Tag: Bryce Boettcher

Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher wins Burlsworth Trophy

Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher won the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the best player that was a former walk-on.

It’s been quite a year for Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher.

He began in the spring with the baseball team playing centerfield where he was a big part of that team’s run to the Super Regional. Boettcher also won the collegiate Gold Glove award.

But on the gridiron with the football team, Boettcher became a key cog to the defense that led the way towards a Big Ten title and a No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

Boettcher started as a walk-on four years ago as he came over from South Eugene High School. Because of his outstanding senior season, Boettcher was awarded the Burlworth Trophy, given to an athlete who began his career as a walk-on.

In 2024, Boettcher leads the Ducks with 84 tackles to go along with his eight tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception.

Also up for the award were Shaun Dolac of Buffalo and Indiana’s James Carpenter. Dolac is also a linebacker which had 87 tackles, 17 for loss and 5.5 sacks. Carpenter, a defensive lineman, had 31 tackles, 10 for loss and five sacks.

Photo Gallery: Ducks hammer Dawgs at a chilly Autzen Stadium

Photo Gallery: The Oregon Ducks hammered Washington at a chilly night inside. Autzen Stadium.

It was a chilly Autzen Saturday for the last day of November, but it was the Ducks that gave the Huskies the cold shoulder.

Oregon defeated the Washington Huskies for the first time in four tries and the first victory over the Dawgs in the Dan Lanning Era.  The Ducks dominated the Huskies in the second half en route to a 49-21 victory to secure their first perfect 12-0 regular season since 2010.

The Ducks scored on their first possession on Noah Whittington’s 9-yard run and never looked back. Despite the chilly temperatures, the 59,603 inside Autzen Stadium didn’t care. Oregon was defeating the Huskies and for a few moments, everything was right in the world.

Here are the best photos from the regular season finale in Eugene.

Bryce Boettcher’s supercharged effort makes him the Ducks Wire Player of the Game

After a stunning 11-tackle performance, Oregon Ducks LB Bryce Boettcher earns the Ducks Wire Player of the Game.

The best college football recruits — the ones with five stars next to their name — typically come from a handful of recruiting hotspots such as Texas, Florida, and California. The Oregon Ducks are filled with 5-and-4 stars from those football factories, but on occasion, the Ducks’ most important players come from places much closer to home.

So many players made massive contributions in Oregon’s 49-21 victory against the Washington Huskies — the Ducks’ first in three years — but Bryce Boettcher, who was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, shined above the rest. With 11 tackles, 2 TFLs, a sack, and a forced fumble, Boettcher’s performance was the best performance by an Oregon defender of the day and perhaps the season.

Boettcher’s forced fumble may have been the most important play of the game. Oregon was struggling for momentum early on against the Huskies, leading 7-6. After a few drives, the Ducks punched in a second touchdown, making the score 14-6 in the second quarter.

On the first play of Washington’s following drive, Boettcher flicked the ball out of Huskies’ RB Jonah Coleman’s hands, allowing Derrick Harmon to recover the fumble. The Ducks quickly extended the score to 21-6 with a Jordan James touchdown, and the Huskies were zapped of momentum from that point on.

Growing up in Eugene, Boettcher excelled in many sports, but his talents were always brightest on the baseball diamond. In high school, Boettcher earned an offer to play baseball at Oregon, and after enrolling at UO, he worked hard to make the Ducks football team.

Boettcher’s first football season in 2022 was uneventful, but in 2023, and especially 2024, Boettcher has been an invaluable member of the Oregon defense. Over the last two seasons, Boettcher has compiled 119 tackles, 10 TFLs, 3 sacks, a pick, and two forced fumbles. His total of 11 tackles on his senior night against the Huskies is tied for the most in his career.

His other 11-tackle game? Oregon’s other rivalry matchup of 2024: the Ducks win over Oregon State Beavers on Sep. 14th.

After the 2024 baseball season, Boettcher was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 2024 MLB Draft. Despite a strong 2023, Boettcher’s play in centerfield was still seen as his primary talent. These days, it’s hard to know if Boettcher is more valuable in football or baseball, but against Washington, he showed he has the chops to play football at the pro level.

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Jeffrey Bassa provides update on early season injury ahead of Week 6

Oregon Ducks star linebacker Jeffrey Bassa should be back to “100%” after suffering an early season injury.

Jeffrey Bassa, one of the top linebackers in college football and the leader of the Oregon Ducks defense, suffered an injury at the start of the 2024 season, which has kept him from having the All-Conference-level season many of us expected. At least, so far.

Bassa rolled his ankle in Oregon’s week one matchup with Idaho, and since then, his on-field role with the defense has been limited. But now, the Bassa we’re used to seeing should be back and ready to go.

“Feeling good, feeling like myself again, Bassa said when asked about his injury after the Ducks’ Tuesday practice. “So you know, I’m at 100%, ready to roll, which is good.”

Bassa described his injury as his ankle getting “rolled up on,” and for a linebacker like Bassa who relies on speed and quickness, an ankle injury can be a big hindrance. It doesn’t seem like the injury was major, but it likely kept him from playing at his best.

“I kind of just got rolled up on, so they kind of just kept precaution going into those next couple of games,” Bassa said. “But now I’m ready to roll.”

Oregon has missed Bassa’s constant presence on defense through their first four games, but because of quality play from other inside linebackers like Bryce Boettcher and Devon Jackson, the Ducks defense has performed well.

Still, Bassa’s return to full form is a major win for the Ducks. His 72 tackles in 2023 don’t begin to describe his full impact. Where Bassa really makes a difference is with his eyes and mouth, deciphering each opponent’s offensive action after tireless film study and calling out his observations to the rest of the Ducks’ defense pre-snap. Oregon will lean on Boettcher and Jackson for the rest of the season, but Bassa’s full return should take the Ducks’ defense to the next level.

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Bryce Boettcher awarded with the collegiate Gold Glove

Oregon centerfielder Bryce Boettcher was awarded with the collegiate Gold Glove for the 2024 season.

On the day after the greatest centerfielder that ever played the game, Willie Mays, passed away at the age of 93, Oregon’s own centerfielder was recognized for having a little of Mays inside him.

Bryce Boettcher was awarded with the Division I Collegiate Gold Glove.

Oregon fans are used to watching Boettcher run through running backs as a linebacker on the football field, but on the diamond, he runs though and goes above walls to rob home runs and make diving catches.

Boettcher was most recently seen in Arizona showing off his skills at the MLB combine where he hopes to catch some eyes in order to be drafted later this month. He had a fielding percentage of 1.000 as Boettcher didn’t make an error all season and had six assists in the outfield.

At the plate, the senior from Eugene hit .276 with 12 homers and 35 runs batted in.

Jerry Allen names most likely breakout candidates for Oregon Football in 2024

A look at the biggest breakout candidates for the Oregon Ducks, according to Voice of the Ducks Jerry Allen on the Bleav in Oregon podcast.

The Oregon Ducks roster is as talented as we’ve ever seen on paper going into the 2024 season, and the team is expected to compete at the top of the nation, vying for a Big Ten Championship and a spot on the College Football Playoff.

Because of that talent that’s present, we tend to spend a lot of our time focusing on the stars, and the players who have become household names over the past few years.

For that success to be attained, though, some unheralded players are going to need to step up.

This past week on the Bleav in Oregon podcast with Zachary Neel and Jonathan Stewart, the legendary Voice of the Ducks Jerry Allen stopped by to talk all things Oregon, and they got into a discussion about who those breakout players could be.

Allen, who has been the play-by-bly analyst for the Ducks since 1987, highlighted a pair of young defenders who have a big chance to step up.

“Devon Jackson is a guy who I think is going to be really, really good,” Allen said. “I think he’s going to cause people problems and make people around him better.”

In his two seasons at Oregon, Jackson has played in 17 games with 18 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. This offseason, he’s drawn rave reviews from coaches and players alike who claim he will be a major piece of the defense going forward.

“How about (Bryce) Boettcher?” Allen continued. “He just is a disruptor. He was a disruptor in baseball, and he had his moments last year. But I think this year that will be a name that we are calling a lot.”

Boettcher has had a bit more production than Jackson so far, totaling 39 tackles in his 26 career games, with 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble.

The leaders at the linebacker group are veterans Jeffrey Bassa and Jestin Jacobs, but as far as depth goes behind them, it is a bit unknown. Because of that, it isn’t at all hard to see either Jackson or Boettcher stepping up in 2024.

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Photo Gallery: Duck baseball advances in the NCAA tourney with 5-4 win

Photo Gallery: Duck baseball advances in the NCAA tourney with 5-4 win over San Diego.

It was one of the better games of the opening round of the NCAA baseball tournament and the Oregon Ducks were able to come out on top.

The Ducks defeated San Diego 5-4 in the Santa Barbara regional in 11 innings. It was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Ducks take a 4-1 lead late only to watch the Toreros storm back with a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Closer Logan Mercado threw four scoreless innings to hold San Diego off the scoreboard in time for Bryce Boettcher to homer in the top of the 11th to give Oregon the lead and eventual win. The Ducks now play Santa Barbara Saturday night.

Here are the best pictures from the Ducks’ dramatic win over the Toreros.

Ducks outlast San Diego 5-4 in 11 innings to advance in NCAA tourney

Bryce Boettcher’s 11th-inning home run propels Oregon to a 5-4 win over San Diego in the Santa Barbara regional.

The Oregon Ducks baseball team put the saying “survive and advance” to its limit Friday afternoon.

They watched a 4-1 eighth inning lead evaporate with one swing of the bat, then hold on with runners on the corners with one out in the 11th inning to eventually hold on and defeat San Diego 5-4 in the Santa Barbara regional.

With the win, the 3-seeded Ducks will play the winner of the UCSB-Fresno State game to be played later on Friday.

This wasn’t what coach Mark Wasikowski would have drawn up in order to advance to the winner’s bracket, but a win is a win and the Ducks will happily take it.

Lost in the late-game hoopla was the effort of starting pitcher RJ Gordon, who pitched his best game of the season. He went 7+ innings, allowing three runs on six hits, struck out three and walked four. He led his defense behind him make the plays and left throwing 115 pitched.

But Gordon ran out of gas in the eighth as he allowed the first two Toreros on before the Ducks went to the bullpen. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Brock Moore’s day as he gave up a game-tying three-run homer to San Diego’s best hitter Jakob Christian.

It was back to the bullpen where the Ducks went to Logan Mercado and that was ultimately the right call. The senior closer went the rest of the way, not allowing the Toreros to score in the next four innings to earn the win.

Oregon would eventually pull ahead in the 11th on a Bryce Boettcher blast down the left field line to give the Ducks the 5-4 lead and win.

The Ducks never trailed in the game as Carter Garate got the scoring off to a start with his fourth homer of the season, a 423-foot bomb to right-center field in the fifth.

After San Diego tied the game in the bottom half of the inning, Oregon managed to score on a Maddox Molony fielder’s choice and a safety squeeze pulled off perfectly by Garate. The Ducks made it 4-1 on Garate’s third hit, a double that went to the wall that scored Drew Smith all the way from first base.

Oregon will next play Saturday night at 7 pm PST on one of the ESPN networks.

Oregon grabs 2 of 3 from Arizona in Pac-12 weekend series

Oregon took 2 of 3 from Arizona to win the weekend series, but fell 15-4 in the finale.

For the third straight Pac-12 weekend series, the Oregon Ducks baseball team took 2-of-3 from the opponent. This time, it was Arizona, although the Wildcats managed to avoid a sweep with a 15-4 victory at PK Park.

It was actually a close affair through six innings with Arizona up just 3-2. But the Duck bullpen couldn’t keep the Wildcats at three as the visitors from the desert scored runs in the final three innings to blow the game wide open.

Reliever Logan Mercado, who is usually reliable, just didn’t have it on this rainy Sunday afternoon as he gave up six runs in just 2/3 of an inning. The game was almost over with the Cats leading 9-4 in the eighth, but a grand slam from Brendan Summerhill sealed Oregon’s fate.

Things turned out much better for the Ducks in the first two games of the series, however.

In Game 1, the Ducks won a rare pitchers duel 2-1. Bennett Thompson’s two-run single in the sixth was just enough for the win. Starter RJ Gordon pitched a gem with 6 1/3 solid innings of work. Mercado threw a scoreless ninth for his fourth save of the year.

Game 2 was even more exciting as the Ducks won the game in the bottom of the ninth 3-2. The game was tied when Bryce Boettcher laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt that scored Mason Neville to win it.

Despite the series finale loss, Oregon is still 6-3 in league play and 15-7 overall. Next the Ducks will stay home and host Seattle for a four-game series Wednesday through Saturday.

Oregon closes out Lafayette in a Sunday blowout

The Oregon Ducks beat the Layfayette Leopards 12-2 on Sunday afternoon.

The Oregon Ducks closed their four-game series against the Lafayette Leopards with a win on Sunday afternoon, 12-2.

Oregon’s offense got hot early. In the second inning, the Ducks were able to bat all the way through the order, scoring 5 runs to make the score 6-0. After that, Oregon scored 6 more runs, 4 of which came via the home run.

Oregon’s hitters came to the plate with good approaches, but they also got a lot of help from the Lafayette pitching staff. After nine innings, the Leopards had combined for 6 walks, 6 HBPs, and 3 wild pitches.

Oregon’s pitchers, on the other hand, were dominant. The first six innings were hosted by Kevin Seitter, who struck out 11 batters while only allowing 5 to reach base. For the last three innings, the Ducks leaned on Brock Moore, Jaxson Jordan, and Turner Spoljaric, who allowed no runs to close out the game. All combined, the Ducks struck out 16 of the 27 batters they faced.

Oregon’s right fielder Jeffery Heard posted another solid offensive performance on Sunday. In 4 ABs, Heard was 2/4 with a single and a double, with an RBI and a run scored. The only time Heard didn’t reach base was in the 7th inning when Leopards’ right fielder leaped to rob him of a 3-run home run. The season is young, but Heard already looks like a star on the rise.

The Ducks will have a few days off before hosting the Santa Barbara Gauchos — who are 2-3 to start the season — for a three-game series starting on Friday. After that, Oregon will head to Phoenix for a two-game series against Grand Canyon University.