By: Ian Sutliff
Eugene, OR-- After a very unpredictable and tough road for both the Ducks and Golden Eagles, the two programs find themselves just two wins away from a trip to Omaha and the College World Series. Oregon came into the Nashville regional as the two-seed after a shock championship run through the PAC-12 tournament and dominated its way through the regional. Oral Roberts came into a very strong Stillwater regional having to beat Oklahoma State and arguably one of the best two-seeds in the tournament in Dallas Baptist. It did just that, beating hosts Oklahoma State, took down Washington in a 15-12 shootout victory, and then battled DBU to the bitter end on Sunday to go undefeated in one of the toughest pairings in the country. Oregon will go into the super regional as the favorite because it will host and has the more polished roster but it should be worth noting that the Golden Eagles are on a 21-game win streak. It hasn’t lost since April 22nd. Wow.
Oregon:
After a tough end to the season that saw the Ducks fall out of contention to host a regional, Oregon won its final nine games, including wins over Utah in the final two games of the regular season. The main reason for Oregon’s struggles against Washington and Utah in two of the final series is the fact that it has been without Jace Stoffal for the last month AND some. There were rumors that Stoffal and Isaac Ayon would be back towards the end of the regular season, but it is likely the two still won’t be ready for the super regional in Eugene on Friday. In their absences, pitchers like Logan Mercado, as well as the freshman trio of Grayson Grinsell, Ian Umlandt, and Turner Spoljaric have stepped up to provide quality innings for a Ducks pitching staff that has lacked depth for much of the season. Over the win streak, the bats have stayed hot, averaging 8.4 runs per game over its last nine, while hitting .263 in the regional with 13 extra-base hits in its three games in Nashville.
What isn’t there to say about these Oregon bats? This lineup is loaded 1-9 with Drew Cowley and Sabin Ceballos leading the charge for a deep offense that is one of the most dangerous in the country. Cowley has been the best hitter on this Oregon team and has been huge when the Ducks have needed him the most. Over the last five games, the star infielder is 10-23 (.435) with seven RBIs, including three doubles and a home run in the regional championship. Ceballos might be the most dangerous hitter in this regional though as the Puerto Rican native has had a huge junior campaign with 16 home runs and 65 RBIs while hitting .330. Drew Smith and Bennett Thompson have also come alive as the freshman and sophomore have earned everyday spots in the starting lineup. Smith has been a ball of consistency ever since coming into the starting lineup with hits in 19 of his 21 starts, but the freshman has cooled off lately, going just 1-10 during the regional. Thompson on the other hand has been on a hot streak to end the season, with the average now up to .362 after going 16-32 over the last nine games. He has a home run and seven RBIs in that same stretch.
Projected Lineup:
1) RF- Rikuu Nishida (.322-5-37)
2) CF- Colby Shade (.338-6-31)
3) SS- Drew Cowley (.342-16-67)
4) 3B- Sabin Ceballos (.330-16-65)
5) LF- Tanner Smith (.315-10-40)
6) DH- Drew Smith (.366-2-15)
7) 1B- Jacob Walsh (.245-14-35)
8) C- Bennett Thompson (.362-2-18)
9) 2B- Gavin Grant (.266-8-29)
The status of the pitching staff for this Ducks team has constantly been up in the air with the team searching for consistency from multiple arms. With some of its freshmen stepping up, the team now goes to just six different arms regularly, with Mercado and Spoljaric as the two starters. Grinsell is another pitcher that will get multiple innings as the starter, but is unlikely to be relied upon for more than the first four innings. Austin Anderson is someone that could figure to see time in potentially all three games after making appearances in three of the last four games. He has been the best pitcher on this staff, allowing just two earned runs over his 22 appearances this season. He’s 4-0 with a 0.71, but will need to limit his walks (25 in 25 ⅓ IP) which is something he struggled with against Vanderbilt in the regional. Mollerus has also been huge for the Ducks with 11 saves this year and could be called upon to pitch multiple innings if necessary. His 3.18 ERA and 1.15 WHIP were some of the best numbers on the team and his 48 strikeouts ranked first among relievers who didn’t make a start.
Oral Roberts:
It’s one of the biggest mysteries in college baseball how Oral Roberts received a four-seed after a 46-11 season and winning 23 of its 24 conference games. The Golden Eagles were mediocre to begin the 2023 campaign, going just 10-8 through the middle of March, but quickly turned it around, with wins in 36 of its final 39 games going into Memorial Day’s selection show. Oral Roberts had one of the most exciting tournaments, winning a nail-biter over Oklahoma State, coming back from an 8-0 deficit against Washington, and taking the regional championship in a back and forth 6-5 win against Dallas Baptist. The Patriots are the same team that swept the Golden Eagles and outscored them 20-6 earlier in the season. Jonah Cox is the player to keep an eye on in this super regional as the junior outfielder finished fifth in the nation in batting average. Oral Roberts is led by a strong and deep pitching staff as well that allowed more than five runs in any game just five times in its final 28 games.
For all the attention around the pitching staff, this is a lineup that can absolutely rake, top-to-bottom. This lineup can kill you with walks, home runs, and its ability to steal bases. The Golden Eagles have a .324 team batting average which ranks fourth in the country, along with 93 home runs and 97 stolen bases (both rank top 50 nationally). Cox is the definition of a five-tool player and is the beating heart of this lineup as he is batting .424 with ten home runs and 65 RBIs, along with 27 stolen bases in 30 attempts. He also was second on the team in doubles with 16 and led in triples with eight. Adding fear to opposing pitchers is redshirt senior Matt Hogan who batted .338 on the year and led the team with 17 long balls. Completing the most dangerous hitting outfield in the nation is Justin Quinn, who had an amazing regional (6-15) and still put up amazing numbers despite missing a month with an injury. Four of this team’s starters were named to the Summit League’s first-team, while four others were named to the second team.
Projected Lineup:
1B- Jake McMurray (.317-6-41)
LF- Justin Quinn (.351-7-35)
CF- Jonah Cox (.424-10-65)
RF- Matt Hogan (.338-17-65)
SS- Mac McCroskey (.306-13-59)
3B- Holden Breeze (.329-6-42)
DH- Drew Stahl (.275-11-53)
C- Jacob Godman (.305-5-29)
2B- Blaze Brothers (.306-11-37)
The Golden Eagles pitching staff features dominant starters Jakob Hall and Brooks Fowler, while out of the bullpen, is the conference’s pitcher of the year in Cade Denton. Denton has made 31 appearances this season, including all three regional games, but he isn’t your average reliever. In those 31 appearances, Denton has recorded more than three outs, 18 different times. Through 54 ⅔ innings, the right-hander has been dominant with a 1.65 ERA and 75 strikeouts, while owning a strong .201 batting average against. The starting pitching core of Hall, Fowler, and Harley Gollert has been strong as well, as the rotation has combined for a 27-5 record with Hall being named to the first team all-conference and Harley and Gollert being named to the second team. Jacob Widener is another name who should figure to see some innings after posting a 3.00 ERA in 28 appearances this season. He’s a big strikeout pitcher with 74 through 45 innings, but control limits the left-handers upside at times. He walked 20 and hit 16 batters. The bullpen won’t be relied upon too much with three starters that can go deep into ball games and Denton is a reliever that can eat up three to four innings if needed.
Prediction:
With tickets selling out in a heartbeat for this weekend’s super regional games at PK Park, Oregon will have a large home field advantage. There is likely to be no shortage of offense between two of the nation’s premier lineups. Without its aces, Oregon could find itself in trouble against the hottest team in the country and maybe the best lineup left in the tournament. If the Ducks’ core of freshman arms can stay hot, as well as contributions from a couple more relievers, Oregon won’t feel the void that has been created because of injuries. The teams will trade blows with multiple home runs each game and this series will last the full three games. The Golden Eagles have the arms and enough pitchers to eat up 27 outs effectively. Both teams are extremely talented and this might be the most exciting super regional of the eight that will take place this weekend, but Oral Roberts is playing too well to be beaten two of three games right now. The Golden Eagles make their first appearance in Omaha since 1978 with a 12-run outburst on Sunday.