Oregon baseball rises into the Top 5 in latest USA TODAY/Coaches poll
Oregon baseball rises into the Top 5 in latest USA TODAY/Coaches poll
The final weekend of the regular season couldn't have been any better for the Oregon baseball team.
The Ducks had to sweep the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City to have a chance to win the Big Ten regular-season title, and the polls are rewarding them for their success.
In the latest USA TODAY/Coaches poll, Oregon moved up two spots to No. 5. The Ducks are ranked even higher in the D1baseball.com poll, as they are No. 4 in the country. Oregon's RPI has dramatically improved over the course of its current 10-game winning streak as well. The Ducks were in the mid-40s before the streak, and now their RPI stands at No. 12.
So what does this all mean? It means a few things. Oregon is the No. 1 in the Big Ten Conference tournament in Omaha this week. The Ducks open with Michigan State on May 23. It also means that with a decent showing in the conference tourney, Oregon is almost guaranteed to host a regional in the NCAA tournament. If the Ducks advance to the semifinals, there's a good chance Oregon will be one of the eight national seeds in the Big Dance and potentially host a Super Regional.
In short, everything is going the Ducks' way at the moment, and they have their own destiny in their hands. They just have to keep winning.
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