The 2026 NCAA Tournament begins on Friday, May 29. Here is World Baseball Network’s preview of the 2026 Eugene regional.
Eugene Regional – PK Park, Eugene, Ore.
No. 1 – Oregon Ducks (40-16, 20-10 Big Ten) – No. 11 National Seed
Oregon comes in having suffered a heartbreaking 11-inning loss that came on a game-ending hit batsman in the Big Ten tournament final against No. 1 national seed UCLA.
Having hit 102 homers thus far this year, the Ducks are a team that can beat you with the longball, as they showed at the Big Ten tournament, where they hit 10 homers in three games. They can also beat you with timely hitting, and get on base at a .389 clip as a team, which is a tad on the low side, but their power makes up for it. Third baseman Drew Smith drives the offense, having hit .321/.402/.598 with 15 homers and 59 RBIs this season, and outfielder Angel Laya (14 HR, 44 RBIs) and Maddox Molony (12 HR, 38 RBIs) provide plenty of pop.
Starter Will Sanford (3.74 ERA, 74 1/3 IP, 105K 39 BB) is an elite pitcher, and forms a strong trio with Collin Clarke (4.36 ERA, 76 1/3 IP, 75K, 18BB) and Miles Gosztola (3.83 ERA, 56 1/3 IP, 61K, 22BB).
No. 2 – Oregon State Beavers (43-12, Independent)
The Beavers get to try and spoil their in-state rival’s party, though they’re without star pitcher Dax Whitney, who is a finalist for Baseball America’s Pitcher of the Year award but lost the rest of his sophomore season to an arm injury in April that will require surgery.
The team went 1-2 in Omaha last year, though the loss of Whitney will hamper their chances to return. Eric Segura has been spectacular on the mound for the Beavers, posting a 2.31 ERA in 66 1/3 innings across 14 starts with 72 strikeouts and 26 walks, and Ethan Kleinschmidt has a 3.91 mark in 71 1/3 innings across 14 starts. Behind them the starting pitching is a tad shaky, but Isaac Yeager, Albert Roblez, and Tanner Douglas have all been solid out of the bullpen.
Upperclassmen Easton Talt and AJ Singer lead the offense along with freshman Josh Proctor, and while this is not a team that hits for average, the Beavers’ disciplined approach at the plate has drawn them 265 walks this season. We’ll see if they have enough to get out of the regional.
No. 3 – Washington State Cougars (30-26, 15-9 Mountain West)
The Cougars are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010 after winning the Mountain West tournament. They’re a combined 6-15 against the top two quadrants used to compute the RPI, where they rank 83rd.
They’re not a particularly powerful team offensively, though Ryan Skjonsby, Max Hartman, and Gavin Roy are all batting above .300 with more than 40 RBIs this year. The Cougs have a +4 run differential on the year.
Starter Nick Lewis has been an absolute workhorse, throwing 91 innings with a 3.07 ERA, but the team ERA of 6.25 and a 342 to 249 strikeout to walk ratio is worrisome for Wazzu fans who hope to see their team advance.
No. 4 – Yale Bulldogs (30-13-1, 14-6-1 Ivy League)
The Bulldogs haven’t played any teams in the top two quadrants this season, but don’t count them out automatically just because they’re a cold weather team at a school known for rigorous academics. They took the Ivy League tourney with a 7-5 win against Brown, have four players with 40 or more RBIs and four regulars batting over .300.
Senior Tate Evans (2.72 ERA, 79.1 IP, 78K, 14BB) is an elite pitcher in Division I, and while sophomore Jack Ohman has struggled a bit this year, when he’s on, he can steal a game for the Elis.
2026 Eugene Regional Schedule
No. 2 Oregon St. (43-12) vs. No. 3 Washington St. (30-26), 3 p.m., ESPN+
No. 1 Oregon (40-16) vs. No. 4 Yale (30-13-1), 8 p.m., ESPN+
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
Photo: Cal Scolari struck out 10 for the second time in his Oregon career in the quarterfinal win against Washington. (Photo via Oregon Baseball on X)
