From unranked and unheralded to owners of a seven-game winning streak and a top-20 national ranking, Oregon’s baseball team had quite the season-opening road trip.
After a 4-1 loss at Hawaii on opening day, Feb. 17, the Ducks took the next three from the Rainbows, the final two games of the series by a combined total of 26-11.
A brief stop back in Eugene didn’t do much to slow Oregon down. After flying to Tennessee to beat host Belmont in a midweek game, the Ducks swept then-No. 17 Vanderbilt, opening eyes across the college baseball landscape in the process.
During the winning streak, Oregon hasn’t just been beating teams, they’ve been dominating them. The Ducks outscored Hawaii, Belmont and Vanderbilt 60 – 27 during the seven-game stretch. @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=11401&SPSID=94835@@
It’s a start that’s been somewhat shocking. Although I figured Oregon would surprise a few folks this year, I didn’t see the team achieving this level of success so quickly. Neither did the Pac-12 conference coaches, who voted Oregon sixth in the conference’s preseason poll.
There’s loads of talent on the team from a string of top-25 recruiting classes to be sure, but replacing seven players from last year’s roster that departed to the pros, including Oregon’s top two starting pitchers (Tyler Anderson and Madison Boer) and most productive offensive player (Danny Pulfer) isn’t easy. Factor in the loss of projected No. 1 starter Christian Jones to Tommy John surgery this season, and it seemed like the Ducks might have needed some time to click as a team, particularly with the imposing eight-game road trip to start the season. @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=94833&SPID=11401&DB_OEM_ID=500&Q_SEASON=2010@@
Not so, apparently. The underclassmen on the roster have responded to the void left by the departed seniors in a big way.
Aside from senior Alex Keudell, every pitcher who’s contributed to the winning streak is either a freshman or sophomore. Sophomore Jimmy Sherfy has been a shutdown reliever and is the team’s leader in ERA (0.87 over 10.1 innings pitched) and strikeouts (19). True freshman Jake Reed is 1-0 in two starts with a 2.25 ERA. True freshman Tommy Thorpe has yet to allow a run over 5.2 innings of relief. Sophomore starter Brando Tessar leads the staff in wins (two) and has a respectable 3.86 ERA. @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=94833&SPID=11401&DB_OEM_ID=500&Q_SEASON=2011@@
Similarly, the offense has been drive by underclassmen. Freshman Scott Heineman leads the team’s regulars with a .478 batting average and a .536 on-base percentage. Sophomore Aaron Jones is hitting .343 and leads the team with nine runs scored. Sophomore Ryon Healy leads Oregon with 10 RBI and is hitting .323. Sophomore Kyle Garlick has four stolen bases, the most on the team, and is hitting .318. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205382700@@
As a team, the Ducks are hitting .297 and have an on-base percentage of .388 this season, an improvement of 39 and 42 points, respectively, from last year.
The fact that the turnaround has been fueled almost entirely by the underclassmen is a rarity. Even in college baseball, where many top prospects turn pro after their junior seasons, the Ducks’ reliance on their youth is unusual — and obviously speaks well to the future of the program.
Granted, it’s still early in the nonconference portion of the schedule, and Oregon will likely hit some bumps, particularly when the underclassmen have to adjust to the rigors of Pac-12 play. Opposing teams will make adjustments once the scouting report on Oregon’s younger players gets out, and it’s possible that the underclassmen will tire as the lengthy college baseball season progresses. Heck, the Ducks could stumble this weekend against a Long Beach State team that took two out of three from Oregon last season.
But success on the road against the caliber of competition is more impressive than anything Oregon accomplished last season. In the next few weeks, we’ll begin to learn if it’s sustainable.