, Hickman is expected to start game two, while Mathews represents a formidable challenge for Iowa’s third opponent if the Hawkeyes can make it that far.
Iowa’s pitching staff earned the 18th-best team ERA in the country at 3.00, while the Hawkeyes’ 12th-ranked defense has bailed Iowa out of sticky situations all season long.
Offense
When Peyton isn’t on the mound, he’s devastating opposing lineups from the first base position. He leads the club with a .352 batting average and 30 RBI.
Senior outfielder Eric Toole is the team’s leadoff man and owns a .309/.375/.390 clip. Jake Mangler owns a team high 33 RBI despite his relatively low .359 slugging percentage.
Whatever Iowa lacks in power – the Hawkeyes ranked 12th in the Big Ten in slugging percentage – it makes up with solid execution. Iowa ranked third in their conference in both sacrifice bunts and sacrifice flies, while placing second in stolen bases with 77 bags on the year.
No. 4 Canisius (34-28, 16-8) Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Champions
Pitching
J.P. Stevenson (7-3, 4.20) and Devon Stewart (7-6, 3.65) lead the Griffins’ rotation, while Junior closer Iannick Remillard led the team with 10 saves.
Offense
Senior Connor Panas, the 2015 MAAC Championship Most Valuable Player, lead the team with a .379 batting average, 17 doubles, seven triples, 10 home runs and a rediculous 67 RBI on the season. Outfielder Brett Siddall, the 2015 MAAC Player of the Year, is second on the team with a .353 batting average, and is tied for No. 10 in the nation with 24 doubles, 12 home runs and 63 RBI.
The Golden Griffins won five-straight elimination games to receive the automatic bid for winning their second MAAC title in the last three seasons.
Follow Josh Schlichter on Twitter @joshschlichter