D1BASEBALL: 2021 Pac-12 Preview (1 photo)
This is a fascinating year for the Pac-12 in that every single program in the league is showing some version of upward trajectory. Realistically, not all of that positive momentum will bear fruit in 2021, but there is cause for optimism regardless. UCLA is the class of the league, a team that has Omaha written all over it. Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State and Washington make up the next tier, and all four should be in the mix for a regional. Cal and Stanford do not lack talent, but rough starts in 2020 and the cancellation of fall baseball leave both programs with significant question marks. The rest of league is made up of programs with recent and intriguing coaching changes, and those rosters are all trending up from a talent standpoint.
Projected Regional Teams (4): UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State
Player of the Year: Matt McLain, SS, UCLA
Pitcher of the Year: Zach Pettway, RHP, UCLA
Freshman of the Year: Jacob Berry, 3B, Arizona
TOP PROSPECTS, 2021 DRAFT
17 Caleb Sloan
28 Cullen Kafka
29 Hunter Breault
34 Kenyon Yovan
Oregon
Head Coach: Mark Wasikowski
2019 Record: 27-29 (10-19)
2020 Record: 8-7 (0-0)
Strengths: Three top of the league, middle of the order bats. The Ducks’ trifecta of Kenyon Yovan, Gabe Matthews and Aaron Zavala is a separator for this lineup. These veterans are proven producers, and traversing this part of the Oregon lineup will be treacherous for Pac-12 pitchers.
Question Marks: The weekend rotation. There are plenty of options for Wasikowski here and the Ducks’ talent level on the mound is trending up. That said, there aren’t any current resumés here to hang your hat on. This will be something to follow as Pac-12 play approaches.
Star Power: Yovan earned All-America honors as a pitcher in each of his first two seasons. And he was on his way to the same level of accolades as a hitter in 2020. Yovan has been an impact player since day one of his Oregon career, and his ability to contribute as a two-way player in 2021 is an intriguing part of the Ducks’ projection.
Glue Guys: Matthews anchors this team at first base and his four seasons at Oregon have been remarkably consistent. He is a hit machine with 181 career knocks and 173 career starts. Matthews is one of the most established players in college baseball.
Pick to Click: 2YR FR Andrew Mosiello had pitched his way into the weekend rotation as a true freshman only to have the season come to an abrupt end. He comes from a baseball family and he shows advanced feel for pitching.
Top Newcomer: True freshman righthander Isaac Ayon is another arm who will push for weekend innings. Ayon checks every box including frame (6-foot-4, 219 pounds), velocity (fastball up to 95) and the ability to miss bats (out pitch slider). He will also wear jersey No. 1 so his swag factor is also strong. This is a potential high draft pick for 2023.
Outlook: This program is surging and the main question will be how quickly success arrives. The offense looks ready to compete right now while the pitching is more difficult to pin down. If the depth of the Ducks’ pitching talent advances to a playable level, this looks like a top half of the league team.
From the Fall Report:
Assessing the recent history of Oregon baseball is… complicated. The Ducks took 27 years off from baseball (1982-2008) and then made a huge splash hiring Hall of Fame coach George Horton. The first year of the return in 2009 was predictably difficult (14-42). But then Horton got the Ducks rolling.
Year two in 2010 started a run of five regional appearances in six years. Oregon twice hosted those regionals. In 2012, it even hosted a Super Regional, only to fall in a dramatic walk-off game three loss to upstart Kent State. In summary, the Ducks went from not having baseball for nearly three decades to nationally relevant in short order.
Unfortunately, that early success was not sustained. The last four completed seasons (2016-2019) have been challenging, and especially so in conference play. Three eighth-place finishes and a ninth-place finish led to the end of Horton’s tenure and former Oregon assistant coach Mark Wasikowski was hired for the 2020 season.
2021 Pac-12 Preview: Can Anyone Stop UCLA? • D1Baseball
Projected Regional Teams (4): UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State
Player of the Year: Matt McLain, SS, UCLA
Pitcher of the Year: Zach Pettway, RHP, UCLA
Freshman of the Year: Jacob Berry, 3B, Arizona
TOP PROSPECTS, 2021 DRAFT
17 Caleb Sloan
28 Cullen Kafka
29 Hunter Breault
34 Kenyon Yovan
Oregon
Head Coach: Mark Wasikowski
2019 Record: 27-29 (10-19)
2020 Record: 8-7 (0-0)
Strengths: Three top of the league, middle of the order bats. The Ducks’ trifecta of Kenyon Yovan, Gabe Matthews and Aaron Zavala is a separator for this lineup. These veterans are proven producers, and traversing this part of the Oregon lineup will be treacherous for Pac-12 pitchers.
Question Marks: The weekend rotation. There are plenty of options for Wasikowski here and the Ducks’ talent level on the mound is trending up. That said, there aren’t any current resumés here to hang your hat on. This will be something to follow as Pac-12 play approaches.
Star Power: Yovan earned All-America honors as a pitcher in each of his first two seasons. And he was on his way to the same level of accolades as a hitter in 2020. Yovan has been an impact player since day one of his Oregon career, and his ability to contribute as a two-way player in 2021 is an intriguing part of the Ducks’ projection.
Glue Guys: Matthews anchors this team at first base and his four seasons at Oregon have been remarkably consistent. He is a hit machine with 181 career knocks and 173 career starts. Matthews is one of the most established players in college baseball.
Pick to Click: 2YR FR Andrew Mosiello had pitched his way into the weekend rotation as a true freshman only to have the season come to an abrupt end. He comes from a baseball family and he shows advanced feel for pitching.
Top Newcomer: True freshman righthander Isaac Ayon is another arm who will push for weekend innings. Ayon checks every box including frame (6-foot-4, 219 pounds), velocity (fastball up to 95) and the ability to miss bats (out pitch slider). He will also wear jersey No. 1 so his swag factor is also strong. This is a potential high draft pick for 2023.
Outlook: This program is surging and the main question will be how quickly success arrives. The offense looks ready to compete right now while the pitching is more difficult to pin down. If the depth of the Ducks’ pitching talent advances to a playable level, this looks like a top half of the league team.
From the Fall Report:
Assessing the recent history of Oregon baseball is… complicated. The Ducks took 27 years off from baseball (1982-2008) and then made a huge splash hiring Hall of Fame coach George Horton. The first year of the return in 2009 was predictably difficult (14-42). But then Horton got the Ducks rolling.
Year two in 2010 started a run of five regional appearances in six years. Oregon twice hosted those regionals. In 2012, it even hosted a Super Regional, only to fall in a dramatic walk-off game three loss to upstart Kent State. In summary, the Ducks went from not having baseball for nearly three decades to nationally relevant in short order.
Unfortunately, that early success was not sustained. The last four completed seasons (2016-2019) have been challenging, and especially so in conference play. Three eighth-place finishes and a ninth-place finish led to the end of Horton’s tenure and former Oregon assistant coach Mark Wasikowski was hired for the 2020 season.
2021 Pac-12 Preview: Can Anyone Stop UCLA? • D1Baseball
