Pac-12 Showdown: UCLA Bruins vs Oregon Ducks
The 35-22 Oregon Ducks Baseball team faces its southern Pac-12 rivals, the 41-12 UCLA Bruins, for a three game series at PK Park, starting May 22nd at 4pm.
Although Oregon swept the Bruins 3-0 in Los Angeles last year, this NCAA third ranked team in the nation, and crowned Pac-12 champions, will prove to be hard-fought battle to conclude the Duck’s regular season. The Duck’s batters will have a particularly tough time with the Bruin’s JR. right-handed pitcher James Kaprielian, who is coming off a no-hitter against Arizona. He is the first pitcher in team history to accomplish this feat. Kaprielian was also awarded the Pac-12 Conference Pitcher of the Week of May 11-17th for his efforts.
The Ducks were at one point on the outside looking into the NCAA tournament. But the team is now coming off a 7-game winning streak, and find themselves in a position to make a statement to propel themselves into post-season play. This success of late can be boiled down to the play of JR Mitchell Tolman, who made the switch from 2B to 3B 39 games into the season.
Ever since making the switch, Tolman, who played 3B his sophomore season, is 28-for-70, an even .400, with 18 RBIs and 10 doubles. He’s become the University of Oregon career leader in RBIs (126) and doubles (31), and his 19 doubles this season is one shy of the UO record. But, Tolman wasn’t the only one to benefit from the switch; since then the Ducks are 13-5, including 10-4 in Pac-12 Conference games.
If Tolman continues this streak of statistical success, and bolsters his squad into the postseason, the story this 2015 Oregon Ducks season might find itself belonging on a bookshelf next to the likes of Cinderella.
