Oregon Baseball: Ducks Look To Get Back On Winning Track vs Portland
The Oregon Ducks(19-18, 6-12 Pac-12) face the Portland Pilots(15-24, 8-10 WCC) in a mid week game on Wednesday.
Head Coach George Horton has a quote when it comes to wins, ‘Wins are contagious.” If there was a point in the season for the Oregon Ducks to get a win, it is now. The Ducks have lost eight of their last nine games and were swept in Corvallis by Oregon State last weekend. Oregon played well during the non-conference slate and is still above the .500 mark on the year, but if the losing streak continues that will end this weekend.
The Portland Pilots have won the last two meetings vs Oregon, including a game that went to extra innings earlier this month on April 9th. The Pilots faced Oregon State Tuesday night and lost 9-2, but Portland has players that can hit.
Matt Kelly and Beau Brundage had double digit hitting streaks this season, Kelly had a 12 game hitting streak snapped by Oregon State. Brundage is hitting .395 this season and ranks just outside the Top 25 Nationally in hitting. He has been held hitless in games just six times this season.
The Oregon Ducks have had their struggles this season. Kyle Kasser is leading the team in hitting with a .318 average. After a solid start, the Ducks bullpen has struggled recently leading to a team ERA at 3.87 on the year. Oregon does lead the Pac-12 Conference in strikeouts per game at just under 9.
Head Coach George Horton typically plays several pitchers in midweek matchups. In some cases, the Ducks have done well. James Acuna may see time on the mound on Wednesday. Acuna was roughed up in his last outing and will be looking to improve.
Next: 2018 NFL Draft: Will Royce Freeman Find A Landing Spot?
The Oregon Ducks and Portland Pilots first pitch is set for 6 pm Pacific Time on Wednesday.