Fresh off an 8-2 victory over the Portland Pilots in their home opener, the #9 Oregon Ducks began preparations Wednesday for a visit from the #5 Cal State Fullerton Titans.

We'll have baseball pictures after this weekend.

The Ducks may have to face the Big West power without starting third baseman Scott Heineman. The junior infielder strained his left shoulder against Loyola Marymount on Sunday, and head coach George Horton said he's currently day-to-day.

Sophomore first baseman Mitchell Tolman played third in Heineman's stead against the Pilots, and freshman A.J. Balta replaced Tolman at first.

It was Balta's first time playing first base; he played second base and in the outfield during high school.

“The defensive hole if there was one would be the inexperience of Balta at first," Horton said. "More concerned about that than the third base position.”

Accounting for Heineman's injury won't be the only lineup shuffling Oregon does against the Titans. Following a strong relief outing against the Pilots, sophomore Porter Clayton will take Jordan Spencer's place as the Sunday starter at pitcher.

A six-foot-four left-hander from Idaho Falls, Clayton started three games for Oregon in 2013, including a 7-7 tie against the Seattle Redhawks.

Horton said Wednesday that the change wasn't made because Spencer had lost the job, but that it was "a case of upside excellence." That said, he doesn't want his players feeling like they could lose their jobs at any moment.

"The danger in the quick hook on (Spencer) is that the next guy who gets the ball is like ‘oh man, I better go out and be perfect,"’ Horton said. I hope they don’t fall into that trap.”

At 8-0 and with three players hitting .375 or better, Oregon has made a habit this season of winning games in the final few frames. In five of their eight wins, the Ducks have scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning or later.

Sophomore outfielder Tyler Baumgartner not only scored a 10th-inning run against Hawaii, his diving catch in the bottom of the eighth against Loyola Marymount allowed the Ducks to win with a run in the top of the ninth.

Oregon's bench players have had a big role in that late game success as well as the starters, perhaps even more so.

Newcomers such as Balta, freshman Austin Grebeck, and junior J.B. Bryant have made an early impact as role players for Horton, and their commitment to the role has allowed him and the other coaches to create opportunistic match ups late in games.

“I think it’s a tribute to the young men that are used to starting wherever they came from – not only starting, but hitting third or fourth – taking a secondary role with us and then being unselfish enough to be ready mentally,” Horton said.

The well-rounded talent of Cal State Fullerton will a higher level of difficulty for the Ducks this weekend than they've faced so far this year. Horton said that not only will the Titans make it hard for Oregon to reach base, they'll challenge his team on the base paths as well.

That said, Balta is confident that the Ducks can handle the increased stakes.

“We’re at home, going to try to protect our house and see what we can do," Balta said. "We don’t play them, they play us. They’re coming here, and I think we should be ready.”