Preview: Oregon Baseball Hosts New Mexico State for Home Opener
The No. 20 Oregon Ducks host their home opener this Thursday at PK Park, against the New Mexico State Aggies for a four game series.
Last weekend the Ducks were 3-1 on the road against the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Oregon opened the season on a strong note, with a 12-0 win in their first game of the series.
This Thursday’s game will be the teams’ first at PK Park without last year’s top hitters, Tyler Baumgarther, Aaron Payne and Kyle Garlick along with top pitchers, Tommy Thorpe, Jeff Gold, Jake Reed, Darrell Hunter and Brandon Tessar. Despite the loss of a strong senior core, the Ducks have hopes in their new recruits.
Assistant coach Mark Wasikowski got to work in the offseason, recuiting former Semionle State teammates, including first basemen Brandon Cuddy and designated hitter Phil Craig-St.Louis. Also adding to the new roster is infielder Matt Eureste, a transfer from San Jacinto CC with a strong reputation as an RBI hitter. In Hawaii, the transfers combined 8-for-17 with two homeruns, eight RBIs, seven runs scored and five extra base hits.
These new additions are expected to help round out the line-up this season along with returners Shaun Chase and Mitchell Tolman, which will be crucial for an Oregon team that has struggled with offense in the past. Behind Tolman, who batted .315 last spring, the Ducks should have a roster with consistent hitters and more left-handed batters to put runs on the board.
The Aggies participated in the Cardinal Classic on last weekend in Beaumont, Texas playing against Lamar University and The University of Illinois. The Aggies, unranked, lost all four of their games against the two unranked schools.
First pitch for the Duck’s will be tomorrow at 6 p.m. A win on Thursday would be Oregon’s fifth season opening win in the last seven seasons.
