The 13th ranked Oregon baseball team hosts no. 21 Stanford this weekend in a three game series at PK Park. The DuckTV Sports staff takes a closer look at this Pac-12 battle.

In the past two series’ Coach George Horton made Tommy Thorpe the Friday starter, replacing Jake Reed. Do you think this is a permanent switch and if so is it a good move for the Ducks?

Ryan Rouillard: Jake Reed had his chance and he blew it. After spending about a month and a half as the Friday starter, Reed clearly didn’t show enough to justify leaving him in the Friday hole. One of his biggest issues was his mental composure. He would constantly let the one big inning get to him and ruin the rest of his outing. Tommy Thorpe and Cole Irvin have shown not only the skillset, but the mental makeup, to justify their promotion to Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Nick Rockwell: Tommy Thorpe I believe will be the opening series starter for the remainder of the year. He has one win and one loss in his two starts when pitching on Friday but the loss came against UCLA which was a 1-0 battle and the only run of the game was unearned.

Shannon Hartley: Both Jake Reed and Tommy Thorpe are magnificent arms up on the mound. Though Reed is definitely the more decorated pitcher, I think that Coach Horton will ultimately go with which ever pitcher has the hot arm. As of right now, it makes sense to move Reed to the Sunday spot given his struggles and grant the two hotter pitchers, Thorpe and Irvin, the Friday and Saturday gigs.

Anthony Piganelli: As I said earlier in my most recent blog post, this is an excellent move for Horton and the Ducks. Reed looked shaky and uncomfortable as the Friday starter for much of the season. Thorpe brings a more composed and controlled presence to the table and his fastball is much sharper than Reed’s. As for whether or not this will be a permanent switch, that will remain to be seen throughout a few more series.

Stanford boasts an impressive pitching staff led by highly regarded MLB prospect Mark Appel. What player(s) are going to have to step up in the Ducks lineup for Oregon to win the series?

RR: The team leader in walks (20) and hit by pitches (11), Aaron Payne has shown a knack for getting on base without using the bat. And with Mark Appel and Stanford’s dominant pitching staff coming to Eugene, this already-sub-par offense will have to find ways to get on base. Ryon Healy and Scott Heineman can’t be relied on to provide the big bats all weekend long.

NR: Ducks such as Aaron Payne, Brett Thomas and Connor Hoffman will be the key factors who will need to step up their game to beat the Stanford Cardinal. Ryon Healy will have to bring his A game like he has all season. It will be a tough task for the Ducks but those will be the guys who need to step up to be victorious.

SH: Ryon Healy has to be the one to get the bats going for the Ducks. Healy is the guy that sparks this team on offense and he will need to do so against Appel this weekend. This game could turn into a pitching fest, which means all hits will be crucial. Healy needs to step-up once again to give the Ducks the edge.

AP: Mark Appel, who was recently named a senior class award finalist, is a very talented pitcher who is 7-2 on the year and boasts a 1.54 era. With this in mind, the Ducks need to find a way to get offensive production from a good portion of their lineup if they want to win this game. Scott Heineman will be an interesting player to watch for Oregon due to his 0-9 slump against UCLA in the first two games before finally rebounding in the third. If he can transfer that momentum from the third game of the series along with some steady play from hitters such as Aaron Payne, and the usually hot Ryon Healy, the Ducks should be in good shape.

Who do you predict to win this series and why?

RR: As most Pac-12 teams will attest to, you can essentially pencil in a Stanford win on Friday with Appel on the mound. The Ducks have shown that they can be offensively explosive on Sundays, but how will they do on Saturday? Cole Irvin always gives this team a chance to win when he is on the mound, but his offense continues to find ways to not give him run support. I see that trend holding. Stanford wins this series, 2-1, leaving the Ducks still in search of a signature series win.

NR: I believe the Ducks will win the series because they are playing well despite losing 2 of 3 to the Bruins last weekend with both losses being 1-0. Despite limited success in the W/L column, their recent adjustments to the pitching rotation have paid off quite well. I see the offense getting going on Saturday and Sunday and the Ducks taking the last two games of the series.

SH: Stanford beat the Ducks in football this season and in basketball once. I think they will pick-up another win like they did in the other two sports, but Oregon takes the series 2/3.

AP: I believe the Ducks will take the series two games to one against the Cardinal at home because of their solid pitching staff. The hitting will bounce back after a rough series against UCLA and will provide plenty of run support for Thorpe and company. Look for Oregon to take games one and three, with Stanford sneaking in a win on Saturday.

For continuing coverage of this series and all other Oregon sports, stay tuned to the DuckTV Sports blog and look for this week’s episode set to air on Wednesday night.