Back for final college season, former Century star Kolby Somers is closing out the Pac-12 in hopes of opening Oregon’s door to Omaha

By Tyson Alger | Photo courtesy of GoDucks.com

The way Kolby Somers saw it, he had three options after the 2021 baseball season — the best season of his college career — came to a close. 

As a recent college graduate, the left-handed reliever could: 

1. Sign a contract as an undrafted free agent and grind his way through the minor leagues. 

2. Leave school and pursue a real career.

3. Enroll in grad school and use his final year of college eligibility to try to accomplish a goal no Oregon kid has done — win a baseball championship for the Ducks. 

Somers, a former Century star, chose No. 3. 

“I decided I wanted to come back and pursue a master’s degree that would help my future after baseball’s over,” Somers said upon his return. “I also wanted to come back and help Oregon win a championship.” 

That last part might seem like a stretch for those who haven’t been paying attention. But the long-dormant Ducks are on a surge. After reaching the NCAA baseball tournament in 2021 for the first time since 2015, the Ducks are 7-2 in Pac-12 play to start the 2022 season — one game ahead of No. 3 Oregon State in the standings.

And while much of Oregon’s momentum has been produced by a lineup that’s on pace to smash program records for home runs, Somers has developed into one of the most effective door closers in team history. It was on display this past weekend when the Ducks took two of three games from USC, with Somers picking up saves in both wins. In Sunday’s 7-6 victory, the Ducks rallied from a 6-1 deficit, taking the lead in the eighth inning before Somers retired the Trojans in order to secure the win.

“We didn’t want to lose,” Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski said. “Simple as that. We didn’t want to lose.”

Somers epitomizes that mantra for the Ducks. He came to Oregon as a starting pitcher, one who earned Oregon 6A pitcher of the year honors after posting a 1.02 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 48 innings as a senior at Century. But Somers struggled early in his Oregon career. He started as a freshman and had a 4.62 ERA in 62.1 innings. He was moved to the bullpen as a sophomore and his ERA ballooned to 8.58. But after fully adapting to his position change going into the pandemic season, Somers showed life by not allowing a run in six 2020 appearances.

Then in 2021, he was electric, earning third-team All-America and first-team Pac-12 honors after holding batters to a .149 average — the third-best mark in team history.

Oregon’s 39 wins were its most since the 2014 season.

The Ducks lost in the final game of the Eugene Regional, a loss compounded by the fact that program stars such as Gabe Matthews and Kenyon Yovan were soon off to professional ball.

“In the fall it was something you realized — you miss the presence of big names in the locker room,” said junior outfielder Tanner Smith, who is hitting .308 with seven home runs. “You can tell it’s a little bit different.”

Somers had his options. He’d been drafted once by the Seattle Mariners in the 37th round coming out of high school, but it wasn’t likely to happen again. So, he spent his summer on a regimented flexibility and weight training plan, returning to Oregon stronger and more focused than ever. 

“It’s weird now that I’m the old guy,” he said before the season. “We have a lot of young talent. Some really good young freshmen that are going to step up in a big way. I’m not worried about who is going to take that step. There’s plenty of guys. We have a lot of talent.”

Somers is a big part of that talent. His 11 saves last season are the sixth-most in a single season in team history. His 16 career saves tie him with Stephen Nogosek for third in team history, with Yovan’s 20 saves at No. 2 clearly within his sights.

The personal accomplishments are just extra, however, to the main reason Somers came back.

“Our goal has always been to get to Omaha and win a national championship,” Somers said. “In the past, it wasn’t as tangible as it is now — we really just wanted to win games and get to the postseason. But after being there last year, our expectations and goals are a lot higher. We know what we can achieve. We know we are talented. We know we are really good.” 

Tyson Alger is a Portland-based sportswriter. Read more of his work at i-5corridor.com