2/15/16 Emerald Media - DuckSeason Magazine

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SEASON OF THE

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BASEBALL SEASON PREVIEW

“WE ARE GOING TO OMAHA THIS YEAR.”

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OREGON’S PITCHING ROTATION

SOFTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

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THE DUCKS & JANE SANDERS STADIUM

PHOTOS BY COLE ELSASSER AND FROM EMERALD ARCHIVES.

NEWSROOM E D I TO R I N C H I E F DA H L I A BA Z Z A Z PRINT MANAGING EDITOR COOPER GREEN SPORTS EDITOR JUSTIN WISE CO PY C H I E F ME L I S SA R H OA D S PHOTO EDITOR COLE ELSASSER

DuckSeason, the Emerald’s annual football magazine, is published by

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Emerald Media Group, Inc., the independent nonprofit news company at

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the University of Oregon. Formerly the Oregon Daily Emerald, the news

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organization was founded in 1900.

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Fri, Feb. 19 6:00 p.m

San Diego State

at San Diego, CA

Sun, Apr. 10 12:00 p.m.

California

Eugene, OR

Sat, Feb. 20 1:00 p.m.

San Diego State

at San Diego, CA

Wed, Apr. 13 6:00 p.m.

Portland

Hillsboro, OR

Sun, Feb. 21 12:00 p.m.

San Diego State

at San Diego, CA

Fri, Apr. 15 6:00 p.m.

USC

Eugene, OR

Thu, Feb. 25 6:00 p.m.

Illinois State

Eugene, OR

Sat, Apr. 16 2:00 p.m.

USC

Eugene, OR

Fri, Feb. 26 6:00 p.m

Illinois State

Eugene, OR

Sun, Apr. 17 12:00 p.m.

USC

Eugene, OR

Sat, Feb. 27 2:00 p.m.

Illinois State

Eugene, OR

Mon, Apr. 18 6:00 p.m.

Oregon State

Eugene, OR

Sun, Feb. 28 12:00 p.m

Illinois State

Eugene, OR

Thu, Apr. 21 7:00 p.m.

UCLA

at Los Angeles, CA

Fri, Mar. 4 6:00 p.m.

UC Santa Barbara

Eugene, OR

Fri, Apr. 22 7:00 p.m.

UCLA

at Los Angeles, CA

Sat, Mar. 5 2:00 p.m.

UC Santa Barbara

Eugene, OR

Sat, Apr. 23 1:00 p.m.

UCLA

at Los Angeles, CA

Sun, Mar. 6 12:00 p.m

UC Santa Barbara

Eugene, OR

Wed, Apr. 27 7:00 p.m.

Oregon State

Eugene, OR

Thu, Mar. 10 4:35 p.m.

Alabama

at Tuscaloosa, AL

Fri, Apr. 29 6:00 p.m.

Washington State

Eugene, OR

Fri, Mar. 11 4:30 p.m.

Mississippi State

at Starkville, MS

Sat, Apr. 30 2:00 p.m.

Washington State

Eugene, OR

Sat, Mar. 12 12:00 p.m.

Mississippi State

at Starkville, MS

Sun, May 1 12:00 p.m.

Washington State

Eugene, OR

Sun, Mar. 13 9:00 a.m.

Mississippi State

at Starkville, MS

Mon, May 2 2:00 p.m.

San Diego

Hillsboro, OR

Fri, Mar. 18 7:00 p.m.

Utah

Eugene, OR

Fri, May 6 6:30 p.m.

Arizona State

at Phoenix, AZ

Sat, Mar. 19 2:00 p.m.

Utah

Eugene, OR

Sat, May 7 6:30 p.m.

Arizona State

at Phoenix, AZ

Sun, Mar. 20 12:00 p.m.

Utah

Eugene, OR

Sun, May 8 12:30 p.m.

Arizona State

at Phoenix, AZ

Tue, Mar. 22 7:00 p.m.

Seattle

at Bellevue, WA

Fri, May 13 7:30 p.m.

Oregon State

at Corvallis, OR

Thu, Mar. 24 7:00 p.m.

Washington

at Seattle, WA

Sat, May 14 7:00 p.m.

Oregon State

at Corvallis, OR

Fri, Mar. 25 7:00 p.m.

Washington

at Seattle, WA

Sun, May 15 3:00 p.m

Oregon State

at Corvallis, OR

Sat, Mar. 26 3:00 p.m.

Washington

at Seattle, WA

Tue, May 17 6:00 p.m

Portland

Eugene, OR

Thu, Mar. 31 3:05 p.m.

Notre Dame

at South Bend, IN

Fri, May 20 4:00 p.m

Arizona

Eugene, OR

Fri, Apr. 1 12:05 p.m.

Michigan State

at East Lansing, MI

Sat, May 21 4:00 p.m.

Arizona

Eugene, OR

Sat, Apr. 2 10:05 a.m.

Michigan State

at East Lansing, MI

Sun, May 22 12:00 p.m.

Arizona

Eugene, OR

Sun, Apr. 3 9:05 a.m.

Michigan State

at East Lansing, MI

Mon, May 23 6:00 p.m.

Saint Mary’s

Eugene, OR

Wed, Apr. 6 6:00 p.m.

Portland

Eugene, OR

Thu, May 26 7:00 p.m.

Stanford

at Stanford, CA

Fri, Apr. 8 6:00 p.m

California

Eugene, OR

Fri, May 27 7:00 p.m.

Stanford

at Stanford, CA

Sat, Apr. 9 2:00 p.m.

California

Eugene, OR

Sat, May 28 1:00 p.m.

Stanford

at Stanford, CA

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B Y A N D R E W B A N T LY, @ A N D R E W B A N T LY

A season ago, the Ducks finished sixth in the Pac-12 with a 16-14 conference record, 38-25 overall and an early exit at the NCAA Regional Tournament.

Last Wednesday, the season objective was revealed immediately: “We are going to Omaha,” junior starting pitcher Cole Irvin said to media.

“I want to make that statement clear.”

And there is good reason to believe this Ducks team will be the first to reach Omaha since the program was reinstated in 2009.

In addition to Irvin, sophomores Matt Krook and David Peterson bolster what could be the best weekend rotation Oregon has featured. First-year pitching coach Mitch Karraker labeled the three lefties all with first- or second-round potential as pitchers that could go in next year’s MLB draft.

“The potential is unbelievable,” first-year pitching coach Mitch Karraker said. “We’re really excited about what it could be. We still have a lot of work to do. We need to get the results in.”

The back end of the bullpen seems to be solidified too. Junior Cooper Stiles will likely set-up closer Stephen Nogosek, who has been honored twice this preseason with All-American recognition.

Of course, there are freshmen arms from Oregon’s No. 8-ranked recruiting class that head coach George Horton and Karraker plan to send to the mound. That group is highlighted by lefty Kyle Robeiol and right handers Isaiah Carranza and Jacob Bennet.

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The offense will be without Mitchell Tolman, who led Oregon in nearly every offensive category last season. That said, freshmen who have impressed Horton include Matt Kroon and Travis Moniot, two infielders selected in the 2015 MLB draft out of high school.

“The infusion of that youth and talent into the returning guys looks like it could be a really successful mix as we move forward,” Horton said. “We’ve got a lot of jobs that are still out there.”

Oregon ranks No. 14 in the Baseball America preseason poll. Conference foes Oregon State (No. 5), California (No. 8) and UCLA (No. 10) rank better.

USC (No. 16) is the only other Pac-12 program ranked in the same poll.

Oregon will face five teams ranked in Baseball America’s preseason top 25. Its first currently-ranked opponent will come on March 11, when it faces No. 20 Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi, for a three-game series. It’s the first and only ranked non-conference opponent Oregon will face before Pac-12 play.

For the Ducks, in-conference baseball begins March 18 when Utah visits PK Park. It’ll be an early test as Oregon plays the meat of its conference schedule in April. The always intriguing Civil War series will be in Corvallis this season, but not before the Beavers drive south to Eugene twice for out-of-conference meetings.

If the Ducks are to have a date with Omaha in June, it’s going to require a lot more than confidence. Yet it looks to be a talented Oregon baseball team in 2016.

“The only thing we haven’t done is walk the walk,” Horton said.

George Horton speaks with Arizona head coach Andy Lopez during a rain delay at PK Park.

(Taylor Wilder)

Q&A:WITH HEAD COACH

GEORGE HORTON B Y K E N N Y J A C O B Y, @ K E N N YJ A C O B Y

Coming off a 38-25 record and an early exit from the NCAA Tournament last year, the Oregon Ducks have their sights set on the College World Series in 2016. Manager George Horton discussed where the Ducks went wrong last year and expressed his excitement over several freshmen standouts during his interview with the media Jan. 27.

Emerald: Cole Irvin didn’t mince his words when he said, “We’re going to Omaha.” Are you comfortable with him being certain?

George Horton: Well, I am. I hope his teammates are and the rest of the staff is. It’s something that we’ve talked about in the previous seven years I’ve been here. We’ve knocked on the door to be a Pac-12 champion, but we haven’t even won our first Pac-12 Championship — which is not easy.

First things first—not to disagree with Cole, but I’ve taken that approach from where I used to coach, where we were making that trip frequently, and tried to instill that in our culture here. The guys have kind of bought into it; only thing we haven’t done is walked the walk. We’ve talked about it.

Emerald: How has the disappointment over falling short of Pac-12 championships and Omaha fueled this team’s fire to get it done?

E: Where is Matt Krook at in terms of velocity and command, and getting back to 100 percent?

GH: I think he’s made great progress. I would like to tell you he had a spectacular fall, but that’s not the case. He was still mending and getting his rhythm back and so forth.

Of late, he’s getting closer to that dominant pitcher [he was as a freshman].

He’s worked awfully hard, so hopefully that will reveal itself.

E: How does the lineup this year differ from what you have had in years past?

GH: We didn’t play the game of baseball extremely well last year. Maybe that had something to do with individuals, but collectively our starting pitching wasn’t where it needed to be, our defense was the poorest defense I think I’ve ever coached at the Division I level.

Athletically, I think we’ve got some youngsters that have put pressure on the returning guys. The infusion of that youth and talent into the returning guys — it looks like we could have a successful mix as we move forward. We’ve got a lot of jobs that are to be won.

E: Any freshmen standing out yet to you?

George Horton: You have a choice in how to respond to things. One of my favorite quotes is a [Vince] Lombardi quote: “The real glory is getting knocked to your knees and then coming back.”

GH: Some on the mound that are ahead of others: Kyle Robeniol, Isaiah Carranza, Matt Mercer and Parker Kelly — looks like we’re going to use him for some critical innings.

I don’t know if we got knocked to our knees, but you establish goals and the goals are always high. If you don’t talk about going to Omaha, I don’t think you have any chance of going there.

A new guy, JC transfer from Western Nevada Jake Bennett, has been very impressive and in the mix.

I think it has motivated our coaching staff to look at everything and do a better job of everything we can control. Hopefully that has matriculated into the locker room.

Probably the two freshmen that are significantly in the mix to really put pressure on our returning infield are Matt Kroon and Travis Moniot. Those two guys, at this point, seem really special and look like they will have really good careers.

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TIMING IS EVERYTHING!

TEAMS TO WATCH IN

Like a pitcher painting the corner and a shortstop making a diving play, timing is everything!

Pick your stance and follow through this summer at the University of Oregon.

Summer schedule is available online March 4

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BY JUSTIN WISE, @JUSTINFWISE By all accounts, it appears that Oregon State is considered the best of the Pac-12 heading into the 2016 baseball season. The Beavers are ranked as high as No. 5 in the preseason polls and are predicted to win the Pac-12 this year, according to the preseason coaches poll.

They boast a roster that includes first baseman KJ Harrison, starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen and relief pitcher Mitch Hickey, all of whom were named Collegiate Baseball Freshman AllAmericans in 2015.

UCLA and California both received a first-place vote and boast lineups that should make for an competitive spring.

In addition, four Pac-12 teams besides Oregon are ranked in the top 16 in a number of preseason polls, including Baseball America’s and D1Baseball.com’s.

TEAMS TO WATCH: OREGON STATE

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Oregon State has reached the NCAA Tournament in seven consecutive seasons, and according to the preseason polls and predictions, the team is expected to go deep into the postseason in 2016. Beavers head coach Pat Casey told The Oregonian, “We’ve got probably more depth position-wise than we’ve ever had before.”

In addition, the Beavers’ incoming recruiting class was ranked No. 9 in the nation, according to D1baseball.com.

The group includes three players who were selected in the 2015 MLB Draft.

UCLA The reigning Pac-12 champion received a setback before the season even began on Feb. 8. Starting catcher Darrell Miller Jr. will be out for the season after it was announced that he’ll need surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

The injury leaves the Bruins thin at the position, but the rest of the lineup appears intact heading into the year.

The team is ranked as high as No. 10 in the preseason polls and welcomed in the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation, according to Baseball America, in the fall. The team also returns six position players starters, including Pac-12 first-team honoree and relief pitcher Grant Dyer.

CALIFORNIA Cal reached the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2011 last year and is returning its entire weekend rotation — junior Daulton Jefferies (pre-season All-American according to multiple publications), senior Ryan Mason and sophomore Matt Ladrech (2015 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American) — from that team. It is likely a reason why the Golden Bears were picked to finish third in the Pac-12 and received a first-place vote.

USC USC returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years and will enter 2016 ranked No. 12 in the country, according to D1Baseball.com.The team returns five starters, including outfielder Timmy Robinson, who led the Trojans in RBI in 2015. In addition, USC returns two pitchers from its weekend rotation, including Kyle Davis.

Q&A

FORMER CATCHER MITCH KARRAKER LEADS FORMIDABLE PITCHING STAFF IN DEBUT SEASON B Y A N D R E W B A N T LY, @ A N D R E W B A N T LY Former Oregon catcher Mitch Karraker became Oregon’s pitching coach on Jan. 12, just four days after Dean Stiles departed for the same position with Florida International.

Karraker, a former undergraduate assistant and student manager, is now in charge of what many believe is the best starting rotation Oregon has seen since the team’s reinstatement in 2009. It features three left-handers: Cole Irvin, Matt Krook and David Peterson. Krook and Irvin both suffered injuries that required Tommy John surgery in 2014.

The Emerald took some time to catch up with Karraker and welcome him to his new position: Emerald: Welcome back. How’s it been?

Mitch Karraker: It’s been good, y’ know?

Thrown into the job pretty quickly, but I’ve been around here for a long time, I know the guys.

E: You’re walking into a pretty strong staff.

How does it look to you? What are your thoughts early on?

MK: It’s a pretty special staff. Like everybody’s talking about, the potential is unbelievable. We’re really excited about what it could be. We still have a lot of work to do. We still need to get them on track, we need to get the results in.

E: What’s your focus with your staff?

Getting healthy, shaking off the rust?

MK: We’re actually pretty healthy, it’s just kind of building those guys back up. A couple guys are coming back from surgery and some freshmen are coming back from stuff they had in high school. Getting them

game ready is the key: make sure we’re throwing strikes and giving our defense a chance.

E: On the injuries: is there a different longterm strategy this season? With Krook and Irvin both getting hurt over the past couple years, that’s some hefty losses.

Are you going to do things differently?

MK: We’re always looking on how we can improve not only our performance, but our injury prevention. With the pitching side of it, nowadays Tommy John has become pretty common. We’re doing our best to avoid that as much as possible and we’re trying to design our program so that we don’t have those issues anymore. That being said, things are going to happen and we’re going to do our best to deal with it, learn from it and make ourselves better.

E: You obviously played here and kept tabs on the team. What would it be like for you catching this staff? Is it the best staff Oregon’s shown since the reinstatement?

MK: Catching it would be pretty fun. I’ve caught some pretty good guys when I was here, we’ve had some good staffs throughout the years. A rotation like this has been something we haven’t had. Three left-handers that have first- or secondround potential.

E: How’s catcher Tim Susnara doing handling this staff?

MK: He’s fantastic. He’s made huge steps forward in the catching position. As a freshman it’s very difficult to come into the Pac-12 and be a productive catcher, not to say he wasn’t productive last year, but I feel like this could be a real big year for him.

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COLE IRVIN GUARANTEES OREGON BASEBALL WILL MAKE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES B Y K E N N Y J A C O B Y, @ K E N N YJ A C O B Y

Redshirt junior pitcher Cole Irvin said with certainty the Ducks will make it to the College World Series in 2016, something they haven’t done in the seven seasons since the baseball program’s reinstatement.

“We are going to Omaha this year,” Irvin said. “I want to make that statement clear.”

Since 2009, the Ducks have gone 225-147-1, made the NCAA regional tournament five times and the Super Regional once in 2012, when they came within one game of a World Series berth.

But Irvin exuded confidence in regards to the upcoming 2016 season, mentioning “Omaha” about as many times as Peyton Manning yells it in a football game, during his interview with the media Jan. 27.

“This year is unlike any other year that I’ve been here, and even the years before that,” Irvin said. “The weekend rotation is incredible, and the back of our bullpen is equally as sharp.”

Irvin called Oregon’s pitching staff this season the “best pitching staff in the country.”

The starting rotation will feature three tall, hard-throwing left-handers including Irvin, redshirt sophomore Matt Krook and sophomore David Peterson. Junior side-armer Cooper Stiles will likely pitch the eighth innings as the set-up man for junior Stephen Nogosek, who will take on the closer role.

Junior shortstop Mark Karaviotis and senior outfielder Phil Craig-St. Louis were thrilled by the idea of playing weekend series behind three starting pitchers who all have the potential to be Friday starters.

“I think those guys are really going to carry us where we need to go,” Karaviotis said.

It’s unclear yet who will be the Friday-night starter, but Krook appears to be the man to beat. He missed the entire 2015

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season recovering from Tommy John surgery, but said he feels great physically and is “almost to 100 percent now.” He said he plans to pick up right where he left off as a freshman in 2014, when he struck out 60 batters in 45.1 innings with just 22 hits allowed and a 1.79 ERA. “I’m planning on going 100 percent right out of the gate,” Krook said.

Irvin, who missed the entire 2014 season with the same ulnar collateral ligament injury as Krook, returned to action last season a shell of his freshman self. As a freshman in 2013, Irvin finished with a 12-3 record and 2.48 ERA after throwing 116.0 innings, the second-most in school history. In 2015, he went 2-5 with a 4.10 ERA in 16 starts.

Irvin took three months off over summer to regroup. He said his biggest problem last season was being too focused on his MLB Draft stock, which proved to be a distraction. His draft stock ended up falling — he was picked in the 32nd round of the 2015 MLB Draft compared to the 29th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, out of high school — and he declined to sign professionally.

“Today I’m a better ballplayer, I think,” Irvin said. “I can mentally get through pretty much anything now.”

Manager George Horton wasn’t quite as confident as Irvin was about getting to Omaha this season.

“Not to disagree with Cole, but I’ve taken that approach from where I used to coach, where we were making that trip pretty frequently, and tried to instill that into our culture here. And the guys have kind of bought into it; the only thing we haven’t done is walked the walk.

“It’s great that Cole thinks that way, and hopefully that will show up when he’s in a real uniform, competing against other quality hitters and pitchers,” Horton said. “Saying ‘going to Omaha’ is one thing, but it’s a lot of work, and that’s what makes it so special.”

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Preseason Rankings

BY JUSTIN WISE, @JUSTINFWISE

Oregon will enter the 2016 season ranked No. 14 by D1Baseball.com.

The Ducks also ranked No. 14 in the Collegiate Baseball poll released last month.

The Ducks finished the 2015 season with a 38-25 record and snuck into the NCAA Tournament with two wins over No. 2 UCLA to close the regular season. They went 1-2 in regionals play and were eliminated in the first round.

Oregon has yet to qualify for the College World Series under head coach George Horton, who took over the program when it was resurrected in 2009. The team has appeared in every NCAA Tournament since 2010 but made just one Super Regional in 2012, when it was the host team and No. 5 seed nationally.

Oregon returns seven starting position players to its roster, in addition to a formidable starting rotation featuring left-handers Cole Irvin, David Peterson and Matt Krook.

The Ducks will play 17 games against teams ranked inside the top 25 of the poll, including 14 against teams ranked inside the top 12. Their first

series with a ranked team comes March 11-13 against No. 15 Mississippi State.

How the Ducks rank according to other polls: — Oregon was predicted to finish fourth in the Pac-12, according to the conference’s coaches poll. Oregon State was picked to win the Pac-12, receiving eight of the 10 first-place votes.

— Oregon was ranked No. 16 in Baseball America’s preseason poll.

The Ducks are one of five Pac-12 teams ranked in the poll.

Individual preseason accolades: — Starting pitcher Matt Krook was named a Louisville Slugger preseason third-team All American, according to Collegiate Baseball.

Despite missing the entire 2015 season due to injury, Krook should be a staple in the Ducks’ rotation.

— Closer Stephen Nogosek was named a preseason third-team All-American, according to Perfect Game. Nogosek finished 2015 with a 6-3 record and 2.02 ERA in 39 appearances.

2016 OREGON BASEBALL WITHOUT GARRETT CLEAVINGER, JOSH GRAHAM; WELCOMES NO. 8 RECRUITING CLASS B Y A N D R E W B A N T LY, @ A N D R E W B A N T LY

Oregon baseball saw five of its players drafted and signed by MLB clubs after the 2015

no reason to believe Carranza won’t start games. The 6-foot-5 right hander, like Cleavinger,

season, but the Ducks welcomed a recruiting class that Collegiate Baseball tabbed No. 8 in the

has a knack for striking out opposing hitters.

country to fill holes in the lineup.

Here’s a look at four departures and which freshmen could fill the void: Out: INF Mitchell Tolman Tolman led nearly every major offensive category in Oregon before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the seventh round (217 overall). The three-year starter hit .325, 20 doubles with 42 RBI in his final season with the Ducks. He never hit below .315 in his college career.

In: INF Travis Moniot Drafted out of high school in the MLB draft by the San Francisco Giants in the 34th round (1,026 overall), Moniot opted to stay with his commitment to Oregon. The switch hitting infielder earned first-team all-state and first-team all-league recognition after hitting .441 with nine doubles, four triples, a home run and 20 RBIs his senior season.

Out: LHP Garrett Cleavinger The Baltimore Orioles took Cleavinger, who served as Oregon’s closer last season, in the third round (102 overall). The Baldwin City, Kansas, native had a 1.58 ERA in 40.0 innings in relief,

Out: C/RHP Josh Graham A highly recruited catcher out of high school, Graham was drafted as a pitcher by the Atlanta Braves in the fourth round (120 overall). Graham served out of the bullpen in addition to starting six games. He finished with one shutout on the season, a 2.63 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 65.0 innings.

In: C/INF/RHP Parker Kelly As if Graham didn’t do enough being a catcher and pitcher, Kelly brings the ability to also play the infield. Kelly was drafted in the 34th round (1,031 overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals before opting to play for Oregon. As a senior in high school, Kelly hit .345 as a hitter and posted a 2.13 ERA in 26.1 innings as a pitcher, earning Perfect Game Second-Team All-American honors.

Out: RHP Conor Harber Harber finally signed after being drafted three different times, with the winning selection coming from the Milwaukee Brewers in the 16th round (481 overall). Harber played just one season with Oregon but proved to be a crucial arm when injuries plagued the Ducks, pitching 55.2 innings with 59 strikeouts.

allowing just 20 hits and striking out 66.

In: RHP Matt Mercer

In: RHP Isaiah Carranza

Even though Mercer suffered an injury requiring Tommy John surgery that kept the righty

The Texas Rangers selected Carranza in the 35th round (1,038 overall) before he impressed both head coach George Horton and pitching coach Mitch Karraker this fall at Oregon. There’s

from pitching his senior season, Oregon’s commitment to the Lacey, Washington, native never wavered. Mercer’s junior 0.92 ERA season earned him All-League and All-State honors.

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JACOBY:

GEORGE HORTON

ON THE HOT SEAT B Y K E N N Y J A C O B Y, @ K E N N Y J A C O B Y

Should Oregon baseball fail to advance to a Super Regional in 2016, its season would be considered a disappointment, and manager George Horton, who has yet to reach a College World Series in seven seasons at Oregon, could find himself coaching for his job in 2017.

Horton was an attractive hire when the Ducks appointed him to take over their resurrected program in 2009. As the head coach of Cal State Fullerton (CSUF) for 10 years, Horton accumulated a 490-212-1 record and made six College World Series appearances. He was named National Coach of the Year twice and won a national title in 2004.

Since joining Oregon, Horton has amassed a respectable 225-147-1 record and guided the team to regional tournaments five times. His contract was renewed after the Ducks went 46-19 and hosted a Super Regional in 2012, but the Ducks have failed to qualify for a Super Regional since that landmark season. They finished the 2015 season 38-25 after sneaking into and quickly exiting the regional tournament. In 2014 and 2015, they finished last among Pac-12 teams in hits, runs, walks, stolen bases and extrabase hits per game.

year, and sophomore David Peterson will try to build off his rookie campaign, in which he set the program record for strikeouts by a freshman with 81 in 82.0 innings.

Former pitching coach Dean Stiles, however, just left the Ducks to accept the same position at Florida International, even though his son Cooper Stiles is a pitcher for Oregon.

The Ducks filled the vacancy with administrative assistant Mitch Karraker, a former Oregon catcher and the brother of senior pitcher Jack Karraker. A down year for this pitching staff would represent a colossal waste of talent.

Oregon’s biggest concern entering the 2016 season is its offensive firepower. It lost its two best hitters, Mitchell Tolman and Scott Heineman, to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Texas Rangers in the 2015 MLB Draft, as well as its biggest home-run threat, Shaun Chase, to graduation. Outfielders Phil Craig-St. Louis and Jakob Goldfarb will try to fill those voids, although neither hit above .300 or slugged above .385 last season — in fact, no returning player did.

Freshmen standouts Matt Kroon and Travis Moniot could end up shouldering a large workload on offense.

Horton’s current contract guarantees him $500,000 per year, with the possibility of roughly $300,000 more in possible incentives. But the contract expires in 2017, and with the program’s recent regression, Oregon will have to consider a switch at head coach if the Ducks again don’t reach their potential. Horton’s sense of urgency to make a deep postseason run is greater now than ever.

Redshirt sophomore outfielder A.J. Balta and redshirt senior outfielder Steven Packard are expected to return to action after both missed the 2015 season due to injuries. Balta was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American after hitting .242 with three home runs, 12 doubles and 29 RBI in 2014. Packard played in 38 games in 2014, starting 11 at designated hitter and hitting .290, including .440 in the last 11 games he played.

Oregon boasts one of the most formidable starting rotations in college baseball in 2016, a trio of tall, hard-throwing left-handers whose performance will likely correlate with the team’s success. Redshirt sophomore Matt Krook will make his long-anticipated return from the ulnar collateral ligament injury he suffered mid-start in 2014. Redshirt junior Cole Irvin will try to return to his freshman form after struggling in his return from Tommy John surgery last

Oregon was ranked 14th in a preseason poll by D1Baseball, behind Oregon State (5th), California (9th), UCLA (11th) and USC (12th). But the Ducks’ expectations are set much higher than fifth place in the Pac-12, as it could be a long time before their bullpen arms are better than they are now.

Whether Horton can maximize the potential of his talented rotation and generate production from a lackluster group of hitters remains to be seen.

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ON THE MOUND B Y A N D R E W B A N T LY, @ A N D R E W B A N T LY

P

itching has always been a staple of Oregon baseball.

There are currently 10 former Ducks pitching professionally, despite the program being around for seven years, after being reinstated

in 2009.

Still, for one reason or the other, the Oregon baseball team’s starting rotation has gotten worse the last two years, resulting in the program’s worst two earned run averages since 2010. But that trend is likely to change this season, with the Ducks returning a healthy pitching staff full of talent and high expectations.

Junior starting pitcher Cole Irvin missed the entire 2014 season to an injury that required Tommy John surgery the season before. In 2015, the same was true of Matt Krook.

Both left-handers were some of Oregon’s best arms and proved irreplaceable.

Irvin was a unanimous freshman All-American in 2013, a season in which he won 12 games – a single-season program record – with a 2.48 ERA in 116.0 innings, the second-most in school history. His sophomore year was distracted, he says, by the MLB draft.

“That was my problem, focusing on the scouts and my draft,” Irvin said. “And that was selfish ... There’s no ‘I’ guys this year, and that includes me.”

In the offseason, the Yorba Linda, California, native improved his changeup command and fastball velocity so that he can better “finish hitters” – which is to say, strike them out.

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Oregon lost Krook with two months remaining in the 2014 season, but still the San Mateo, Calif. native earned Louisville Slugger freshman All-American recognition.

Krook, a former No. 35 pick in the MLB draft, struck out 60 batters in 45.1 innings with a 1.79 ERA and 22 hits allowed his freshman season.

And there’s no doubting the ability of his arm to begin the season.

“I’m planning on going 100 percent right out of the gate,” Krook said. “Expectations are still very high for myself. I plan to get going right where I left off.”

David Peterson’s another left-handed starting pitcher, who developed a Friday night-type of arm during his freshman season. The Denver product set an Oregon freshman record with 81 strikeouts over 82.0 innings, while finishing the season with five straight quality starts.

“A rotation like this has been something we haven’t had,” first-year pitching coach Mitch Karraker said. “Three lefthanders that have first- or second-round potential ... It’s a pretty special staff.”

(Taylor Wilder)

Oregon’s left-handed pitching lineup. Clockwise from left, Matt Krook, Cole Irvin and David Peterson. (Taylor Wilder)

For Karraker, a former catcher at Oregon, the focus has turned from getting these aces healthy to getting them to their highest potential. A potential that might prove to be the greatest since the program’s reinstatement.

“Like everybody’s talking about, the potential is unbelievable,” he said. “We’re really excited about what it could be. We still have a lot of work to do.”

Though the exact rotation of the three isn’t concrete, that holds little significance to the left-handers. Each are fighting to be the spade of the bunch.

“It’s definitely healthy competition of course,” Krook said. “We don’t bicker, we’re all friends and work hard for each other, for the team. We would all love to throw Friday, but I don’t think anyone is going to be super upset if they’re throwing Saturday or Sunday because we’re all Friday guys and we’re all good.”

Or as Peterson briefly put it,“The weekend is the weekend “Every game is important,” he said.

And they’ll be backed up by a bullpen packed with veterans,

(Cole Elsasser)

including preseason All-American closer Stephen Nogosek, and plenty of talented freshmen. After the offense saw a majority of its production graduate or get drafted a season ago, the consensus is that the team is looking to the starting rotation to lead them.

“Having those three lefties coming back all healthy this year is going to be tough to face if you’re the other team,” junior infielder Mark Karaviotis said. “I think those guys are really going to carry us where we need to go.”

Where they need to go was clear to Irvin. It’s somewhere Oregon baseball hasn’t been since it was resurrected.

“We’re going to Omaha,” Irvin said. “We have the best pitching staff in the country and we’re going to make a statement ...

Two or three runs is all we’re going to need. The hitters know it, so the pressure’s off them.”

If one asks Irvin, Peterson or Krook of the other’s stuff, words like “electric” and “sharp” are used. And now, days ahead of the 2016 season, they can also be described as “healthy,” which is perhaps the most important word of them all in the Ducks’ route to the College World Series.

17

SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

LOUISVILLE SLUGGER INVITATIONAL

Fri, Apr. 8 3:00 p.m.

Oregon State *

at Corvallis, OR

Fri, Mar. 11 12:00 p.m.

San Jose State

Stockton, CA

Sat, Apr. 9 3:30 p.m.

Oregon State *

at Corvallis, OR

Fri, Mar. 11 4:30 p.m.

Pacific

at Stockton, CA

Sun, Apr. 10 3:00 p.m.

Oregon State *

at Corvallis, OR

Sat, Mar. 12 2:15 p.m.

Sacramento State

Stockton, CA

Fri, Apr. 22 7:00 p.m.

Arizona State *

at Tempe, AZ

Sat, Mar. 12 4:30 p.m.

Pacific

at Stockton, CA

Sat, Apr. 23 7:00 p.m.

Arizona State *

at Tempe, AZ

Sun, Mar. 13 10:00 a.m.

Sacramento State

Stockton, CA

Sun, Apr. 24 1:00 p.m.

Arizona State *

at Tempe, AZ

Sat, Mar. 19 3:30 p.m.

Washington *

at Seattle, WA

Fri, Apr. 29 7:00 p.m.

Arizona *

Eugene, OR

Sun, Mar. 20 7:00 p.m.

Washington *

at Seattle, WA

Sat, Apr. 30 5:00 p.m.

Arizona *

Eugene, OR

Mon, Mar. 21 7:00 p.m.

Washington *

at Seattle, WA

Sun, May 1 12:00 p.m.

Arizona *

Eugene, OR

Thu, Mar. 24 6:00 p.m.

Eugene, OR

Tue, May 3 4:00 p.m.

Utah Valley

Eugene, OR

Stanford (Jane Sanders Stadium Opener) *

Tue, May 3 6:00 p.m.

Utah Valley

Eugene, OR

Fri, Mar. 25 6:00 p.m.

Stanford *

Eugene, OR

Fri, May 6 3:00 p.m.

California *

at Berkeley, CA

Sat, Mar. 26 12:00 p.m.

Stanford *

Eugene, OR

Sat, May 7 4:00 p.m.

California *

at Berkeley, CA

Fri, Apr. 1 6:00 p.m.

UCLA *

Eugene, OR

Sun, May 8 2:00 p.m.

California *

at Berkeley, CA

Sat, Apr. 2 7:30 p.m.

UCLA *

Eugene, OR

Thu, May 12 7:00 p.m.

Utah *

Eugene, OR

Sun, Apr. 3 2:00 p.m.

UCLA *

Eugene, OR

Fri, May 13 7:00 p.m.

Utah *

Eugene, OR

Tue, Apr. 5 3:00 p.m.

Portland State

Eugene, OR

Sat, May 14 2:00 p.m.

Utah *

Eugene, OR

Tue, Apr. 5 5:00 p.m.

Portland State

Eugene, OR

18

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FRESHMAN STEP UP TO THE PLATE B Y M A D I S O N L AY T O N , @ M A D I S O N L AY T O N 0 1

Back in 2015, when Oregon’s newest softball recruits signed their letters of

Outfielder Cherish Burks of Manteca, California, brings some speed to the

intent, head coach Mike White called the group “a very deep and talented class”

lineup. The No. 18 ranked recruit by FloSoftball went 81-for-82 in stolen

in an interview with GoDucks.

bases in her high school career. White added the newbie brings that quickness

Fifteen months later, the Ducks’ newest members will finally make their debut

“defensively in the outfield and offensively on the base paths.”

for the Oregon team. These freshmen bring talent and accolades, including All-

The only pitcher to join Oregon in this batch is Megan Kleist. The right-hander

County MVP, Player of the Year and state record holder.

was named the Post-Crescent Player of the Year, first team All-State and first

First up is April Utecht, who brings the title of Washington state record holder to Oregon. During her four years in high school, Utecht hit 57 home runs to secure the high school career record. She was also selected as a first team All-American by MaxPreps in 2015.

“April is a power hitter from the right side,” White said in an interview with GoDucks. “She’s a very hard worker and has greatly improved her defense at first base to go with her tremendous bat.”

Other power hitters joining the Oregon roster include Madi Bishop of Jonesboro, Arizona. and Marisa Given of Salinas, California.

Given made her mark when she hit a career-best .577 in her senior season, earning her the title of Monterey Herald All-County MVP. Bishop was named

team all-Fox Valley League as a senior. Despite the fact that she didn’t pitch her senior year due to an injury, Kleist made up the difference, playing second base for the year and hitting .607.

The Ducks have only two other pitchers besides Kleist listed this season, one of those being Cheridan Hawkins. With just one player vying for the same position, Kleist’s chances of making an early appearance for the Ducks are high.

“She is tall and throws a heavy drop with a good change,” White said to GoDucks of Klesit. “She’s a fantastic competitor, really loves the game.”

The final two additions to the team are Darya Kaboli-Nejad and Autumn Miller.

The two earned 2015 Nebraska Coaches Association All-Star and two straight appearances in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title game, respectively.

first team All-State in 2015 after hitting .526 that season.

Both join the Ducks as infielders for the 2016 season.

White said in an interview with GoDucks that the selection of Bishop came

In an interview with GoDucks, White expressed his excitement for the seven

because she “impressed us a couple years ago at camp with her power. She can

recruits to join the Oregon softball veterans.

really hit the ball hard.”

“These newcomers will fit right in with that group,” he said.

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SEASON PREVIEW VETERAN DUCKS LOOK TO LEAD OREGON SOFTBALL TO THE NEXT LEVEL

2016 WILL BE ONE LAST RIDE for Cheridan Hawkins.

The left-handed senior pitcher may go down as the most successful pitcher in Oregon history, but for now she has her sights set on another appearance in the Women’s College World Series — a place No. 6 Oregon is familiar with, but has yet to find any success at.

Hawkins led the Ducks to the WCWS last year with a 30-5 record, nine saves and a 1.63 earned-run average, which qualified her for the USA Softball Player of the Year award.

Hawkins is only a piece of the puzzle for Oregon, though. Seven other seniors will join her, looking to become the winningest senior class in Oregon history by breaking the 2015 senior class’ record of 202 total wins.

While Hawkins is expected to control the pitcher’s circle, fellow seniors Koral Costa, Janelle Lindvall, Geri Ann Glasco and Hailey Decker are expected to lead an extremely powerful and potent offense. Costa, Lindvall, Glasco and Decker were the top four home run hitters on last year’s team and combined to hit 42 of the team’s 76 returning blasts.

Not only do the Ducks return the powerful offense, the entire starting infield – which combined to post a .949 fielding percentage – will be back.

Decker will start at first base while juniors Danica Mercado (second base) and Nikki Udria (shortstop) will hold down the middle. Sophomore Jenna Lilley anchors down third base. Udria is widely considered one of the best defensive shortstops in the nation, with a career fielding percentage of .933.

The best player on the team, other than Hawkins, Lilley. In 2015, Lilley seamlessly replaced former four-year starter and All-American Courtney Ceo, hitting a team-high .427. Lilley also led the Ducks in on-

base percentage (.539), runs (60), doubles (12), walks (39) and stolen bases (16), en route to being named one of three finalists for the NFCA Freshman of the Year award.

With the departure of Janie Takeda, the only starter not returning to the team, sophomore Lauren Lindvall is one of the early candidates to replace her in left field. Last year, Lindvall hit .354 with six homers and four doubles, while splitting time with senior Alyssa Gillespie, who is expected to take over fulltime in right field.

Second baseman Sammie Puentes, a junior with the potential to drop down a drag bunt or blast the ball over the fence, bolsters the Ducks’ depth along with the powerful Gwen Svekis, who had 16 extra base hits last season.

Typically the Ducks get a boost from a freshman athlete, as was the case with Hawkins three years ago, Udria a year after that and Lilley last year.

This year, right-handed pitcher Megan Kleist has a chance to emerge as a potential No. 2 starter behind Hawkins. April Utecht and Marisa Given have the potential to make a difference at the plate.

If the Ducks are going to repeat last year’s Pac-12 championship — their third in a row — and a berth in the WCWS, it won’t be because of an easy schedule. Oregon is scheduled to face teams currently ranked or receiving votes in the national poll in 25 of its scheduled 54 games.

Oregon can expect an early-season test; its first 29 games of the year will come on the road. The Ducks will play in five different states over five weeks, culminating in a three-game series against No. 11 LouisianaLafayette on Feb. 19-20, and a three-game series in Seattle against No. 20 Washington.

B Y R YA N K O S T E C K A , @ R YA N _ K O S T E C K A

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Jane Sanders Stadium is set to debut for Oregon softball’s game against Stanford on March 24.

ON COURSE TO BE READY FOR PAC-12 HOME-OPENER B Y R YA N K O S T E C K A , @ R YA N _ K O S T E C K A

The Oregon softball program had become known as one of the best teams in the nation with one of the worst facilities. Over the past four years, the Ducks have compiled a 20246-1 record, three Pac-12 championships and three berths in the Women’s College World Series, including a showing in the 2012 WCWS championship series.

Apart from missing that ever-elusive national championship trophy, Oregon was missing the facilities to back up its success. The Ducks used to play at Howe Field, a baseball field built in 1936 that was converted to a softball stadium in 1987. Despite the history that accompanied the field, the inadequate seating, dumpy and musty locker rooms and overall poor conditions meant the stadium was due for a renovation.

On Friday, March 24, the Ducks will face Stanford at 6 p.m. in just another conference game, but more importantly, they’ll christen a new part of Oregon softball history: Jane Sanders Stadium.

22

“It was breathtaking; the stadium is beautiful,” senior Geri Ann Glasco said upon entering Jane Sanders for the first time on Feb. 2. “We are really lucky to play in this [stadium] and are so grateful for that.”

“Howe was a big part of our program and this is the next step in our program,” sophomore Jenna Lilley added.

The softball program was informed of its new home at the kickoff of the Women in Fight program back in June 2014, thanks to a $10 million donation from Robert Sanders. Sanders, a former Oregon football player from the class of 1949, met his wife Jane Sanders, a former cheerleader from the class of 1950, at Oregon, and together they sustained a great amount of success in the lumber industry.

“The generous donation from the Sanders family has made it a uniquely exciting time for Oregon softball,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens told GoDucks.com back in 2014. “We are pleased

to build Jane Sanders Stadium on campus where so many memories have been made.”

As of now, the stadium is nearly complete and both head coach Mike White and Mullens fully expect the stadium to be finished come the home-opener on March 24.

“Everything that we’ve heard puts us right on schedule ... it’s a very tight timeline,” Mullens said. “We’ve got 100 folks here working today, hustling ... but we are right on schedule for March 24.”

One of Jane Sanders Stadium’s main upgrades is centralizing every softball-related facility at one location. Apart from the stadium, White and his staff will have a building containing their offices, a team meeting room, bathrooms and locker rooms. Also, Oregon will have an indoor facility big enough to fit an entire infield, as well as drop down nets to form batting cages, allowing the players to get extra work in during the rainy season.

Oregon Softball Head Coach Mike White poses with three of his players.

“We now have a practice facility. Now we can come out here at any time and don’t have to worry about other teams being in our facility or having to share,” White said. “We can go do our inside work there when it’s raining, and now because of the outfield and its synthetic surface, it can drain straight away and be ready to go.”

The Oregon ticket office has already sold over 900 season tickets, making it the top Oregon women’s sport as far as ticket sales go.

“We’ve gone from Howe Field with maybe 700 seats — most of those obstructed — to just under 1,500 seats,” Jeff Stewart, associate director of Oregon Ticket Operations, said. “As far as singlegame tickets go, we’re still not sure yet when those will be available — there will be outfield bleachers put in once construction is complete here for an additional 1,000 seats that will be general admission.”

The coveted student section for Oregon supporters will be placed directly behind the

opposing team’s dugout and right next to its fans, a delight to the Oregon softball players.

“Our fans here are the best fans in the country and I truly believe that. Once you get [fans] into the stadium, the stadium will seem a lot bigger to the opponent,” Glasco said. “It’ll be good for us and it’s just another part of having home field advantage.”

The addition of turf in the outfield will allow the Ducks to play through more rain because the outfield will not be mushy and muddy. This will not only cut back on the number of rain delays, it will allow Oregon to host games and tournaments prior to the beginning of the Pac-12 season in mid-March. The Ducks have not played a home game within the first five weeks of the season and haven’t hosted a preseason tournament since the Cascade Clash in 2007.

Arguably the biggest benefit of having the new stadium and complex will be the expected recruiting boost the Ducks should receive. The

program is already among the best in the nation and arguably the best on the West Coast, so having facilities to match that pedigree will attract not only the top recruits on this side of the country, but the top recruits across the nation.

“I’ve played on a lot of different fields, seen a lot of different fields and I think this is probably the most beautiful stadium I’ve ever been in,” Glasco said.

For years, White and his staff have been in discussions about taking the next step forward as a program, and it always settled on a state-ofthe-art complex to compete with other colleges.

The idea of a new stadium always seemed like a distant possibility, but now that it’s finally here and almost ready, White couldn’t be happier.

“It’s solid now. It’s not just a picture now; it’s not just a dream,” White said. “We started telling the story [of getting a new complex] a few years ago, so now we’re just real, real excited that the time is here.”

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