Club baseball starts off season with big bang
i ne uucks have their eye
on making the NCBA World
Series in Bradenton, Fla
By Kirsten McEwen
Freelance Reporter
It's hard to lose when a team
dominates every single category on
offense and defense.
Oregon's Club baseball team did
that, outscoring its opponent, Ever
__ green State, 44
( - 2 over the
irIUD course of last
weekend. The
opun.5 Ducks played
—- three games —
two Saturday
and one Sunday — to cap off their
first games of the 2004 season with
three solid wins.
Saturday's first game set the tone
for the entire weekend, with Ore
gon's pitching staff dictating the
contest. In the Ducks 12-0 win,
pitcher Mat^ Mensik threw four
innings and had nine strikeouts. Fol
lowing Mensik's lead, Jordan Shaw
pitched the second game and fin
ished with eight strikeouts after
pitching a total of five innings en
route to Oregon's 20-2 win.
Sunday's game proved to be no
different than the first two as Ever
green failed to score a single run for
the second time in three games. Jay
Tlougan pitched two innings for
Oregon, and the Ducks came away
with a 12-0 win.
"1 was most happy with our pitch
ing," coordinator Jon Loomis said.
"We were throwing strikes, being
consistent and hitting our spots."
The Ducks also were successful on
the offensive end as Oregon man
aged to put up impressive numbers,
not only on the scoreboard but on
an individual basis as well.
Gavin Wahl-Stephens had eight
runs batted in and posted one home
run on the weekend. Following
Wahl-Stephens' lead was teammate
Jeff Douglas, who also had one
homerun and three RBIs.
Left-fielder Mason Wright, who
went 4 for 7 on the weekend, be
lieved the Ducks came prepared to
play and competed hard in every in
ning against Evergreen State.
"Our intensity was great from the
beginning, especially for a bunch of
"I think we will be an
all-round competitive
team throughout the
entire season. We are
going to give anyone
a good game."
Mason Wright
Left fielder
guys who haven't played together
very much," Wright said.
After winning all three National
Club Baseball Association (NCBA)
games this weekend, Loomis said
the team has high expectations of
their performance this year.
"Anything less than a World Series
appearance would be a disappoint
ing season," Loomis said.
The World Series will take place in
Bradenton, Fla., at McKechnie Field
on May 26-31. McKechnie Field
serves as the site of the spring train
ing for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Before Oregon begins its journey
to Florida, the Ducks will compete
in the NCBA's Pacific Mountain
Conference. Oregon will compete
against Central Oregon Community
College, Evergreen State and Western
Washington.
Although Oregon dominated in
every single way in every single game
this past weekend, Loomis believes
the team has some minor issues they
need to work on.
"We still need to improve on our
small game bunting and situational
hitting," Loomis said.
The Ducks will also compete in a
number of tournaments this spring,
the first hosted by Central Oregon
Community College in Bend on Feb.
28 and Feb. 29. Oregon will face two
teams already in their conference —
Central Oregon and Evergreen State
— and will compete against two
new faces, Eastern Washington and
Humbolt State.
After the tournament in Bend, the
Ducks will return home the follow
ing weekend and will host Western
Washington —Oregon's toughest
league opponent — on April 3 and
4 at Eugene's Civic Stadium.
With new players and a higher
level of commitment, Loomis said
this year there is a reenergized team
playing on the field, which is why
Oregon has its eyes on competing
hard day in and day out.
"1 think we will be an all-round
competitive team throughout the
entire season," Wright said. "We are
going to give anyone a good game."
Kirsten McEwen is a freelance writer
for the Emerald.
SPORTS BRiEF
Washington,
not Neuheisel, cited
SEATTLE — The NCAA has cited
the University of Washington and its
former head football coach, Rick
Neuheisel, for violating NCAA rules
on gambling and recruiting.
Washington was cited for "lack of
institutional control," a major viola
tion that could carry severe penalties
but that has also resulted in lesser
sanctions in some cases.
Neuheisel, who was fired by the
school last summer for gambling
and lying about it to NCAA investi
gators, was cited by the NCAA for
taking part in two college basketball
pools in 2002 and 2003 in which he
bet $6,400 and won $17,619.
Dick Thompson, Washington's act
ing athletic director, said in a statement
Tuesday that the university disagreed
with the NCAA's allegation about lack
of institutional control.
The NCAA also alleged that other
UW coaches and staff participated in
low-stakes college betting pools and
that the UW allowed improper ac
counting for the cost of private boat
trips for recruits.
The NCAA asked UW and
Neuheisel to respond to the allega
tions, which were were outlined in a
Feb. 16 letter to UW that was
received Tuesday.
The Pac-10 conference made simi
lar allegations late last year, al
though it contended that a "failure
to monitor" had led to gambling vi
olations rather than a lack of institu
tional control. UW, which is await
ing a final ruling by the Pac-10,
disputed the "failure to monitor"
finding while admitting that
Neuheisel and others had taken part
in pools.
Neuheisel has contended that he
participated in the pools based on
memos put out by the athletic de
partment in 1999 and 2003 that in
correctly said it was permissible for
athletic department personnel to
take part in certain college sports
betting pools.
Neuheisel's attorney, Robert
Sulkin, said Tuesday that the NCAA's
allegation about the lack of
Turn to BRIEF, page 8
THOMAS
continued from page 5
Richardson (for the sake of return
ing the champion), Jones and
Shaquille O'Neal.
In all seriousness, I'm willing to
bet that if Shaq jogged to the hoop,
lifted his 340-pound frame into the
air and dunked with enough power
to break the backboard, there would
be five " 10s" across the board.
James needed to be in uniform just
because of his star power. Instead, he
sat on the sidelines and left early from
his disappointment.
But seriously, the whole All-Star
weekend itself has become a joke.
Now the NBA has events like the
Shooting Stars and the Skills Chal
lenge . Would somebody please tell
me what these are?
What will David Stem think of next?
Here's an idea: How about the NBA
Legends dunk contest? Bring back for
mer winners Dee Brown (1991),
Michael Jordan (1987, 88), Spud
Webb (1986) and Dominique
Wilkins (1985, 90). Now there's a
dunk contest I'd watch.
Better yet how about the NBA Big
Men/Pro-Am dunk contest. You could
have teams. How about Shaq and
rapper Fat Joe versus Yao Ming and
Warren Sapp?
Maybe even throw the Tim Duncan
and David Wells team into the mix.
You know you would watch that
contest.
Don't get me entirely wrong. I still
enjoy All-Star weekend and probably
always will. I've watched the events
since I was a youngster. What I don't
enjoy are the antidimactic endings
and all the self-loathing that occurs.
There's no denying that Richard
son's pass to himself off the back
board where he caught the ball with
his left hand, passed it between his
legs, and then threw it down with his
right hand was just plain crazy.
And Jones' pass off the backboard
to himself with full extension fol
lowed by a mean tomahawk slam was
just incredible in its own right. Both
dunks deserved 50s, and both dunks
got 50s.
But when the best dunks come out
in the first round, it hinders the com
petition. In other words, it means that
Jones wins while sitting on the bench.
The NBA needs to find a way to
bring credibility and excitement back
to All-Star weekend. The NBA could
change some of the rules, for starters.
Why does a dunk attempt that acci
dentally sees the ball fall into the
hoop have to count?
NBA Stars should want to com
pete in these competitions. Jones
wasn't even going to come at one
point because he wanted to vacation
for the weekend.
But the weekend will always have
its good points. No one will forget
Denver's Chris Andersen's lovely
hairstyle that required even more
hair gel than Steve Lavin's slick look.
And even though you won by de
fault, Freddie, you still the man.
Contact the sports reporter
at jessethomas@daityemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
FOCUS
continued from page 5
Hey, he went to Oregon
Soon after the Ducks were done
slipping past Washington State in
Pullman, former Oregon guard Fred
Jones was on his way to winning the
NBA's slam dunk contest at the All
Star game in Los Angeles.
Jones, who plays for Indiana, com
bined to score 92 points on two dunks
in the first round. He then proceeded to
defeat Golden State guard Jason
Richardson in the final.
Jones scored a perfect 50 on his first
final round dunk, then received a 36 on
his second for a total score of 86.
Richardson finished with a 78.
"It was an honor to be out here; be
cause Jason Richardson is one of the
greatest dunkers ever," Jones told
reporters afterward. "I was just trying to
be creative and do something different"
Richardson had won the previous
two times.
Of note
Since Arizona and Arizona State
joined the Pac-10 for the 1978-79
season, the Ducks have swept the
two at McArthur Court seven times.
The last time came during Oregon's
perfect season at home, 2001-02.
Oregon has been swept six times,
the last coming in 1998-99.
Contact the sports editor
at hankhager@dailyemerald.com.
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