The Oregon Ducks baseball program has steadily improved under head coach Mark Wasikowski. The team has made back-to-back NCAA Super Regional appearances and had 40-win seasons for the first time since 2013-2014. In the 2024 season, the Ducks won the Santa Barbara Regional but lost to NCAA runner-up Texas A&M at the College Station Super Regional.
On Monday, the second major preseason poll dropped as D1Baseball announced their top 25 heading into the new season. Oregon checks in at No. 12 overall in the most recent poll, moving up from No. 15 in Perfect Game’s preseason poll dropped last week.
The Ducks are one of two Big Ten programs in D1’s poll, as Nebraska, fresh off a 40-win season, joins them at No. 24.
Preseason @D1Baseball Rankings ⚾️ #NCAABaseball pic.twitter.com/arESuicWI1
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) January 13, 2025
The Ducks saw multiple impact players leave in the MLB Draft, such as starter RJ Gordon, reliever Brock Moore, outfielder Bryce Boettcher, and catcher Bennett Thompson. Still, Oregon retooled with a top-10 transfer portal class, headlined by RHP Jason Reitz, a 6-foot-11 right-handed pitcher who was excellent in the Cape Cod League, outfielder Parker Stinson, and LHP Sam Boyle.
Along with those additions is the retention of other impact players on the offensive side of the ball. Seven of nine starters from last year return, headlined by Jacob Walsh, Maddox Molony, and Mason Neville. Oregon also returns LHP Grayson Grinsell, who is expected to headline at the top of the rotation.
“I mean, it wasn’t long ago where taking the next step was, man, we just got to get to a regional,” said Wasikowski in September about the programs expectations. “And we’re not there anymore, right? That is one of the goals, be in a regional, be in a Super Regional, College World Series, you know, and ultimately winning the national championship. The stepping stone approach, and we feel as though we’re continuing to make progress. We have each and every year and and we think, like I said, we think that this roster that we’ve put together for this group has a chance to even exceed anything we’ve done here before.”
Oregon opens its 2025 season against Toledo on February 14th.
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