NCAA Regional Profile: #12 National Seed Oregon hosts in Eugene, OR

(NCAA photo/CBC image)

By College Baseball Central writers Micah Beutell, Bo Carter, Noah Darling, Caleb Donnelley, Mark Garland, Andrew Kube, Doug Kyle, Jake Mastroianni, Jake McKeever, Andrew Riedell, and Colton Watson

Host: Oregon Ducks (PK Park)

1. Oregon (42-14, 22-8 Big Ten Conference)

2. Arizona (39-18, 18-12 Big 12 Conference)

3. Cal Poly (41-17, 23-7 Big West Conference)

4. Utah Valley (32-27, 13-11 Western Athletic Conference)

#1 Oregon

RPI*  16 SOS 35  Record vs Q1: 9-1 Q2: 3-1

The Ducks have a huge lineup and star power all over the diamond. They returned 13 offensive pieces from a team that took A&M to its limits in a Super Regional last season. Back-to-back Super Regional appearances for Oregon have them competing to get to Omaha for the first time since 1954. This team is coached by Mark Wasikowski, and PK Park is one of the up-and-coming ball parks in the game of college baseball. The Ducks look to put a stamp on a terrific first season in the Big 10.

Key Players? Look no further than leadoff hitter OF Mason Neville, a Golden Spikes semifinalist who led the country in home runs and has shot up draft boards. First baseman Jacob Walsh has almost every career hitting record of the Ducks and has established himself as a tremendous leader for this squad. Anson Aroz is a do-everything player who gives the Ducks pop from both sides of the plate and a flash of brilliance defensively. On the bump, Friday night ace Grayson Grinsell is an elite lefty option who shuts opponents down with an electric change-up

Keys to success? Get the offense going early and often, the Ducks averaging over eight runs per game this season. The Ducks are a great team at home and will cause havoc on teams visiting PK. With an established weekend rotation and role defined bullpen, look for Oregon to keep its opponents off the scoreboard.

Possible weaknesses: Oregon’s bullpen, while great as of recently, has had its ups and downs throughout the season. The offense can rely on the big fly a little too much in certain games.

#2 Arizona

RPI* 27  SOS 15  Record vs Q1: 11-17 Q2: 5-2

The Wildcats had a roller coaster of a season, starting off with a horrific losing streak, then pivoting into a winning streak that lasted into Big 12 play. The talent for this Chip Hale-coached squad has never been in question. Consistency and injuries marred what could have been a host bid season for the Cats. Finishing 4th in the regular season standings, the Wildcats got hot at the right time and beat TCU in the finals with a thrilling 2-1 extra-inning victory to take home the hardware.

Facing off against a former Pac-12 foe in Eugene, it will be interesting if the bats can get going in this smaller ballpark that PK park plays as. Key Players SS Mason White has been the best producing Wildcat this season, hitting .330, 16 HRs, and 66 RBI. Season stats for Brendan Summerhill are not that impressive, due to a long-influencing injury, but the projected first-round pick can cause havoc on a pitching staff.

Aaron Walton adds pop to this lineup with 10 HRs himself. On the mound, Smith Bailey started 15 games for this squad, posting a 4.31 ERA. A pair of bullpen arms in Tony Pluto and Raul Garayzar give the Cats a much needed back end boost.

Keys to success? Playing a clean game defensively and getting timely hits will be primary. Plus, staying hot against a couple of really explosive offensive teams in Cal Poly and Oregon. If the Bats of White and Summerhill stay hot, Arizona has a very high ceiling.

Conversely, possible weaknesses? The Wildcats have been consistently inconsistent this season. Can the highs of winning the Big 12 tournament continue, or do we see a slight downturn to end the season? The 'Cats will need a strong effort from multiple bullpen arms if they are to get out of the Eugene Regional.

#3 Cal Poly

RPI* 29  SOS 77  Record vs Q1: 4-11 Q2: 4-2

The Mustangs have been used to postseason play and have been a big surprise this season Coach Larry Lee is no stranger to big time baseball as he has coached team USA collegiate team in the past. The number 2 team in the BigWest regular season came out and won the postseason crown by beating UC Irvine twice. Look for this team to be a tough out in the Ducks regional.

Key players Ryan Fenn is an everyday staple of this lineup and the vocal leader for this group. Zach Daudet has put together a terrific season hitting .371 7HRs along the way. Alejandro Garza and Nate Castellon have hit over .350 this season as well and give this line up quite a bit of talent all around. Griffin Naess is the ace of this staff and will need to be big if the Mustangs want to leave Eugene a winner. Josh Moreno might be the clubs best bullpen arm and has a 2.16 ERA over 17 appearances.

Keys to success. Get on base and hit guys around causing chaos for opponents. The Mustangs have been great all season with runners in scoring position and create offensive opportunities with execution. Can the arms shut down the likes of Oregon and Arizona?

Possible Weaknesses. The long ball hasn’t been produced in mass numbers this season for Cal Poly and playing in a hitters friendly park they will need to hit a few. While this team has been great at hitting for average and competing in games the elite level of offenses they will face this weekend will test the entire team.

#4 Utah Valley

RPI* 171  SOS 241  Record vs Q1: 0-1 Q2: 2-1

The Wolverines finished the season on a high note, and after losing five straight games going into WAC tournament play, they needed a great run! Well, they did it just that by winning four straight and securing the automatic bid that included beating Abilene Christian twice and Sacramento State to advance to the Eugene Regional.

Coach Nate Rasmussen in his first year gets the Wolverines into the postseason, thanks to several key players. Mason Strong hit .376 with 11 HRs and 64 RBI this season, and is the leader for this club. Jayden Smith is the table setter, hitting .403 15 doubles, 4 triples, and scoring 52 runs this year.

Dominic Longo II can lose a baseball quickly, launching 10 HRs himself. On the bump, Corbin Kirk leads the UV charge, starting 15 games for the Wolverines and recording an ERA of 5.69 over 74.1 innings of work.

Keys to success: The biggest chances for Utah Valley come in the form of the top of the lineup producing runs early. This team is going to need to hit to keep up with the teams in the Eugene regional. They are riding a wave of success headed into the weekend and will need to capitalize on the momentum!

Potential weaknesses: The lack of depth in the bullpen is concerning. If Kirk can’t give them a quality start, it may be tough for the Wolverines to get Duck hitters out depending on a strong performance from their bullpen.

*****

*-Warren Nolan RPI