— Oregon manager George Horton is known across the country as the manager who plays “small ball” on offense. Small ball typically refers to a combination of getting a runner on and sacrificing batters to move that runner into scoring position and hopefully, across the plate. However, small ball hasn’t worked for the Ducks this year so that’s why Horton and his staff have retreated from the small ball approach and taken up a more natural approach to hitting.
— The upcoming college football season will see a few rule changes, some of which has Oregon “on the other side of that vote” according to head coach Mark Helfrich. Helfrich, who is surprised by the sudden rule change, said “We’re in a place where we’d like to be able to go out and visit guys or have an opportunity for us to pay for it. We’ll play the rules as they come, but it was surprising to have it happen that quickly.”
— New Oregon defensive coordinator Brady Hoke admits that he likes what he’s seeing thus far through spring football but states that the defense is nowhere near where he wants them to be. He recently spoke with the Emerald for a Q&A.
— Although the Oregon men’s tennis team fell to No. 9 Cal over the weekend, sophomore Jayson Amos is near setting a Ducks record in wins per season. Standing at 24 wins on the season with his victory against Cal, Amos is three wins away from tying Sven Swinnen and his 27 win season during 2005. Amos’s 24 wins on the season has him tied for second on seasons wins with himself, set last year.
— The Oregon women’s tennis team suffered a recent setback when the Ducks dismissed three players from the team for a violation of team rules. Now with six players remaining on the roster, every Duck will get the chance to contribute to the team’s success because no longer can Oregon afford to sit anybody.
— With the club hockey season over, Oregon hockey player Trevor Shott is already looking forward to next year and new goals. After leading the team in goals scored (12) and second in points (21) this past year, Shott has set his sights on becoming the new team captain next year.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka