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Oregon becomes first national seed to be eliminated during regional round
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Oregon rolled into the NCAA Tournament as the regular-season Big Ten champs and No. 12 national seed. However, the Ducks experienced a brief stay in the postseason, getting eliminated in consecutive games as the host of the Eugene Regional.
On Friday, Oregon began the regional round with the heavily scrutinized loss to Utah Valley. That game featured a particularly controversial call that went against the Ducks, and that loss sent them into an elimination game on Saturday against Cal Poly.
The Ducks showed plenty of fight on Saturday, including a push to take an 8-5 lead in the 7th inning. However, the pitching staff was not up to the task.
Ducks starter Grayson Grinsell was tagged for 6 earned runs in the elimination game, and Ian Umlandt was credited with 3 earned runs after facing just 7 batters.
By the time the 9th inning rolled around, Oregon was lifeless at the plate. Cal Poly struck out the side to eliminate the Ducks and send them packing as a host site, becoming the first national seed to be eliminated this year.
While Friday’s loss was an especially tough pill to swallow, the Ducks were left with no excuse for being unable to bounce back on Saturday. There’s also no other way to frame this year’s NCAA Tournament trip as a massive failure for the program.
Oregon was riding back-to-back trips to the Super Regionals in 2023 and 2024 and showcased what the program was capable of during its first season in the Big Ten. Failing to even reach the regional championship is a massive setback, and it will only fester for a long time during the offseason.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.