MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2025
EXPECTATION OPPORTUNITY
The Ducks’ depth is ready to take them the extra mile
Duck Season 2025
Duck Season, the Emerald’s sports magazine. is published by Emerald Media Group Inc., the independent nonprofit news company at the University of Oregon. Formerly the Oregon Daily Emerald, the news organization was founded in 1900.
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ON THE COVER
(COVER) Oregon baseball celebrates after hitting their first home run of the season at PK Park in Eugene during their game against Columbia on Feb. 28, 2025.
(Anna Liv Myklebust/Emerald)
(RIGHT) University of Oregon players salute the crowd with the ‘O’ after securing a victory at PK Park. The University of Oregon baseball team defeated Columbia College 7-0 on March 2, 2025 at PK Park in Eugene.
(Max Unkrich / Emerald)
NEWSROOM
Editor in Chief: Tristin Hoffman
Print Managing Editor: Mathias Lehman-Winters
Copy Chief: Olivia Ellerbruch
Sports Editors: Brady Ruth, Jack Lazarus
Sports Reporters: Lily Crane, Max Koebel, Joe Krasnowski, Owen Murray
Photo Editors: Molly McPherson, Jonathan Suni
Photographers: Miles Cull, Anna Liv Myklebust, Max Unkrich, Darby Winter
Design Editor: Sam Butler
Designers: Eva Andrews, Adaleah Carmen, Gabriela, Martinez Contreras, Ash Frieswyk, Tayloe Grace, Olivia Hoskinson, Bella Lyon
BUSINESS
President & Publisher: Eric Henry x317
Vice President, Operations: Kathy Carbone x302
Creative Director: Anna Smith x327
ADVERTISING
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Account Executives: Cooper Gast, Elliot Byrne, Ysai Hong, Nate Ghilarducci
Table of Contents
YOUNG ARMS
YOUNG ARMS
Oregon baseball lost several pitchers from last year’s Super Regional staff. They believe this year is ‘reliable.’
BY OWEN MURRAY Sports Reporter
Oregon’s pitching staff faced a revamp after a 2024 season that, while successful, lost multiple arms from a Super Regional bullpen. The Ducks lost their Friday starter (RJ Gordon), Sunday starter (RHP Kevin Seitter), two elite bullpen arms (Brock Moore and Bradley Mullan) and closer (RHP Logan Mercado) to graduation or the MLB Draft. While rising junior Grayson Grinsell was tabbed as the Big Ten’s Preseason Pitcher of the Year, the staff around him faced significant reshuffling.
Enter a group featuring two freshmen who’d start their first games early in the season amongst returning power.
Freshmen reliever Kellan Knox and starter Will Sanford were put on the bump early in the year, in the Ducks’ first series of the season against the University of Toledo. They’re not shy of accolades — Knox was named first-team All-State in Washington and Sanford was Perfect Game and Prep Baseball Report’s No. 9 righty pitcher in California.
“Walking up to the mound on that first inning,” Sanford said after his first-ever ap-
pearance. “You see all the fans, get a little nervous, but I think as soon as you throw that first pitch and get that out of the way, you feel good.”
They’ve been vital as Oregon has played its early games in a variety of ways this year.
The Ducks won 1-0 (courtesy of a standout performance from sophomore Collin Clarke) and 19-12 in back-to-back doubleheader games in a series against Rhode Island University.
Oregon allowed three or fewer runs five times in its first nine games. Granted, it gave up 40 total runs across the other four, but the Ducks have shown their mettle through the early part of the season.
The full staff looked largely imperious through three series. Grinsell hasn’t yet hit the levels that his preseason award foreshadowed, but still showed why he was the favorite through three series. 6’11’’ junior Jason Reitz had a successful, 68-pitch, 1-earned-run outing against Columbia University (a 35-1 win) and sophomore Collin Clarke struck out eight in the second game of the doubleheader against the Lions.
Early blowouts have provided looks at bullpen freshmen, too. Michael Meckna and Tyler Jones got work against Rhode Is-
land and Columbia, where Meckna pitched 6.2 total innings without a run and Jones threw 1.1 against the Rams and surrendered just one hit.
“They work their tails off around here,” Wasikowski said of the freshmen pitchers. “And so when we can (get them into games), that’s really important — and when we can get some of the guys who’ve been rolled out there as starters off their feet a little bit, that’s important too.”
Veteran wisdom will be what Oregon relies upon next as it chases postseason success after back-to-back Super Regional appearances in 2023 and 2024. In both those years, the Ducks exited the postseason after giving up 11 and 15 runs in the deciding game. Clarke has some good news:
“They’re reliable,” Clarke said of the Ducks’ young hurlers. “They’re young, but they sure do act old.”
On the mound, there’s an abundance of depth. The talent, the Ducks say, is there. They just have to perform.
( ABOVE) Collin Clarke (10) and the Oregon Ducks took on the Rhode Island Rams on Feb. 22, 2025 at PK Park in Eugene.
(Darby Winter/Emerald)
OREGON SOFTBALL IS BRINGING OUT THE BATS
BY MAX KOEBEL Sports Reporter
Softball season is underway and the Oregon Ducks are off to an explosive start. One of the biggest offensive weapons for Oregon thus far has been its ability to hit the home run ball. As a whole, the Ducks have hit 36 homers up to this point.
A key contributor to Oregon’s home run success has been its freshman class. First baseman Rylee McCoy has hit nine home runs with 23 hits and 20 RBIs. She is batting .460 with a 1.597 OPS and a 1.080 slugging percentage entering March. McCoy was ranked No. 2 nationally at first base and No. 15 overall in high school by Extra Inning Softball.
Also in the mix of Oregon’s power hitting is freshman pitcher and infielder Stefini Ma’ake, who has hit eight home runs and recorded 24 hits and 24 RBIs as of March 2. Ma’ake was ranked No. 12 in the nation by Extra Inning Softball in high school and played club softball with fellow Ducks Paige Sinicki, Ayanna Shaw, Taylour Spencer, and Emma Cox.
Emma Cox is another freshman who Oregon softball fans should have their eyes on. She was a three-way athlete in high school, participating in softball, basketball, and volleyball. The catcher has recorded four home runs along with 17 hits and 15 RBIs through her first month as a Ducks.
In addition to the group of freshmen who have made their presence felt early, the Ducks also have several older players who have seen the team through its ups and downs in recent years and are thrilled to see a promising start to this season. Senior shortstop Paige Sinicki is coming off of a tremendous junior season on both sides of the ball.
Not only was she named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and awarded an
How hitting with power has boosted the Ducks early
NFCA Rawlings Gold Glove, but recorded a career high batting average of .282 with 16 RBIs. This year, she is batting .421 so far while recording 24 hits with four home runs and 15 RBIs (as of March 1) as she looks to build on last season.
Senior infielder Dezianna Patmon is off to a hot start offensively. She is in her first season at Oregon after playing two seasons at North Carolina A&T State University, and one at New Mexico State University. In those three seasons, Patmon has hit 26 home runs with 78 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .600.
In the first weekend of March, the Ducks played their first pair of home games this season and they came in swinging. Scoring 18 runs between the two games brings a lot of fire to the dugout and to the fans. McCoy, Ma’ake, and Patmon had the biggest standout performances with the bat that day in front of one of the largest crowds Jane Sanders Stadium has ever seen.
“It’s a dream come true,” Ma’ake said, “especially at our home opener in front of all the fans.
awhile, and others who just arrived through the transfer portal. When you combine all of them with the hungry squad of freshmen, you have a team with the potential to swing deep. There is no ceiling under the sky that will limit how far this group can go.
( BELOW ) The University of Oregon Ducks defeated the Loyola Chicago Ramblers 9-1 on March 2, 2025, at Jane Sanders Stadium.
(Miles Cull/Emerald)
A bunch of the parents came up to me and were like ‘we’ve never seen a fanbase this big at the Jane,’ so we were like, ‘okay, we’re not gonna think too big, we’re just gonna see the ball, hit the ball’ and I think we really executed that well.”
This team has a diverse range of talent. It has experienced seniors, some of whom have been in Eugene for
MADDOX MOLONY SHINES IN EARLY SEASON STRETCH MADDOX MOLONY SHINES IN EARLY SEASON STRETCH
The baseball season is well underway and the No. 11 Ducks boast a formidable piece as their rock up the middle
BY JACK LAZARUS Sports Associate Editor
Oregon baseball fields a star-studded roster filled with weapons at every position. None more important than the man the Ducks trust up the middle of their defense — sophomore Maddox Molony.
Molony’s breakout campaign in 2024 proved one of the prevailing stories to come out of Oregon’s successful spring. Going into the 2025 season, both the Ducks and Molony were expected to keep stride with previous successes.
Molony slashed .315/.402/.566 with 10 home runs, 31 RBIs and finished with an incredible OPS of .968. The freshman phenom was also named to both the First-Team All-Pac-12 and NCBWA Second-Team All-Freshman.
The 10 home runs and .566 slugging percentage also ended up as Oregon freshman records.
Even after a brilliant start to his college career, Molony mentioned earlier in the season that he made a point to gain weight in the offseason, and now weighs in at 210 lbs.
he’s just a good player,” Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski said. “A scout grabbed me this morning and said that ‘he walks around and the aura around him makes him look like a major leaguer.’ I couldn’t agree with him any more, he’s that kind of kid.”
In just a fraction of the time, Molony has already reached half of his home run total from last season. The Springfield native has used his increased power to his — and the Ducks’ — advantage by hitting five home runs as of the end of the Columbia series.
(Max Unkrich/Emerald)
Four of those home runs came in two games, as Molony sent a pair of blasts over the fence in two different contests.
Along with the five homers, Molony has posted a team-leading OPS and slugging percentage of 1.438 and .917, respectively. His .417 batting average also places him second in the team standings — behind Burk-Lee Mabeus’ outstanding .483 line.
“It’s helped a lot. Don’t know if that last home run gets out if I am not 210 lbs,” Molony said after hitting two home runs in a win over The University of Toledo Rockets.
Molony missed the back half of the series against The University of Rhode Island due to injury, but returned as a crucial part of Oregon’s sweep over Columbia University. Molony tallied five hits, seven RBIs and two home runs in the series sweep over the Lions.
“His presence is awesome. He’s a settling force. Big, strong kid…
Molony solidified himself as the chosen player at the most-important position in the infield. He plays a very good defense, only committing three errors in 2024. After three home series, Molony’s fielding percentage of .964 lagged slightly behind his .980 clip from 2024, but the more he plays — and the more he plays well — the more his fielding percentage will improve.
Molony set the tone with an incredible 2024 and a tremendous start to the 2025 season. A solid shortstop is important to any successful baseball team, and the Ducks boast success behind Molony and the infield.
University of Oregon infielder Maddox Molony (9) makes solid contact at the plate. The University of Oregon baseball team defeated Columbia College 7-0 on March 2, 2025 at PK park in Eugene.
UNLIMITED ABILITY
What makes this Oregon baseball roster so special?
BY BRADY RUTH Sports Editor
Unlike previous seasons, this year of Oregon baseball feels less about opportunity and more about expectation.
“This group has unlimited ability,” Carter Garate, Oregon’s third baseman, said after a win over The University of Toledo. He’s not just hyping up his teammates, he’s right.
The 2025 Oregon Ducks are loaded with talent young and old. They boast several personnel options at almost every position on the field.
They’re also one of only five teams to have made the Super Regional round in each of the past two seasons. Oregon, however, is the only team to have finished in the top 16 in back-toback seasons without hosting a regional.
That’s the expectation this year: to play postseason baseball at PK Park.
Sounds simple enough, and competing in a weak Big Ten Conference — Oregon was one of only two Big Ten teams (Nebraska) to start the season ranked — should help head coach Mark Wasikowski’s squad achieve its mission.
But it’ll require something that previous teams didn’t always have: incredible depth and the ability to win in different ways.
One quality of a great time is being able to find victory on a day where the bats are cold or the wings on the mound are struggling to record outs. That’s something Wasikowski’s squad is highlighting this season.
“You’ve gotta be able to win in a lot of different ways,” Wasikowksi said after a win over The University of Rhode Island. “You’ve gotta be able to win by hitting the ball over the fence; you’ve gotta be able to win by bunting sometimes or stealing a base.”
It’s early in the season, but so far, the Ducks have shown that they can do just that. Enter ing conference play, Oregon had more shutout wins (three) than total losses (two) while tallying seven games with nine or more runs scored.
most extreme examples of winning in differ ent ways, the Ducks found victory both in a 1-0, 11-inning marathon with Rhode Island and with a 35-1 win over Columbia University that saw them set a new program record in runs scored.
Garate said of his team’s identi ty. “I think we’re still trying to figure it out. I don’t really
( ABOVE) Drew Smith (17) slides into 3rd base. The Oregon Ducks took on the Rhode Island Rams on Feb. 22 at PK Park in Eugene.. (Darby Winter/Emerald)
( BELOW ) University of Oregon utility player Jack Brooks (6) locks in at the plate, ready for his next at-bat against Columbia.
think you can put a cap on one thing. We can come at you many different ways with our pitching staff and offense.”
With as much power as Wasikowski’s team has, he doesn’t want them to be limited or categorized by it. He even mentioned after a game against Toledo — in which his Ducks hit seven homers — that he wishes there would have been more singles to put guys on base before the long balls.
But it seems that nothing makes him
happier than his pitching staff throwing a zero on the scoreboard. After all, a team can’t lose if it never gives up a run.
No matter how the Ducks choose to win their games on any given day, they have seemingly countless guys that can make it
push each other to be better, and I think you’ll see that throughout the season.”
“We’re all very athletic people,” Molony said. “It’s cool seeing the guys I work with every day have success.”
Molony will almost certainly have the shortstop position locked up as long as he remains healthy. His counterpart across the way at second base, however, remains to be seen.
Smith is a great bat to have in the lineup when he’s available, but Cooney’s been smacking the cover off the ball early in 2025. Brooks is a wonderful utility option, and will likely see sporadic starts throughout midweek games and non-conference contests.
With temporary injuries and hot streaks moving guys in and out of the lineup, the early-season consistency that the Ducks have shown is all that more impressive. All season long, there’s been power hitters at the top of the lineup and high-average guys at the bottom.
“Me and Cooney have a thing where we call ourselves the ‘eight/nine merchants’,” Garate said. “It’s our job to get on base and let the top of the order drive us in.”
This team is stacked and has high aspirations. Unlike programs ready for a rebuild or a revival, Oregon’s been a game or two away from Omaha two years running. This year, the Ducks feel like they can get there with their unlimited ability and versatility.
- Maddox Molony, UO Baseball Infielder
It’s cool seeing the guys I work with every day have success. “ “
“I would say that there’s things to improve on for sure,” Garate said. “But I think we’ve set a good stone to build on.”
For Garate to say his team is still building after back-to-back Super Regional appearances is a bold statement, but it matches the one that his Ducks look to make in their first Big Ten season.
(LEFT) Grayson Grinsell (2) pitches the ball during their game against Columbia on Feb. 28, 2025.
(Anna Liv Myklebust/ Emerald)
(Max Unkrich / Emerald)
University of Oregon infielder Carter Garate (3) smiles as he heads back to the dugout after scoring a run. The University of Oregon baseball team defeated Columbia College 7-0 on March 2, 2025 at PK Park in Eugene.
OREGON SOFTBALL FOUND ITS CLOSER
BY LILY CRANE Sports Reporter
No. 5 University of Tennessee had the bases juiced in the fifth inning against Oregon softball at the Mary Nutter Classic on Feb. 20.
The Ducks held the Volunteers to a shutout and didn’t want to lose their opportunity to seize a massive victory. Transfer pitcher Lyndsey Grein dealt — called strike three. She escaped the top of the fifth without any damage.
Oregon has rostered some strong pitchers in recent years, but Grein provides something it has lacked: a pitcher who can get out of a jam.
The Ducks finished a stretch of three weeks on the road with a 5-0 outing at the Mary Nutter Classic. All five of those teams played in the NCAA Tournament last season and three ranked in the top-25. Grein was a key cog in Oregon’s success, earning multiple recognitions.
Grein became the first Duck to win National Fastpitch Coaches Association Pitcher of the Week since Brooke Yanez did so in 2021. She also captured her second Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honor of the season.
“I’m very grateful and thankful to be recognized,” Grein said. “However, I still have a lot more work to do and I look forward to doing it.”
Grein pitched 18.0 shutout innings at the Mary Nutter Classic to help the program to a 15-1 start, its best since 2021.
Part of the early success Grein has achieved on the mound is due to the dedication she put into improving her drop ball in the fall and over the break.
“To see her get swinging misses and strikeouts with her drop ball, I think it really opens up her spread and doesn’t allow teams to just hunt one level,” head coach Melyssa Lombardi said.
Grein said that during her recruitment process she told Lombardi a list of things she wanted to improve on — including her drop ball — and they got to work.
“I don’t think there’s anything else you could really ask for besides hav-
ing a coach that’s willing to help you grow and also care for you at the same time,” Grein said.
The junior pitcher displayed few flaws in the first three weekends at Oregon. In the fifth inning of the Ducks’ first game of the Oregon Classic, she ran into trouble for one of the first times this season. The University of San Diego scored all five of its runs in the fifth.
Grein eventually settled into the game and retired the final seven batters.
The rest of the weekend was smooth sailing for the Oregon pitching after Elise Sokolsky also struggled against the Toreros in the first game. The pair combined for 18 strikeouts across two games and both reached 300 career strikeouts on the second day of the Oregon Classic.
Grein spoke about the camaraderie of the Ducks’ pitching staff ahead of the Oregon Classic and their ability to lean on each other regardless of if the game is going their way or not.
“Knowing that you can come into any situation or come out of any situation knowing that your teammate’s going to have your back is huge,” Grein said. “I’m super, super close with my bullpen mates.”
After Grein and Oregon defeated multiple top-25 teams in the first three weeks, the program saw lesser-known opponents at the Oregon Classic. The Ducks’ mentality of focusing on what it can do better every game is what’s led to its early success.
“We also talk a lot about having a faceless opponent,” Grein said. “Treat everybody the same and stay within ourselves.”
Oregon got off to its best start since the 2021 season, winning 15-straight and sitting at 20-1 after its home-opening weekend. If the Ducks continue to combine their timely hitting with Grein’s dominance on the mound, their steady rise in the rankings will only continue.
Lyndsey Grein is stepping up as the pitcher the Ducks have been looking for
Oregon Pitcher Lindsey Grein (33) warms up in the bullpen. The University of Oregon Ducks defeated the Loyola Chicago Ramblers 9-1 on March 2, 2025, at Jane Sanders Stadium.
(Miles Cull/Emerald)
EMMA COX NEXT IN LINE FOR LINEAGE OF STAR OREGON CATCHERS
JOE KRASNOWSKI Sports Reporter
Diamond sports and numbers coalesce like no other.
With the wealth of data, coaches, fans and journalists alike have incredible amounts of information and technology about players. Oregon softball even has a machine that simulates their next opposing pitchers’ deliveries. The numbers, the data and the technology tell the story: how to evaluate a player, where they should bat and so on.
Then, there are catchers, one position where sometimes, the numbers can’t tell the story.
Coaches can look at a player’s offensive output, and track their ability to throw out runners, but in other areas of the game — pitch framing, game managing and immeasurable confidence — catchers’ value remains hard to gauge.
Emma Cox is becoming one of those catchers for the Oregon softball team.
“I thought she did a really nice job,” Oregon head coach Melyssa Lombardi said of Cox after she was the first of three Ducks in a row to receive Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. “I love the way she swung the bat. I think she does a really great job working with our pitchers, and just what she does
behind the plate.”
The numbers back up Cox’s performance too — through her first 17 collegiate games, Cox tallied a .354 batting average, four homers and threw out a pair of runners.
“I would say I wasn’t expecting to do as well as I did,” Cox said after the first weekend of the season. “But I got to this place where I was like, ‘you know, good or bad, we’re not going to worry about the outcome’. I’m going to focus on what I can control, and whatever happens, happens.”
But, a catcher’s true value sometimes comes in their relationship with their pitchers — something Cox has excelled at in her early career.
“I love our pitchers a lot,” Cox said. “They are grinders and they want to win. So, I felt like it was super easy with me coming in because they made me feel so comfortable and I have a great relationship with all of them.”
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Cox, not with the backstop missing almost the entirety of the Oregon Classic after suf fering an injury on a deflected foul ball in the first game. Still, with a return to play likely, and Cox emerging as a dependable force behind the dish and at the plate, the sky’s the limit for the Thornton, Colorado native.
After a combined five sea sons of All-Conference-level play from both Terra McGowan and Emma Kauf, Lombardi entered the sea son without certainty of what the Ducks’ future behind the plate would look like. Then, Cox entered the scene.
But adding Cox to a lauded freshman group has certainly added some clarity to the team’s plans behind the plate in 2025.
“It’s so exciting to see what they are do ing,” associate head coach Sam Marder said of the freshman class. “They are tak ing on a huge load, and a lot of times as freshmen, what people are now start ing to expect of them is incredible… I don’t know if people are recogniz ing enough how special what this freshman class is doing.”
The freshman backstop is turning heads in the early going
(Molly McPherson/Emerald)
(BELOW) Emma Cox (21) cheers with her team in the Oregon dugout. The Oregon Ducks softball team faced off against the Florida State Seminoles in the Jane Sanders Classic at Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene on March 9, 2025. (Molly McPherson/Emerald)
Emma Cox (21) joins her team on the field after the Ducks win. The Oregon Ducks softball team faces off against the Florida State Seminoles in the Jane Saunders Classic at Jane Saunders Stadium in Eugene on Mar. 9, 2025.
BEHIND THE DISH
Oregon baseball boasts a number of stellar options at the catcher position
BY BRADY RUTH Sports Editor
This season’s Oregon baseball team is blessed with incredible depth at a number of positions, but maybe none more so than catcher.
This was a big theme of last year’s team and identity. It wasn’t uncommon to see two or three traditional catchers in the lineup with Bennett Thompson, Anson Aroz and Chase Meggers filling the lineup card both behind the dish and in the outfield.
Meggers and Aroz are back in 2025, but the addition of three freshmen keeps the catcher competition fresh. Meggers has been banged up to start the year, but it was originally expected that he’ll be the main backstop when he gets healthy as the sea
egon head coach Mark Wasikowski has praised his defense on several occasions. With weekends chalkedfull of four-game series opened the season, Niclai has been a solid option to give guys some much-needed rest.
“Coen’s a great player,” Mabeus said. “I’m great friends with Coen, (he’s) one of my best friends here. The talent that he has, I can feel it on my side for sure and it pushes me.”
Even Zach Justice, a local kid from Bend, Oregon, has seen playing time in the young season. Wasikowski has a constant conundrum on his hands each time he fills out his lineup card. Each guy can contribute, but that only makes his decisions harder.
Of course, we can’t forget about Aroz. He’s been slugging like nobody’s business through the early parts of the season. He only hit six homers in 2024, but was already up to five by March of this year. He’s more of a utility option for the Ducks and has spent a lot of time in the outfield. When Meggers returns, Aroz may establish himself as Oregon’s everyday left fielder.
“We’re not a team that chases stats,” Aroz said. “We’re a team that’s very process-oriented.”
Several pitchers have praised each option behind the plate. They’ve had good things to say both about each individual option, but also the core as a whole. It would appear that the majority of the pitching staff is comfortable with whoever their backstop is on any given day.
“That’s good to hear,” Mabeus said. “I spend a lot of time with the pitchers (in) bullpens or practices. My overall goal is to make sure they’re pitching good. I think they can feel that that’s my intent and I think it rubs off on them pretty good.”
As the season progresses, it’s entirely possible that we see these names flowing in and out of the lineup and even flexing from position to position. That’s the privilege Wasikowski has with this season’s loaded catching core.
University of Oregon infielder Maddox Molony (9) makes solid contact at the plate.
FRESHMAN WATCH
Both of Oregon’s diamond sports are thriving with young stars at the helm
BY OWEN MURRAY Sports Reporter
There’s been an invasion of youth onto the diamonds in Eugene.
Both Oregon’s softball and baseball teams have benefited early in their seasons from
powerful freshmen — on the mound and also on the basepaths. Both have high expectations, but the rookies involved aren’t holding them back. They’re leading the charge.
At Jane Sanders Stadium, it’s freshmen who are powering the top of head coach Melyssa Lombardi’s lineup.
coached hard, they’re incredibly accountable. They’re going to make a lasting impact on this program.”
Rylee McCoy led all Ducks with a .489 batting average entering the month of March and a teamhigh nine home runs in her first season with the team. A California native, McCoy went 3-4 against San Diego State University on Feb. 21 in her best outing of the season.
Stefini Ma’ake smashed eight home runs in her first 52 at-bats in 2025, accumulating a .355 batting average. A high-school home run derby winner, Ma’ake has continued that trend at Oregon. Batting cleanup behind Kai Luschar, Dezianna Patmon and McCoy, she registered a hit in 15 of her first 20 games.
Catcher Emma Cox only adds to Oregon’s mountain of young talent. She comes from the same club team as current teammates Paige Sinicki and Ma’ake. Before suffering an injury against Portland State that ruled her out for the Oregon Classic, Cox was the first Duck to earn a weekly honor from the Big Ten, when she was named Freshman of the Week after a starring role during Oregon’s 5-0 run at the UNLV Desert Classic.
Behind the plate, she has been secure — just two errors through 16 games before her injury have amply bridged the gap after the Ducks lost veteran 2024 catcher Emma Kauf to graduation.
“I think what’s great about (the freshmen) is that they can be coached in a lot of different ways,” Oregon softball associate head coach Sam Marder said. “They’re energetic, they can be
Across the Willamette River, Oregon baseball is going player-for-player with Lombardi’s group. Head coach Mark Wasikowski has stocked his bullpen with new arms and loaded the diamond with talent to back them up.
Pitchers Will Sanford and Kellan Knox both made their first appearances during the Ducks’ season-opening series against the University of Toledo. The two appeared in the fourth matchup of the weekend, where Sanford started in a 6-1 win.
Wasikowski called Sanford’s performance, “Just okay,” after the win — but admitted that that was only because he’s seen better from the rookie in practice.
Sanford, meanwhile, praised Knox, who he called, “A dog,” and said, “He’s always working for us. He has the mentality where he’s just going to attack you. He doesn’t care who’s in the box…I feel confident with this whole staff.”
Opposite the arms, it’s been all about catchers Burke-Lee Mabeus and Coen Niclai. Mabeus was named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week after Oregon’s series win over University of Rhode Island University, where he boosted the Ducks to victory with a grand slam in a 15-2 win and registered eight RBIs over the weekend.
Niclai, meanwhile, joined the Ducks despite being drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 15th round last year. He started for Oregon in games against Rhode Island and Toledo, before smacking his first-career homer against Columbia. He’ll likely have to split time with Mabeus — and returner Chase Meggers — behind the dish, but it’s not a worry for their coach.
“They’re just both really good,” Wasikowski said of Mabeus and Niclai. “We’re lucky to have them both and they’ve caught extremely well…they don’t feel like freshmen back there.”
That might be the highest praise of all.
Mabeus (5)
