What motivates Oregon baseball all-time home run leader Jacob Walsh

Several Oregon baseball players now playing pro ball rewrote the record books a year ago in helping the Ducks to a historic finish in the 2023 Super Regional round.

Just over halfway through conference play and with just under 20 games to play in the regular season, Oregon junior Jacob Walsh is rewriting those record books again and helping the Ducks to yet another strong season.

Already the all-time home run leader in program history, Walsh said he isn't motivated by those records.

"I'm taking everything a day at a time," he said after Oregon's win over Gonzaga Tuesday. "I'm just trying to win ballgames. If that stuff happens as a result of winning ball games, it's great. But it's not really my focus."

Jacob Walsh entering rarified air in Oregon hitting history

Walsh has 36 career homers as of Tuesday, five more than previous record holder Tanner Smith, who held the record for less than 12 months after starring at Oregon from 2019 to 2023. Walsh's 15 home runs in 2023 ranked third on the team last year, but fourth in Oregon single-season history behind teammates Sabin Ceballos (18) and Drew Cowley (16), and 2021 graduate Kenyon Yovan (17).

With five conference series left to play, Walsh already has 14 home runs and is just four homers back of Ceballos' record set last season.

But more importantly for Walsh, the Ducks are winning.

Walsh pacing one of the best lineups in the Pac-12

The Ducks (26-10, 10-5 Pac-12) currently sit just a half game out of first place in the Pac-12 behind rival Oregon State, and also rank second in the Pac-12 in hits (362), runs (265), home runs (53), and RBIs (238).

The key, Walsh said, is bringing a consistent approach to the plate and in practice.

"Some days you may feel on, some days you may feel off, but if you can stay as consistent as possible, your lows aren't as low and your highs don't get as high emotionally," he said. "You can stay pretty level throughout the season."

Even more importantly for coach Mark Wasikowski, Walsh brings more than just a powerful bat to the Ducks' lineup.

"He's an amazing kid," Wasikowski said. "He's one of the most polite people. He looks big and mean because he's just so strong and his physique is imposing, but he's the nicest kid in the world. He's like the biggest teddy bear going. He's a fierce competitor now. He's got a mean streak to him when it's time."

What's next for Oregon baseball?

Walsh and the Ducks will look to continue their strong conference season with a three-game series against Stanford starting Friday.

Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @AlecDietz.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon baseball home run leader Jacob Walsh on what motivates him