Oregon's strategy? Score

The Ducks will no doubt use the strategy starting this Saturday when they open a best-of-three NCAA Super Regional series against the Kent State Golden Flashes at PK Park.

Oregon, in just its fourth season since reinstating baseball, is the No. 5 national seed in postseason play. That made the Ducks host for the series that awards the winner a berth in the College World Series.

The Ducks (45-17) went 3-0 last weekend to advance out of the double-elimination regionals for the first time since 1954.

It is Oregon's second trip to the postseason since the school reinstated baseball for the 2009 season. Horton, who has overseen the team's re-start, led Cal State Fullerton to the national title in 2004.

"This is why I came up here," Horton said. "I hope this is the first of many."

After going 33-26-1 last year, then losing several key players, the Pac-12's coaches picked the Ducks to finish seventh in the conference.

One of the keys to Oregon's success has been the ability to win close games. While the team was 5-12 in one-run games last year, they improved to 15-5 in the regular season this year.

The Ducks stumbled a bit at the end of the season, dropping three straight to the rival Oregon State Beavers to finish third in the Pac-12.

Kent State (44-17) has never advanced to a Super Regional before. The Golden Flashes are riding a 20-game winning streak, the longest in the nation, into Eugene.