The Oregon baseball team faced numerous uncertainties this season with a shortened training camp and schedule. However, head coach Mark Wasikowski is certain about one thing: freshman catcher Jack Scanlon, who started the Ducks’ first four games behind the plate.  
In 2020, Scanlon got a taste of the game at the collegiate level before the season was cut short due to COVID-19. He started 11 games behind the plate and hit for a .293 batting average with two home runs and nine runs batted in. The statistics show how vital Scanlon is to the Ducks’ success, but it’s his leadership qualities and passion for the game that set him apart. 

“We’ve seen a lot of growth and leadership from Jack, behind the plate,” Wasikowski said. “Quality leadership’s a good trait for a catcher to have.”

Being a role model and leading by example is an important trait that Scanlon brings to the Ducks’ roster. However, these intangible qualities have been a staple of success at every level of his baseball career. 

“Jack was like having a coach on the field … I could feel comfortable leaving him with the younger catchers. He would work on a plethora of drills and I wouldn’t have to monitor it. His knowledge was part of what made us so successful,” said Suffern High School baseball coach Christopher Michie. 

Coach Michie’s recognition is a true testament to Scanlon’s deep understanding of the game, as the coach has seen his fair share of players throughout his 32-year career.
Baseball has always been a cornerstone of the Scanlon family. Scanlon’s dad, Tom, pitched for St. Francis College in Brooklyn and coached for his alma mater afterward. So, when Scanlon was born, Tom made sure that a baseball was the first thing his son touched. 

“We’re a baseball family, so we knew he’d play baseball the minute he was born,” said Scanlon’s mom, Nicole.  

Both Tom and Nicole were very involved in Scanlon’s young baseball career. Tom originally gave him the ball in his left hand because he knew there was greater value for left-handed pitchers. It turned out to influence his hitting, instead; Scanlon bats with his left, but fields with his right.

Tom used the knowledge he garnered from coaching at his alma mater to take over the coaching duties of Scanlon’s travel baseball team, where his son starred from an early age. 

“He threw a perfect game in an All-Star game that I was coaching when he was 10,” Tom said. 

While Scanlon found early success on the mound, he quickly came to realize that he belonged behind the plate. But Scanlon has a unique build for a catcher, standing at 6-foot-5, five inches taller than the average major league catcher. 

Apart from his build, there were other obstacles that stood in the way of Scanlon becoming the starting catcher for the Ducks. 

Scanlon originally committed to Texas Tech, where the coaching staff wanted him to anchor their pitching rotation. However, he made the tough decision to alter the course by de-committing from Texas Tech right before his high school graduation. Scanlon was set on earning a catching job in college, and that opportunity was not available with the Red Raiders. 

The moment the news came out, college scouts and coaches came knocking on their door. Coach Wasikowski was one of them. 

“Coach Waz had been hunting Jack for a long time,” Tom said. “When Jack de-committed from Texas Tech he was the first guy who called us.”

Wasikowki’s persistence to make a connection with the Scanlon family and to make him a Duck went a long way with his parents, who never before imagined their son playing baseball so far from home. 

“We couldn’t imagine [Jack] playing baseball on the West Coast, but Jack thinks everything happens for a reason and he was meant to play at Oregon,” Nicole said. 

Three thousand miles turned out to mean nothing to Tom and Nicole, who said they went to 14 of Oregon’s 15 games last season. They were fortunate enough to see Scanlon’s first college home run against the University of Nevada and they even made the trip out to Hawaii right before the Ducks’ season was shut down. 

Scanlon and the Oregon baseball team have waited patiently to return to the field since their previous season was canceled.