Tag: oregon ducks baseball

Outfielder Anthony Hall goes to the Yankees in the fourth round

Oregon outfielder Anthony Hall was selected by the New York Yankees in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB draft.

Major League scouts spent a lot of time at PK Park for good reason. There was a lot of talent on that field and Anthony Hall was definitely among them.

The New York Yankees took notice and drafted the Oregon outfielder in the fourth round, 130th overall, in the 2022 MLB draft Monday morning.

Hall becomes the second Duck to get selected after shortstop Josh Kasevich was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays. Like Kasevich, Hall had a breakout season in 2022 as he hit .333 with 14 home runs and 56 runs batted in.

This is what MLB scouts said about Hall before being drafted.

A left-handed-hitting and throwing outfielder, Hall has the chance to be an impact bat. There’s some definite juice in his swing with plus raw power, especially to the pull side, but he’s shown the ability to hit the ball out the other way, too. His approach got better on the Cape, as he took more pitches and used the whole field more consistently, and that has helped him get to his power more this spring. He crushes fastballs, but he needs to continue to refine his recognition of softer stuff.

Tyler Anderson becomes the first Duck to be named an MLB All-Star in modern era

Former Oregon hurler Tyler Anderson becomes the first Duck of the modern era to be named to the MLB All-Star team.

Major League Baseball announced several replacements for the 2022 All-Star Game and among them was former Oregon Duck pitcher Tyler Anderson.

He becomes the first Duck since the program was revived in 2009 to be named an All-Star and Anderson deserves it with the year he is piling up for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

When he was signed by the Dodgers as a free agent, Anderson was expected to be a No. 5 starter or a long reliever, but due to injuries, the former Oregon lefty has started 15 games and has had his best year thus far in the Majors. Anderson is currently 10-1 with a 2.96 earned run average for the first place Los Angeles squad.

It’s also a bit sweeter for Anderson since the game will be played at his home park in Chavez Revine.

Anderson was Oregon’s first breakout player to get noticed and he was a first-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies in 2011. It took him several years to make the Big League club, but he finally broke through in 2016. Anderson has played for the Rockies (2016-19), San Francisco Giants (2020), Pittsburgh Pirates and Seattle Mariners (2021) before his breakout season with the Dodgers.

For his career, Anderson is 39-29 with a 4.39 ERA. The All-Star Game will be on July 19.

Oregon Ducks fall to Michigan Wolverines, 8-6, in regional

The Oregon Ducks lost their first game in the Louisville regional, 8-6, to the Michigan Wolverines on Friday.

The Oregon Ducks poor end to the regular season has continued into the first round of the NCAA baseball regionals, as the team fell to the Michigan Wolverines, 8-6, on Friday afternoon.

The loss doesn’t eliminate Oregon from contention, as baseball operates in a double-elimination, round robin style tournament. The Ducks now face Southeast Missouri State in an elimination matchup, with first pitch at 9:00 AM PT on Saturday morning.

Oregon did all their damage in the middle innings, tacking on two runs in the fourth, one in each the fifth and sixth, and two more in the seventh to tie the game at six apiece.

However, Michigan third baseman Matt Frey hit a two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning, giving the Wolverines a two-run lead which they would never relinquish.

Oregon now faces an even tougher path to get through the regional and into a super regional, which would be the second in school history if they are able to advance.

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Oregon becomes first team to be eliminated from the Pac-12 tournament

8-seed Arizona State upsets and eliminates 4-seed Oregon with a 4-2 win in the Pac-12 tournament.

This was definitely not how the Oregon baseball team envisioned their trip to Scottsdale, Ariz. going.

The Ducks got the unfortunate distinction of being the first team to be eliminated from the Pac-12 baseball tournament as they lost to Arizona State 4-2. Now Oregon will have to await its NCAA tournament fate when the teams are announced on Monday.

At 35-23 overall and a strong strength of schedule, Oregon has a high RPI and it will definitely be included in the tournament. But the Ducks were hoping for a strong showing in the conference tournament in order to host a regional.

That’s not happening now.

The Sun Devils used five pitchers to hold the Ducks to just two runs and six hits while striking out nine.

A lack of offense is quite surprising as the Ducks led the conference in runs scored. Coupled with a hitter-friendly Scottsdale Stadium, one would think giving up four runs would be enough to win.

Isaac Ayon turned in another good performance after he threw a complete game the last time he was on the mound. But today, Ayon made one mistake, a hanging curveball that Kai Murphy crushed over the right field wall to give ASU a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning.

The Sun Devils added a huge insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, but as it turned out, they didn’t need it. Closer Brock Peery threw a perfect ninth inning to earn his 10th save.

Oregon will now come back to Eugene, erase what happened down in the desert, and focus on the NCAA tournament for a chance at redemption.

Daniel Susac’s two homers down Ducks in Game 1 of the Pac-12 tournament

Daniel Susac’s two-homer day was too much for the Ducks to overcome as they fall 8-6 to Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament opener.

The Oregon Ducks learned a tough lesson in the opening game of the first annual Pac-12 tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz. and that’s when you get runners in scoring position, you have to find a way to score.

Also, giving up two home runs to Arizona’s best hitter isn’t exactly a good formula for winning.

Daniel Susac belted two home runs to help the Wildcats avenge that three-game sweep at PK Park to take an 8-6 win over the Ducks. Now Oregon will have to fight their way out of the loser’s bracket. They’ll face the loser of the Stanford/Arizona State game tomorrow at 9 a.m.

Oregon left two runners on base in the seventh and eighth innings that ended a potential rally. The Ducks scored one in the ninth, but they couldn’t come all the way back.

Arizona took a 3-0 lead, but the Ducks managed to cut into the deficit with run-scoring singles from Colby Shade and Brennen Milone. It was 4-2 Wildcats in the sixth when Anthony Hall crushed a pitch off of the right field foul pole for a three-run homer and the Ducks had a brief 5-4 advantage.

But pitcher RJ Gordon ran out of gas in the seventh, loaded the bases and gave way to the bullpen. Unfortunately, Arizona was able to score two and re-take the lead at 6-5.

Oregon gave itself chance after chance in the late innings, but it could never get that one big hit to get over the hump. Susac’s second homer, which came in the ninth inning, was the two insurance runs Arizona needed. The Ducks scored one run on Drew Cowley’s RBI double, but it wasn’t enough.

Milone, Kasevich and Somers named to All-Conference baseball team

Brennan Milone, Josh Kasevich and Kolby Somers were all honored by the Pac-12 Conference with post-season awards.

The Pac-12 Conference announced its 35-player all-conference selections and the Oregon Ducks were able to have three names on the list.

Designed hitter/first baseman Brennan Milone, shortstop Josh Kasevich an closer Kolby Somers were all recognized for their efforts that helped the Ducks finish fourth with an 18-12 record and 35-21 overall.

Oregon is among the top 8 Pac-12 teams that will head down to Scottsdale, Ariz. to battle for the automatic NCAA tournament berth with the first annual conference tourney.

Milone, a transfer from South Carolina, showed early on his for being on the highlight film. He showed power right away and that the new dimensions for PK Park might be a plus for the Oregon program. Milone’s 10 homers contributed to the Ducks’ season record-breaking 71 dingers.

Kasevich isn’t the prototypical No. 5 hitter except that he usually gets that big hit in big situations. He also played a solid shortstop, committing just five errors at the most demanding defensive position on the diamond. Overall, Kasevich hit .311 with seven homers and 40 RBIs. He was also named to the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team thanks to that .979 fielding percentage.

Somers came into the season as one of the best closers in the conference and he showed it over and over in 2022. He finished the regular season with nine saves to go with a 5-3 record and a 2.97 earned run average.

Another Duck who could have easily been named an All-Conference performer, but instead was given an honorable mention was outfielder Anthony Hall with his .326 average, 13 homers and 47 RBIs. He also had 12 doubles and five triples.

If there was one “snub” it would be Tanner Smith, who wasn’t named to any list despite hitting .320 with 11 home runs, 11 doubles, 35 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases.

Ducks sweep Arizona to end the regular season in style

Oregon baseball ends the regular season in style with a 5-3 win over Arizona to complete the three-game sweep.

At the beginning of the week, the thought of Oregon hosting an NCAA regional was a long shot at best.

Now with a good showing in the Pac-12 tournament next week, the Ducks have a really good shot at hosting.

Oregon ended the regular season with a 5-3 win over No. 25 Arizona and completed the weekend series sweep over the Wildcats. This is the same Wildcat team that defeated No. 2 Oregon Series two games to one last week.

With the win, the Ducks are 35-21 overall and finished the conference season with an 18-12 mark. They will be the 4-seed in the Pac-12 tourney in Scottsdale, Ariz., and will open the festivities on Wednesday with a 9 a.m. start against Arizona of all teams.

Isaac Ayon set the tone Friday night with a complete-game win and that momentum certainly must have inspired Game 3 starter Jace Stoffal. The sophomore from Roseburg had never pitched more than four innings in a game, but he was able to pitch into the eighth inning.

Stoffal gave up just one run on three hits and struck out three to earn his first win of the season.

The Ducks scored three runs in the second inning thanks to Bennett Thompson’s run-scoring single and Tanner Smith’s two-run double to right-center. They made it 4-0 in the sixth on Jacob Walsh’s single to center. That was all Stoffal and the Ducks needed, but Arizona made it interesting late in the game.

They scored one run in the eighth and two more in the ninth off of Kolby Somers. But the Oregon closer struck out Blake Paugh to end the game.

Now Oregon will take the show down to Scottsdale where if they win a few games or make the final, this win over Arizona won’t be the last game at PK Park in the 2022 season.

Isaac Ayon goes all the way to propel Oregon to series win over Arizona

Isaac Ayon’s complete game and Gavin Grant’s late-inning heroics propels the Ducks to a series win over No. 25 Arizona.

Starting pitching hasn’t exactly been the strength of the 2022 Oregon baseball team. But Isaac Ayon flipped that narrative this afternoon at PK Park.

Ayon threw the first complete game of his college career and Gavin Grant’s run-scoring single in the eighth helped the Ducks down No. 25 Arizona 4-3 to take the weekend series. Oregon will go for the sweep Saturday afternoon.

The Ducks improved to 34-21 overall and 17-12 in conference play with the victory. The win also clinched Oregon the 4-seed in the Pac-12 tournament next week. Defeating Arizona also improved the Ducks’ RPI and their hopes to possibly host an NCAA regional.

But there’s still a way to go before worrying about the post-season.

The story on this day was Ayon, who finished the game in style as he struck out the final five Wildcats. He struck out 10 total batters and walked just three. Ayon’s pitch count was in his favor the whole way and he finished the contest with 98 pitches.

Oregon’s sophomore hurler wasn’t guaranteed, however, as the game was still tied at 3-3 in the eighth inning. The Ducks needed some two-out lighting to scratch across the go-ahead run. Sam Novitske reached on an error and was replaced by Tyler Ganus as a pinch-runner. Jacob Walsh coaxed a walk and Grant smacked a single to center to score Ganus.

The Ducks scored one in the first and then two more in the second thanks to catcher Bennett Thompson’s first career home run.

Arizona managed to rally with a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth and it stayed that way until Grant’s late-inning heroics.

Oregon will now go for the sweep Saturday at noon as the Ducks will send out Jace Stoffal (0-2, 7.00 ERA) against an unknown Arizona starter. It will be Oregon’s last regular-season home game and quite possibly its last game at PK Park for the 2022 campaign.

Oregon Ducks secure walk-off victory over No. 11 Gonzaga

Jacob Walsh hit a walk-off two-run double in the ninth inning to secure a much needed win for the Oregon Ducks over No. 11 Gonzaga.

The Oregon Ducks picked up a much-needed victory over a top-15 opponent on Tuesday evening, defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs by a score of 5-4 thanks to a walk-off, two-run double in the ninth inning from Jacob Walsh.

Before Walsh came through, Oregon looked like they were going to fall victim to Gonzaga’s recent trend of late-game heroics. After going up 3-1 in the first few innings, the Ducks coasted until the eighth when Shea Kramer hit a two-out, three-run home run to give the Zags a 4-3 lead heading into the final frame.

However, a single from Josh Kasevich, a sac bunt from Tyler Ganus and a walk from Sam Novitske set things up for Walsh to come up and drive home the tying and winning runs, sending the Zags home with a loss yet again after defeating them back in March.

Oregon gets a chance to add even more key wins to their tournament resume this weekend, as they host the No. 24 ranked Arizona Wildcats in Eugene beginning on Thursday evening at 6:00 PM.

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Oregon baseball makes history down in the desert

For the first time since coming back in 2009, Oregon baseball went down to Tempe and took a weekend series from ASU.

This is the 13th season since Oregon brought back its baseball program and there are still milestones to be made.

For the first time since the resurrection of the sport, the Ducks went down and took a weekend series at Arizona State. Oregon clinched the series with a 15-5 pounding of the Sun Devils in 100-plus degree heat.

But it’s a dry heat.

The temperature wasn’t the only thing that was hot as the Duck bats were scorching as Oregon scored 15 runs on 18 hits. With the win, the Ducks improved to 31-21 overall and 15-12 overall. They have one none-conference game with Gonzaga before hosting Arizona to end the regular season.

Drew Cowley led the way going 3-for-6 with four RBIs and three runs scored. Colby Shade drove in three runs and Anthony Hall smacked two doubles. Jacob Walsh broke out of his slump with a monster home run.

ASU actually led 1-0 after an inning, but the Ducks broke loose with four runs in the third and five more in the fourth. Oregon was helped out a bit by some shoddy fielding from the Sun Devils.

The highlight of the inning was when Brennan Milone hit a double down the right field line and the throw coming back into the infield got away and Milone advanced to third. But then that throw to third also escaped the third baseman and Milone scored on the “Little League home run.”

Starting pitcher Jace Stoffal pitched well, but he was unable to get through the fifth and didn’t qualify for the win. He went 4 2/3 innings and gave up three runs on seven hit. Logan Mercado was credited with the win, his sixth on the season. He went 2 1/3 innings in relief, giving up two runs on five hits.

Now the Ducks will come back home to face Gonzaga, a team they beat 9-5 in Spokane earlier this year. The game is scheduled for 6 p.m. at PK Park on Tuesday.