The modern era of Oregon baseball begins Friday at 2 p.m. in Moraga, Calif., against the St. Mary’s Gaels, in a game that should be considered winnable even for the untested Ducks.
St. Mary’s plays in the West Coast Conference, usually finishing somewhere in the lower half. Last year the Gaels compiled an overall record of 26-26-1, with a WCC record of 8-13, good for sixth-place in the final conference standings. This year’s squad has been picked to finish seventh.
But for an unproven Duck baseball program competing in its first official contest in nearly 30 years, nothing can be taken for granted.
“They’re pretty under the radar but they’re another Division I team and we can’t underestimate anybody,” Oregon junior center fielder Curtis Raulinaitis said. “We’ll just go out there and do what we do, play our game and get after it.”
The Gael hitter who Oregon pitchers must be most aware of is junior outfielder Kyle Jensen, who started all 53 games for the Gaels last year and led the team in most major offensive categories, including batting average (.421), home runs (13) and RBIs (52).
“I looked at the scouting report and boy, they have some hitters,” said Oregon head coach George Horton. “I think they play a good brand of baseball.”
Oregon will send freshman southpaw Tyler Anderson to the mound to face senior right-hander Brian Justice, who led St. Mary’s starters last season with a 5.12 ERA in 13 appearances. He started 12 games, compiling a 4-4 record while striking out 44 batters.
“The Friday night guy for every college team is a guy who could potentially shut you out,” Horton said.
Senior left fielder Caleb Tommasini, a transfer from Oregon State, will lead off for Oregon, followed by Raulinaitis and freshman shortstop K.C. Serna in the two and three spots.
Oregon will look to sophomore designated hitter Mitch Karraker at clean-up, with junior catcher Eddy Rodriguez and junior right fielder Jett Hart in the five and six slots.
First base and seventh in the lineup will likely be occupied by either switch-hitting senior Andrew Schmidt or freshman Thurston High product Darrell Hunter, though first base and the DH spot are the positions most up in the air at this point, Horton said.
Freshmen Dylan Gavin (3B) and Danny Pulfer (2B) round out a lineup that players and coaches admit will have to manufacture runs and may struggle to score in the absence of a big bat like the Gaels have in Jensen.
“We’re probably not going to hit a lot of home runs,” Tommasini said. “It’ll be a more team-oriented thing. We’re going to have our three and four guys laying down bunts, which isn’t typical of most teams.”
Saturday’s double-header begins at 11 a.m. and will feature junior right-handed pitcher Erik Stavert for Oregon against junior righty Scott Schneider, who compiled a 5-5 record and a 6.29 ERA in 14 appearances last season while striking out a team-high 63 batters. Oregon will send junior left-handed pitcher Ben Whitmore to the mound in the nightcap and freshman righty Madison Boer will toe the rubber for Sunday’s final game, set to start at 1 p.m.
“It will be really exciting. The plane ride down there will probably be the most exciting thing in any of our lives. We’ll all be bouncing around like little kids at Disneyland,” Pulfer said of the Ducks’ maiden voyage. “When we get on that field we’ve just got to stay focused and take a deep breath … It’s a big deal for us but I think we’re ready.”
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Ducks will face Gaels in season opener
Daily Emerald
February 19, 2009
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