Drew Smith has elevated baseballs regardless of where head coach Mark Wasikowski has placed him in the lineup. His own ascension to become one  of the premier players in the conference has been even more impressive.

​In another impressive showing in a season full of them, Smith blasted a three-run homer in the first inning  that helped spur No. 20 Oregon baseball’s (20-4) 12-4 win over UC San Diego (9-13).

At every step of Smith’s burgeoning career — going from a raw high school recruit, listed No. 141 rated player in his class by Prep Baseball Report, to lineup mainstay, and now, the one of the most productive offensive players on an Oregon team littered with MLB talent — ability has been a key word mentioned regarding the senior outfielder.

He was held back due to injuries in his freshman and junior years, but now Smith is fully healthy and Oregon fans are getting a glimpse at what their cleanup hitter is capable of.

In a game where the Tritons scored just four runs, Smith and the Ducks equaled that amount in the first inning. Smith blasted a homer to center field, driving in Ryan Cooney and Jax Gimenez on a first inning blast. The rest of the Ducks’ offense would do more than enough as well, with Brayden Jaska’s first-inning sac-fly and fourth-inning two-run homer, coupled with a two-run double from Naulivou Lauaki Jr., helping Oregon glide to a stress-free win.

With such a big early lead, starter Toby Twist was able to pound the strike zone and attack UCSD hitters, striking out six and allowing three runs over 4.1 innings of work. An RBI double in the fifth from Gabe Camacho chased Twist from the game, he turned the keys over to Michael Mecka (1.2 innings), who, combined with Blake Crawford, Tanner Bradley and Cooper Markham, went the rest of the way for Oregon.

Eight of nine Oregon starters combined to add 12 hits. Five of which went for extra bases in a game where none of the seven pitchers the Tritons used were really able to settle into the contest.​

UC San Diego’s best chance at a comeback was in the seventh when a leadoff double from Cal Elvis brought in Crawford, who allowed the run to score but faced the minimum in his one inning of work.​

Oregon has enjoyed many positive developments this season, but Smith’s emergence has not just been one of the biggest stories in the Ducks’ stratosphere, but one of the most notable headlines in the Big Ten thus far. He’s now hitting .427 over 82 at-bats with 15 walks and just 16 strikeouts.​

Smith and Oregon will travel to UC Santa Barbara to kick off a three-game series starting Friday at 4:35 p.m.