A 14-inning marathon that ended with a walk-off bunt pushed the Oregon Ducks to the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament this week. The Ducks had to battle hard, both offensively and on the mound, and it was a taxing win.
Thankfully, the Ducks will have had nearly a full week off since the Saturday win, and their run through the conference tournament is set to begin on Friday night. After watching the first two rounds play out in the bracket, the Ducks now know who they are going to be facing in Omaha.
Oregon will take the field on Friday against rival Washington. The Huskies entered the conference tournament as the No. 11 seed, but they’ve pulled off two sizable upsets in their first two games in Omaha. On Tuesday, Washington rallied and outlasted No. 6 Ohio State for an 8-6 victory. The Huskies backed up the strong showing by dismantling No. 7 Michigan on Wednesday night, earning a 7-1 victory.
The Ducks have some recent experience against the Huskies. The Ducks traveled up to Seattle at the beginning of the month and took two of the three games in the series from their rivals. Despite finishing 11th in the conference with a 24-31 overall record, Washington played hard in the series.
The Huskies led Oregon early in the first two games but blew it in the later innings as the Ducks got to the bullpen. Will Sanford is likely to start for the Ducks on Friday, and he struggled against the Huskies earlier this season. He lasted only 3 ⅓ innings, allowing four runs and walking five. In the series finale, Washington scored seven runs on the Ducks in the sixth inning and held off another late rally by Oregon to win 9-5 and avoid a sweep on their home field.
Washington has struggled on the road this season. The Huskies have a combined record of 12-17 in road and neutral site games. Oregon has been solid on the road, holding a 15-10 record in games away from PK Park.
At the plate, the Ducks haven’t been swinging super well lately, but they did face two of the best pitching staffs in the country with USC and UCLA in their last two series. Oregon has scored more than six runs in one game between those two series, and the Ducks can’t afford to start slow in a do-or-die game in the conference tournament.
Oregon is in a position to host a regional, but a win or two in the Big Ten Tournament would strengthen its position heading into Selection Monday. The Ducks need to win on Friday to at least advance and avoid a setback moving deeper into the postseason.
Oregon and Michigan/Washington will play on Friday in Omaha, with the first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. PST. The game will air live on Big Ten Network.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks’ first matchup in Big Ten Tournament revealed