Oregon is in a virtual tie for the Pac-12 lead as the Ducks begin the second half of their conference schedule tonight with a game against UCLA at PK Park, and yet, what?s that really worth?
?We?re in position,? UO coach George Horton said of making a run at the conference title. ?We all know very well how things can change drastically in a weekend.
?You better be ready to play each and every week.?
Horton compared the situation for 10th-ranked Oregon (28-8, 12-3 Pac-12) with a runner setting the pace at the midpoint of a marathon, or a NASCAR driver leading laps long before the final one.
?The finish line is so far out in front of us,? Horton added. ?We?ve got a lot of work to do.?
The next two weekends figure to be crucial to Oregon?s title hopes as the Ducks host No. 13 UCLA (23-10) and then Stanford (20-11) in a pair of three-game series at PK Park.
Both the Bruins and Cardinal are 7-5 in the Pac-12 and tied for third place, so it will be imperative for each to avoid losing ground in their pursuit of first place.
?We?ll see at the end of the next two series if we?re still contenders,? Horton said, adding that if the Ducks are, ?that will be a good accomplishment.?
The Ducks have had some already, most recently three wins at California for the first road sweep by Oregon against a conference opponent since the sport was brought back in 2009.
?An important milestone for our program,? Horton noted.
Also behind the Ducks are series against fellow contenders Arizona and Arizona State (both 8-7). But Oregon State, at 10-2 in the Pac-12 and percentage points ahead of the Ducks, also has the Wildcats and Sun Devils in the rearview mirror.
And the Beavers have much the easier task with the upcoming schedule, with a series this weekend at cellar-dwelling Washington followed by consecutive series at home against two second-division foes, USC and California.
Meanwhile, the Ducks will try to keep pace, and they have built confidence with their current six-game winning streak.
?I think our confidence is starting to build up slowly but surely,? UO cleanup hitter Ryon Healy said.
?There are portions of our game that are there a lot of the time and starting to click more consistently, and that?s why the wins are starting to stack up.?
The Ducks are also back home after the past eight games on the road. Horton said he ?challenged? his players before that stretch began, stressing the importance of a strong start to April. The Ducks dropped the first two games of those eight on the road but haven?t lost since.
?We?ve been doing it against really good teams,? Horton said. ?Our guys ... believe we?re going to win. We have some opponents coming in who think the same way, so it will be the ultimate challenge.?
The Bruins have won four of their past five games, all against nonleague opponents. The weekend series at PK Park is probably make-or-break time for UCLA?s aspirations to win or share its third consecutive Pac-12 title, and the Bruins certainly look like a matchup of comparable strengths with the Ducks.
The UCLA pitchers, led by tonight?s scheduled starter Adam Plutko (4-2, 2.62 earned run average) are 14th in the nation in earned run average at 2.63, with the Ducks close behind at 2.99.
Defensively, Oregon leads the nation in fielding percentage at .988, and the Bruins are seventh at .980.
Neither team is in the top half of the Pac-12 in batting average and most offensive statistics, so runs figure to be at a premium.
And nobody wants to be trailing late in these games: UCLA is 18-0 when leading after seven innings, and the Ducks are 23-0 when leading going to the eighth inning. Strong relief staffs for both teams are anchored by two of the nation?s best closers, David Berg (4-0, 0.92 with eight saves) for the Bruins and Jimmie Sherfy (2-0, 1.07, 12 saves) for the Ducks.
?Berg and Sherfy are as good as it gets,? Horton said. ?We both feel good about the end of the game.?
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rgsports/~3/tFi9oeS1MjA/ducks-horton-oregon-pac-series.html.csp
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