Emeralds mascot Sluggo holds a treat for a furry friend. The Emeralds host Dog Day at PK Park and take on the Hillsboro Hops on Aug. 15, 2018. (Rylee Marron/Emerald)

Eugene Emeralds infielder Jake Slaughter (41) at second base. The Eugene Emeralds host the Spokane Indians at PK Park in Eugene, Ore. on August 2, 2018. (Devin Roux/Emerald)

The Eugene Emeralds cheer on their team to start the game. The Eugene Emeralds host the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes at PK Park in Eugene, Ore. on July 25, 2018. (Devin Roux/Emerald)

Eleven of the 30 current MLB managers were catchers. In fact, seven of the last nine MLB World Series winners were managed by a former catcher.

Rarely does someone get to live their dream at the age of 21. But new Eugene Emeralds shortstop Nico Hoerner is one step closer to doing just that.

One night after scoring four runs in the ninth inning to win 4-3, the Eugene Emeralds were once again within striking distance, trailing 4-2 in the ninth and looking to come from behind again.

Given their struggles, the Eugene Emeralds (now 9-15) are trying anything to right the ship. On Sunday night, they switched coaching duties, having assistant coach Jacob Rogers coach third, while manager Steven Lerud remained in the dugout. It might seem small, but it worked.

Just three nights ago, the Eugene Emeralds lost to the Everett AquaSox thanks to the new extra innings rule, where a runner is placed on second base to start the inning. Monday night, things were eerily similar.

Sometimes when you’re struggling, a day off is all you need to reset and get back on track.

Colorful flags at PK Park. The Eugene Emeralds host the Everett AquaSox at PK Park in Eugene, Ore. on June 29, 2018. (Devin Roux/Emerald)

Major League Baseball and its Minor League have been experimenting in speeding up the game. Whether it is pitch clocks, limits on mound visits or more drastic rules, people are learning to adjust.

Every scorecard in PK Park was littered with WP (wild pitch), BB (walks) and SB (stolen bases) in Monday’s series finale between the Eugene Emeralds and the Boise Hawks.

This week, four Oregon baseball players were picked in the 2018 MLB Draft. Junior pitchers Matt Mercer and Parker Kelly, senior infielder Kyle Kasser and junior catcher Ray Soderman were all drafted.

In the last game of the last series of the regular season for both teams, Arizona outplayed Oregon on senior day, outscoring the Ducks 11-4 in PK Park on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

After a few innings of Ducks baseball at Thursday’s opener versus Arizona, it was very clear that despite the pregame hopes, the Oregon seniors would not be starting off their send-away weekend on the high note they desired.

Oregon sophomore starting pitcher Kenyon Yovan was in a bind.

Oregon baseball fell once again to No. 17 UCLA in Los Angeles. The Bruins won 10-2 in the final game of the series to complete the sweep. UCLA (35-17, 18-9 Pac-12) had 10 hits, no errors, and left five runners on base. Oregon  (25-27, 11-16 Pac-12) had six hits, two errors and left five stranded.

The Oregon Ducks (25-25, 11-14 Pac-12) fell 12-4 against No. 17 UCLA (33-17, 16-9 Pac-12) on Friday afternoon. The Bruins offense was firing on all cylinders in the fourth and sixth innings, scoring four and then seven runs, respectively.

Ducks infielder Kenyon Yovan (21) runs back towards second base. The Oregon Ducks play the Utah Utes at PK Park in Eugene, Ore. on Sunday May 13, 2018. (Ben Green/Emerald)

Tie game, two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning. That was the situation for Oregon center fielder Johnny DeLuca. As he prepared to swing, Utah pitcher Trenton Stoltz lost control of a pitch and it got away from catcher Shea Kramer. Kyle Kasser read the pitch perfect…

With one out remaining in the third inning, Utah’s Rykker Tom hit a line drive right in the gap between the left and center fielders. As Dashawn Kerisey Jr. rounded the bases and dug for home, second baseman Kyle Kasser threw the ball directly into the waiting glove of catcher Ray Soderman t…

As the collegiate baseball season inches to a close, and with an NCAA Tournament appearance seeming unlikely, the Oregon Ducks are busy adjusting their lineup to ensure gradual improvements. After three innings of offensive dormancy at Friday night’s matchup versus the Utah Utes, the Ducks’ …

Oregon State entered the top of the sixth inning with a 1-0 lead over the Ducks. At that same moment, hypothetically speaking, someone got in their car in Eugene and hit the highway, heading north on their way to Corvallis. They turned on the radio to listen to the broadcast, and the half-in…

Last weekend, Oregon State (12-6, 32-7) baseball swept Oregon (8-13, 21-20) in a three-game series in Corvallis. The Beavers outscored the Ducks 19-8 over the weekend series.

The first inning was the Ducks’ dream.

Ducks pitcher Kolby Somers (22) surveys the field. The Oregon Ducks play the University of Southern California Trojans at PK Park in Eugene, Ore. on Sunday April 29, 2018. (Devin Roux/Emerald)

Oregon catcher Ray Soderman had gone 19 at bats without a hit. On Sunday, in the bottom of the tenth, he broke out of that slump with a clutch, one-out opposite field walk-off double to score Daniel Patzlaff and lead the Ducks to a 2-1 win over USC to win the series.

For a half-hour on Saturday, it appeared that Oregon’s bout with USC may be cut short.

In a game deciding who takes over eighth place in the Pac-12 standings, there were some tense moments.

The Oregon baseball team’s offensive struggles were on full display as the team lost its fifth consecutive game on Wednesday night against Portland. With the 2-1 loss, the Ducks are now 19-19 on the season.

Oregon baseball concluded the 2018 Civil War series with a 12-5 loss to the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday night. Kolby Somers took the loss for the Ducks, while Grant Gambrell picked up the win for the Beavers.

The 2018 season has been a mixed bag for Oregon baseball so far.

After striking out the last two Oregon hitters to end the ball game, Scotty Sunitsch dropped his glove on the mound in triumph as his Washington State teammates swarmed around him, congratulating him on his no-hitter.

Oregon baseball won both ends of Friday’s doubleheader against Washington State behind two dominant performances by starting pitchers Matt Mercer and Kenyon Yovan.

Oregon baseball bounced back from a pair of losses to Stanford with a 5-2 victory over the San Francisco Dons on Monday. Cullen Kafka picked up the win for the Ducks – his third of the season – while Daniel Slominski took the loss for the Dons.

One night after defeating No. 3 Stanford, the Oregon Ducks returned to action looking to win its first series over the Cardinal since 2015.

Oregon baseball had its best win of the season Thursday, upsetting No. 3 Stanford 10-1 behind a stellar performance by Kenyon Yovan and a display of power on offense.

The Oregon Ducks lost 5-1 to the San Francisco Dons in a one-game series on Monday afternoon at PK Park.

 Oregon baseball was unable to complete the sweep of the California Golden Bears, losing 5-3 on Sunday.

With the Friday game postponed due to weather, Oregon Ducks baseball picked up a pair of wins over the California Golden Bears in a doubleheader on Saturday at PK Park.

After leading for the majority of the game, the Oregon bullpen surrendered five runs in the eighth inning to allow the Arizona State Sun Devils to complete the 7-4 comeback against the Ducks on Friday in Tempe, Arizona.

Since the start of the season, Oregon baseball head coach George Horton has talked about winning the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

Oregon Ducks infielder Gabe Matthews (12) prepares to bat. The Oregon Ducks play the UC Davis Aggies at PK Park in Eugene, Ore. on Sunday March 11, 2018. (Devin Roux/Emerald)

In the top of the fourth inning the Ducks were down 6-1 to the Aggies. Oregon’s offense wasn’t getting past first base, and the team’s only run came from a Jakob Goldfarb homer in the bottom of the second.

Aggies outfielder Alex Aguiar (4) celebrates getting on base with a dance from the popular videogame, Fortnite. The Oregon Ducks play the UC Davis Aggies at PK Park in Eugene, Ore. on Saturday March 10, 2018. (Ben Green/Emerald)

After giving up 12 hits to the UC Davis Aggies on Friday night, Oregon baseball’s pitching staff turned things around with a pair of shut-down performances in Saturday’s doubleheader.

It wasn’t quite batting practice, but with 23 total hits, it was close.

The Ducks get hyped before the game. The Oregon Ducks play the Florida Atlantic Owls at PK Park in Eugene, Ore. on Sunday March 4, 2018. (Devin Roux/Emerald)

The Oregon Ducks sprint across the field during warm-ups. The Oregon Ducks play the Florida Atlantic Owls at PK Park in Eugene, Ore. on Saturday March 3, 2018. (Kiara Green/Emerald)

Ducks infielder Kyle Kasser (1) hits a foul ball. Oregon baseball take on Florida Atlantic University at PK Park in Eugene, Ore. on Mar. 2, 2018. (Ben Green/Emerald)