Ducks Picked Fourth In Pac-10 Preseason Coaches? Poll
Ducks Picked Fourth In Pac-10 Preseason Coaches? Poll
NCAA runner-up UCLA was selected as the preseason favorite to win the Pac-10 title in 2011. The Bruins, searching for their first Pac-10 title since 2000, received eight first-place votes and 79 total points.
For the last two years since the UO baseball program was reinstated for the 2009 season, Oregon was voted to finish 10th in the league by the conference’s head coaches. But in 2010, under the guidance of head coach George Horton, the Ducks ended the year with a 40-24 record, and finished tied for fifth in the Pac-10 standings with a conference mark of 13-14.
Approaching the 2011 season, Oregon has earned top-15 rankings from four collegiate baseball preseason polls; cracking the top-10 with a No. 9 ranking in the Collegiate Baseball Top-40 Preseason poll, checking in at No. 10 in the USA Today/ESPN Preseason Coaches’ poll, receiving a No. 12 ranking from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason poll, as well as a No. 14 placement in theBaseball America Preseason Top 25 poll.
Oregon opens the 2011 season with a four-game set at defending Western Athletic Conference Tournament champion and NCAA Regional participant, Hawai’i, from Feb. 18-21 in Honolulu.
The Ducks then return to Eugene for their home opener on Feb. 25, hosting a three-game series with Saint Mary’s.
Season tickets and mini-plans are currently on sale. This year, the Oregon ticket office is featuring the Flex Plan. The 14-game Flex Plan allows fans to choose all the games they want to attend for only $7.50 per ticket for general admission seating. Fans can create their own Mini Plan by bringing a GA ticket voucher(s) to the box office in advance or on gameday, and exchange it for a ticket(s) to the games of their choice.
Oregon finished the 2010 season 9-6 against ranked opponents, and swept three non-conference weekend series. Oregon also finished 3-3 against No. 1 ranked teams, and won five Pac-10 series – including three (#22 Stanford, #1 UCLA and Washington) on the road.
Now entering their third season in 2011, a whole new host of Ducks will make their mark as the 2010-11 freshman class received two top-five rankings from Baseball Americaand Collegiate Baseball during the fall.
Oregon returns five Pac-10 all-conference honorees from the 2010 season, including junior left-hander Tyler Anderson, who was named a preseason All-American by three different publications, as well as, right-hander Scott McGough, and infielders J.J. Altobelli, KC Serna and Danny Pulfer.
Oregon’s pitching staff, which returns seven student-athletes from last year’s staff, proved to be one of the best in the country during the 2010 season. The Ducks finished the season with 3.29 ERA, which ranked second in the Pac-10 and third in the country.
The Ducks also return 12 position players from last year’s squad, including six starters and welcome 13 newcomers.
2011 Pac-10 Baseball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
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Updated 02-02-2011
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