Oregon Coach Emphasizes Pitching Depth After Xavier Sweep

Ducks baseball coach Mark Wasikowski sees room for growth in young pitching staff despite hot start.

Mar. 12, 2026 at 4:05pm

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The Oregon Ducks baseball team completed a 2-0 series sweep over Xavier this week, continuing their strong start to the season with a 14-3 record. However, head coach Mark Wasikowski emphasized that his young pitching staff still needs more experience, even as they've found success so far. Wasikowski praised the talent of his bullpen arms but noted the need for his pitchers to continue improving as the season progresses.

Why it matters

Oregon baseball has high expectations after winning the Big Ten title last year, but falling short of the College World Series. Wasikowski's focus on developing his pitching staff, despite their early success, shows he is committed to building a well-rounded team that can compete at the highest level.

The details

In the two-game sweep of Xavier, Oregon got strong pitching performances, including a shutout in the first game. However, Wasikowski pointed out that 11 of his 16 pitchers have thrown less than 5 innings so far this season. He is working to integrate younger arms like redshirt freshman Naulivou Lauaki Jr. into the rotation to gain experience, even as the team's top starters like Cal Scolari, Will Sanford, and Collin Clarke have led the way.

  • On Tuesday, the Ducks defeated Xavier 10-0 in 8 innings.
  • On Wednesday, the Ducks defeated Xavier 7-1.

The players

Mark Wasikowski

The head coach of the Oregon Ducks baseball team, who is emphasizing the need for his young pitching staff to gain more experience despite the team's hot start.

Cal Scolari

A sophomore pitcher who has clinched the Sunday starting slot in Oregon's rotation.

Will Sanford

A sophomore pitcher who has logged the second-most innings for the Ducks so far this season.

Collin Clarke

A junior pitcher who has logged the most innings for the Ducks so far this season.

Naulivou Lauaki Jr.

A redshirt freshman right-handed pitcher who Wasikowski praised as a "tremendous talent" on the Ducks' staff.

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What they’re saying

“You know, there's a lot of talent down there, right. And I've said it a lot where the experience piece is a real thing. Like, we don't have a bunch of guys that have had a bunch of experience and so the only way they're going to get that experience is to actually be pitching in these games. So every day is good from an experience standpoint.”

— Mark Wasikowski, Head Coach

“It's not totally pretty and smooth yet as much as I hoped - that they continue the progress by the end of the year. We'll see it smooth out as we go. But there's a lot of talent, right. There's a lot of arm talent down there and even when we bring in even like a [redshirt freshman right-handed pitcher Naulivou Lauaki Jr.] off the bench. I mean he's a tremendous talent. There's a lot of good players here.”

— Mark Wasikowski, Head Coach

What’s next

The Ducks will kick off their second Big Ten series of the year against the Indiana Hoosiers (7-9 overall record) at PK Park starting on Friday, March 13.

The takeaway

Despite their hot start, Oregon's baseball coach is focused on developing his young pitching staff to ensure the team can compete at the highest level and reach their goal of returning to the College World Series.