After three years of falling short, Oregon’s club baseball team is hungry for a championship.
This year’s tournament will be played at City of Palms Park, home in the spring to the Boston Red Sox. This means the team will be playing on the same field as stars the likes of Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Curt Schilling and Jonathan Papelbon. Quelling all the emotions that come with that thrill will be something the team has to do if it wants to come home victorious.
“We’re there to win baseball games. We’re not there to party. We’re there to have a good time, but we’re there to win baseball games,” reliever Greg Wells said.
Even if they do manage to stuff their emotions in their back pockets, finding their way into the winner’s circle will not be an easy task for the Ducks (24-5 overall, 11-3 Northern Pacific Conference) in Game 1, to be played today at 7:30 on the East Coast.
An eight-seed in the Series, Oregon has the unenviable task of facing the top-seeded Nittany Lions of Penn State (26-2, 15-0 North Atlantic Conference). On paper, the Lions’ strength lies in their arms. Penn State pitchers fanned 177 hitters and walked just 43, working to a better than 4:1 ratio. The staff also pitched its way to a stellar 2.59 earned run average over 166 1/3 innings of baseball.
Oregon’s numbers, while certainly above average, pale in comparison to Penn State’s. In 213 2/3 innings, Duck hurlers have allowed 88 earned runs, and compiled a 3.70 ERA, more than a run higher than Penn State. On the year, the Ducks have struck out 205 and walked 102, good for a nearly 2:1 ratio.
Simply put, if Oregon stands any chance of pulling the upset, it’s going to be at the plate.
From an offensive standpoint, there is no comparison between the two teams. Oregon has outhit Penn State in every way imaginable this year. The Ducks have driven in 82 more runs and scored 67 more runs than the Lions. They walk more often and strike out less often than Penn State.
But the most telling offensive stat is this: With 10, Bryan Hansen has more home runs than the entire Penn State team combined.
Of course, if Oregon does down Penn State, the road to a crown doesn’t get any easier.
This year’s World Series field also includes defending-champion Colorado State, which has knocked out Oregon three years running. As a team, the Rams have sent 50 balls out of the yard, doubling the Ducks’ total.
Also standing in Oregon’s way are the fifth-seed Fighting Illini of Illinois. The Great Lakes Conference champions come into the tournament having allowed an impressive 56 earned runs in 153 1/3 innings, good for a 3.24 ERA.
With all that said, the Ducks, powered by a corps of veteran seniors for whom the tournament has almost become old hat, come into the Series with a sense somewhere between anxiety and confidence.
“Everybody’s gonna have nerves, I feel like, for me, as a senior, my nerves are gonna become just pure adrenaline…You can’t be nervous, you just have to trust your abilities,” senior starting pitcher Jay Tlougan said.
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