No. 11 Oregon kept its postseason moving on May 30, beating Yale in its NCAA regional opener and advancing to face Washington State at PK Park in the next round. The Ducks are now two wins away from their first super regional berth since 2024.
That is why Oregon Ducks Baseball was drawing so much attention on Friday night in Eugene: the Ducks entered the game at 41-16 overall and 20-10 in the Big Ten, and the winner of the matchup with Washington State would move on to the regional final. Oregon had already cleared the first hurdle by taking down Yale, and the bracket tightened from there.
Will Sanford gave Oregon the start it wanted. He struck out the side in the first inning and had seven strikeouts through three innings, while Luke Meyers sent Oregon's first nine batters down in order through three innings and reached 10 strikeouts through four innings. The pitching gave the Ducks a chance to keep the regional on their terms, even before the rest of the bracket settled around them.
Washington State was not arriving as an ordinary opponent. The Eugene Regional No. 3 seed was 31-26 overall and 15-9 in the Mountain West, and it had already beaten Oregon State 3-2 in Friday's first game. That mattered because it meant Oregon was not just trying to survive the opener; it was stepping into a second-round game against a team that had already proved it could win under pressure in the winner's bracket.
Oregon's lineup for the game featured Ryan Cooney, Angel Laya, Drew Smith, Brayden Jaksa, Burke-Lee Mabeus, Naulivou Lauaki, Maddox Molony, Jax Gimenez, Jack Brooks and Sanford, with the Ducks trying to turn their opener win into a path toward the regional final. Washington State countered with Trevor Smith, Gavin Roy, Max Hartman, Matt Priest, Dustin Robinson, Ryan Skjonsby, Ollie Obenour, Cam Macleod, Kyler Northrop and Meyers.
The next step is simple and unforgiving: the winner of Oregon and Washington State advances to the regional final at PK Park on Saturday. For Oregon, the payoff is clear, and so is the margin for error. One more win keeps the Ducks alive for a super regional berth they have not reached since 2024.
