The 2025 Oregon Ducks never seemed to get it all clicking at once, and on Saturday, they couldn’t click in the clutch moments, costing them their season.
The Eugene Regional’s No. 1 seed Oregon Ducks (42-15, 22-8 Big Ten) squared off against the No. 3 seed Cal Poly Mustangs in the third game of action this weekend.
Oregon entered this game after the crushing loss to Utah Valley to open its regional play, out-hitting the Wolverines 10-5. Its opponent, Cal Poly, suffered a similar fate; entering the game after out-hitting No. 2 seed Arizona 10-2 but ultimately falling with a final of 3-2.
After last night’s loss, the solution for Oregon seemed clear: its star sluggers needed to show up in the big moments. While that is easier said than done, its Utah Valley matchup showed a lack of clutch from its most important hitters.
Now facing the end of their season — and some of their college careers — the Ducks looked to their ace, junior LHP Grayson Grinsell. Grinsell has done his job and done it excellently all year, but on Saturday he needed run support and a heavy amount. After the loss on Friday, when the Oregon bats stalled in the late innings, the hitters needed to bounce back and carry the load.
We know Oregon pitching has had its ups and downs, but in these big playoff moments, the offense needs to be the one creating the spark for this team. With a lineup full of seniors and potential draft picks, Big Ten Coach of the Year Mark Wasikowski relied on his seven hitters who received Big Ten all-conference nods.
At first, it seemed the offense may be the problem once again, but instead it proved to be the pitching staff. The offense hit five home runs, but Oregon pitchers surrendered 10 runs and allowed four RBI hits in two-out opportunities.
While Grinsell stayed afloat to begin the game, Oregon batters went down early in counts. Cal Poly’s starter, sophomore LHP Josh Volmerding, controlled the pace. Oregon hitters went down on just 18 pitches through the first two innings, making hard contact but not finding a gap.
After senior outfielder Dylan Kordic hammered one to center field to score two in the second inning, Grinsell began to need the run support that the Ducks’ bats had brought all year.
Oregon’s first hit of the game came in the third, off a Ryan Cooney double to the left-center gap. The Ducks then had a runner in scoring position with just one out, appearing in prime position to strike. After Carter Garate drew a walk and Mason Neville advanced Cooney to third on a sacrifice fly, junior slugger Dominic Hellman was set with runners on the corners.
Hellman’s single to left field started the scoring for Oregon, but after Jacob Walsh struck out looking, two runners were stranded in a crucial spot early in the game. This is where the struggles of Friday’s game began to carry over, where the Ducks stranded eight runners.
Senior outfielder Jeffrey Heard got the start in the absence of Anson Aroz, who was suspended for this game following his ejection during Friday's match. Heard seized the moment with a leadoff single in the fourth. To nobody’s surprise, the Ducks couldn’t capitalize, stranding Heard on first after freshman catcher Burke-Lee Mabeus was called for a pitch clock violation in a full count, ending the inning.
Heard, a transfer before the 2024 season, is one of six seniors on this Oregon team.
“These last two years have been the best two years of my life,” he said when reflecting on his last two years at Oregon. “I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”
Carter Garate showed off the wheels, beating out a grounder on a call that had to be reviewed. The struggles for Oregon looked like they would continue after a Neville pop-up, but Hellman had other plans. He worked a full count and then smoked a fastball to the scoreboard in left field, tying the game and delivering once again.
After the Ducks were able to tie it in the top half of the fifth, Cal Poly reclaimed its lead with an RBI single from Ryan Fenn. Its hold of the lead didn’t last long. Heard stepped up to the plate and mashed his fourth home run of the year, tying the game at four runs apiece.
After the Heard blast, Oregon hitters started to look much more comfortable. Sophomore shortstop Maddox Molony reached but was thrown out trying for second base, then Burke-Lee Mabeus got a blooper to sit down in left field. In a huge spot for Oregon to capitalize with two outs, Cooney smashed one to opposite field, just clearing the right-center field wall and claiming the lead for the Ducks 6-4.
The Cooney home run gave Oregon its first lead since defeating Michigan State over nine days ago. It appeared to be the Oregon bats getting back into their rhythm.
When the order turned over in the seventh, Hellman pulled his third hit of the day to the left-center gap. Walsh grounded into a double play to clear the bases. When it looked like Oregon’s momentum had faded, Drew Smith crushed his third home run of the regionals, followed by Heard’s second mash of the day, putting the Ducks up by three runs.
The hitting became contagious, freshman catcher Coen Niclai stepped in to pinch hit for his fellow freshman catcher Mabeus. He squared one up and slapped it over the shortstop’s head. Oregon didn’t add on after that, but the back-to-back homers made seven runs in three innings for the Ducks.
The bats needed to stay hot for Oregon, because they sure stayed hot for Cal Poly. The Mustangs answered back with a four-run bottom of the inning, seizing the lead by one run.
Oregon trailed by a run entering the eighth inning, with their backs against the wall facing the end of their season. The top of the Ducks’ order began with a four-pitch walk to Neville, followed by a strikeout from Hellman, Oregon’s best hitter on the day. Walsh pulled one just past the glove of the Mustangs’ second baseman, but Neville was thrown out attempting to reach third base, ending the inning.
After a two-out solo shot from Zach Daudet, the Ducks needed some ninth-inning magic, coming into the final period down two runs. Smith struck out looking on three pitches to lead off the inning. Heard struck out swinging in a 2-2 count. The final hope for the Oregon Ducks was Molony, who struck out looking on just three pitches.
Oregon needed its offense to step up today, and it did. In exchange, the bullpen blew up, and the ever-so-reliable Grinsell had arguably his worst start of the season.
“Obviously don’t want to go out on that note,” Grinsell said postgame. “I still felt like I went out there and gave it everything I had, and that’s all you can do.”
The Oregon Ducks’ 2025 season ended in shock. The solution to the offense needing to step up fell flat on its face when the pitching failed to perform. The 10-8 loss makes it now 25 runs allowed in Oregon’s last two games facing elimination, dating back to last season’s 15-9 loss to Texas A&M.
“I don’t think it was a catastrophic collapse or something like that,” Coach Wasikowski said after the loss. “We ended up losing three games in a row after winning a conference championship.”
It was the final game for the program’s RBI king, Walsh and five other Duck seniors. Many other players, such as Grinsell and Neville, are expected to declare for the 2025 MLB Amateur Draft.
Saturday marked the close of the season and another heartbreaking loss for the Oregon faithful. The Oregon Ducks baseball program will return in 2026, but will feel the absence of the 2025 senior class.