If it were up to Oregon head coach George Horton, wake-up calls would exist strictly for the purpose of alerting hotel guests that morning has arrived — not as an explanation for another unexpected loss by the Ducks.
Oregon’s baseball team, which began the season ranked in the top 15 by almost every publication, has been on the losing end of several surprising outcomes in its disappointing 21-18 start to the season. The latest was a 4-2 defeat to visiting Portland Wednesday evening.
Horton is tired of his team’s inconsistent performance.
“We shouldn’t need wake-up calls,” Horton said. “We talked about it being the 39th game, and every loss hurts more, and every win is significant. If these guys aren’t smart enough to figure that out after all that we tell them, they don’t deserve to be in the playoffs.”
The way the post-season picture is shaping up, Oregon will need to string together wins in bunches to avoid that fate. However, the most troubling component to Oregon’s defeat is that it came at a time when it appeared the Ducks were doing just that.
Before yesterday’s loss, Oregon had won seven of its past 10 games to improve to a season-high four games over .500. Just last weekend, the Ducks won their first Pac-10 series since last May by taking two out of three against then No. 23 Arizona.
Yet against a 15-23 Portland team, Oregon came out flat. They allowed Pilot pitcher Kyle Kraus, who sported a 5.10 ERA entering play, to dominate for eight innings, allowing only two runs and one walk along the way.
“I don’t think we were mentally prepared for this game,” Oregon second baseman Danny Pulfer said. “I think we took it lightly like we always do against these guys.”
It left Horton searching for answers.
“I thought we practiced really well yesterday, and today, for some reason, I didn’t think we really had the focus or competitiveness,” Horton said. “I don’t know why, but I think the team with the best attitude won the game.”
If there was one positive to be gleaned from the disappointing defeat, it’s that Oregon won’t have to wait long to add to its win total. On Friday, the Ducks will head to Berkeley to begin a three-game series with No. 20 Cal.
The series presents several interesting storylines.
Earlier this year, facing a severe budget deficit, Cal’s athletic department announced that baseball would be dropped as a varsity sport. That forced several Bears to turn to other Pac-10 schools to find a way to continue their baseball careers.
According to Horton, three Cal players decided to transfer to Oregon once they learned Cal was dropping the program. Oregon’s coach even went on a fishing trip with one potential Bear refugee.
However, through strong fund-raising efforts, Cal recently announced it would be able to save its program, allowing the three potential transferees to stay in Berkeley.
While that could create an interesting dynamic when the two teams meet, Horton downplayed its significance while allowing it could provide extra motivation for the three Cal players.
“I think the only thing that might work for us there is that those particular kids might try too hard to impress us even more,” Horton said.
Emotions aside, the weekend will be critical for Oregon. Although still considered one of the top teams in the country, Cal has lost its past four games, including a 17-inning heartbreaker to Arizona State. That could present a prime opportunity for Oregon to take its second-straight Pac-10 series.
To do that, however, the Ducks must avoid the lulls in intensity and inconsistencies that have plagued the team this year.
“Consistently play good baseball,” Pulfer said. “That’s been our theme. We play one or two good games and then we take a game off or check out.”
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