Oregon Ducks Baseball: 2022 Season In Review

Oregon Geese baseball opened up with designs on protecting apace of the 2021 season – even when the remainder of NCAA baseball didn’t fairly view issues in the identical lens. In 2021, the Geese loved season successes that result in Oregon internet hosting an NCAA regional. They’d lose their regional to LSU at house, however felt good concerning the season, ending at 39-16.

Oregon opened up the season speaking about 2022 as a “reload, not rebuild” season. The Geese have been taking a look at coping with the lack of 2021 standouts Aaron Zavala, Kenyon Yovan, and Gabe Matthews. Oregon was bully on their pitching employees, highlighted by Isaac Ayon, Kolby Somers, and the addition of switch Adam Maier.

The Geese have been additionally searching for a return to internet hosting a regional in 2022. The Pac-12 coaches ballot didn’t agree, voting Oregon as fifth place with pre-season favourite Stanford garnering the highest place within the ballot.

Oregon sputtered at their 2022 begin in shedding 3 of 4 of their opener in opposition to San Diego (in San Diego) again in February, however they adopted with a four-game sweep of St. John’s. The brand new-found Geese offensive firepower kicked into gear within the final of the San Diego video games and the onslaught continued in opposition to St. Johns, with Oregon prevailing 73-20 in 4 video games. It was time to be enthusiastic about Oregon’s means to generate runs – LOTS of runs.

In March, the Geese break up a sequence in opposition to UC Santa Barbara after which opened Pac-12 play by doing the unbelievable; taking a sequence in opposition to the Stanford Cardinal at The Farm. In actuality, it was in the course of March that we began seeing mediocre pitching from Oregon, however it was shaded by the unimaginable offensive bursts that the Geese have been producing. Consequently, Oregon was successful video games in opposition to superb groups.

The Geese swept the Utah Utes, gaining the #1 spot within the Pac-12…and that might be the excessive level of the season, at the same time as they have been unaware of what the remainder of the season would carry. Oregon took down eventual #19 Gonzaga in Spokane, successful the primary of each seasonal contests in opposition to the Bulldogs. This was adopted by a sequence win in opposition to USC and straightforward wins vs. San Francisco. All was proper in Duckland, and Oregon was on hearth, marching to take the Pac-12 by storm.

Then April rolled round, and UCLA mentioned, “Maintain my beer.”

Because the Oregon fanbase was wanting elsewhere – at basketball and spring soccer – Oregon’s bats went right into a determined cooling-off interval. Whereas the pitching was protecting the enemy at bay, the Geese have been having hassle mustering runs. The outcome was a sweep by the Bruins by a mixed rating of 12-9.

Oregon brushed it off by defeating Ball State in 3 of 4 video games of their sequence, and adopted it up with a crushing sequence sweep of the Washington Huskies in Seattle. With the sweep, the Geese have been on a roll.

Then, eventual Ninth-place Pac-12 low dweller Washington State got here to Eugene and convincingly took the weekend sequence. Cracks have been starting to point out within the Oregon recreation, however the next sequence win in opposition to Cal taped over the cracks within the Oregon recreation – specifically within the Geese’ pitching.

Oregon prevailed of their sequence in opposition to the Cal Bears as a result of their pitching saved up with the shortage of offensive contribution. The pitching was good within the first two video games, however within the third recreation, Cal didn’t discover the fence and nonetheless defeated the Geese with singles and errors by Oregon.

It was Might 1st. The start of Might was when the Geese started to stumble; and stumble they did. Might 1st was the day have been Oregon would drop six in a row, shedding contests to Cal, Oregon State, and UC San Diego. Whereas the sport scores have been shut, Oregon couldn’t join their bats.

The Geese rebounded, nevertheless, and closed their season on a optimistic be aware. They defeated nationally ranked Gonzaga. They took their first-ever sequence win of the Arizona State Solar Devils in Arizona. Then, Oregon swept the Arizona Wildcats at Eugene. The Geese didn’t have a lock on one other regional, however with momentum going into the Pac-12 event they might be within the dialog.

Advertisement

Picture by Zac BonDurant/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos

Advertisement

That dialog by no means occurred.

Oregon’s event season by no means lifted off the runway; it crashed and burned. The Geese frequently gave up house runs as their bats couldn’t hold Oregon within the recreation. The Geese instantly bowed out of the inaugural Pac-12 baseball event, shedding in straight video games to the Arizona groups that that they had crushed in earlier weekends. Oregon’s bats couldn’t join on the identical time that their pitchers couldn’t keep away from giving up house runs. The Geese have been first out of the event.

The Geese might have killed their probability of internet hosting a regional once more, however the NCAA tapped Oregon for an at-large berth within the Louisville Regional. It was a wonderful draw for the Geese, given their less-than-amazing exhibiting within the Pac-12 event. They have been up in opposition to three different groups that that they had an opportunity to defeat and advance.

Oregon wouldn’t capitalize. They once more gave up the lengthy ball and solely batted properly in opposition to a lowly Ohio Valley Convention crew. The Geese have been eradicated of their third recreation, ending their season at 36-25 (18-12 Pac-12 – 4th place).

It was a really disappointing season that hoped for extra, however that shouldn’t overshadow the highlights of the 2022 season. Oregon set a report for doubles on the 12 months with 121. Six Geese batted .300 or higher on the 12 months: Bennett Thompson, Colby Shade, Josh Kasevich, Tanner Smith, Anthony Corridor, and Brennan Milone. Smith, Corridor, and Milone additionally hit double-digit house runs.

The Geese go into the low season licking some severe wounds. Regardless of the offensive excessive factors and being #1 early within the convention season, Oregon didn’t pitch or hit properly in post-season, when it mattered. That’s a puzzle that the Oregon Geese should remedy going into 2023.