It’s been nearly 70 years since the Oregon Ducks baseball team has advanced to the College World Series in Omaha. In his seven seasons as Oregon baseball head coach, Mark Wasikowski has turned Oregon’s program around quickly, leading the Ducks into the NCAA Tournament for an impressive four-seasons straight.
The passionate community of Eugene and Ducks fans across the world will be cheering for Oregon to upset the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies in the best-of-three Super Regional series, with the winner punching a ticket to Omaha for the Men's College World Series.
Maybe no one will be rooting harder for the ball club than the Oregon football team.
Ducks outfielder and slugger Bryce Boettcher is a two-sport athlete, playing in all 14 games last season for the Oregon football team. The Eugene-native is a fan-favorite but also a teammate-favorite. His football teammates rallied around him on Tuesday morning at a football team breakfast, wishing Boettcher luck in the Super Regionals.
Boettcher relayed Oregon coach Dan Lanning’s message to him before hitting the road to College Station, Texas.
“Good luck. Job is not finished. Obviously, win the Super but the goal is to win the National Championship. Remember that the job is not finished.”
This season, Oregon’s road to Omaha travels though the College Station Super Regional. The Ducks will play in one of the most hostile college baseball environments in the country at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park against the Aggies.
The Oregon baseball team has competed in the NCAA Tournament 11 times, including the past four years straight, but has not made the College World Series since 1954.
“It would definitely be a lifelong dream come true (to make the College World Series),” Boettcher told Oregon SI's Bri Amaranthus. “Obviously we’ve got to focus on the super first, but that's the next step. I think everyone's in the same mindset on the team. It would mean the world – the world to my family and all the community here in Eugene to get that done. So I'm looking forward to it.”
The senior Boettcher details what makes Oregon's 2024 club different.
“We’re resilient,” Boettcher told Amaranthus. I’ve played on some good teams while I've been here and some really good lineups. We're tough. No matter what happens in one game, we may lose a tough game, we bounce back really quick. We have quick minds. It's easy for us to come together and realize, what's important now. That's what we say winning is – what is important now.”
“We take pride in playing great defense and we pitch the ball really well,” Boettcher told Amaranthus. “When you do those two things and combine with, you know, some clutch hitting, it's hard to beat us.”
The Ducks have overcome overwhelming odds to make it this far in postseason and are peaking at the right time with astounding support.
Game one begins on Saturday, June 8th at 11am PT. Game two is scheduled for Sunday, June 9th at 4:30 pm PT. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN 2. If necessary, Game three is scheduled for Monday, June 10th, time TBD.
BRI AMARANTHUS
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