Oregon Ducks Baseball Ready for Super Regional Challenge From Oral Roberts
By 750 THE GAME STAFF
For the first time since 2012, the Oregon Ducks are one step from the College World Series.
READ: 3 Things From Oregon Ducks Baseball Punching Ticket To Super Regionals
The Ducks host Oral Roberts this weekend at PK Park in Eugene in a best-of-three Super Regional series that will send the winner to Omaha, Neb.
Oregon won the Nashville Regional as the no. 2 seed, going 3-0. Oral Roberts became just the eighth program in history to win a regional as a no. 4 seed, coming out on stop in Stillwater, Okla. over the likes of Oklahoma State, Washington, and Dallas Baptist.
Mark Wasikowski, head coach of Oregon Ducks baseball, called in to 750 The Game during a layover on his team’s return from Tennessee and said he knows Oral Roberts presents a strong challenge.
“I know that they’re really, really good,” Wasikowski told John Canzano on The Game. “I talked with some people who were in their regional already this past weekend, and they say these guys are the real deal. They’ve got arms. They’ve got bats, and they’re just really, really good.
“We’ll dive into the details of it, and we’ll get our guys prepared.”
The Ducks have watched their in-state rivals at Oregon State enjoy immense success in college baseball to the tune of three national championships. It is no secret that OSU’s back-to-back titles in 2006-07 spurred the University of Oregon to bring its baseball program back after lying dormant for nearly three decades.
Baseball returned to UO in 2009 under head coach George Horton, who led Cal State Fullerton to the 2004 national championship. Horton had a number of highly competitive Ducks squads but ultimately did not get them to Omaha during his tenure. They came one win away from getting there in 2012 but lost the third and decisive game of their Super Regional to Kent State at PK Park.
Wasikowski was an assistant under Horton on that Oregon team and was on staff until 2017 when he left for the head coaching job at Purdue. When Horton stepped away after the 2019 season, Oregon turned back to Coach Waz to succeed him.
Now, Wasikowski knows how much it would mean to Horton and others who helped rebuild the program to win this Super Regional series.
“Obviously, the one thing he left on the table was a trip to Omaha, and that was a big deal, and that’s something that I’m sure still sticks with him,” Wasikowski said, noting how special it is to have the continued support of Horton and many others who helped get Oregon baseball back off the ground.
“For us to get to Omaha is the next step. And our guys understand that.”
Game One of the best-of-three Super Regional series vs Oral Roberts is Friday at 5:00 p.m. Game Two is Saturday and Game Three, if needed, is Sunday in Eugene.
Wasikowski knows it won’t be easy for his program, or any team in the Supers, to advance to the College World Series.
“There’s only sixteen teams left, we’re one of them, so the other fifteen are really, really good. And we know that.”
Listen to the full interview with Mark Wasikowski below, and listen to John Canzano deliver the Bald Faced Truth afternoons 3-6 p.m. exclusively in Portland on 750 The Game.
