3-20-23 Emerald Media Group - Duck Season

Duck Season

‘THE BEST DECISION I’VE EVER MADE’

Inside Alabama transfer Owen Diodati’s path to the Oregon Ducks.

Grant umps up in celebration on his way to first base after hitting a home run. The Oregon Baseball team takes on Xavier for their season opening series on Feb. 19th, 2023, at PK Park.

OFFENSE BEGINS TO BREAK OUT AS OREGON BASEBALL SWEEPS SAN DIEGO

The Ducks saw multiple hitters break out of slumps as they won all four matchups against the Toreros.

BY MOJO HILL • TWITTER @MOJOHILL22

For the second week in a row, one thing is clear about Oregon’s performance so far: A lot can change in one weekend, especially this early in the season.

leadoff, Rikuu Nishida hitting second, Ceballos in the-three hole at third base and Cowley at DH. The versatile Ceballos has shown more range and athleticism than Cowley, giving him the edge defensively. Cowley, though off to a fairly slow start with the bat, still had seven RBIs in key moments during the series.

Everything came together on March 4. Smith, Ceballos and Shade all homered — Shade also hit a three-run double and collected six RBIs on the afternoon. His batting average rose all the way from .235 to .300 over the course of the series. It resulted in a 13-0 romp that lit a fire under this squad.

“It’s definitely a breath of fresh air,” Oregon pitcher Logan Mercado said. “Seeing our offense in the fall and early winter just absolutely rake, just to see them absolutely come alive with some guys stepping into roles — like Sabin at third base. He’s huge for us.”

MARK WASIKOWSKI Head coach

Three weeks in, the Ducks have already had a roller coaster of an experience on the field: They opened with a sweep, then got swept, then achieved a sweep again. They had an away series relocated to Eugene because of weather and also experienced two weather delays in a single game at PK Park.

But altogether, they’re 8-3 heading into the first week of Pac-12 play. The offense, which underwhelmed at the start of the year, burst alive over the latter two matchups in last weekend’s four-game sweep of San Diego. Colby Shade and Jacob Walsh burst out of slumps in big ways, Drew Cowley had some clutch hits and Sabin Ceballos continued to impress while playing third base.

“It was awesome,” left fielder Tanner Smith said. “Just seeing, finally, things starting to click together and offense working as a unit, and guys in the lineup really putting their plans together based off one another, is awesome. I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

After a few lineup adjustments early on, the Ducks have settled on an order that usually involves Smith batting

The Ducks got production from unexpected places too — Nishida shocked everyone by slapping an opposite-field home run on March 5, his first long ball since he came over from Japan.

“There was a lot of buzz about that, but he continues to put good swings on balls, even on the ones that he lined out,” head coach Mark Wasikowski said. “He continues to be a spark plug and a catalyst.”

Another hitter who broke out was Walsh, who began the season in a treacherous 1-for-20 slump. He ended that with a dead-center home run off a lefty, and the rest is history. He batted .500 with a 1.350 OPS in the series, taking a big step to getting his sophomore campaign back on track.

“It was awesome to watch him play this weekend,” Smith said. “It looked like the Dub we saw last year. Just that confidence and chip-on-the-shoulder mentality that he has was in full effect.”

Oregon’s pitchers also quieted a potent San Diego offense, which had six hitters enter the series batting over .300. The Toreros scored only six runs, and just one in the final two days.

THE ENERGY’S BEEN GREAT. I’VE SAID IT FROM THE START. I LOVE THIS GROUP, AND IT’S A LOT OF FUN TO SHOW UP EVERY SINGLE DAY IN THE WEIGHT ROOM AND ON THE PRACTICE FIELD WITH THESE GUYS.”

It’s still a freshmen-led rotation — Jace Stoffal is the veteran of the group, with first-years Leo Uelmen, Jackson Pace and Matthew Grabmann behind him. Pace has been particularly effective, allowing only three runs in 15 innings so far.

“I’m very impressed. They’re all very mature on the mound for their age,” Stoffal said. “They throw a lot of strikes, and honestly, if you throw a lot of strikes, the odds are in your favor.”

With hitting and pitching working in tandem, these Ducks are starting to look like the team that was hyped in preseason rankings. Some of their early wins came in imperfect performances where they only barely managed to scratch out victories — but if they can put up more showings like their 13-0 thrashing of a good San Diego program, then they could go a long way.

“Just the concept of playing better team baseball overall needs to continue to be a focal point, and what that means from a team offensive standpoint is what we need to continue to teach,” Wasikowski said.

The team also described a different sort of energy at the ballpark before March 4’s game, which of course preceded the 13-0 win. In a short amount of time, the Ducks have molded their attitude and atmosphere to produce their highest level of competition come first pitch.

“The energy’s been great. I’ve said it from the start,” Wasikowksi said. “I love this group, and it’s a lot of fun to show up every single day in the weight room and on the practice field with these guys. It’s a blast being around them. They’re energized, and they’re good. I think you’ll only see us continue to get better.”

Rikuu Nishida squats down as he prepares to bat. The Oregon Baseball team takes on Xavier for their season opening series on Feb. 19th, 2023, at PK Park. (Jonathan Suni, Emerald)

POP FLIES AND POPS OF COLOR

Tanner Smith, the senior outfielder, shows the ‘feel good, play good’ mentality through his sneakers.

BY NINA-GRACE MONTES • TWITTER @NINAGRACEMONTES

Tanner Smith was scrolling through shoes on his computer when he came across the Nike Dunk Bodega. The high dunk is covered in light brown leather, with each side of the shoe having rawhide tied outside of the heel counter, pull tab and collar of the shoe. Around the toe, there’s dark brown leather wrapped around white leather. The outer sole of the shoe looks like someone stepped in dirt, like on a baseball field. When Smith saw this shoe for the first time, he couldn’t turn away. “It reminded me of the perfect baseball glove,” Smith said.

After receiving the Bodega dunks, he just couldn’t stop shopping. He became known as the shoe guy on the team. Even though baseball isn’t known for the cleats or shoes that players wear on and off the field, the idea of transforming Jordans or other shoes into cleats stuck out to him.

Fashion comes from inspiration, and as Smith was starting to get into sneakers, he looked for other players who expressed themselves creatively on the field. The first person was a family friend, Blake Rutherford, who was drafted in the first round by the New York Yankees in 2016 and is now in the Washington Nationals’ farm system. The second person was current San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson. “Every picture that I see of him on and off the field is a pair of shoes that I’ve never seen before,” Smith said. “I’m just like ‘Wow, I’ve always wanted a pair of these.’”

Back in the 1990s, baseball saw a lot of signature sneakers. Ken Griffey Jr., Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders each had their own pair. Derek Jeter was one of the first athletes to sign with the Jordan Brand and 13 different shoes were released with his name attached to them. As those athletes started to retire, sneakerheads started to pay

attention to sports where shoes were getting more attention, like basketball, and the cultural relevance that baseball had with fashion started to die out.

In 2014, Nike announced a partnership with Mike Trout for signature cleats, which makes him the first baseball player since the ‘90s to do so.

“Signature shoes give players a different sense of pride,” Smith said. “Sneakers are worldwide, and it’s in so many different communities. Shoes can be so personal, and if players can wear them on the biggest stage of baseball, it’s going to do tremendous things for fans.”

Fast forward to 2020, Nike signed a 10-year contract with Major League Baseball to produce on-field apparel and merchandise. The following year, both companies introduced the City Connect jerseys as a way to creatively represent the city and fans. It is the most dramatic change that professional baseball has seen with their uniforms since the late 1990s when teams wore the Turn Ahead the Clock jerseys.

“When we initially partnered with Nike, the incredible energy that we see at each uniform launch is exactly what we envisioned,” MLB Chief Revenue Officer, Noah Garden, said. “Nike continued to raise the bar

working with our clubs on developing these unique designs, bringing each community’s story to life.”

Carlos Correa, a shortstop for the Minnesota Twins and an Adidas athlete, agrees with Keuchel. “I think that what [MLB] should do is let the players show their personality and show their swagger. Every time they take the field, I think fans get more involved [when] they see some nice cleats and some swagger out there. They definitely love it. We want to be able to attract more fans to the game of baseball. I think what you wear helps a lot.”

“Allowing players to have as much freedom as they can is not only beneficial to the game, but to the individual,” Smith said. “It’s going to be vital moving forward.”

As the sport gives its players more freedom and becomes more creative, Smith wants to be on the forefront of it. Once he reaches the big leagues, he wants to transform some of his favorite shoes into cleats, and eventually make his own signature pair. “Just to be able to make my own pair of shoes with Nike would be so cool,” Smith said. “There’s so many different directions that I can go with, whether it’s a Dunk or a Jordan, and just put in time and my own special touch would be a dream come true.”

Ducks outfielder Tanner Smith (31) ropes a single to right field. The University of Oregon Ducks defeat Xavier University 3-2 at PK Park in Eugene, Ore., on February 17th, 2023. (Kai Kanzer/ Emerald)

OREGON SOFTBALL GIVEN A BOOST

BY

OFFSEASON TRANSFERS

OREGON SOFTBALL GIVEN A BOOST BY OFFSEASON TRANSFERS

The veteran group provides the program with additional experience.

BY LILY CRANE • TWITTER @LILYCRANE23

Oregon softball matched up against then-No. 19 Northwestern on Feb. 24. It came off a 5-0 shutout loss to unranked Cal State Fullerton earlier in the day. The Ducks desperately needed a win as they matched up against a handful of ranked opponents at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.

The Ducks were not able to capitalize on their previous opportunities to score the opening runs of the game. It was Duke transfer Kyla Morris who ended up leading the Oregon offense to victory, going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate. Morris scored the team’s first run in the top of the third inning off a Terra McGowan single to center field.

The 2-1 win against Northwestern was the first of Oregon’s three straight wins against top-25 teams.

Heading into conference play 16-4, transfers like Morris have proven to make a difference for Oregon.

Having the ability to bounce back after a tough loss or a difficult inning comes with the experience of having been in those situations before. In the offseason, the Ducks added a handful of players from programs that appeared in the NCAA Division I softball tournament last season.

Besides Morris, Oregon added junior Alyssa Daniell and veteran pitchers Morgan Scott and Elise Sokolsky from the transfer portal.

Oregon head coach Melyssa Lombardi believes the transfers add another level of experience to the program, which features many returners from the 2022 season.

Morris is a fifth-year senior who has had the opportunity to play in all types of situations in college softball.

“She played in a Super Regional last year, and she gets it,” Lombardi said. “She is at the end of her career, so to bring somebody like that to be a part of our team I think has been wonderful.”

Daniell is a junior from Loyola Marymount University. She is another player that has experience playing in high-level situations and has the ability to change the game with one hit.

Daniell credited her new teammates for setting the foundation of a culture that is easy for transfers to want to buy into.

“This team has a lot of passion, and immediately coming

in I could see that,” Daniell said. “It has only encouraged me to want to feed into that passion and help my teammates accomplish what they’ve been working for. I’m so driven to become a part of that.”

She added that the level of competition within the team has made her a better player. Her preferred position is first base, but she is having to fight to earn a spot in the starting lineup.

“I feel like having that competition and not being given the starting position made me a better teammate, a harder worker, and I’ve improved tremendously throughout my time here,” Daniell said.

Sokolsky, who transferred from the University of Connecticut at the end of Nov. 2022, is the youngest of the transfer group. Lombardi believes her heavy load in the circle last season still makes her an incredible asset.

“Even though she’s a sophomore, I think she’s somebody that has pitched a lot of innings and will be able to make that transition quickly,” Lombardi said.

Like Sokolsky, Scott has plenty of experience on the mound, pitching in a variety of tough situations. The Ducks had the opportunity to play against both pitchers last season.

Oregon senior Allee Bunker mentioned earlier in the season that the team is approaching games with a onethrough-17 mentality. This means that instead of relying heavily on batters one through nine, the team has the depth for players late in the batting order to make an impact on any given day. Lombardi agreed with the sentiment that the team’s depth will take them to the next level.

“I think that’s how we’re going to be successful this year, is having opportunities to use our squad in different ways and not just depending on a handful to get us where we need to go,” Lombardi said.

Adding these players from the transfer portal is a contributing factor in becoming what Lombardi called the deepest team since she has coached at Oregon. It has a roster full of players that have played in high-pressure moments. The question is how much this veteran group will be able to accomplish as it enters Pac-12 play.

Transfer player Kyla Morris runs to the next base. (Courtesy of Oregon Athletic Communications)

TRUSTING HER GUT

Stevie Hansen has led the Ducks to 11 straight wins with her on the mound heading into Pac-12 play and is more than ready to face some of the best offensive teams in the country.

BY NINA-GRACE MONTES TWITTER @NINAGRACEMONTES

Stevie Hansen was standing in the middle of the circle, spinning the ball in her hand, while waiting for the next pitch call.

With an 0-2 count on the ninth batter of Utah Valley’s lineup, Hansen raises her arms above her head before she starts her motion. Catcher Terra McGowan caught the batter’s foul tip, and strike three was called. She had just struck out the seventh straight batter.

Oregon’s powerful offense, which included two home runs that game, took the pressure off of her shoulders. But, it didn’t seem to matter anyways. Hansen was in the zone as she struck out nine and walked one for her first collegiate no-hitter.

“I had no clue,” Hansen said, unaware she was throwing a nohitter. “It was kind of one of those things where you just get into the groove of the game, and you’re just focused on getting outs and getting your job done.”

Following the strong performance, Hansen led the Ducks to three straight wins over Top-25 ranked opponents including a one-hit complete game against the then No.3 Florida Gators.

A week before conference play is scheduled to begin, Hansen has already been named D1 Softball and Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week. After a substantial freshman campaign where she was named to the Pac-12

All-Freshman Team, NFCA All-Pacific Region team and had a win in the 2021 NCAA Fayetteville Regional, she continues to set the bar higher for herself and the Ducks after each game.

During the first game of the season against Maryland in the Puerto Vallarta College Classic in Mexico, Hansen was handed the ball and started out rough. By the end of the first inning, the Ducks were down 5-0. Once they loaded the bases, Maryland continued to score, and Hansen was taken out by the end of the inning.

After spending a week in Mexico, the team headed to San Diego for the Campbell/Cartier Classic, and Hansen was handed the ball in the circle to kick it all off. She was nearly untouchable in the early innings of the games after striking out eight of the first 10 batters she faced who all swung on third strikes. Throughout the first four innings, she faced 12 batters, the minimum amount. Hansen lost the perfect game in the fifth inning after a full-count walk, but she only faced one batter over the minimum and threw 87 pitches in her first-collegiate no-hitter.

“She had a rough start coming out, but we all know what she’s capable of,” head coach Melyssa Lombardi said. “She’s starting to settle in and do her thing.”

After getting the first game out of the way, Hansen settled down. She picked up her first win during the last

game in Mexico against North Dakota State with six strikeouts and no runs allowed. Succeeding the no-hitter, all she could think about was winning.

“I was able to set my own pace,” Hansen said after the game against Utah Valley. “It was one of those things where I was just getting into the groove of the game, and I was so focused on getting my job done.”

During Hansen’s freshman season, one of the biggest highlights was a career-high of 12 strikeouts against in-season rival, Oregon State. Then, held Stanford scoreless on five hits in seven innings during the next series. Even though she was facing some of the best hitters in the country and succeeding, she still took lessons away from those games and is ready to apply them to this season.

“I didn’t expect that I was going to get as many innings as I did,” Hansen said. “I really had to learn to trust my gut, and as a freshman that’s a hard thing to do.”

Entering this season, the Ducks were written into the fourth spot in the Pac-12 preseason rankings behind UCLA, Stanford, and Washington, all teams that made a playoff appearance last season. With Hansen in the leaderboard in most of the conference pitching categories such as opposing batting average, strikeouts, wins and complete games, the Ducks will be a hard team to beat with her in the circle.

Ducks pitcher Stevie Hansen cheers after striking out a batter. The Oregon Ducks softball team faces the Oregon State Beavers, on May 1, 2022, at Jane Sanders Stadium. (Serei Hendrie/Emerald)

TUESDAY 1/2 OFF PIZZA BUY ANY PIZZA and get the second one of equal or lesser value for 1/2 OFF

wednesday FREE SALAD FREE SMALL CAESAR or HOUSE SALAD with any pizza

Fri/SAT PIZZA + BEER

SMALL CHEESE OR PEPPERONI PIZZA & a BEER for $12!

SUNDAY WINGS

1 lb of CHICKEN WINGS for $12 (while supplies last)

OWEN DIODATI

OWEN DIODATI

SAYS TRANSFER TO OREGON IS ‘THE BEST DECISION I’VE EVER MADE’

SAYS TRANSFER TO OREGON IS ‘THE BEST DECISION I’VE EVER MADE’

The new addition has taken the reins as Oregon’s right fielder.

BY MOJO HILL • TWITTER @MOJOHILL22

This offseason, Owen Diodati faced a challenge that wasn’t new to him: He had to make a decision.

He entered the transfer portal last May after spending three seasons with Alabama. He wanted a place that would bring out the best in him, one that would give him a chance to play outfield on a regular basis. He received calls from numerous schools, and eventually narrowed it down to a short list that included Oregon.

Virtual interviews and phone calls commenced. His father, Ryan, was encouraged by his first impression of coaches Mark Wasikowski and Jack Marder. Owen, meanwhile, connected with a fellow Canadian who tipped the scale in favor of Oregon.

That was former Ducks pitcher Adam Maier, who’s now in the Atlanta Braves organization.

“He’s been a guy I trust with his opinion,” Diodati said. “I know he’d shoot me straight and wouldn’t lie to me.”

Diodati had previously played with Maier on the Canadian Junior National Team, and against him in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Now, he was turning to a friend and teammate for advice.

Maier had nothing but positive things to say about the Oregon program, despite only being part of it for a short time.

Diodati had success at Alabama. He loved it there. But just like when he gave up hockey to pursue baseball, or when he turned down a draft offer from the Toronto Blue Jays, he went with the choice that was true to his gut.

“I wanted to go somewhere with the right culture and a knack for development,” Diodati said. “The one thing here that really stood out to me was that everyone seemed to like the coaching staff. The things they put out, the messages, the culture.”

He’s immediately been inserted as a key piece of this Oregon lineup, one that set records in eight major statistical categories last year. In the first couple weeks of the season, he’s been Oregon’s primary right fielder and cleanup hitter. And he’s billed it “the best decision I’ve ever made.”

Tough decisions and new surroundings are nothing new for Diodati. As a kid, he played both baseball and hockey, with his father serving as his primary baseball coach until he was 13.

“You certainly saw him develop over the years, but it came a time when it was time to pass him on to the next level of coaching and the next level of teams,” Ryan said.

Around age 15-16, he had two major options to grapple with. He’d been drafted by the North Bay Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League, but the Canadian Junior National Team for baseball came calling around the same time.

“That’s when the light went on, and Owen made the decision that ‘You know what, I’m gonna focus on baseball at this point in time,’” Ryan said. “And he gave up hockey.”

At A.N. Myer High School, he was the starting catcher, which had been his primary position since about age 12. His freshman year, he played in the All-Star game and was named MVP.

He did it all as a high school baseball player, even though he missed time because of his commitment to the Junior National Team. He hit, caught and even pitched 10 scoreless innings.

As he started gathering interest from MLB scouts, his family was told he profiled as a corner outfielder. Defense was originally considered one of his

Both players look up to the sky after a high Owen Diodati foul ball. The Oregon Baseball team takes on Xavier for their season opening series on Feb. 19th, 2023, at PK Park. (Jonathan Suni, Emerald)

weaknesses, which is only natural when you move to a new position. But he worked and worked at it.

“He craves repetition and practice to get better,” Ryan said. “He made it a personal commitment to himself that he was going to be an above-average outfielder. So it certainly speaks to his work ethic and everything that he does… He is the most determined and sometimes stubborn kid.”

But in 2019, another life-changing decision was thrown his way: He was drafted in the 29th round by the Toronto Blue Jays, the only MLB team in his home country. He could have jumped into the minor league life and started his professional baseball career. But he didn’t.

Instead, he went to Alabama. When he got there, he published a letter explaining his decision. He and his parents had set a price that the Blue Jays needed to hit, and while the team made a tempting offer, it ultimately wasn’t enough.

“Getting drafted is every kid’s dream,” Diodati wrote at the time. “Getting drafted by your favorite team is a whole different story! So, naturally, I was beyond stoked. But, I knew I had a tough decision to make… If you were to put me in the same situation again, knowing what I know now, Toronto could’ve tripled my number, and I still would’ve turned it down.”

Diodati roared out to a frolicking start in 17 games before the COVID-19 pandemic, hitting .309 with an 1.103 OPS. But he took a step back in 2021, hitting only .230 with a .734 OPS. He also wasn’t getting regular time in the outfield, the position he’d worked so hard to get better at.

His 2022 was a step towards the right direction, as he boosted his OPS to .826. Still, he played less than half his games in the outfield, and only started 41 games compared to 55 the year before.

He needed a change.

“Owen had an outstanding career at Alabama, and has nothing but respect for his teammates, for the school and his coaches,” Ryan said. “He just

felt that in order to play every day, and not be primarily a designated hitter, that he wanted to look at other options — in terms of playing in the outfield, in terms of development, in terms of going to a school where the culture is winning, the culture is development. And Oregon checked all those boxes.”

True to that word, Diodati has received regular reps in right field in his time here. He kept his skills sharp with the Wareham Gatemen in the CCBL over the summer, playing all three outfield positions with them.

Not only is defense no longer his weakness, but it’s an area where those around him have seen the most improvement.

“I think he came in and really embraced Waz coaching the outfielders, embraced how Waz wants the game to be played from a defensive aspect,” Oregon left fielder Tanner Smith said. “He’s really excelled defensively, and I’m really excited to see the year he’s gonna have. It’s gonna be awesome.”

Those words were echoed by Wasikowski, who said Diodati had the best fall of anyone on the team.

“He was really spectacular,” Wasikowski told D1Baseball. “His defense improved tremendously. When we first got him, it didn’t look like he would be a defender, but he really did improve.”

Diodati’s parents, Ryan and Jody, had a chance to visit and watch one of the fall scrimmages. Ryan was most impressed with the feedback Wasikowski gave the team during and after the game.

“Coach Waz marks down good

points and bad points, and they do a debrief of what happened in the scrimmage and how they can get better,” Ryan said. “So that whole development piece, that was something that Coach Waz certainly stressed in our discussions with him prior to Owen committing there.”

The reparations of his decision are already being felt. On a crowded, sunny opening day at PK Park, Diodati hit an RBI double, made a leaping catch, then later slapped a sacrifice fly to give the Ducks a walkoff win over Xavier — the second year in a row he’d opened with a walk-off against the Musketeers.

“I guess it’s just been fate that I’ve been put in that situation twice,” he said.

It’s poetic, in a way. Perhaps Diodati’s entire journey has been fate: from pursuing baseball instead of hockey, to choosing college over the Blue Jays’ offer, to finally ending up at Oregon.

“There’s no place I’d rather be,” he said with a smile.

Oregon outfielder Owen Diodati (10) takes his first swing after hitting a walkoff sac-fly the night before. The University of Oregon Ducks defeat Xavier University 9-2 at PK Park in Eugene, Ore., on February 18th, 2023. (Kai Kanzer/Emerald)

RIKUU NISHIDA STUNS PK PARK CROWD WITH FIRST UNITED STATES HOMER AS OREGON COMPLETES SWEEP OF SAN DIEGO

BY MOJO HILL • TWITTER @MOJOHILL

You never know what you’re gonna see when you show up to the baseball field.

Prior to Sunday, Rikuu Nishida had gone 506 plate appearances in the United States without a home run between Mt. Hood Community College, two summer teams and Oregon. On a podcast before the season, scout David Seifert said he had 20-grade power.

All that changed with one flick of the bat.

Nishida, who regularly switches bats, came up to the plate in the first inning using a beige wooden bat, instead of the red metal one he used Saturday. As usual, he took his right-handed warmup swing before settling in the box. He swung on a first-pitch fastball, hitting one in the air to the left field. The ball kept carrying, and carrying, and to the shock of everyone in attendance — including the Oregon dugout — it flew over the wall.

“He just has the heart of a helper,” head coach Mark Wasikowski said. “However he wants to help a baseball team win or a person get better, he’s all in. He’s just such a unique person. It’s neat.”

Colby Shade and Gavin Grant joined the home run party, and once again the Ducks’ pitchers quieted a potent San Diego offense. Oregon completed a four-game sweep of the Toreros, beating them 5-1 Sunday afternoon.

“Improving,” Wasikowski said of the offense. “Not there yet, but improving. We’re seeing trends that are going in the right direction. And my prediction is as we want to play more and more team baseball and team offense, we’ll see the best offense we have.”

Matthew Grabmann got the start and only lasted three innings. His command issues continued from his previous outings as he issued two walks in the first inning. San Diego’s Kevin Sim overslid the bag trying to steal second base, helping Grabmann navigate through the inning unscathed.

Following Nishida’s miraculous moment in the bottom of the first, the Toreros tied it in the second. After a pair of singles and a sacrifice bunt, they knotted it up on a sacrifice

fly, though a putout at third base helped limit the damage. It wasn’t tied for long. Shade hit a mammoth shot to left-center field, homering in his second consecutive plate appearance dating back to Saturday’s three-run bomb. After a slow start, Shade has burst out in a monumental way.

Grant followed suit in the third inning, squeezing one just inside the left field foul pole to make it 3-1.

Austin Anderson entered in the fourth to replace Grabmann, who gave up one run on two hits and two walks while not recording any strikeouts. Anderson utilized his deceptive diagonal arm angle to throw two perfect innings with a pair of strikeouts.

“Executing with my slider,” Anderson said of what was working. “That’s my best pitch. I throw so many sliders I can just kind of throw a fastball in there, and they’re sometimes late on it.”

With the Ducks batting in the bottom of the fifth, there was a 36-minute rain/snow delay. A wave of darkness and gloominess swarmed heavily over PK Park, but it passed quickly and the sun peeked out through the gray clouds.

Three Oregon pitchers combined to issue three consecutive walks in the sixth, with Oregon playing the matchups by sandwiching lefty Ian Umlandt between righties Dylan McShane and Matt Dallas. Dallas induced a ground ball to Nishida to strand the bases loaded.

Dallas escaped another jam in the seventh. He hit two batters, but got Sim swinging for his third strikeout of the inning.

“I didn’t think he pitched his best, but I thought he competed his best,” Wasikowski said. “The guy’s an animal on the mound. He’s an unbelievable competitor.”

Closer Josh Mollerus came in and dominated over the final two innings, striking out two and reaching 94 miles per hour. The Ducks allowed just three hits in the 5-1 win.

“He was sharp today. Yeah, he was the real deal today,” Wasikowski said of Mollerus. “In our terminology, that’s what it looks like at the end of the game. That guy was good today.”

Rikuu Nishida dives back towards first base after failing to steal second. The Oregon Baseball team takes on Xavier for their season opening series on Feb. 19th, 2023, at PK Park. (Jonathan Suni, Emerald)

The Japanese transfer, not known for his power, slapped a home run in the Ducks’ 5-1 win over San Diego.

THE EASIEST WAY TO GET FREE COFFEE?

From wines, hard ciders, beers and more; for every preference and palate; there’s a myriad of choices just steps away from campus. Check out our selection, available exclusively at the Flagship Campus

FREEdripcoffeeeveryFridayattheFlagshipCampusDuckStore only when you wear your Duck gear!*

* Limit one free coffee per customer per Friday.