Oregon baseball suffered a 10-8 loss to Cal Poly at the NCAA Eugene Regional at PK Park Saturday afternoon, eliminated from the tournament.
Oregon sports are in a post season drought. The Ducks won eight Big Ten Championships in their first season in the league, but in football, basketball and baseball, the NCAA tournaments proved a disappointment.
They went home early. They didn't play their best. Now it's up to the Oregon women, Melyssa Lombardi's softball squad, to carry the torch for Oregon sports on the national stage. That, and the track team, which should do well at nationals.
After the loss to Cal Poly baseball coach Mark Wasikowski said, "Thrilled to have the chance to be able to be around Jeffery Heard, Jacob Walsh, and the other seniors that we had that are out of eligibility. Seth Mattoox, amongst others."
"There's some guys that have some eligibility left, and time will tell, with all that kind of stuff. But from our locker room standpoint, I love these kids. They're fantastic young, young men and we just came up short today."
CAL POLY ELIMINATES OREGON 👀👀👀
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) May 31, 2025
The Ducks go 2 and bbq in the Eugene Regional after 'Stangs plate 4 in the 7th to take the lead pic.twitter.com/CssgzuPjx6
The Mustangs had five two-out RBI in the game. The Ducks slammed five home runs and outhit them 14-11 but they just wouldn't go away, Oregon swept in their own ballpark at the NCAA Regional.
💥 Drew Smith
— Big Ten Baseball (@B1Gbaseball) May 31, 2025
💥 Jeffery Heard@OregonBaseball blasts back-to-back bombs to extend the lead.#B1GBaseball on ESPN+ 💻 pic.twitter.com/JaNXv0OVCN
For next year the team will have to be rebuilt. Five Ducks are potential picks in the Major League Baseball draft, including centerfielder Mason Neville, who could make it to the first round.
Pitchers Grayson Grinsell and Jason Reitz should be drafted. Dominic Hellman and Jacob Walsh should get a call.
In addition to these and seniors Mattox and Heard, the team graduates Jaxson Jordan, Parker Stinson and Julien Hernandez. Starters like Ryan Cooney, Carter Garate, Drew Smith, Ian Umlandt and Chase Meggars could be back.
Shortstop Maddox Molony is a sophomore. That's a good nucleus, provided the squad doesn't get battered by the transfer portal.
For now, Oregon fans are like those of the Chicago Cubs or the Buffalo Bills. Wait 'til next year. The Ducks were 42-16 this season and won 14 out of 15 at the end of the regular season.
They finished with three losses, two at the Regional and one and done at the conference tournament, falling 7-5 in a 7 a.m. PT game to Nebraska in Omaha.
They were the first seeded team to be eliminated from the tournament. USC and Oregon State both won yesterday. The Trojans are 2-0.