Friday, April 4
Eugene, Ore.
5:05 p.m.
University of Oregon
21-8, 9-4
15
vs
2
Michigan
16-13, 7-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Michigan
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
2
8
1
Oregon
0
0
5
3
6
1
X
15
13
0
Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com
All Three Phases Shine In Bounceback Win
04/04/25 | Baseball
The Ducks slugged five homers, got a strong start from Grayson Grinsell and flashed the leather to beat Michigan on Friday.
EUGENE, Ore. — It took into April for the 2025 Oregon baseball team to swallow defeat on consecutive gamedays. The Ducks didn't let the losing streak linger long.
No. 15 Oregon (21-8, 9-4 Big Ten) bounced back in a big way Friday, opening a three-game series with visiting Michigan by dominating, 15-2, in a game shortened to seven innings by run rule. The Ducks returned to conference play for the first time since suffering a doubleheader sweep at Ohio State the previous Saturday — Oregon's first consecutive losses of the season — and after dropping a midweek game at Portland on Wednesday.
"Hungry," UO starting pitcher Grayson Grinsell (5-1) said of the team's mindset, after allowing two runs across six innings Friday. "Practice yesterday was great. Showed up today, same thing pregame — BP, infield-outfield, everything, guys were hungry. We wanted to get out there and play again."
Along with Grinsell's superb start, the Ducks played defense behind him that was at times spectacular. And the offense bashed five home runs, including Anson Aroz homering in his fifth straight game and Dominic Hellman hitting his UO record third grand slam of the season.
"I'm especially proud of the guys in the mental aspect," Aroz said. "Obviously the performance is great; the bats were there, the pitching was there. But just how we're spending time at the field, the smiles, the fun — guys aren't stressed. We know we're a good club and what we're capable of when we act the way we need to act."
Mason Neville also homered as part of a 3-for-5 day with three RBIs. He and Hellman each had a homer and a double, with Hellman knocking in five runs on the day. At the bottom of the order, Carter Garate reached base in four straight innings beginning with the third, and came around to score all four times.
How It Happened: Oregon's ace Grinsell took the ball looking to end his team's losing streak, allowing only a two-run fifth inning that included a solo homer and the only two walks he surrendered. By that point the Ducks had an 8-0 lead already, thanks to Grinsell and his defense.
"I mean, he's tremendous," UO coach Mark Wasikowski said. "He's a great competitor. That's why he gets the accolades, and he pitched well again tonight — Friday night win. Grayson's been a rock for us."
The Ducks managed only Hellman's first-inning double through two innings. Then, the dam broke. Ryan Cooney led off the third with a home run, Garate walked and advanced to third on a Neville single, and Hellman made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly.
Jacob Walsh then doubled in Neville, the 158th RBI of Walsh's career to tie Tanner Smith for the UO record. Smith saw another of his records matched moments later, when Aroz homered in his fifth straight game to make it a five-run inning.
"It's definitely enjoyable, the fun of that kind of stuff," Aroz said of his streak. "Celebrating with the team is one of the best feelings in the world. But a lot of the focus on the day leading up is just like, how can I stay in a grove? Once you're in it and you find it, you've got to keep doing what you're doing before a game, and kind of priming a swing, just so you can kind of maintain that."
Grinsell nearly found trouble in the fourth after allowing consecutive one-out singles. But the next batter hit a ball to third that Garate fielded before diving to tag the runner from second just before he reached third – which survived a replay challenge. Grinsell got the next hitter, and the threat was ended.
"That was an absolute critical play in the game," Wasikowski said.
Oregon continued to bash the baseball in the bottom of the fourth. Parker Stinson led off with his first homer as a member of the program, Garate hit a one-out single and Neville followed with a high fly ball that hit the foul pole in right field to make it 8-0.
The UO offense had Grinsell's back after Michigan scored twice in the fifth. The first five batters of the inning reached, with Cooney walking to force in one run and Garate taking a pitch off his back side to force in another. Then, with the bases still loaded, Hellman hit a one-out grand slam, Oregon's fifth of this spring to tie the UO single-season record.
Hellman not only now holds the UO single-season record with three himself, that also matches the school's career record.
"If I'm ever in the box and thinking too much about a situation and thinking too much about a swing I want to put on a ball, I just want to make sure I go back to my training," Hellman said. "Kind of fall back to my training, not rising to the occasion type of thing. Just put a good swing on the ball and free myself up."
The grand slam made it 14-2 through five, and Neville doubled in Garate in the sixth. That gave the Ducks a big enough lead that the conference's run rule was enforced after Michigan couldn't score off UO reliever Kellan Knox in the top of the seventh.
The Ducks secured their bounceback win after a three-game skid. Now, they're looking to start a different kind of streak.
"You can't get ahead of yourself, think that you're out of it just because you won a game," Grinsell said. "Gotta come out tomorrow with the same intensity and focus."
Up Next: The Ducks host the Wolverines again Saturday (2 p.m., B1G+).
No. 15 Oregon (21-8, 9-4 Big Ten) bounced back in a big way Friday, opening a three-game series with visiting Michigan by dominating, 15-2, in a game shortened to seven innings by run rule. The Ducks returned to conference play for the first time since suffering a doubleheader sweep at Ohio State the previous Saturday — Oregon's first consecutive losses of the season — and after dropping a midweek game at Portland on Wednesday.
"Hungry," UO starting pitcher Grayson Grinsell (5-1) said of the team's mindset, after allowing two runs across six innings Friday. "Practice yesterday was great. Showed up today, same thing pregame — BP, infield-outfield, everything, guys were hungry. We wanted to get out there and play again."
Along with Grinsell's superb start, the Ducks played defense behind him that was at times spectacular. And the offense bashed five home runs, including Anson Aroz homering in his fifth straight game and Dominic Hellman hitting his UO record third grand slam of the season.
"I'm especially proud of the guys in the mental aspect," Aroz said. "Obviously the performance is great; the bats were there, the pitching was there. But just how we're spending time at the field, the smiles, the fun — guys aren't stressed. We know we're a good club and what we're capable of when we act the way we need to act."
Mason Neville also homered as part of a 3-for-5 day with three RBIs. He and Hellman each had a homer and a double, with Hellman knocking in five runs on the day. At the bottom of the order, Carter Garate reached base in four straight innings beginning with the third, and came around to score all four times.
How It Happened: Oregon's ace Grinsell took the ball looking to end his team's losing streak, allowing only a two-run fifth inning that included a solo homer and the only two walks he surrendered. By that point the Ducks had an 8-0 lead already, thanks to Grinsell and his defense.
"I mean, he's tremendous," UO coach Mark Wasikowski said. "He's a great competitor. That's why he gets the accolades, and he pitched well again tonight — Friday night win. Grayson's been a rock for us."
The Ducks managed only Hellman's first-inning double through two innings. Then, the dam broke. Ryan Cooney led off the third with a home run, Garate walked and advanced to third on a Neville single, and Hellman made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly.
Jacob Walsh then doubled in Neville, the 158th RBI of Walsh's career to tie Tanner Smith for the UO record. Smith saw another of his records matched moments later, when Aroz homered in his fifth straight game to make it a five-run inning.
"It's definitely enjoyable, the fun of that kind of stuff," Aroz said of his streak. "Celebrating with the team is one of the best feelings in the world. But a lot of the focus on the day leading up is just like, how can I stay in a grove? Once you're in it and you find it, you've got to keep doing what you're doing before a game, and kind of priming a swing, just so you can kind of maintain that."
Grinsell nearly found trouble in the fourth after allowing consecutive one-out singles. But the next batter hit a ball to third that Garate fielded before diving to tag the runner from second just before he reached third – which survived a replay challenge. Grinsell got the next hitter, and the threat was ended.
"That was an absolute critical play in the game," Wasikowski said.
Oregon continued to bash the baseball in the bottom of the fourth. Parker Stinson led off with his first homer as a member of the program, Garate hit a one-out single and Neville followed with a high fly ball that hit the foul pole in right field to make it 8-0.
The UO offense had Grinsell's back after Michigan scored twice in the fifth. The first five batters of the inning reached, with Cooney walking to force in one run and Garate taking a pitch off his back side to force in another. Then, with the bases still loaded, Hellman hit a one-out grand slam, Oregon's fifth of this spring to tie the UO single-season record.
Hellman not only now holds the UO single-season record with three himself, that also matches the school's career record.
"If I'm ever in the box and thinking too much about a situation and thinking too much about a swing I want to put on a ball, I just want to make sure I go back to my training," Hellman said. "Kind of fall back to my training, not rising to the occasion type of thing. Just put a good swing on the ball and free myself up."
The grand slam made it 14-2 through five, and Neville doubled in Garate in the sixth. That gave the Ducks a big enough lead that the conference's run rule was enforced after Michigan couldn't score off UO reliever Kellan Knox in the top of the seventh.
The Ducks secured their bounceback win after a three-game skid. Now, they're looking to start a different kind of streak.
"You can't get ahead of yourself, think that you're out of it just because you won a game," Grinsell said. "Gotta come out tomorrow with the same intensity and focus."
Up Next: The Ducks host the Wolverines again Saturday (2 p.m., B1G+).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Grinsell, Grayson (5-1)
L: David Lally Jr. (2-3)
Batting:
HR: Greg Pace Jr 1
RBI: Mitch Voit 1 ; Greg Pace Jr 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Benjamin Casillas 1 ; Greg Pace Jr 1
Batting:
2B: Neville, Mason 1 ; Hellman, Dominic 1 ; Walsh, Jacob 1
HR: Neville, Mason 1 ; Hellman, Dominic 1 ; Aroz, Anson 1 ; Stinson, Parker 1 ; Cooney, Ryan 1
RBI: Neville, Mason 3 ; Hellman, Dominic 5 ; Walsh, Jacob 1 ; Aroz, Anson 2 ; Stinson, Parker 1 ; Cooney, Ryan 2 ; Garate, Carter 1
SF: Hellman, Dominic 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Neville, Mason 2 ; Hellman, Dominic 1 ; Walsh, Jacob 1 ; Aroz, Anson 2 ; Molony, Maddox 1 ; Stinson, Parker 2 ; Cooney, Ryan 2 ; Garate, Carter 4
HBP: Garate, Carter 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
3
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
5
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
C
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INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
1B
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