After taking care of business as the three seed team in the Santa Barbara Regional, the Oregon Ducks baseball team has advanced on to the Super Regional Round. Mark Wasikowski and his Oregon baseball team are headed down to College Station to meet up with the Texas A&M Aggies, one of the most intriguing teams out of the SEC this season.
While both the Ducks and the Aggies have been impressive throughout the year, Oregon is a notable underdog here. And it’s also worth noting that, at the end of this best-of-three game series, only one team will be able to punch their ticket to the Men’s College World Series in Omaha.
The Ducks, fresh off their hard-fought Regional victory against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, will need to continue to play at a high level as they take on this formidable foe in the Texas A&M Aggies. The Ducks have been fairly balanced throughout the season and they enter this series with a .280 team batting average. To go with that batting average, Oregon has launched 93 home runs on the year.
Oregon Ducks baseball vs. Texas A&M Aggies: 2024 College Station Super Regional preview
Handled our business. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/2DtKXiyq4n
— GoDucks (@GoDucks) June 4, 2024
Chase Meggers leads the Ducks with a .315 batting average, but it’s Jacob Walsh who has been a true force at the plate, smashing 18 home runs and driving in 56 runs on the season.
Over on the mound, Grayson Grinsell has been leading things for a pitching staff that boasts a 4.62 collective ERA. Grinsell, who has thrown 75.2 innings pitched this season, has been a standout for Oregon, going 7-2 with a 3.82 ERA in 13 starts.
The Aggies present a clear challenge for the Ducks. Texas A&M has been on a tear throughout the season and teams really haven’t been able to beat the Aggies in Blue Bell Park. In total, TAMU is 35-3 in College Station this season. The Ducks are tasked with handing A&M two more home losses if they’re going to advance on to Omaha.
The Aggies’ offense has been nothing short of spectacular and throughout the season Texas A&M is hitting .299 as a team. On top of that, the Aggies have launched an astounding 130 home runs throughout the year. This is going to be the toughest test that Oregon’s pitchers have seen this season.
The duo of Braden Montgomery and Jace LaViolette has hammered 55 home runs throughout the year. This team is seriously good. And then there’s Gavin Grahovac, who has hit 22 home runs of his own this season.
Unfortunately for Oregon, it’s not like the Aggies are weak on the mound. Texas A&M’s pitching staff has also been solid, posting a 3.85 team ERA while holding opponents to a mere .233 batting average.
Ryan Prager has been remarkable, posting an 8-1 record and boasting a 2.53 ERA across his 16 starts.
Oregon has a tough task ahead of it, but the Ducks looked strong in their Regional. If the Oregon baseball team can carry that sort of momentum moving forward, they’ve got a chance to disrupt a team that looks more than capable of winning a national title. But, well, Texas A&M is a monster this season. This is a bit of an uphill battle for Oregon.