Now, Thompson is twelve games into his baseball career, so let’s take a look at how he’s done so far.

Most importantly, he has stayed healthy, but that’s about the only thing the Udub safety has done right. So far, Thompson’s numbers have been staggering. He has 37 at bats thus far and 0 hits. That’s right, Thompson is 0 for 37 in his professional baseball career. More impressively, Shaq has struck out 36 times which means that he has 36 strikeouts in 37 at bats, coming out to a 80.0 K%. Thompson’s seven walks have brought his OBP up to .178, but that’s still miserable.

Another important piece of information is that Thompson is currently playing in the GCL (Gulf Coast League) which is part of rookie ball. Rookie ball is the lowest level of minor league baseball, so not only is Thompson constantly failing, but he is doing so against the youngest and least experienced and developed competition the ranks of professional baseball have to offer.

What can we take from Thompson’s first dozen games in professional baseball? I think it’s fair to say that he doesn’t have much of a career ahead of him. This is probably good news for Husky football fan since it raises the chances that Thompson will end his embarrassing baseball career and return to being a safety for the Huskies.

Lamb, a junior third baseman, was taken in the sixth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks. This isn’t the first time the Bishop Blanchet product has been selected. He was a 38^th round pick coming out of high school, but he elected to attend the udub instead. In his three years as a Husky, Lamb hit .326 with a career .404 OBP. I would expect him to sign with Arizona and depart from the Washington baseball program. He will be able to get a pretty good signing bonus as a sixth round pick, and he will be in higher demand now than if he chooses to sign after his senior year of college.

Senior pitcher Aaron West was the next Dawg taken in the draft. He was the 17^th round pick of the Houston Astros. West led the Huskies in starts this year and posted an impressive 2.53 ERA. From the Huskies’ perspective, it is pretty irrelevant weather or not West signs to play pro baseball since he is not eligible to play for the Huskies next year, but I expect that he will take the next step in his career. Former Husky pitcher, Forrest Snow, signed out of college as a 36^th round pick, and he has made excellent progress through the Mariner farm system.

Catcher Chase Anselment was taken just a few picks after West, but he was selected as an outfielder by the Braves. Anselment hit .325 for the Huskies last year while driving in 20 runs.  Like Lamb, he is a junior, but he is less likely to sign a contract. Anselment may receive a higher signing bonus if he can get drafted higher next year. Unlike Lamb who probably won’t get drafted earlier than he was this year, Anselment has the potential to be a pick in the first ten rounds next year. His spot in the 2013 draft will depend greatly on his progress in the off-season and performance next season, but the new MLB collective bargaining agreement raises the demand for college players, so guys like Anselment are in higher demand than before. I wouldn’t be too surprised to see the Husky catcher return to Washington for his senior year.

Fellow catcher B.K. Santy was the final current Husky taken in the MLB draft this year. He was picked in the 30^th round by the Twins. Santy was the everyday backstop for the Huskies this year and contributed a .282 average at the plate as well. Like West, Santy is a senior so will likely give the MiLB a chance.

Apart from current members of the Washington Husky baseball roster, there were two high school signees of the Dawgs who were selected. Californian outfielder, Braden Bishop, was selected in the 36^th round, but I would be shocked if he passed up college baseball for the nearly non-existent signing bonus of a late round pick. Bishop’s draft stock fell due to signability questions, especially under the new collective bargaining agreement which severely limits the signing bonuses teams can give.

Catcher Austin Rei was also drafted, but he is also unlikely to sign. Expect both high school recruits to be in Purple and Gold next season.

Yesterday, the safety from Sacramento was drafted by the Red Sox in the 18^th round of the first year player draft. Despite the minimal signing bonus that would come to him, the 571^st overall pick has expressed to local newspapers that he plans to sign with the Bosox.

The real question is, what does this mean for the Steve Sarkisian and the Washington Huskies?

Well, I don’t think this will be a particularly bad thing. In fact, I think this will be a good thing for the udub program.

Most importantly, Thompson would not have to quit collegiate football. He could still play baseball in the spring and summer and football in the fall. While the Husky recruit would not be able to devote his time to workouts, he would still be active during the baseball season, although he would not be working on football-specific muscles.

On the baseball field, Thompson would be described as a “raw, toolsy player” according to scouting lingo. He has the athleticism, but not the refinement. Teams take risks on kids like him knowing that they will have to do lots of polishing before he is even close to becoming a big-league product.

Considering that Thompson didn’t even play baseball in his senior year of high school, it’s safe to assume that he will be in the lower levels of the farm system when he joins the Red Sox’ farm organization. The lower levels of the system, which is where I expect Thompson to spend his first one or two season, play shorter seasons which begin in June and end in August. This means that Thompson would not miss as many Washington practices as he would otherwise.

I expect the Red Sox to try to groom Thompson as a center fielder considering his speed and safety instincts. This is good because it is a pretty safe position to play. Unlike pitcher, catcher, or some of the infield positions, center fielders are much less likely to get injured.

The best part of Shaq’s decision is that he will be forced to forfeit his football scholarship in order to pursue baseball. This will free up the scholarship for someone else down the road which will be great, since the Huskies will be getting one of the biggest recruits in the nation without giving up a scholarship.

Lastly, I don’t expect Shaq to experience much success in baseball. He has great tools, but tools can’t hit a 95 mph fastball or a sharp slider. I don’t know this for sure, but I don’t believe he has faced much good pitching. The fact that he hasn’t had much experience in baseball will certainly hurt him. I expect him to be a plus defender with good speed and flashes of power due to his football strength. However, his lack of consistency at the plate will not allow him to tap into that raw power and he will quickly become yet another casualty of minor league baseball.

Based on the picture on the right (which was the only one I could find of him playing baseball) his swing is that of a power hitter which is what you would expect of a kid with a football body. In this picture, I will assume that he was fooled by a curveball out of the zone considering his weight distribution, pulled head, and the fact that the catcher is blocking a ball in the dirt. While this is circumstantial, the fact that he got fooled this bad by a high school curveball certainly isn’t a good sign for his baseball career.

To sum up, I wouldn’t be too worried about Shaq Thompson’s venture into our national pastime. The minor league farm system is a brutal thing. Between the measly salary, brutal living and traveling conditions, and the failure I expect Thompson to experience, I think that he will be more than willing to quit baseball after a season or two in favor of football where he can experience air conditioned hotels again. Thompson’s true future is in football, and I think he will realize that after a few tough months of facing professional competition.

Husky Record: 28-24

Husky Home Record: 13-12

Washington State University

Location: Pullman, WA

Mascot: Cougars

Enrolment: 15,500

Conference: Pacific-12 Conference

National Ranking:  79^th (RPI)

Record: 27-26

Road Record: 9-16

PAC-12 Record: 11-16

Preview: Washington State has a solid offense, but they are headlined by Taylor Ard and Derek Jones who have combined for 21 of their 30 homeruns on the year and lead the team in nearly every other offensive category. If Husky arms can contain this power combo, the Washington State offense should be relatively ineffective.

On the other hand, the Cougars’ pitching staff has been less than stellar this year, as their starting pitchers have posted ERAs of 2.55, 4.35, 4.56, and 5.98. Their bullpen has been worse. If the Dawgs can score runs, they should have no trouble taking the Apple Cup series from their in-state rivals.

Husky Record: 19-15

Husky Home Record: 11-7

University of Arizona

Location: Tucson, AZ

Mascot: Wildcats

Enrolment: 37,000

Conference: Pacific-12 Conference

Coach: Andy Lopez, 11^th season

National Ranking:  19^th (RPI)

Record: 24-12

Road Record: 5-5

PAC-12 Record: 10-5

2011 Record against Huskies: 3-0

Preview: After a stretch where the Dawgs won just one of nine games, they have finally put together a winning streak of two games. Although they are one of the best teams in the nation, the Wildcats bring a three game losing streak of their own into Seattle.

Arizona is a dangerous team with accomplishments such as sweeping Stanford this season. By simply looking at stats, their offense does not look powerful due to their low homerun totals. However, the lacking amount of homeruns hit by Arizona is a result of the pitcher friendly home standium of Hi Corbett Field which measures 366 feet down the left field line. The large field results in high amounts of doubles and triples instead of homeruns. While Washington has nearly twice as many round-trippers this season, Arizona leads the extra-base hit category 95 to 74. Arizona also has six starters with averages about .300.

Aggressiveness is also a key facet to the Wildcat offense. They lead the Pac-12 in stolen bases with 51. Arizona averages over two stolen base attempts per game, so expect to see them challenging the arms of Washington’s catchers.

Husky Record: 18-15

Husky Home Record: 10-7

Seattle University

Location: Seattle, WA

Mascot: Redhawks

Enrolment: 4,500

Coach: Donny Harrel (4^th season)

Conference: Independent

National Ranking:   156th

Record: 16-15

Road Record: 6-9

PAC-12 Record: 2-2

2012 Record against Huskies: 1-0

This SHOULD be a fairly easy game, but the Dawgs have had a tendency to drop these supposedly easy one game sets to lesser opponents.  Austin Voth is on the mound for Washington. The Huskies really need to stop their slump, and their cross town opponents could be the right team to turn their season around against. Every game is getting more and more crucial for the Dawgs, and these games against relatively easy teams need to be won.

Husky Record: 17-13

Husky Road Record: 7-6

Husky Conference Record: 4-5

University of California: Berkeley

Location: Berkeley, CA

Mascot: Golden Bears

Enrolment: 26,000

Coach: David Esquer (13^th Season)

Conference: Pacific 12 Conference

Ranking: 66^th in RPI

2011 Record: 17-14

Conference Record: 2-7

Home Record: 7-4

2011 Record against Huskies: 3-0

Don’t be deceived by Cal’s winning record, they inflated their winning percentage with an easy non-conference schedule at the beginning of the year, and have quickly slid once starting conference play. The Golden Bears’ only series victories have come against 203^rd ranked Pacific, 278^th ranked Lehigh, and 40^th ranked Texas. A three game series against Cal should be a good way to regroup after winning just two of their last eight games.

Cal has a powerful offense led by Mitch Delfino, Tony Renda, Chad Krist, and Chad Bunting. These four account for nearly half of Cal’s hits, about 75% of their homeruns, more than 60% of their extra base hits, and over half of the RBIs and total bases for the Bears. Thankfully, the Dawgs have the right pitching staff to handle this powerful offense, because the three probably starters allow an average of one homerun per every 20 innings.

While the Cal offense is powerful, the pitching staff is not so impressive. The three probable starters for Cal this weekend hold ERAs of 4.50, 2.33, and 4.97. Two of these starters have also demonstrated control problems this season. Even their closer has an ERA in the mid fours.

The Huskies need a solid series this weekend to rebound and recharge before taking on 22^nd ranked Arizona.

Husky Record: 17-11

Husky Home Record: 10-5

Gonzaga University

Location: Spokane, WA

Mascot: Bulldogs

Enrolment: 4,900

Conference: West Coast Conference

National Ranking:  NA in up to date rankings

Record: 20-9

Road Record: 4-7

PAC-12 Record: 1-0

2011 Record against Huskies: 0-0

Preview: Gonzaga has been slipping down the national rankings over the last 30 days. They are 10-9 in the last month including dropping two of three games to San Diego last week. Now, they find themselves out of the top 30 entirely. The Bulldog offense has posted an impressive .302 batting average this year, but they are lacking in power. They are tied with Washington with 15 homeruns, but 8 of the Zag’s long balls have come from senior outfielder Royce Bolinger who also has 25 RBIs and a .379 batting average. Besides Bolinger, only one Bulldog has more than one homerun. If the Husky arms can silence Gonzaga’s one big threat, it will greatly help keep Gonzaga off the scoreboard.

Gonzaga also has a solid pitching staff lead by their starting rotation which has combined for a 13-4 record. The staff is highlighted by Tyler Olson and Marco Gonzalez who are each 4-0 and have posted 2.03 and 1.25 ERAs respectively. While Zaga’s pitching and offense are both solid, their weakness lies in their defense. They have committed 40 errors in 29 games this year which have led to 25 unearned runs crossing the plate.

If the Huskies can contain Royce Bolinger and take advantage of the opportunities the lacking Bulldog defense will give them, the Diamond Dawgs will have a good chance to take both games in the series.

Husky Record: 16-9

Husky Home Record: 9-3

Stanford University

Location: Stanford, CA

Mascot: Cardinal

Enrolment: 8,000

Conference: Pacific-12 Conference

National Ranking:  9^th (RPI)

Record: 17-6

Road Record: 4-4

PAC-12 Record: 2-4

2011 Record against Huskies: 3-0

Preview: Stanford fell from 2^nd in RPI rankings to 9^th after last weekend’s sweep in Arizona. Despite their setback, this Cardinal team in stacked with talent. They will throw Mark Appel and Brett Mooneyham in the first two games of the series. Appel is generally expected to be the first overall pick in the MLB draft this year, and has allowed batters to hit just .201 off of him this season. Mooneyham will likely be picked in the first couple of rounds as well, and has posted an impressive 1.96 ERA in 41.1 innings pitched. On offense, Stanford brings two more first round MLB draft prospects in Stephen Piscotty and Kenny Diekroeger. These two aren’t the only big bats in Stanford’s lineup; they have eight batters who have homered this year and seven batters who have double digit RBI totals.

The Huskies, who are ranked 35^th in RPI rankings, won’t be able to make any mistakes this weekend, because Stanford will take advantage of them. The Dawgs will also need to work the Stanford pitchers, because both Appel and Mooneyham have tendencies to walk batters. This will be a great challenge for Washington, but a good showing this weekend could land them in the top 25. Expect Stanford to be on their game. So far this season, they have played very well after suffering losses like they did in Tucson last weekend.

Game one of the series was rained out on Friday night but was played on Saturday instead. A one out double by Robert Pehl drove in Jayce Ray in the first inning to put the Dawgs ahead. It was a pitchers’ duel after that. Husky starter Aaron West did not allow at hit until the fourth inning when the Beavers strung three consecutive hits together to tie the game at one run apiece. Pitchers for both teams held firm from there. From the fifth inning to the ninth, both teams combined for no runs and just five hits, and the game went to extras. With runners on first and third in the top of the tenth, Husky shortstop Ty Afenir executed a squeeze bunt to put the Huskies on top, and Joe Meggs added insurance with a two out single later in the inning to drive in Jacob Lamb. With a two run lead, Washington closer, Joshua Fredendall entered the game to get the save. Fredendall got an out before walking two straight batters, and was replaced by Nick Palewicz who was able to get the final two outs, but not without OSU plating one runner. Palewicz got his first save of the year and reliever Tyler Kane, who threw 2.2 scoreless innings, got his first win of the year.

Tyler Kane

The second game of the double header was dominated by the Oregon State. They scored five runs off of freshman starter Tyler Davis in less than five innings. Beaver bats accumulated four more against reliever Steven Swift. The Husky bats could not answer. They threatened in the fifth when they loaded the bases with no men out, but were retired with a strikeout, infield pop-up, and another strikeout to keep them scoreless. They were outhit 15-7 in the game as they lost 9-0 in the second game of the series.

The usually poor Oregon State defense had been solid for most of the weekend, but finally faltered in game three of the series. They allowed two unearned runs in the first inning, but the always solid Beaver offense got those back with a two run homerun in the bottom of the first by Michael Conforto. The Dawgs scored another unearned run in the top of the second to retake the lead 3-2. Washington starter Austin Voth settled down and contributed three hitless innings, but did not last through the fifth and finished the day after giving up four runs on three hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Reliever Nick Palewicz allowed OSU to score an insurance run in the seventh to put the Beavers up 5-3. The Husky offense threatened in the eighth and ninth innings, but failed to capitalize on opportunities. In fact, Washington had the bases loaded with one out in the ninth, but failed to push the tying run across the plate.

This was a disappointing weekend for the Huskies. It was their first series lost in PAC 12 play, and they move to 3-3 in conference. The bats did not show up for the Dawgs, and they did not score a singled earned run in the last two games of the series. They had plenty their opportunities to score, but could not take advantage as demonstrated by their 23 men left on base over the weekend. With one or two timely hits in the last two innings of game three, Washington probably would have returned to Seattle with a series win.

The starting pitching also struggled this weekend. Both Tyler Davis and Austin Voth were driven from the game before finishing five innings of work, which is quite uncharacteristic of Husky starters recently. The defense was stellar as usual, however, as they did not allow an error in the three game set.

The Huskies can take some comfort in the knowledge that this loss was to a very good team. However, they better get used to the high level of competition because they have a three game set against third ranked Stanford ahead of them this week.

Husky Record: 15-7

Husky Road Record: 6-4

Oregon State University                                                                                                                

Location: Corvallis, OR

Mascot: Beavers

Enrolment: 20,600

Coach: Pat Casey (19^th season)

Conference: Pacific-12

National Ranking:  23^rd Collegiate Baseball

Record: 15-7

Home Record: 4-3

PAC-12 Record: 4-2

2011 Record against Huskies: 2-1

Preview: Oregon State is probably the best team Washington has faced so far, and the Dawgs are on the road which will provide an extra challenge. The Beavers have a complete offense. They hit nearly three extra base hits per game showing their power, and are sixth in the nation with 36 sac bunts showing their ability to play small ball. They are also excellent at drawing walks as demonstrated by their .398 team OBP and 110 walks which ranks first in the PAC 12 and 24^th in the nation.  Oregon State’s greatest weakness is their defensive which has a tendency to make errors. They have committed 31 in the 22 games they have played as opposed to the mere 16 committed by the Huskies.

Washington will have to take advantage of Oregon State’s average pitching staff to win games in this series. The Husky pitching staff, which will likely start Aaron West, Tyler Davis, and Austin Voth, a trio who are 10-1 on the year, will be the key to containing the Beavers and getting another series win.

The Dawgs are yet to break the national rankings, but they are gradually gaining recognition from voters. A Series victory over another ranked opponent this weekend would bring Washington one step closer to finding themselves in the top 30.

The series opened with Husky ace Aaron West on the mound against CSU Bakersfield. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the third when freshman Branden Berry singled in Jayce Ray. The Huskies added another run in the fourth with a Ty Afenir rbi. West allowed a two out, rbi double in the top of the fifth to bring the game within one run, but Caleb Brown responded quickly with a leadoff homerun to re-extend the lead to two runs. B.K. Santy tacked on his first homerun of the year to make it a 4-1 Husky lead in the sixth. After six innings of one run baseball, Aaron West left the mound in line for the win. Reliever Tyler Kane threw a scoreless frame before Nick Palewicz gave up a run in the eighth inning. In the ninth, Husky closer Joshua Fredendall threw a scoreless inning to earn his fifth save of the year and give the Huskies a win in the series opener.

The Huskies got on the board first again in the second game of the series with two runs in the second inning. With two outs, Robert Pehl doubled, Joe Meggs was hit with a pitch, Erik Forgione hit an rbi single, and junior Jayce Ray drove in Meggs with a double. Washington plated three more in the third inning. Brandon Berry singled to left and brought in two runs, although one only scored due to an error on the left fielder. Pehl drove in Berry later in the inning to increase the lead to 5-0. Thanks to an outstanding outing by freshman pitcher Tyler Davis, who was making just his second career start, the Bakersfield offense were held scoreless through six innings. Davis did make a mistake in the seventh, however, when he left a pitch up in the zone to roadrunner catcher Frank Martinez who hit a massive homerun off the scoreboard in left. Davis left the game after seven innings and gave up just one run on four hits while striking out seven. Chase Anselment and Michael Camporeale replied with back to back homeruns to right and center field respectively in the seventh. Husky reliever Adam Cimber allowed two runs to score in the eighth, but Jeff Brigham threw a scoreless ninth to complete the 7-3 victory and ensure another series win for the boys in purple and gold.

In the final game of the three game set, the Washington bats started early again, this time with four runs in the first inning. Pehl and Lamb got an rbi each, and Trevor Mitsui drove in two more with a two out single. Pehl drove in two more in the second to make it a 6-0 Washington lead. Four walks or hit by pitches led to another Husky run in to score in the fourth, and a Jayce Ray triple and Caleb Brown sacrifice fly each led to fifth inning runs. The hit parade continued in the sixth inning, as Trevor Mitsui hit a leadoff double and scored later in the inning on a B.K. Santy ground out. The eighth innings brought three more runs, two of which were unearned, across the plate for Washington, and they finished the day with thirteen runs. CSU Bakersville scored once against Husky starter Austin Voth, who threw six innings and struck out six while allowing just four hits. Four Washington relievers combined to throw a scoreless final three innings to finish an excellent weekend, and a sweep for the Dawgs.

Another great weekend for the Huskies. The Diamond Dawgs outscored their opponents 24-6 in the series. While they didn’t beat a ranked opponent like Oregon last weekend, a sweep is nothing to complain about. Only one error was committed by the udub, and even that came on a diving attempt by Caleb Brown. The bullpen had a tough inning or two, but it isn’t anything to be too concerned about. The bats showed a bit more pop this weekend than in the past, as they hit four homeruns. It was also encouraging to see the offense score early and let the pitching staff work with a lead in every game of the series.

They will have to continue to fire on all cylinders as they head down to Corvallis for a three game series at Oregon State next weekend. The series against the ranked beavers will be followed by Stanford, Gonzaga, and California, all of which are ranked as well. The Huskies have already taken two of three against a top 20 Oregon team, we will see if they can continue their winning ways.

Husky Record: 12-6

Husky Home Record: 6-3

Cal State University: Bakersfield

Location: Bakersfield, CA

Mascot: Roadrunners

Enrolment: 6,750

Coach: Bill Kernen (4^th season)

Conference: Western Athletic Conference

National Ranking:  12^th (Collegiate Baseball)

Record: 7-11

Road Record: 1-7

PAC-12 Record: 0-5

2011 Record against Huskies: 3-0

Preview: This three game series will be the last breath for Washington before they launch into a brutal stretch in which they will play 23 games against ranked opponents. Washington beat a great team in Oregon last weekend, now they need to beat a below average team to gain momentum into the tough conference schedule. The Bakersfield team will not be more than Washington can handle, it will just come down to if they can play like they did against Oregon. Aaron West, Tyler Davis, and Austin Voth will likely start the three games this weekend. Those three also got starts last weekend against a good Oregon offense, and combined to allow just 5 earned runs. If they can repeat their performances, the Huskies will have a good chance a sweeping the Roadrunners in Seattle.

The Huskies sent their ace, Aaron West, to the mound on Friday night. He gave up a run in each of the first two innings, and the Washington offense could not create a base runner for the first three innings. However, Jayce Ray doubled and came around to score in the forth. Later in the inning, Chase Anselment hit an rbi single and another run came into score on a double play by Michael Camporeale. Washington added two runs of insurance in the sixth to take a 5-2 league. Aaron West, who had not allowed a single hit in the third, fourth, fifth, or sixth innings, allowed a leadoff homerun in the top of the seventh and was pulled from the game after allowing three runs on five hits in six innings of work. In the bottom of the frame, Joe Meggs plated a run with a sac fly before Ryan Wiggins hit a pinch-hit, two run homerun. Although Wiggins has played in just six games this year, he is tied for the team lead in homeruns with two. The Husky bullpen threw three scoreless innings to solidify the victory in game one of the series.

The Huskies didn’t wait to jump on the board in the first game on Saturday. They combined four singles and a walk to score four runs including an rbi by Camporeale, Andrew Ely, and two rbis by Jacob Lamb. While George Asmus did not get the start as scheduled, his replacement, Tyler Davis, threw six scoreless innings and allowed just three hits. The udub added an unearned run in the fifth inning, but it wouldn’t be needed as starter Tyler Davis and three separate relievers combined to deliver a six hit shutout.

With the series win ensured, Washington sent starter Austin Voth to the mound in search of the series sweep over a

Game 3 starter Austin Voth

highly ranked Oregon team. The Husky bats gave Voth a lead to work with as Trevor Mitsui led off the third inning with a double and scored on a single by Joe Meggs later in the inning. Voth, who had taken a no-hitter into the sixth, allowed a walk and hit by pitch with two outs in the sixth, followed by a double which drove in two runs and gave Oregon the 2-1 lead and broke up Voth’s no-hitter. Reliever Zach Wright kept the game within reach for Washington by throwing three scoreless innings, but the bats could not tie up the game in the seventh or eighth. With one out in the ninth, Caleb Browne singled and moved to third on a pass ball and groundout. Down to their final out, Husky coach Lindsay Meggs called upon pinch hitter Ryan Wiggins with the tying run on third. Wiggins came through in the clutch and singled in the tying run and sent the game to extra innings. Husky reliever Adam Cimber allowed no runs and just two base runners in 3.2 innings of work, but Washington could not score either. With two outs and a runner on second in the thirteenth inning, Jeff Brigham was brought into the game to get the final out of the inning to prevent a Duck run. He induced a groundball which was misplayed by left fielder Joe Meggs, who was playing second base, and the run came into score. Washington could not score in the bottom of the thirteenth and the Oregon Ducks evaded the series sweep.

This was the biggest test for the Huskies so far this year and they excelled. They showed that the can compete against a great team. This series victory over 12^th ranked Oregon is just another sign of the quickly rising University of Washington baseball program. After this weekend, we could see Washington peaking into some national rankings. The offense in purple and gold faced some great pitching and scored when they needed to, and the udub pitching staff did exactly what they needed to do: control the Duck offense and keep games close. The Relievers, who were quite suspect early in the season, allowed no earned runs this entire series.

It was also great to see the Huskies continue to outplay their competition in the field. Washington committed just one error as opposed to the five allowed by Oregon in the series, although Washington’s only error was the difference in the game 3 loss. Only 15 errors have been committed by Washington this entire season while their opponents have allowed 26.

With the series win over Oregon, Washington fans have yet another reason to believe in the legitimacy of this program. Washington moves to 2-1 in conference play and 12-7 overall on the year. They will head down to Texas for games against Lamar and Houston before returning home for a three game series next weekend against Cal State Bakersfield.

Husky Record: 10-6

Husky Home Record: 4-2

University of Oregon

Location: Eugene, OR

Mascot: Ducks

Enrolment: 20,500

Coach: George Horton (4^th season)

Conference: Pacific-12 Conference

National Ranking:  12^th (Collegiate Baseball)

Record: 12-3

Road Record: 9-1

PAC-12 Record: 0-0

2011 Record against Huskies: 3-3

Preview: This will be the opening of a very tough Pac 12 schedule for Washington. Oregon’s strongest area is their pitching. The Duck pitching staff has a 2.64 era and has allowed just two homeruns in 140 innings of work. In Oregon’s three losses, they have been defeated by the scores of 4-1, 2-1, and 3-2. If the Huskies are going to win games, they will need good performances from starting pitchers Aaron West, George Asmus, and Austin Voth. In order to win, Husky pitchers will have to limit the Oregon bats, and Washington bats will have to scrap together runs against a very good Duck pitching staff. Expect a weekend full of pitcher duels.