After dropping each of its last two conference series, the No. 21 Oregon baseball team got back into the series win column, taking two out of three against conference-leading Utah at PK Park this weekend.

The Ducks (32-15, 14-10 Pac-12) won the first two matchups against the Utes (30-15, 15-9 Pac-12) in a Saturday doubleheader after Friday’s opener was postponed due to weather before dropping the Sunday finale.

Conference sweep eludes Ducks yet again

After taking the opener Saturday, 7-5, then the second game of the day, 5-1, to clinch the series, the Ducks dropped yet another chance for a series sweep in a 9-7 decision Sunday afternoon.

Oregon has yet to record a series sweep in conference play after leading Arizona and USC 2-0 before dropping the Sunday game in each series.

“It’s extremely frustrating,” coach Mark Wasikowski said. “We’re trying to win the league. We’re disappointed in the fact that we weren’t able to sweep the team that came in here in first place. We win a series and we’re disappointed. The standard is high, obviously, when you win a series, and your guys are really disappointed.”

The Ducks fell behind 4-1 in the Saturday opener before scoring two runs in the fourth, fifth, and seventh innings to set the tone for a more dominant second game. Jacob Walsh went 3-for-4 with three RBIs in the series-opening, 7-5, victory.

In Game 2 Saturday night, Grayson Grinsell allowed just one run in six innings of work and reliever Brock Moore continued his hot streak on the mound, striking out three in three scoreless innings to give the Ducks a 5-1 win. Jeffery Heard knocked in two runs and drew two walks in the win.

On Sunday in the finale, Oregon starter Kevin Seitter got into early trouble and the Duck bats couldn’t complete a comeback late to fall 9-7. Bennett Thompson pinch hit in the eighth inning and hit a three-run homer that cut the Utes lead to just one heading into the ninth, but the Oregon bats went down quietly in the final inning.

It’s Oregon’s sixth conference series win heading into the final two weekends of the regular season.

Bryce Boettcher on a heater

In Oregon’s last five games, Eugene native and starting centerfielder Bryce Boettcher has five home runs, including two last Tuesday in a win over Oregon State.

The senior two-sport athlete went yard in Oregon’s first game against the Utes and its last, bringing his home run total to 11 for the season with a .295 average. Boettcher is one home run short of stamping his name in the Duck record books as one of just 11 players to hit 12 home runs in a single season.

“I feel good,” Boettcher said. “I’ve made a couple of adjustments, mostly just mental adjustments within myself in the box. It’s been nice coming home for these past couple of games, so I’ve been feeling good.”

Where Oregon stands heading into final stretch of regular season

With just two weekends and six games to go before the Pac-12 Tournament begins, Oregon currently sits three games back of conference-leading Arizona. The Ducks are also a game behind both Oregon State and Utah but has tiebreaker advantages over both the Wildcats and Utes.

The Ducks play Washington for a road series in Seattle next weekend and host Washington State the following weekend back in Eugene. The Huskies (18-21-1, 9-14 Pac-12) and Cougars (20-26, 8-16 Pac-12) both rank near the bottom of the Pac-12 conference standings.

Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @AlecDietz.

Peyton Woodyard, a highly touted safety from the 2024 class, has announced his decision to transfer from the Alabama Crimson Tide to the Oregon Ducks football program, bolstering an impressive roster of recent additions.

Woodyard, a 4-star prospect and former Alabama commit, entered the transfer portal last week after the departure of legendary coach Nick Saban. Despite being a true freshman, Woodyard had already made a name for himself, earning a No. 115 overall player ranking and a No. 8 safety rating from 247Sports.

Oregon football fans will miss center Jackson Powers-Johnson. “JPJ” anchored the best offensive line in college football for two-straight seasons, protecting former quarterback Bo Nix, while bringing positivity and tenacity to the locker room.

The highest-drafted center in Oregon football history, Powers-Johnson was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 44 pick.

Overwhelmingly, the Las Vegas Raiders fan base is thrilled with the new addition, as the plan is for JPJ to start at right guard as a rookie.

“I don’t see any way he is not starting week one at right guard,” Hondo Carpenter, beat reporter for Las Vegas Raiders SI said in an exclusive podcast. “This is an old school Raider. This is a kid that would play with a leather helmet if they let him. Raider Nation is jacked up, this is one of their own.”

“This is like a guy that was made in the lab for (the Las Vegas Raiders),” Carpenter continued.

JPJ and the 2024 Raiders rookie class brings a wave of fresh air to a franchise already energized by the hiring of new head coach Antonio Pierce. A former NFL linebacker, Pierce started as Las Vegas’ linebackers coach in 2022. As interim coach last season, Pierce captivated the locker room with his tenacious leadership style and captivated the fanbase with his personality.

“It feels like the Raiders are back to being the Raiders. It’s almost like for the last 20 years they have wandered in the wilderness, trying to find an identity that they had lost. Along comes Antonio Pierce, who grew up a Raider, is a Raider, personifies the Raiders…” Carpenter said.

“It’s why JPJ just fits. He is their kind of guy: violent, nasty, mean. That is what the head coach says he wants and that is JPJ.”

Powers-Johnson has already played in Allegiant Stadium during the 2023 PAC-12 Championship against the Washington Huskies. He hopes to experience more wins in the new NFL stadium.

Known for his intense competitiveness and tough demeanor on the field, Powers-Johnson has a sense of humor for the ages.

Jackson Powers-Johnson left a distinguished legacy at the University of Oregon, setting milestones as the first Duck and Pac-12 player to win the Rimington Trophy, awarded to the nation’s best center. His accomplishments include being named a unanimous All-American, with first-team honors from the AFCA, Associated Press, FWAA, Sporting News, and Walter Camp.

Powers-Johnson anchored an Oregon offensive line that led the nation with just five sacks allowed in 2023. He led all FBS centers in overall (84.3) and run-blocking (85.2) grade by Pro Football Focus in 2023, while ranking second in pass-blocking grade (90.6). He allowed just one pressure and zero sacks in 471 pass-blocking opportunities.