Oregon's 2025 baseball season broke down in two tough losses at the Eugene Regional. A controversial call in the 8th inning Friday sent them to the loser's bracket, then Saturday they ran into a spirited Cal Poly team that would not stop getting big hits, falling 10-8 in PK Park.
Oregon led 8-5 after home runs by Drew Smith and Jeffrey Heard in the 7th, but the Mustangs battered Oregon pitching for four runs in their half to take the game back at 9-8, adding an insurance run on a home run by Dylan Kordic in the 8th.
The Ducks went down in order in the 9th, eliminated from the NCAA Tournament after a 42-16 season and the regular season Big Ten Championship. In a way they peaked too soon, ending their Big Ten schedule with 11 wins in a row and 14 out of 15.
The pitching collapsed in the postseason. Starter Grayson Grinsell had been Greg Maddux-like for the Ducks most of the year, mixing a stealthy change up with breaking stuff and a live fastball in the high 80s.
Today Grinsell's magic was gone. He kept getting the change up in the strike zone and over the plate, Cal Poly hitters timing it beautifully and rocking him for six runs on seven hits.
The bullpen was no better, and Mark Wasikowski seemed two or three batters slow to make changes. Neither the Mustangs or the Utah Valley Wolverines have more talent than Oregon baseball-- this is a squad with six players who should be taken in the MLB draft-- but they badly outplayed the Ducks over the weekend.
The pitching woes wasted a solid day at the plate for Oregon's hitters. Playing in place of the suspended Anson Aroz, Jeffrey Heard mashed two taters and had three hits. Dominic Hellman continued a hot postseason with hit 14th home run, driving in three.
Sophomore second baseman Ryan Cooney rapped a two-run homer in the 6th that gave Oregon their first lead of the game at 6-4, but no lead was safe.
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