Oregon Ducks baseball was picked to finish seventh in the 11-team Pac-12 by the media before the season began. Coach Mark Wasikowski and his Duck squad proved they were severely underrated.
The Ducks secured second place in the conference with a 6-5 win over California Saturday afternoon and hopefully, that success will earn them the right to host a Eugene Regional in the NCAA tournament next weekend.
Oregon finished the regular season with an overall record of 37-14 and 20-10 in the Pac-12, just a game behind Arizona. Anything is possible (ask softball), but it would be a shocking development if the Ducks don’t host three other tourney teams at PK Park for the first time since 2014.
But one has to give California credit, who is squarely on the bubble to make the tournament, they didn’t make it easy on the Ducks.
The regular-season finale went back and forth all day long before catcher Jack Scanlon belted his third home run of the season in the eighth inning to give Oregon the lead for good at 5-4. Scanlon came into the series with the Golden Bears with just one homer to his name, but he crushed two home runs over the weekend.
Even with the one-run advantage, Oregon had to work itself out of a major jam just to maintain its slim lead.
California managed to load the bases off of Colby Somers with just one out. Wasikowski decided to bring in Andrew Mosiello to face the Pac-12’s leading home run hitter Dylan Beavers with the game on the line. Bill Walton most likely would have said the fate of the known universe was a stake, but here it was just the game and maybe the Eugene Regional.
It turned out to be the best decision possible as Mosiello coaxed Beavers, who had hit three homers this weekend, to ground out to first baseman Gabe Matthews who forced Keshawn Ogans at home. That was only the second out. Mosiello then struck out Nathan Martarella looking to end the threat.
Oregon was able to add a much-needed insurance run as it turned out in the top of the ninth with Kenyon Yovan’s RBI single to right to make it 6-4.
The Bears weren’t done though. Quentin Selma hit his 16th homer, a solo shot, in the bottom half of the ninth to make it 6-5. But Mosiello was able to shake that off and get the next two outs to end the game.
Now the Ducks will have to wait until Monday morning at 9 a.m. on ESPN2 to wait to see if they are hosting and who they are hosting.