The 14-9 Arizona baseball team will be taking on the 15-7 University of Oregon this weekend for a three-game series in Tucson.
Oregon will enter the series with a record of 15-7 and are on a six-game win streak. They beat Washington State University twice and followed with four straight wins against Northwestern State University. Earlier in the season, though, the Ducks were swept by the University of California Santa Barbara and lost to UCLA twice just a few games after. One of those losses ended in a 16-0 UCLA victory.
The Ducks have three men hitting over .350: Tanner Smith, Sabin Ceballos and Colby Shade. Ceballos and Smith are both hitting above .370 with five or more homeruns. These two are also racking up RBIs, with 18 for Ceballos and 21 for Smith. The Arizona pitching core will have their work cut out for them with these three in the lineup. They also can’t forget Drew Cowley and Rikuu Nishida who have also been producing on offense.
The Arizona bats have been strong this season, but the standouts are Kiko Romero and Chase Davis. Romero is hitting .398 with seven home runs, often in the clutch. Davis has put on a great display of power this season by putting 10 balls over the fence. Against Grand Canyon University on Tuesday, Davis hit two home runs that were crucial in getting the win in extra innings. The Ducks will have to make sure to look out for Cameron LaLiberte who is 24 for 65, making his average .369, which is second-best on the team after Romero.
The Oregon pitching crew has also been putting in work on the mound. Matt Dallas and Matthew Grabmann both have ERAs under 2.0 with over 20 innings pitched each. Dallas has a 3-0 record this season. The men getting the most work are Logan Mercado and Leo Uelmen with over 25 innings each. Both have an ERA over 5.0, but their combined record is 4-2.
Wildcat pitchers have been struggling, but there are a few bright spots such as Trevor Long. Long will enter Friday’s game with an ERA of 2.70, which is the only ERA under 3.0 for Arizona. Bradon Zastrow, TJ Nichols and Aiden May have received the majority of the work with over 27 innings pitched each. Their ERAs are all over 4.50, but they have a combined record of 7-4.
Both teams have been very competitive on offense and defense, so it remains to be seen if it will be a pitchers’ duel or if the bats will be hot. The series starts on Friday, March 31, at 6 p.m. at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson.
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