Garrett Cleavinger (Photo by Eric Evans)

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Top 25 Breakdown: No. 22 Oregon

2014 Record: 44-20. RPI: 26.

Coach (Record at school): George Horton (224-145-1, 6 years).

Postseason History: 6 regionals (active streak: 3), 1 CWS trip (1954), 0 national titles.

Oregon's Projected Lineup

Pos. Name, Yr. AVG/OBP/SLG HR RBI SB C Shaun Chase, Sr. .283/.352/.634 14 37 1 1B Brandon Cuddy, Jr. Tr.—Seminole (Okla.) State JC 2B Mitchell Tolman, Jr. .315/.438/.470 2 49 5 3B Matt Eureste, Jr. San Jacinto (Texas) JC SS Mark Karaviotis, So. .254/.369/.303 0 23 7 LF Scott Heineman, Jr. .171/.205/.229 0 2 3 CF Nick Catalano, So. .250/.438/.321 0 10 10 RF Steven Packard, Jr. .290/.375/.435 1 11 0 DH Phillipe Craig-St. Louis, Jr. Tr.—Seminole (Okla.) State JC

Pos. Name, Yr. W-L ERA IP SO BB SV LHP Cole Irvin, So. DNP—injured LHP David Peterson, Fr. HS—Aurora, Colo. RHP Stephen Nogosek, So. 1-1 2.52 35.2 34 15 0 RP Garrett Cleavinger, Jr. 3-2 3.34 32.1 49 17 2

SEE ALSO: Five Questions With Oregon’s George Horton

Hitting: 55. Though the Ducks ranked 204th nationally in batting (.260) last year, they were efficient offensively and ranked 55th in scoring (5.8 runs per game). Oregon always ranks among the national leaders in hit-by-pitches and sacrifice bunts, and they have the personnel to execute George Horton’s offense proficiently again this year. The Ducks describe Catalano as “an Oregon-type player” who plays hard and excels at the inside game, but he also showed an increased ability to hit for average in the fall. He’ll be pushed in center by talented sophomore Austin Grebeck, another gamer but with more upside. Karaviotis is another skilled bat-handler who should take a step forward offensively after adding 10 pounds to his frame since last spring. The Ducks will miss A.J. Balta, who tore his ACL this month and will miss the season, but the return of Heineman from a torn labrum helps ease the sting. Heineman has a chance to be a dynamic offensive player who can hit for average and rack up extra-base hits, as he did in the Cape League two summers ago. Eureste, a Cape League all-star this past summer, and fellow juco transfers Craig-St. Louis and Cuddy give his lineup a trio of valuable, physical lefthanded hitters. Of course, Oregon’s best hitter is Tolman, another lefty with outstanding feel for the strike zone and a compact stroke that routinely produces hard, line-drive contact. Scrappy veteran Packard gives the Ducks yet another lefthanded hitter who is a tough out.

Shaun Chase (Photo by Eric Evans)

Power: 50. Oregon does not play in a homer-friendly park or a homer-friendly league, which makes Chase’s 14 long balls in 2014 even more impressive. He’s got serious thunder in his righthanded bat, though he swings and misses plenty. But a better measure of Oregon’s power is the 27 triples it racked up last year, second-most in the nation. This offense is packed with strong hitters who can drive the gaps, led by Tolman, Eureste, Cuddy and Craig-St. Louis, all of whom should also provide occasional homers. Freshman OF Jakob Goldfarb worked hard in the weight room this fall and could tap into his intriguing raw power sooner than expected.

Speed: 60. Heineman, Catalano and Grebeck are all plus runners with aggressive mentalities on the basepaths. Eureste and Packard have solid speed and good baserunning instincts, and Karaviotis is another solid runner who has improved his baserunning ability since last year.

Defense: 55. The Ducks have a number of moving parts defensively, and it will take some time for roles to solidify. Tolman played primarily third base a year ago but will slide to the right side of the infield in deference to Eureste, who has smooth actions at third base. Cuddy and Heineman have both gotten work at first base in Balta’s absence, but if neither proves up for that job then Tolman figures to win up at that spot, with multi-talented switch-hitting freshman Daniel Patzlaff assuming the second-base job. Heineman, Goldfarb and Packard will vie for time on the outfield corners, where all three bring athleticism and speed. Catalano is a ball hawk in center field, and Karaviotis is very steady at short. Chase has come a long way behind the plate, getting himself into better shape and becoming a reliable backstop.

Starting Pitching: 55. The Ducks have some uncertainty in their rotation, but Horton always gets the most out of his arms, and there is little doubt Oregon will be good on the mound again. Irvin missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he’ll start the season in the bullpen while building up his durability, but by midseason he should be ready to take over as a bona fide ace atop the rotation. During his freshman All-America campaign in 2013, Irvin showed advanced command of his four-pitch mix along with poise beyond his years. Oregon thinks Peterson is good enough to make the same kind of impact as a freshman this year. The Colorado product was considered a top-three-rounds talent before breaking his leg in March; he returned to action down the stretch and ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the West Coast League, where he flashed 94 mph heat with good sink, an above-average changeup and a solid curve. Nogosek came on strong late last year but did not quite take the step forward in the fall that Oregon hoped for; still, he has a power fastball that ranges from 88-93 mph with good sink from a three-quarters slot. Junior-college transfer Conner Harber could also start the year in the rotation thanks to an 89-93 fastball of his own and a quality curveball and changeup.

Bullpen: 60. Closer Jake Reed is gone, but the Ducks have a natural replacement in Cleavinger, a power lefty who has served as a key setup man over the last two years. His stuff took a jump last summer in the Cape, when his running fastball sat at 92-95 and his hard, tight 80-84 slider gave lefthanded hitters fits. So Oregon should have a marquee closer one again, but the rest of the bullpen is inexperienced. RHP Jack Karraker threw just 11 innings last year but has matured since then, impressing the ducks with his dogged mentality and a quality four-pitch mix that includes a 90-91 fastball. RHP Trent Paddon has also matured both physically and mentally heading into his sophomore year, and he could be in the mix to start or serve as the primary setup man thanks to an 88092 fastball, a 78-81 slider with depth and feel for a changeup. Likewise, lanky freshman LHP Jacob Corn could start or relieve thanks to his own polished three-pitch mix. And young two-way players Tim Susnara and Josh Graham both have power arms that could make them key bullpen pieces.

Experience/Intangibles: 55. The Ducks are very young on the mound and will likely rely upon three or more newcomers in the everyday lineup, though all three are junior-college transfers who appear ready to handle their roles. The returning juniors like Tolman and Cleavinger have played in back-to-back regionals but have yet to get over the hump to the next level. Chase was around for Oregon’s 2012 super regional run but played sparingly. But Oregon’s coaching staff excels at instilling toughness and teaching the fundamentals of the game, which helps make up for some inexperience on the roster.