EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon first baseman Jacob Walsh and Ducks’ pitchers Grayson Grinsell and Logan Mercado have been named to the preseason All-Pac-12 Conference Team in a vote of the league’s coaches released on Thursday.
Grinsell, a sophomore left-hander from Reno, Nev., was a key cog out of the Oregon bullpen as a true freshman in 2023 before making three postseason starts. Second on the team in appearances with 30 while finishing 2-1 with a 4.47 ERA and one save, Grinsell earned a spot on both the Pac-12 Conference and Nashville All-Regional teams. In Pac-12 games, the Ducks’ lefty finished with a 2.42 ERA and a 1-1 record while holding opposing hitters to a .190 batting average.
Mercado, a senior right-hander from Pasco, Wash., has been a versatile member of Oregon’s pitching staff for the last three seasons making 48 career appearances, including 12 starts. He finished the 2023 season 5-1 with a 5.95 ERA with one complete game and one save. Mercado fanned a team-best 78 hitters in a team-high 81.2 innings pitched. He excelled in relief appearances finishing 2-0 with a 3.94 ERA and one save while holding opposing hitters to a .218 average. As a sophomore in 2022, he led Oregon in wins and earned run average while going 6-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 25 appearance out of the bullpen.
Walsh, a junior from Las Vegas, currently sits tied for sixth in career home runs at Oregon with 22 and is one double away from entering the career top 10 in that category. Last season, the left-handed hitter tied for the third most home runs in a single season at Oregon with 16. He sits tied for the seventh-most doubles in a single season in UO history. He was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week on April 3, 2023, after batting .533 (8-for-15) with three home runs, a double, four RBI and five runs scored in a road sweep over Arizona. He also claimed Collegiate Baseball freshman All-America honors in 2022.
2024 Pac-12 Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank Team (First Place Votes) Points
1. Oregon State (8) 95
2. Stanford (2) 85
3. UCLA (1) 82
4. Oregon 74
5. USC 64
6. Arizona State 50
7. Washington 49
8. California 40
9. Arizona 31
10. Utah 20
11. Washington State 15
