For the majority of this season, Oregon center fielder Austin Grebeck has carried the Ducks’ offense.
Oregon has plenty of power bats littered throughout its lineup — A.J. Balta is tied for second in the conference in home runs, and Kyle Kasser and Jake Bennett are each hitting over .300 in Pac-12 play.
But Grebeck has been the spark all season. He’s been the only real consistent threat at the plate since opening day.
The junior from Laguna Hills, California, was one of the main catalysts in the Ducks’ three-game sweep over USC on April 15-17. Grebeck reached base and scored a run in the first inning of all three games.
“That’s my job,” Grebeck said following Oregon’s 8-5 win over the Trojans on April 17. “That’s how I look at it; it’s my job to get on [base] and get the offense going. If we score a run in the first, that’s great, but that’s up to the guys behind me. I need to get on and get in scoring position.”
After being shuffled around the lineup last season, Grebeck has found a home at the top of the order. He’s become a prototypical leadoff hitter this season.
During his sophomore season, Grebeck hit .243 and struck out more than he walked. This season, he is batting .296 and his on-base percentage of .438 ranks seventh in the Pac-12. He has seen a huge increase in his slugging percentage and batting average on balls in play as well.
Even with Grebeck, Oregon has struggled to find consistency in the heart of its order this year.
According to stats listed by the NCAA, the Ducks rank 285th out of 300 teams in the nation in batting average (.229) and 290th in hits. Grebeck has been the lone bright spot for a floundering Oregon offense.
“He’s having a very consistent year — I don’t want to jinx him,” Oregon head coach George Horton said. “That’s what you hope a junior does … He’s been not only a solid defender in center, but a very good offensive catalyst too.”
Probably if we were going a little better earlier in the season with the guys behind him, his whole body of work stat-wise would be a lot better. He was kind of carrying the torch there for a long time.”
In the past two weeks, the Ducks’ offense has started to come alive. They have won their last five conference games, and have outscored their opponents 39-25 during that span. Oregon was 12-12 before its winning streak, but has jumped from 10h to fourth in the conference standings since.
Oregon scored in the first inning of seven straight games dating from April 8-17. While they have seen a slight dip in starting pitching performance in that span, Oregon has quietly emerged as a Pac-12 contender.
That is in large part due to Grebeck’s consistent play.
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