Canzano: Oregon Ducks set up Regional showdown with Beavers-Cougars
WSU-OSU winner will get Oregon.
EUGENE — It was the middle of the seventh inning on Saturday night. The PK Park crowd was thumping. The Oregon Ducks were on their way to a 4-0 victory over Washington State in the Eugene Regional. I looked out the open window of the press box and saw a familiar face looking back from the balcony to my left.
The guy was calling my name.
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” he crowed.
It was Ken O’Neil, long-time booster, donor, and Duck loyalist. He been a long-time member of Phil Knight’s inner sanctum. The 89-year-old guy bleeds green and insists on using the stadium stairs.
On Saturday night, O’Neil was sitting behind UO Athletic Director Rob Mullens, and two seats away was Karl Scholz, the university president, and between them was Michael Doherty, who spent nearly four decades as a high-ranking executive at Nike. Doherty and O’Neil carpooled to the game from the Portland area.
Doherty was behind the wheel.
“If I let him drive, we’d end up in Yreka,” he joked.
Dana Altman showed up on that balcony, too, in the middle innings. The men’s basketball coach at Oregon stood behind his university president. What I’m saying is, this UO baseball event drew a buzz and crowd that is typically reserved for a big home football game. And the Ducks are now a single victory away from advancing to another Super Regional.
One small step?
A giant leap?
I asked Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski how he’d approach Sunday. In the Ducks way will either be a rematch with the Cougars, who ooze resilience, or a date with the rival Beavers, who play well historically off the ropes.