Oregon baseball captures Game 1 of key three-game series with UCLA
Oregon baseball captures Game 1 of key three-game series with UCLA
More of this, please.
Oregon Ducks starting pitcher Grayson Grinsell threw a two-hit complete game to lead the Ducks in a 2-1 victory over No. 12 UCLA Friday night at PK Park. Oregon is now 26-10 overall and 13-6 in Big Ten action. The Ducks are now a half game behind the first-place Bruins, who fell to 12-4 in league play.
Grinsell's effort was just enough to propel the Ducks to victory. The only runs for Oregon came thanks to designated hitter Dominic Hellman's bat. The junior laced a single to left in the third inning to put the home team on the board 1-0. Then Hellman managed to add some much-needed insurance with a solo homer in the sixth.
That home run turned out to be the game-winning shot as UCLA's shortstop Roch Cholowsky put the Bruins to within one run.
But that was the only blemish on Grinsell's stat line. The Oregon left-handed ace finished with seven strikeouts and just one walk. UCLA's starter Wylan Moss was pretty good himself. He went five innings, giving up just one run on five hits and striking out three. He was followed by Chris Grothues' 2.2 innings and August Souza getting the final out in the eighth. Grothues struck out four, but the first batter he faced happened to be Hellman who took him deep. It might be a pitch Grothues might be thinking about for a while.
This was just the first game of a crucial three-game set that had the feeling of a possible Super Regional. Both teams are ranked in the Top 15 and nearly equal in the Big Ten standings. Should Oregon sweep, which would be a tall task, the Ducks could have an inside track to winning the regular season in their first year in the conference.
But there is a ton of baseball left to be played, including Game 2 of this series Saturday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 2:05 pm.
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Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
J.D. Arteaga, the relentless ace turned loyal coach remains the heart of Canes baseball
March 2003. J.D. Arteaga was still chasing the dream. He stood on a mound in Arizona, working toward a potential shot at the big leagues with the Texas Rangers' Major League spring training. After five years of grinding through the minors with the Mets and Astros organizations, this was the opportunity he had been waiting for. His wife, Ysha, and their young son, Ari, were scheduled to fly out to visit him. It was supposed to be a rare moment away from baseball. Then his phone rang. Jim Morris was calling. Arteaga had spent four years pitching for Morris at Miami, leading the Hurricanes to four straight College World Series appearances and leaving his name all over the program's record books. Months earlier, he had casually told Morris that coaching was something he might consider one day. Morris wasn't calling for a casual chat. He needed a pitching coach—immediately. Not at the end of the season. Not after interviews. Right now. It was March. Miami's season was already underway. The Hurricanes were flying out to Tennessee that week. Arteaga hesitated. Was he ready to give up playing? To walk away from the only dream he had ever known? 'It was a very tough decision to give up a dream, for a dream job,' Arteaga said. At 2 a.m., he called Morris back and took the job. Instead of waiting for his family in Arizona, he went to them and got on the first available flight to Miami. Two days later, he was in Tennessee, calling pitches for a team he had barely met. Miami swept the series. And just like that, J.D. Arteaga's coaching career had begun. Fast forward over two decades and Arteaga is in his second season as the Hurricanes' head coach, who just led them to their first Super Regional appearance since 2016 and came one victory short of leading them back to Omaha and the College World Series. THE OVERLOOKED PITCHER Arteaga wasn't supposed to be the best pitcher in Miami history. He wasn't supposed to leave the program as its all-time wins leader (43) and starts leader (72). He wasn't the hardest thrower. He wasn't a projected star. But he worked harder than everyone else. Arteaga arrived at Miami in 1994 from Westminster Christian, a high school powerhouse that produced elite talent. He was never the most gifted pitcher on the roster, but by his sophomore season, he was the most reliable. 'He wasn't supposed to be the best pitcher Miami ever had,' Jim Morris said. 'But he was.' Arteaga knew his limitations, but he also knew how to overcome them. 'I was never the hardest thrower, never had the best stuff, but I knew how to pitch,' he said. By the time he left Miami in 1997, Arteaga had pitched more innings than almost anyone in program history. He had started in five College World Series games and delivered when Miami needed him most. He was drafted in the 26th round by the Mets—a long shot to make the big leagues. He spent five years battling in the minors, refusing to let the dream die. Then Jim Morris called, and Arteaga made the decision that would define his legacy. FROM THE MOUND TO MENTOR Most coaches ease into the job. Arteaga was thrown into the fire. Morris didn't care that Arteaga had never coached before. He saw something in him. The same qualities that had made Arteaga Miami's most reliable pitcher—calm, intelligence, leadership, and an ability to elevate those around him—would make him an exceptional coach. For the next 20 years, Arteaga became the architect of Miami's pitching success. He developed multiple MLB Draft picks, including first-rounders Chris Perez (2006) and César Carrillo (2005). His 2006 rotation—composed almost entirely of first-time starters—recorded five shutouts, the most by a Miami staff since 1998. But Arteaga wasn't just a coach. He was a mentor first. 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He had spent two decades as Miami's pitching coach, but never as a head coach. Some voices inside and outside the program wanted a bigger name, a national profile. Morris wasn't having it. 'If the university has any loyalty, J.D. should be the next head coach,' Morris said to the University's administrators. Arteaga got the job. He inherited a roster in transition—seven of Miami's nine starting position players this season are new. It's a challenge unlike anything he faced as a player or pitching coach. Arteaga felt that immediately. 'It's a different seat. I knew what Miami baseball meant as a player and a pitching coach, but this? This is different.' But he didn't flinch. 'I was one of the guys pushing as hard as I could for J.D. to be the head coach,' Morris said. 'Because I knew he deserved that opportunity.' BEYOND BASEBALL Arteaga's influence extends far beyond the dugout. 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USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
10 stats tell the story of LSU baseball's dominant super regional sweep of West Virginia
10 stats tell the story of LSU baseball's dominant super regional sweep of West Virginia We saw LSU baseball at its best vs. West Virginia. The Tigers swept the Baton Rouge Super Regional to claim their spot in the College World Series. On Saturday, LSU had two grand slams en route to scoring 16 runs. The offensive barrage continued on Sunday with LSU scoring 12 more runs. LSU aces Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson weren't perfect, but they were good enough. West Virginia made a couple of runs in Game 1 and Game 2, but every time, LSU responded to remain in control of the game. The offensive output kept pressure off LSU pitchers throughout the series. For Jay Johnson and LSU, this marks the second trip to Omaha in three years. The Tigers won it all 2023, led by stars Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews. LSU will kick off its College World Series journey vs. Arkansas later this week. Before we get there, here are 10 stats that tell the story of LSU baseball's super regional win.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Five takeaways from LSU baseball's super regional win vs. West Virginia
Five takeaways from LSU baseball's super regional win vs. West Virginia LSU baseball is headed to Omaha. After sweeping West Virginia in the Baton Rouge Super Regional, LSU punched a ticket to the College World Series. The Tigers erupted for 16 runs in Game 1 before plating 12 more in Game 2. It was just what we wanted to see from the LSU offense after the Tigers' bats were inconsistent at points this spring. Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson didn't pitch at the elite level they did in the regional, but both were good enough to get the wins. Anderson allowed six earned runs, but made it through seven innings in Game 1. Eyanson held WVU to three runs and struck out seven of the course of five innings in Game 2. Tigers' head coach Jay Johnson has now led LSU to Omaha in two of his four years in Baton Rouge. LSU's last CWS trip came in 2023, when the Tigers won it all with Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews. Before LSU continues its quest for another national title, here are five takeaways from LSU's Super Regional win. 1. LSU responded in the seventh inning LSU controlled the game early, scoring six runs in the first two innings. WVU began to stage a comeback. The Mountaineers scored three runs in the fourth and plated another in the fifth. Then, LSU had a response of its own. LSU scored six runs in the seventh inning, putting the game out of reach. It started with a two-run single off the bat of Chris Stanfield. Not long after, Derek Curiel scored on a throwing error. Steven Milam kept the rally going with an RBI double. Jake Brown capped it off with a two-run shot to center field. West Virginia had the momentum entering the seventh, and the Mountaineers were a couple of swings away from tying it up. Good teams respond like LSU did in the seventh. 2. Anderson and Eyanson were good enough Good pitchers find a way to do enough even when they don't have their best stuff. Neither Kade Anderson nor Anthony Eyanson had their best, but they combined to pitch 12 innings and both got the win. Anderson held WVU to one run through five innings, which allowed LSU to build a substantial lead. West Virginia put up some runs in the later innings, but Anderson hung in there and threw 109 pitches, keeping LSU's bullpen rested. On Sunday, Eyanson held WVU to three runs in five innings. Between the regional and the super regional, Eyanson allowed just three runs over 13.2 innings. LSU can't expect eight shutout innings from Anderson and Eyanson every night, but the Tigers proved they can win a different style of game vs. West Virginia. 3. Steven Milam was a star Steven Milam had ups and downs in the regular season, but he's been a star for LSU in the NCAA Tournament. He stayed hot vs. West Virginia. On Saturday, Milam came to the plate with LSU up 3-1 and the bases loaded. Milam put one in the bleachers to give LSU a 7-1 lead. Milam walked twice and scored two runs. On Sunday, Milam had two more extra-base hits with four RBI. Again, he walked twice and scored twice. If Milam is going to hit like this, it changes the outlook for LSU's lineup. It gives the Tigers another all-around bat in the middle of the lineup. "He will play baseball for a very long time if he takes the caliber of at-bats that he has," Jay Johnson said of Milam last weekend. 4. Potential emergence of Cooper Williams Aside from Casan Evans, LSU's bullpen has struggled in recent weeks. Even Zac Cowan has faltered after being one of the nation's most effective relievers for most of the year. LSU needed another bullpen arm to emerge -- it might just be Cooper Williams. Williams, a true freshman, was ranked as the No. 12 left-handed pitcher in the 2024 class by Perfect Game. He began his career without allowing an earned run in his first 12 appearances, but didn't see a ton of high leverage spots in the regular season. After LSU struggled to get outs last Sunday vs. Little Rock, Williams entered and pitched 3.2 scoreless innings. Then, a week later vs. West Virginia, Johnson called on Williams with the tying run at the plate. Williams delivered and gave LSU 2.2 innings, allowing just one run. That'll play. In 19.2 innings, Williams owns a 1.83 ERA this year. LSU will need a strong effort from the freshman in Omaha. 5. LSU looks like a complete team The Super Regional was LSU at its best. The Tigers have not played two straight complete games like vs. a quality opponent all year. Sure, the Tigers have found ways to win, but LSU was dominant in every phase of the game vs. the Mountaineers. This team is good enough to go all the way in Omaha. We had questions about the lineup entering the weekend. Those were answered. We know guys like Derek Curiel and Daniel Dickinson are going to produce, but when Milam, Brown, and Josh Pearson are showing off the power too, it's hard to find outs vs. this group. And Tiger fans should feel better about the bullpen now, too. LSU finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the polls for a reason. When this squad plays to its potential, it's the best in the country.
