Doug Kroll is an editor for CSTV.com, focusing on baseball. E-mail here!
When Oregon named Pat Kilkenny the new Athletic Director in February of 2007, there was one cry from the fans in Eugene that he heard more than any other--bring back the baseball team.
He has done just that.
For the first time since 1980-81, Oregon will field a baseball team in the 2009 season, as the Ducks will no longer be the only Pac-10 school without a squad.
The thing is, the fans have been crying ever since the school announced that they would no longer field a baseball team, thanks in large part to Title IX. As much as the school won't admit to it, watching archrival OregonState win back-to-back national championships most likely has a whole heck of a lot to do with it. But Kilkenny says that is "purely coincidental" that the school has decided to bring the sport back during a stretch in which the Beavers have become a national powerhouse.
But it's not like Oregon didn't have a storied program of its own on the baseball diamond. They can be traced all the way back to 1877 when they took on MonmouthCollege (now Western Oregon) and are considered the oldest athletic program at the school.
"The first intercollegiate sporting event played on the University of Oregon campus was a baseball game back in 1877, just one year after the UO was established," said University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer. "It is especially fitting that Pat has decided to bring baseball back to the University of Oregon on the 130th anniversary of that first game."
In 71 seasons starting in 1908, Oregon went 1,034-718-8, which is a .590 winning percentage -- not bad by any stretch of the imagination. The Ducks even went to Omaha in 1954 where they went two-and-out.
Loss No. 718 does hold special meaning to a current head coach in the Pac-10. Special, in a trivial kind of way.
Washington head coach Ken Knutson was the winning pitcher for the Huskies on that day in 1981 as the Ducks finished their final season at 16-21-1. It's something that he's joked about ever since.
"It was a 5-2 game, and I think that once they lost to me, they said, `That's it, we're going to discontinue the program,'" Knutson said. "It only took them 25 years to get over it, but welcome back; it's a funny story, a good piece of trivia on my end, but I'm glad to see Oregon back playing baseball."
On a more serious note, there are plenty of benefits and drawbacks from the Ducks bringing baseball back, aside from the 500 different uniform combinations that Nike will get to make. Whether that's a benefit or drawback is yet to be determined.
But first, the benefits. The Pacific Northwest has long been handcuffed when it comes to scheduling baseball games. For Knutson, Portland is the closest school playing Division I, and even that is a good 175 miles from campus.The others such as Washington State and Gonzaga are over four-hour bus trips to the western reaches of the state.
So when a team in the region decides to bring back baseball, and they are only a 280-mile trip south on I-5, that's definitely a benefit.
"It's great because it gives us people to play that are local," Knutson said. "It will give us more conference games I presume, and it's just great for our league. It's a $10,000 road trip difference for us budget-wise, as opposed to jumping on an airplane."
Then there's the whole rivalry with OregonState. It's something that Beavers head coach Pat Casey declined to comment on. But it will definitely be something that will make for an interesting story once the Ducks get their full 11.7 scholarships in place, something the school expects to do in time for the 2011-12 season. They will start with 3.4.
Casey has been able to dominate the state with little or no competition over the last few years, making OregonState a dynasty in the sport. Adding another hand that can pluck them away isn't something he's probably too thrilled about.
The recruiting war could start as soon as this fall when the Ducks plan to hire a head coach. A high school senior will have to decide if he wants to be apart of a team reborn, or a back-to-back national champion. Casey shouldn't be too worried just yet.
Even Knutson says there's plenty of talent to go around in the area.
"I'm not really worried," Knutson said. "There's enough players to go around, that's really not the problem. It will probably impact OregonState more than us is because the in-state tuition costs, but they will certainly be [in Washington] just like OregonState does every year as they take a couple players. But it's a deep state and there are plenty of players."
Then there is the obvious drawback. A men's team in Eugene had to take a hit in order for this to happen. Oregon wrestling got the axe and will compete for the final time in the foreseeable future this coming season, and maybe fittingly, will host the Pac-10 Championships at the end of the year.
"This is a time of mixed emotions for both myself and the University of Oregon," Kilkenny said. "I am obviously excited about the opportunity to return a piece of the proud tradition of intercollegiate athletics back to the University, as well as provide more opportunities for women in a sport that has demonstrated remarkable growth at the collegiate and high school levels. At the same time, it is unfortunate we are unable to be all things to all people."
Where will the Ducks call home? No one's really sure yet. That will be one of the many jobs that will face the new head coach. Oregon's old baseball stadium was converted into the home of their softball team, so scratch playing in the older facility off the list. It has been rumored the school will build a new stadium, with the cost ranging between $5 million and $10 million.
With so many schools building new baseball facilities, they might as well start completely anew.
No matter where the Ducks end up playing their home games, the Pac-10 is finally a full conference, and it leaves the possibility of another Oregon player to make the major leagues. There have been 22 players to do that, and they even had a player go as the first overall pick in the 1972 draft when Dave Roberts went to San Diego.
The last player from Oregon to play in the majors? Tom Dodd played in eight games for the Baltimore Orioles in 1986. Perhaps the most famous Duck of all-time? Joe Gordon, who was a seven-time All-Star for the New York Yankees in the 30's and 40's.
If you were a little surprised to see a BCS school bring back baseball, that's alright, most people were. That just doesn't happen. When the Ducks take the field in 2009, there will only be four schools left in BCS conferences without a program (Wisconsin, Syracuse, Iowa State and Colorado).
Whatever's been in the water in Oregon, don't be surprised if they have a winner in Eugene before too long.
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