Mark Wasikowski expects a sold-out crowd for Washington State series

Winners of their last two weekend series, Oregon will close out the regular season at home against Washington State. Head coach Mark Wasikowski has his squad playing good baseball at the right time and is currently ranked No. 20 in the country.

If there was ever a time to come watch Oregon play at PK Park, Wasikowski believes it’s now. Not just because of the recent results but he has recruited a ton of in-state guys to play for the Ducks. Homegrown players performing always mean a little more and Wasikowski wants them to not see an empty seat behind them over three games.

“I think for the fans, it would be great to see,” Wasikowski said. “They’re always looking for something to do in Eugene. I don’t see any reason as to why it shouldn’t be sold out. I mean, you got a lot of really good, local players to come out and watch… There’s a lot of really good in-state local talent for people to come out and watch.”

From an older player like Bryce Boettcher out of South Eugene High School to a young pup like Maddox Molony via Thurston High School, Oregon’s lineup features plenty of in-state kids. They have the Ducks in third place heading into the weekend and in pole position to compete at the Pac-12 Tournament — something we will not get next season.

Wasikowski mentioned how not too many Pac-12 events are left for Oregon. In just a couple of months, the school will officially be a member of the Big Ten.

“This is probably one of the last sporting events in the Pac-12 Conference,” Wasikowski said. “I don’t know if it’s the last or not, I’m not an expert on that. But it’s going to be one of the last and it’s definitely the last baseball contest of the Pac-12 Conference to be played.”

Best-case scenario for Oregon, they finish with a 19-11 conference record but unfortunately, they are not going to earn a regular season championship. Arizona and Oregon State, the two teams ahead of the Ducks, are playing each other in Tuscon. Those two are the only two who can have movement at the top.

Attention will soon be shifted to the postseason with the Pac-12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament. Wasikowski wants his players to receive some love from the Eugene faithful first though, coming out to PK Park for the Washington State series.