[EXCLUSIVE] Oregon Ducks Baseball, Bryce Boettcher Thrilled for Hostile Texas A&M Environment

The Oregon Baseball team and outfielder Bryce Boettcher will play in one of the most hostile college baseball environments in the country in the College Station Super Regional against the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies, beginning Saturday.

Bryce Boettcher Reveals Oregon Baseball Mindset Shift In Postseason /

Oregon Ducks outfielder and slugger Bryce Boettcher has a knack for shining in clutch moments in front of large crowds. Lucky for Boettcher, the Oregon Baseball team will play in one of the most hostile college baseball environments in the country in the College Station Super Regional against the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies, beginning Saturday.

“I know they're a good club,” Boettcher told Oregon Ducks SI's Bri Amaranthus. “We're going into their house and it's going to be a competitive environment, which is always great. It’s probably the next closest thing to go out on the football field. They'll probably have like 10,000 people at the game. So I'm really excited for the energy. No matter what it looks like, just trying to grit wins out, we've got a good chance.“

May 31, 2024; Santa Barbara, CA, USA; Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski (44, R) talks to third baseman Carter Garate (3, C) and outfielder Bryce Boettcher (28, L) in the sixth inning of an NCAA Baseball Santa Barbara Regional against San Diego at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The two-sport athlete Boettcher has first-hand experience with large crowds, as a member of the Oregon Ducks football team. 

Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park, the home stadium of the Texas A&M baseball team, set a new attendance record of 8,075 for a game against Vanderbilt in April. Aggies baseball fans are notoriously passionate, earning the nickname RAggies for “ragging on” opponents. Olsen Field was voted as the best college baseball venue by Sports Illustrated.

The underdog Ducks and Aggies (47-13) will battle in a best-of-three series, with the winner punching a ticket to Omaha for the Men's College World Series. Oregon (39-18) is heating up at the perfect time but will face another streaking squad in the Aggies. Both Oregon and Texas A&M went undefeated in regional play. 

It would be a “life-long dream come true” for the Eugene-native Boettcher to lead Oregon to the College World Series. First, he’s focused on the major challenges the Aggies pose and keeping the Ducks’ mindset right.

“We’re resilient,” Boettcher told Amaranthus. I’ve played on some good teams while I've been here and some really good lineups. We're tough. No matter what happens in one game, we may lose a tough game, we bounce back really quick. We have quick minds. It's easy for us to come together and realize, what's important now. That's what we say winning is - what is important now.” 

“We take pride in playing great defense and we pitch the ball really well,” Boettcher told Amaranthus. “When you do those two things and combine with, you know, some clutch hitting, it's hard to beat us.”

Boettcher is a prime example of Oregon’s clutch hitting. In Oregon’s opening game vs. Santa Barbara last Friday, Boettcher smacked a solo homer in the top of the 11th for the game-winning run to hand the Gauchos their first-home loss of the season. 

“It was unbelievable,” Boettcher told Amaranthus. “It was really just like surreal, to be honest with you. Hard to put it into words, to say the least. “

The Ducks advanced from the UC Santa Barbara Regional, where they beat the No. 18 Gauchos twice and San Diego. After a winless Pac-12 Tournament appearance, what changed for this Oregon baseball team?

“It was just a flip of a mindset,” Boettcher told Amaranthus. “It's really just about how you bounce back… Everyone lives for the postseason. It doesn't matter what you do in the regular season. I think the mindset in practice of, we're getting this done, regardless of how it looks. It doesn't matter if we have four hits, 11 hits. We're just here to win regardless of what it looks like. I think that mindset is what carried us.”

Oregon’s road to Omaha continues vs. Texas A&M on Saturday, June 8th at 11am PT.