Charles Fischer

USA TODAY says... UCLA No. 1 Beavis No. 7 Oregon No. 12 Nebraska No. 18 USC No. 19 All the polls put Beavis in the top ten, but may not host? Whew!

Baseball America says... UCLA No. 1 Beavis No. 7 Oregon No. 18 Nebraska No. 21 USC No. 22 And a surprise...they put UC Santa Barbara at No. 23...who could be in Oregon's Regional?

More polls gradually coming out: The Athletic has always been less than kind to Oregon, and they rank... UCLA No. 1 Beavis No. 8 Nebraska No. 17 Oregon No. 18 USC No. 20

I'm will use this thread to report both the rankings this week and the projections for whether Oregon hosts a Regional as they all come out today. As of 7:15 AM Monday morning--we have two reports to post. First: D1Baseball ranks Oregon down one spot from No. 13 last week, to No. 14 this week. I don't think it was anything the Ducks did wrong, but simply that another team had a great week and bumped up. UCLA was No. 1, Beavis was No. 7, Nebraska was No. 20 and USC was No. 25 concerning teams we are impacted by. Second: On3 released their NCAA Baseball Regional Bracket Projection going into conference tournaments, and here are the fun-facts and surprises: --Oregon is given a No. 15 National Seed, and would host West Virginia, (hot right now) UC Santa Barbara, (yikes-tough) and St. John's. They flat-out stated that Oregon was vulnerable and could lose hosting if we do not do well in the Big-10 tournament this week. I think we need to win two games to lock down the Regional host... By being No. 15 and not No. 16....we would face the Georgia Tech in the Supers if we win our Regional, instead of playing the Bruins again in Los Angeles. Good. --UCLA is hosting of course, and so is Nebraska with a No. 12 National Seed. --USC is traveling to the Oxford Regional as a No. 2 Regional Seed, and it was stated--it was because they lost the series to Oregon. A play or two in one game decides so much... --Beavis got no respect, and is a rated only as a Regional No. 2 Seed, and they travel to Starkville where Mississippi State is a National No. 14 Seed, and very vulnerable to Oregon State. Beavis has no conference tournament this week, and thus cannot change their fate. (Nobody to sue?) Again...this all can change after this next week of conference tournaments. But it gives us a better idea of what is on the line. And it is gratifying to see that the highest Our Beloved Ducks have been projected through this long season--is right now. Finish the job this week!

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2026 CROSS COUNTRY & TRACK AND FIELD | @OregonTF Ducks Complete Big Ten Triple Crown Sweep Oregon has won 10 of the 12 available Big Ten titles since joining the conference. LINCOLN, Neb. – The Oregon track and field team swept the Big Ten outdoor titles Sunday afternoon to complete the 2025-26 conference Triple Crown, coupled with its sweeps earlier this season at the cross country and indoor meet. The Ducks have now won 10 of the 12 available Big Ten titles since joining the conference ahead of the 2024-225 season. The Men of Oregon scored 121 points to secure the team title and out-pace the runner-up by 40 points, and with the help of a massive collection of points Sunday, the Women of Oregon racked up 110 points to rally past the field. The UO women scored 91 points on day three of the conference meet. The Ducks combined to win 10 Big Ten titles this weekend in Lincoln including eight on Sunday: Simeon Birnbaum and Juliet Cherubet in the 1500 meters, Tayson Echohawk and Dalia Frias in the 5,000 meters, Aaliyah McCormick over the 100-meter hurdles, Sharifa Davronova in the triple jump, Ben Smith in the shot and Marie Josee Bovele-Linaka in the discus. Luke Tewalt (10,000 meters) and Benjamin Balazs (steeplechase) won conference titles on day one and two, respectively. 2026 Big Ten Outdoor Championships | Team Standings (top five) MEN 1. OREGON – 121 2. Minnesota – 81 2. Nebraska – 81 4. USC – 70.5 5. Ohio State – 62 WOMEN 1. OREGON – 110 2. Illinois – 92 3. USC – 90 4. Washington – 88 5. Nebraska – 81 Oregon’s combined Triple Crown is the first in the Big Ten since 1996-97 when the Wisconsin men and women accomplished the feat. McCormick successfully defended her title in the 100-meter hurdles, and for a second-straight season, completed the indoor-outdoor conference sweep of the sprint hurdles. With a strong tailwind (+4.9), McCormick stopped the clock in 12.43 with Micaela De Mello (12.63) following up for third. The duo accounted for 16 points. Bovele-Linaka was the first champion of the day for Oregon, using a season’s best of 59.01m/193-7 to secure her first Big Ten title. With that toss, a second-round effort, she moved from fourth to third on the program’s top-10 list. Bovele-Linaka joins Jaida Ross and school-record holder Jorinde van Klinken beyond 59 meters in UO history. The Women of Oregon have now won three of the past four conference titles in the discus. On her first jump of the day, Davronova broke the meet and Big Ten record with a wind-legal jump of 14.13m/46-4.25. That measure also makes her the first UO woman over 14 meters in program history. She led a 1-3 Ducks finish with Cassandra Atkins who had a day’s best of 13.52m/44-4.25, good for an all-conditions best. A day removed from a third-place finish in the discus, Smith was back in the ring Sunday and turned in an NCAA-leading measure of 20.88m/68-6 to win the shot put. That mark came in the fourth round on the heels of a 20.56 effort on his previous throw. In addition to the lifetime best, Smith moves to No. 3 on the all-time Oregon list. Smith and Kobe Lawrence (19.66m/64-6) finished first and fourth, respectively, for the last 15 points toward the men’s total. The Ducks add 14 points in the women’s 1500 meters with Cherubet pulling away down the stretch to pace a 1-5 finish with teammate Wilma Nielsen. With the win, Cherubut (4:16.53) added a second Big Ten title this year after winning the indoor 3,000 in February. Birnbaum won his third Big Ten title of the year with Sunday’s victory at 1500 meters. During indoor season, he swept the 3,000 and 5,000 titles in Indianapolis. The UO men added another distance win with Echohawk’s sprint over the final 100 meters in a 1-5-7 Oregon finish with Evan Burke and Evan Bishop, respectively. Heading into the women’s 5,000, the Ducks trailed Illinois by six points (92 to 86) and USC was putting on a charge after a 1-3-5-6 finish in the 200 meters had the Women of Troy at 80 points. Frias’ win was the leading blow in a 24-point collection by the distance crew. Oregon put all five runners into the top eight with Frias, Silan Ayyildiz in third, Diana Cherotich in fourth, Anika Thompson in seventh and 1500- meter champ Cherubet doubling back to pick up a point in eighth. The men’s 4x100 relay—Kai Graves-Blanks, PJ Ize-Iyamu, Grant Valley, Jaelon Barbarin—broke the UO record for a second-consecutive outing, lowering its own standard of 38.59 from the Desert Heat (May 2) to 38.47 in Sunday’s Big Ten final. Ize-Iyamu (9.80W, +5.6) and Graves-Blanks (13.30W, +4.5) added runner-up finishes in the 100 meters and 110-meter hurdles, respectively. Up Next: The postseason continues with the NCAA West First Round (May 27-30) in Fayetteville, Ark. The Big Ten Championships marked the start of the Ducks’ postseason campaign which will culminate with the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships (June 10-13) at Hayward Field. All-session and single-day tickets for the NCAA Championships are currently on sale. Sunday Results Big Ten Championships – Day 3 | Lincoln, Neb. MEN 100 Meters 2. PJ Ize-Iyamu – 9.80W (+5.6) [+8 points] 1500 Meters 1. Simeon Birnbaum – 4:00.98 [+10 points] 8. Elliott Cook – 4:03.07 [+1 point] 9. Jeffery Rogers – 4:03.15 5,000 Meters 1. Tayson Echohawk – 14:08.84 [+10 points] 5. Evan Burke – 14:11.71 [+4 points] 7. Evan Bishop – 14:12.66 [+2 points] --. Simeon Birnbaum – DNF --. Luke Tewalt – DNF 110m Hurdles 2. Kai Graves-Blanks – 13.30W (+4.5) [+8 points] 4x100m Relay 2. Graves-Blanks, Ize-Iyamu, Valley, Barbarin – 38.47 (SB, UO #1) [+8 points] Triple Jump 12. Tre Betts – 15.14m/49-8.25w (+3.9) Shot Put 1. Ben Smith – 20.88m/68-6 (PB, UO #3) [+10 points] 4. Kobe Lawrence – 19.66m/64-6 [+5 points] WOMEN 100 Meters 6. Amirah Shaheed – 11.13w (+3.8, all-cond. Best) [+3 points] 9. Lily Jones – 11.35w (+3.8) 800 Meters 7. Wilma Nielsen – 2:06.36 [2 points] 1500 Meters 1. Juliet Cherubet – 4:16.53 [+10 points] 5. Wilma Nielsen – 4:20.28 [+4 points] 5,000 Meters 1. Dalia Frias – 16:58.74 [+10 points] 3. Silan Ayyildiz – 17:00.55 [+6 points] 4. Diana Cherotich – 17:01.10 [+5 points] 7. Anika Thompson – 17:06.78 [+2 points] 8. Juliet Cherubet – 17:09.13 [+1 point] 100m Hurdles 1. Aaliyah McCormick – 12.43W (+4.9) [+10 points] 3. Micaela De Mello – 12.63W (+4.9) [+6 points] 4x100m Relay 3. Neal/Shaheed/Doht-Barron/Jones – 43.80 [+6 points] Triple Jump 1. Sharifa Davronova – 14.13m/46-4.25 (MR, UO #1) 3. Cassandra Atkins – 13.52m/44-4.25w (+3.5, all-cond. PB) 11. Maleigha Canaday-Elliott – 12.84m/42-1.5w (+3.3, all cond. PB) Discus 1. Marie Josee Bovele-Linaka – 59.01m/193-7 (SB, UO #3) [+10 points] 11. Alicia Khunou – 53.86m/176-8 For more news and information about Oregon cross country and track and field, follow @OregonTF on Facebook, Instagram and X.

Amazing...

Winning the Big-10 Championships in Cross Country, Indoor Track and now Outdoor Track! Whew.

On the Tuesday after Oregon’s first depth chart leak, the opening line at most books had the Ducks at minus seven for the next Saturday’s road trip. By Thursday night it had crept to minus nine and a half, with a few books at ten flat. No injury news, no weather front, no breaking story. The number moved because the money moved, and the money moved because the public read the depth chart the same way fans on FishDuck did. What Line Moves Reveal About Vegas’s Read of Oregon

The Ducks have 10 Quad-1 wins, which puts us in the top ten in the nation for that stat. USC has one... The RPI at No. 16 is precisely what we needed, but any slip in the conference tournament could knock us out as hosting. You gotta be in the top-16 of the Playoff Committee ranking to host. We are in the best position we've been all season, but very, very vulnerable, IMHO.

Your first paragraph has correct assumptions. The Playoff Bracket and decisions for who hosts Regionals are not until after the conference tournaments, typically next Sunday. Thus you can be helped or hurt by what happens in your conference tournament. Oregon needs to play well to host a Regional, IMHO. Make it to the finals to face UCLA...and I think we're in. Lose prior to that....??

OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2026 BASEBALL | @OregonBaseball Mabeus Walk-off Bunt Locks Up Series Win for Ducks EUGENE, Ore. — Catcher Burke-Lee Mabeus executed a perfect run-scoring bunt with two outs in the bottom of the 14th inning to give No. 16 Oregon a 6-5 win over No. 17 USC, helping the Ducks clinch a Big Ten Conference series win on the last day of the regular season at PK Park on Saturday. With Brayden Jaksa at third with two outs, Mabeus took the Trojans by surprise dropping the first pitch he saw about a third of the way up the third base line with the ball settling barely in fair territory. Jaksa raced past both the catcher and pitcher as they approached the ball, forcing a wild throw to first that Mabeus beat out for a walk-off RBI single. Jaksa set up Mabeus’ heroics reaching base on a one-out single before swiping second and moving to third on a Naulivou Lauaki Jr. ground out to the shortstop. With the win, the Ducks’ clinched the three-seed in next week’s Big Ten Conference Tournament in Omaha, Neb. The Ducks’ opponent will be decided on Tuesday and Wednesday when No. 6 seed Ohio State, No. 7 seed Michigan, No. 10 seed Rutgers and No. 11 seed Washington compete in the double-elimination portion of the tournament. Michigan faces Rutgers in the first round, while Ohio State will play Washington. The Ducks will be matched up with whichever team wins its first two games. Burke-Lee Mabeus with the Winner How It Happened: For the first time in the series, Oregon (38-15, 20-10 Big Ten) jumped out to a lead to start the game. A Ryan Cooney hit, Angel Laya hit-by-pitch and a pair of wild pitches put runners at second and third with no outs. Cooney came in to score on a Drew Smith ground out to second base before Laya made it 2-0 scoring on a Brayden Jaksa single. Oregon tacked on two runs in the second inning. Maddox Molony led off the frame with his 11th home run of the season for a three-run lead. Then with two outs, Cooney walked and moved to second on a Laya base hit before scoring on a Smith base hit to right field. USC (42-14, 20-10 Big Ten) cut the lead to 4-3 with a run in the third and two more in the sixth, but the Ducks answered with a run in their half of the sixth. Jack Brooks walked to lead off the inning before moving to second on a Gabe Miranda sacrifice bunt. The Trojans chose to intentionally walk Cooney and Laya made them pay for it, doubling into right field to score Brooks for a 5-3 lead. The Trojans tied the game in the seventh inning. After a costly Oregon error kept the inning alive, USC belted a two-out, two-run home run to tie the game at five. The teams’ bullpens battled over the next scoreless seven innings. The Ducks got a two-out double from Molony in the bottom of the seventh but stranded him. Oregon also stranded two runners in the 10th and one in the 11th. Oregon relievers Devin Bell, Jonah Barkoff and Collin Clarke combined to toss seven scoreless innings setting up Oregon’s 14-inning win. A day after picking up a 1.2 inning save on 23 pitches, Bell tossed a season-high four innings and 58 pitches while fanning a season-best seven with no walks. Making just his fifth career appearance, Barkoff struck out three of the seven batters he faced while giving up just one hit in the 12th and 13th innings before giving way to Clarke. Jonah Barkoff Clarke (6-3) got the win after allowing just one hit with a strikeout in his inning of work. Box Score Notes: Oregon assistant coach Jack Marder filled in for head coach Mark Wasikowski who missed the game while attending his daughter’s graduation from pharmacy school at Purdue … Smith collected his 200th career hit with the second-inning RBI single … Molony’s homer was the 36th of his career … Cooney’s fourth-inning ground-rule double was his 17th two bagger of the season, moving him into a tie for ninth with Jacob Walsh (2025) and Anthony Hall (2022) on Oregon’s single-season list … The game tied for the second longest game in Oregon modern era history, behind only a 17-inning game in 2011 against Wichita State … The Ducks are now 1-2 all-time in 14-inning games … They dropped a 1-0 decision at home against UC Santa Barbara in 2016 after losing to Washington 4-3 in 2011 … Sunday’s attendance was 3,846, running the three-game series total to 10,951. Up next: The Ducks open Big Ten Tournament play Friday at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha (7 p.m. PT, B1G Network). Quotes: On the emotions through the extra innings… “It was hard going there for a while. What happens when you have a team that’s the way that we are, they’re really close, they love it here. They love being here. They’re going to try their tail off. This game is like chess; baseball is different than other sports. You got to relax, you have to stay calm, you have to let your body move the right way. When you overtry, it’s going to get really difficult, especially when you’re facing great arms like we face. I was pumped that our guys kept saying that we were going to find a way to get this thing done, and we did, and with things we don’t normally do. We had Brayden Jaksa with a great at-bat, it found a way, and he stole, which was awesome. Then obviously Burke-Lee Mabeus found a way to drag down to win.” On the performance from Devin Bell and Jonah Barkoff… “Those are Oregon kids and those guys just want the ball. It’s a testament to (Matt) Florer and (Dan) Straily for how much they’ve worked with those guys and what those guys have gone through in the fall to be prepared for those moments. (Devin) Bell basically said, ‘I’m coming back today and you’re not taking me out’. Jonah (Barkoff), even after his rough outing on Thursday he was a stud. All of our guys I thought, out of the bullpen, was the best pitching performance I have ever been a part of.” On Burke-Lee Mabeus with the bunt to win… “Yeah, that was definitely not the plan, but Burkes a really good bunter. He has proven that in his work. It’s a left-on-left matchup. (Sax) Matson had been dominating us, and he did that. It’s a really tough angle for him. I actually thought Burke-Lee was going to find a way no matter what, but in the initial play of it, it’s always what’s the best chance for us to win? What’s the best chance for us to score? The third baseman was playing back and when that opportunity came, I just look at it from a percentage standpoint, like how do we score right here. Worst case scenario, if he shows and it’s a ball it puts a little stress on them on the defensive side, it opens up a hole where Burke-Lee is flat and can hit a ball to the backside. I was good with all that and I’m pumped for the kid that he got it done, which is sweet.” Burke-Lee Mabeus On mentality going into his at bat... “I like it. We work on bunting every day for moments like that. We’re usually doing that in tight games and big games, so I was excited for it. I take pride in my bunting skills. I had a couple bunt hits this year and last year. I saw it and told myself to just go for it with no pressure and I was able to get it down.” On staying in the game both offensively and defensively... “It’s about staying with each pitch. You can get long-winded if you look into the future thinking about how many innings there are left or how much longer I have to catch. The best mentality that I try to tell myself to have is to stay present with each pitch and make sure I can make a difference on each one. As a prime position as catcher I’m able to influence the game so I just try to stay present.” On Devin Bell and Jonah Barkoff’s performances... “Those guys did amazing. Coming in out of the bullpen they set the tone for us as a team. There were a lot of shut-out innings on both sides and for those guys to stay competitive like they did, lead us and keep momentum going when the offensive side wasn’t maybe pulling as hard as we usually do was amazing. They kept us in that game for sure and arguably won us the game.” Jonah Barkoff On coming in out of the bullpen... “It felt great. The guys in the bullpen do a great job with us in making sure we’re ready. It felt good to come into that spot and compete. I competed every pitch and trusted my stuff. I believe that thinking kills confidence so I don’t think I just do.” On playing for the University of Oregon... “It feels great. It’s about playing for the university but it’s also about playing for the guys around me. You hear other guys talk about it but the team’s camaraderie is awesome. To have that trust and faith that we have in each other is great. While we all collectively play for the university we play for each other as well.” On winning back-to-back after a loss to start the series... “There’s no doubt about it that these three games have been extremely competitive and they even got chippy yesterday. After dropping that first game, there were some regrets, but we knew we were going to come out with the same fire, and we carried that momentum from Thursday into these last two games, and they went in our favor.” Devin Bell Devin Bell On the team wearing the “process” shirts… “Well, we like to go about the process the right way. Those shirts literally have “process” written across them, and it’s a big factor in our culture here. We were just trying to rally something together as we went in there and put those on and I think it worked.” On his highest pitch count since 2024… “It felt great, it’s been a while, but I knew I was getting cool with it. I just took care of business like I should.” On playing for the Oregon Ducks as an Oregon native with Jonah Barkoff… “I love my Oregon guys. I love this entire team of course, but it is super cool to see two Oregon guys go back-to-back there.” On how he manages to stay calm on the mound… “I think it’s the dugout, absolutely. I just stay calm under pressure and the dugout picks me up with the energy and that’s all it is.”

The announcers said it well...."neither team deserves to lose this game." True. USC relief pitching was a good as advertised, and Oregon relief pitching really came through in the clutch. The official game report will be posted by 10:30 PM...

Ducks win 6-5 after 14 innings! Collin Clarke came in for relief, and gave up a hit...and that was it. Brayden Jaksa got on base with a hit up the middle, and then stole second. A groundout moved him to third base... The most unbelievable....Burke-Lee Mabeus did a Suicide Squeeze...a bunt to the third base side as Jaksa was jetting to home. Infielders were too late at home, and overthrew first base and walk-off goes to OREGON!

Still tied....and Jonah Barkoff was superb again in the 13th inning. On to the 14 inning!

Shall we go 13 innings? Tied 5-5 after 12 innings, and I am amazed at relief pitching of both teams thus far. This time RS freshman Jonah Barkoff of Oregon came in pitched superbly to put the Trojans down.

Still tied at 5-5 after 11 innings. Oregon's Devin Bell gave up a hit, but made clutch pitches to keep USC scoreless.

Still tied at 5-5 after ten innings. Devin Bell was awesome, but Our Beloved Ducks stranded two on base...

Tied yet at 5-5 after nine innings. Oregon's Devin Bell had runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out, and got the Ducks out of it with a line-drive caught, and an amazing strikeout.

Still tied 5-5 after eight innings. Oregon's closer, Devin Bell, came in dispensed with the Trojans with a nasty slider that really drops.