Baseball Weekly Release: Nike College Showcase
03/09/12 | Baseball
Nike College Showcase
• Date: Friday-Sunday, March 9-11
• Venue: PK Park (Eugene, Ore.)
• Radio: KSCR 1320 AM in Eugene/Springfield; Terry Jonz, play-by-play
• Webcast: O-Zone
• Live Stats: www.GoDucks.com
• Twitter: @OregonBaseball for in-game updates, stats, etc
• Facebook
BROADCAST INFORMATION
In the Eugene/Springfield area, Terry Jonz will call all the action from Oregon's four games at PK Park on KSCR 1320 AM. For fans outside of the Eugene/Springfield area, Oregon's O-Zone will broadcast allof the Nike Showcase Events which take place at Oregon's PK Park. Fans purchasing the special $9.95 “Nike Showcase 3 Day Pass” will be able to watch seven of the tournament's 12 games live on the O-Zone.
Radio Affiliates
Brookings KURY 910 AM
Eugene KSCR 1320 AM
Medford KCMX 880AM
Portland The Game 750 AM
Roseburg KQEN 1240 AM
HOME SWEET HOME
No. 17 Oregon will enjoy its second consecutive week at PK Park as the Ducks co-host the first-ever Nike College Showcase along with Oregon State.
The 12-game showcase will feature five games at Goss Stadium on the campus of Oregon State, while the Ducks will host seven games at PK Park.
The teams participating in the showcase include 2011 Super Regional participant and Big East regular-season champion Connecticut (4-6), 22nd-ranked Oklahoma (9-3), 2011 Big Ten Tournament and regular-season champion Illinois (4-5), and West Virginia (6-6).
RANKINGS
After beginning the season unranked, the Ducks are currently ranked in all four national polls, and rest at No. 17 in the Baseball America rankings.
PROMOTIONS
Head to the Duck Store and pick up a coupon to receive $5 general admission tickets to all three days of the Nike College Showcase.
On Friday, the first set of the 2012 Oregon baseball trading cards will be given away at the gate, while on Saturday the first 100 fans through the gate will receive free handwarmers.
OREGON PREVIEW
The Ducks are currently on a 10-game winning streak, their longest since 1969, and Oregon's 10-1 start is the best for the program since 1965.
Oregon has also swept back-to-back opponents at then 17th-ranked Vanderbilt (Feb. 24-26) and at home against Long Beach State (March 2-4). The Ducks are batting .285 as a team, with four everyday starters hitting over .300: Ryon Healy (.333), Scott Heineman (.333), Aaron Jones (.327) and Brett Thomas (.324). Healy, Oregon's clean-up batter, leads the Ducks with 12 RBIs, while the club has totaled 17 stolen bases. The pitching staff maintains a 3.17 ERA, and has totaled 86 strikeouts. The Ducks have won five games by one run, matching the one-run win total from 2011.
NIKE COLLEGE SHOWCASE
Connecticut is the only team visiting PK Park this weekend that Oregon has played before. The Huskies and Ducks met in Norwich, Conn., in a 2010 NCAA Regional with No. 3 seed Oregon defeating then 17th-ranked and No. 2 seed Connecticut, 5-3 (June 4) and 4-3 (June 6).
Only three players currently on the Oregon roster played against the Huskies in 2010: Joey Housey, J.J. Altobelli and Andrew Mendenhall.
Mendenhall made a game-saving catch, and right-hander Madison Boer came out of the bullpen to hold the game-tying run at second as the Ducks avoided elimination with a 4-3 victory over 17th-ranked Connecticut on June 6, 2010.
With Oregon nursing a 4-2 lead, UConn had two runners aboard in the top of the ninth as Pierre LePage drove what would-have been a three-run homer to left, but Mendenhall climbed the wall and made a highlight reel catch, saving Oregon's lead.
2012 SCHEDULE
Oregon's 2012 schedule is ranked the third strongest in the country according boydsworld.com. In fact, eight teams from the Pac-12 rank in the Boyd's World Strength of Schedule top-10: Stanford (1), USC (2), Oregon (3), UCLA (4), California (6), Washington State (7), Arizona State (8), and Washington (9).
Currently five of Oregon's 2012 opponents are ranked in the Baseball America Preseason College Top 25 poll. In addition, 13 opponents on Oregon's schedule reached the postseason a year ago.
PRESEASON ACCOLADES
Perfect Game
Preseason All-Conference Team
UT So. Ryon Healy .320, 4HR
Top 50 Draft Prospects
28. Jr. LHP Christian Jones
(missing 2012 season with injury)
40. So. 1B/RHP Ryon Healy
47. So. RHP Jimmie Sherfy
50. So. C/OF Aaron Jones
Top 100 College Seniors
46. Sr. RHP Alex Keudell
98. RS-Jr. RHP Joey Housey
BASEBALL AMERICA
Top 50 Freshmen
23. Fr. RHP Jake Reed
26. Fr. OF Billy Flamion
HEALTH REPORT
The Ducks' starting rotation took a hit in the preseason as Oregon went from returning two starters from last year's rotation to only one - senior Alex Keudell.
Junior left-hander Christian Jones (7-2, 3.24) will miss the 2012 season with an injury.
FRESHMAN CLASS RANKING
Once again a highly-touted recruiting class has joined the Oregon baseball program as the 2011 class received a No. 9 ranking from Baseball America's annual recruiting evaluations.
For the second year in a row, head coach George Horton brought in a top-10 class, and for the fourth consecutive year, Oregon has recruited a top-25 class.
A NEW LOOK
Oregon enters the 2012 season with 14 newcomers on the roster.
From the 2011 squad, the Ducks lost three position starters with shortstop KC Serna, second baseman Danny Pulfer and catcher Jack Marder all departing Eugene after being selected in the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
On the mound, Oregon has taken its biggest hit. The Ducks lost 322 and 1/3 innings of pitching, 15 wins and all 17 saves as Tyler Anderson, Madison Boer, Scott McGough and Kellen Moen were lost to the 2011 MLB Draft. Freshman Porter Clayton (0-1, 1 SV) is also missing from the 2012 roster after choosing to depart on a two-year mission.
LONG BEACH STATE SERIES RECAP
The Ducks swept their second consecutive series, taking three games from Long Beach State last weekend at PK Park.
Former track star Vernell Warren scored all three game-winning runs for the Ducks, starting with Friday night's incredible run from second as he scored on a LBSU fielding error.
In Saturday's 13-inning marathon, Warren led off the 13th with a bunt single, moved to second on a balk and to third on a sacrifice before scoring on Kyle Garlick's walk-off single.
On Sunday, Warren pinch ran for Brett Thomas after the sophomore outfielder led off the bottom of the ninth with his second triple of the day. Warren then scored on Aaron Jones' two-out walk-off single.
The Ducks' bullpen went 3-0, allowing just three runs in 12 innings on the mound.
MORE NOTES
• Oregon's 10-game winning streak is its longest since 1969, and Oregon's 10-1 start is the best for the program since 1965.
• From Feb. 19-23, UO recorded three consecutive wins with double-digit runs for the first time since April 22-24, 1974 in wins over Portland State (10-6), Linfield (16-15) and Washington State (12-1).
• Oregon's seven-game road win streak is its longest since prior to 1963 (the first season game-by-game results are available).
• After finishing 2011 with a record of 5-12 in one-run games, the Ducks are currently 5-0 in one-run games.
• Oregon trailed Long Beach State 5-0 last Sunday, but the Ducks staged a come back to win 8-7 on Aaron Jones' walk-off in the bottom of the eighth. It was the Ducks' first comeback from a five-run deficit since a 17-7 victory over East Tennessee State at PK Park on May 16, 2010.
PITCHING
The only returner from Oregon's 2011 starting rotation is senior Alex Keudell.
Keudell was drafted in the 38th round by the Minnesota Twins in the 2011 MLB Draft, but chose to return to Eugene for his senior campaign.
Keudell (1-1), earned his first win of the season after scattering five hits over seven innings, allowing two runs, walking two and striking out three in Oregon's 4-2 win over then 17th-ranked Vanderbilt on Feb. 24.
In three seasons with the Ducks, Keudell posts a 13-16 record with a 3.75 ERA.
Keudell's junior campaign was his first season as a full-time starter, posting a 7-3 record and 2.89 ERA while striking out 71 and walking just 24 in 90 and 1/3 innings on the mound.
ROOKIE BALL
Freshman right-hander Jake Reed recorded his third consecutive quality start, allowing just one run over his 7 and 1/3 innings pitched, striking out six, and allowing only five hits as Oregon defeated Long Beach State 3-2 in 13 innings last Saturday at PK Park.
The Ducks are an undefeated 3-0 when Reed (1-0, 1.86 ERA) takes the mound.
Reed was selected in the 40th round (1,221 overall) of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox. He was named to the Max Preps California All-State Second Team, Cal-Hi Sports Third Team, the San Diego Section First Team and the Grossmont Hills League First Team after finishing his senior season with a 9-1 record, 0.63 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 67 innings pitched.
SOPHOMORE SHOW
Oregon's trio of sophomore pitchers - Jeff Gold, Brando Tessar and Jimmie Sherfy - each play significant roles in Oregon's rotation.
With only three games last week, Oregon had the luxury of calling Gold (2-0, 5.40) out of the bullpen. He earned the win in Oregon's 5-4 victory over Long Beach State last Friday, tossing two shutout innings.
Oregon is also an undefeated 3-0 when Tessar (2-0, 5.51 ERA) gets the start. In the series finale at then 17th-ranked Vanderbilt on Feb. 26, Tessar earned the win after tossing five innings and allowing five runs – two earned – on seven hits and four walks while striking out four.
Sherfy leads the bullpen with two saves and two wins. The Camarillo, Calif, native had a second marathon outing in extra innings last Saturday against Long Beach State. Despite giving up the game-tying run, Sherfy ran the course, allowing just two hits in his five and 2/3 innings of relief. Sherfy earned the win, improving to 2-0 (1.12 ERA) on the season.
OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT
The Ducks are batting .285 as a team, with four starters hitting over .300: Ryon Healy (.333), Scott Heineman (.333), Aaron Jones (.327), and Brett Thomas (.324).
Healy leads the club with 12 RBIs from the clean-up spot and he is batting .412 with runners in scoring position, while Aaron Jones has driven in the game-winning run three times in 2012.
Jones has reached base in all 11 games this season, and enters the Nike College Showcase on a four-game hitting streak along with freshman Aaron Payne.
THE NEW DUO
Junior J.J. Altobelli made the move from third base to shortstop this season, and his infield mate is sophomore Aaron Payne.
In the last 11 games, the Duck defense has turned 12 double plays, and posts a .974 fielding percentage.
Altobelli currently leads Oregon with six doubles, while Payne has been plunked eight times this season and boasts a .456 on-base percentage.
IN THE OUTFIELD
Sophomore Kyle Garlick is batting .360 and has driven in seven runs this season, none more important then his walk-off single on Saturday night that scored Vernell Warren in UO's 3-2, 13-inning victory.
Thomas, currently batting .324, put the game-winning run on base Sunday with a leadoff triple - his second of the day - in Oregon's 8-7 win.
WHAMMER
Given the nickname “Whammer” by his teammates, freshman first baseman Shaun Chase is second on the roster with a .516 slugging percentage. The Ducks' starting first baseman is batting .233, but leads the club with seven extra-base hits (four doubles, one triple, two home runs.)
2011 SEASON RECAP
Oregon finished the 2011 season with a 33-26-1 record and an eighth place finish in the Pac-10 with a mark of 11-16.
The Ducks clinched three conference series victories with wins over two Super Regional participants; Stanford and Oregon State as well as regional participant, Arizona.
Players Mentioned
