former Oregon player, Jack Marder is in his sixth season as a member of Mark Wasikowski’s staff.
The University of Oregon alum is the Ducks’ hitting coach, while working with the catchers and serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator. Marder was instrumental in helping Oregon secure the nation’s No. 5 recruiting class in 2022 according to Baseball America and was named to the “10 Of The Hottest Assistant Coaching Names In College Baseball” list by the magazine in Dec. 2023, while also being recognized as one of the “100 Assistant Coaches Athletic Directors Should Know” by D1Baseball in October 2023.
Oregon (2020-present)
During Marder’s four years at Oregon, the Ducks have compiled a 165-90 (64.7 winning percentage) record. The Ducks have advanced to the postseason in each of Marder’s four full seasons at UO with Super Regional appearance in 2023 and 2024, and a pair of NCAA Regional berths in 2021 and 2022. The four consecutive postseason appearances match the longest streak in school history (2012-15). The Ducks also won the 2023 Pac-12 Conference Tournament.
In 2024, Oregon became just the eighth team in the super regional era of college baseball (1999-2024) to advance to a super regional with back-to-back regional tournament wins on the road. On the way to the super regional berth, the Ducks compiled a 40-20 record including a 19-11 mark in Pac-12 Conference play. The Ducks finished third in the Pac-12 standings, just one game behind first-place Arizona, marking the third time in the last four seasons that the Ducks finished in the top four of the league.
In 2023, Oregon put together a pair of the longest winning streaks in school history. Oregon won 11 in a row from March 18 to April 7, marking the third longest streak of victories in school history and the best streak since the 1964 team won 12 straight. At the end of the season, Oregon put together a 10-game win streak from May 19 to June 9 that included going 4-0 in the Pac-12 Tournament and 3-0 in the Nashville Regional allowing the Ducks to claim both tournament titles.
In his five seasons, Oregon’s offense has rewritten the program’s record books with Marder serving as hitting coach, setting 15 new school records in eight of the major hitting categories.
After setting 11 program records in 2021 and 2022 combined, the 2023 Ducks’ squad bested the 2022 team in four different categories. The Super Regional team blasted 101 home runs, 26 more than the NCAA Regional team in 2022, while finishing with 23 more doubles, 75 more total bases and seven more at-bats. At the end of the 2023 season, the home run record had more than doubled since the start of the 2021 season going from 48 to 101 homers. During that time, the doubles record grew by 25 two baggers while the total bases record went from 864 to 1,116 – an increase of 252 total bases.
The 2023 team also finished one run scored and three RBI shy of the 2022 squad’s records, as well as one stolen base short of the record set by the 2013 club. The 2023 team also finished second all-time in hits (646), fourth all-time in batting average (.298) and ninth all-time in walks (227).
While last year’s squad did not break any team offensive records, it did finish in the top five in school history in five different categories and in the top 10 in two more. The 2024 team finished just three home runs shy of tying the 2023 club for home runs, hitting 98 over its 60-game schedule. The team also finished third in runs scored (420), third in total bases (996), third in RBI (575), fourth in walks (254), sixth in doubles (107) and seventh in at-bats (2,042).
In 2022, a year after setting three new offensive records, the Ducks broke eight school records including all three the team had set the previous season. Oregon notched new school records for batting average (.310), at-bats (2,160), runs scored (452), hits (670), doubles (122), home runs (75) and total bases (1,041). The club also finished sixth all-time in both base on balls (243) and stolen bases (66) in school history.
Despite playing just the sixth-most games (61) in school history, the Ducks did not just set school records they shattered them. Prior to Marder joining the coaching staff, Oregon’s record for home runs in a season was 48 by the 1974 team. The 2022 squad finished with 27 more homers than the ’74 team and 19 more than the 2021 squad.
It was not just the home run record that was relegated to a distant second place in the record books. Oregon bested the old record for runs by 73, hits by 54, RBI by 82 and total bases by 177. The team also broke the school record for batting average that was set 64 years earlier (1958).
With Marder in charge of the hitters in 2021, Oregon started the trend of rewriting the school’s record books. The Ducks set new school records for runs scored (379), home runs (56) and RBI (334) while also falling just two doubles (118) and four total bases (860) shy of school records, ultimately finishing second in both categories. In all, Oregon’s offense ranked in the top-10 all-time in 10 categories including hits (3rd/546), walks (3rd/255), batting average (8th/.289), at-bats (8th/1,890) and triples (10th/14).
Oregon’s assault on the school record books has not been limited to team records. Individual players from the last four Ducks’ teams are littered throughout the single-season top 10 list. Of the 15 major statistical categories in the Oregon record book, a member of either the 2021, 2022, 2023 or 2024 teams owns the school record in 12 of them. During Marder’s tenure as hitting coach, Oregon players have set or tied single-season school records 21 times in the 15 major categories with seven of those being broken again by a member of the 2023 squad and two more broken or tied by a member of the 2024 team.
In 2024, a pair of single-season school records were either tied or broken. Jacob Walsh hit 18 home runs matching the school record set by Sabin Ceballos the previous season. Ceballos also saw his school slugging-percentage record eclipsed when Mason Neville finished the season slugging .664, .021 better than Ceballos.
In 2023, Ceballos set four single-season school records becoming the all-time leader in home runs, slugging percentage and multiple-RBI games, while tying Drew Cowley for the most RBI in a season. In addition to the RBI record, Cowley set the school record for multiple-RBI games while tying Tanner Smith (2022) for the hits record. Cowley also finished his career as the program’s all-time leader in slugging percentage.
Rikuu Nishida added a pair of school records to his resume, finishing with the most runs scored and stolen bases in a season at Oregon. Smith also added a slew of career records (games started, at-bats, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, and multiple-hit games) during his senior season. Last season, Walsh relegated Smith to No. 2 on the career home run list when the Ducks’ junior first baseman ran his home run total to 40, nine more than Smith.
In 2022, Smith set new single-season school records for at-bats (268), hits (85) and multiple-hit games (27) while also setting a new Oregon career record for runs scored (155). Anthony Hall broke the school record for slugging percentage setting the new mark at .640 before Ceballos bested it with a .643 mark in 2023.
The 2021 team began the record-setting trend breaking seven single-season school records. Outfielder Aaron Zavala set three (on-base percentage, runs scored, base on balls) new school records, while Kenyon Yovan also added three (home runs, RBI, multiple-RBI games) to his resume and Smith set one (doubles).
It total, 10 Oregon players on the last four teams have moved into the single-season top 10 in doubles, while nine have joined the top 10 in runs scored. Eight have joined the top 10 in slugging percentage and multiple-RBI games, seven in hits, home runs, RBI and multiple-hit games, six in at-bats, five in on-base percentage, three in stolen bases and one each in batting average and triples.
On the field, Oregon’s offense has sparked the Ducks to one of the most successful stretches in school history. UO has reached postseason play each of the last four seasons, just the second time Oregon has advanced to the regionals four consecutive years (2012-15). During that span, the Ducks have won 156 games including the fourth most wins in a season in 2023 (41), the fifth most in 2024 (40) and the seventh most in 2021 (39).
In 2024, Oregon finished just one game out of first place in the Pac-12 Conference for the second time in the last four seasons while finishing in the top four in the conference standings for the third time during that stretch. The Ducks advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals for the second consecutive season, a first in program history. UO finished the year 40-20 while capping its final year in the Pac-12 with a 19-11 record and won a regional tournament on the road for the second consecutive season.
In 2023, Oregon’s win total of 41 ranks behind only the 2013 (48), 2012 (46) and 2014 (44) teams. The Ducks made just their second trip to Super Regionals in school history while winning a Regional Tournament on the road for the first time ever. UO finished 41-22 overall while wrapping up Pac-12 action with a 16-14 record.
In 2022, Oregon’s potent offense led the Ducks to a 36-25 record, including an 18-12 mark and a fourth-place finish in Pac-12 play. The top-four finish marked the first time the Ducks had finished in the top four of the league standings in back-to-back years since the 2013 and 2014 seasons. The Ducks also qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season, a feat not done at Oregon since the 2014 and 2015 clubs made regional tournament appearances.
In 2021, Oregon’s offensive attack helped the Ducks finish 39-16, making their first NCAA Regional Tournament appearance since 2015. UO hosted its first regional tournament since 2013. Oregon battled into the final weekend for the Pac-12 title eventually finishing in second, one game out of first place with a 20-10 Pac-12 record.
Individually, players have continued to thrive with Marder serving as the hitting coach claiming postseason honors and etching their names in the Oregon record books. Last season, five Ducks hitters nabbed All-Pac-12 honors with one claiming freshman All-America recognition. Shortstop Maddox Molony, who set Oregon’s freshman home run record, became Oregon’s first freshman position player to claim first-team All-Pac-12 honors, while also earning NCBWA second-team freshman All-America honors. Center-fielder Bryce Boettcher, first-baseman Walsh, outfielder Mason Neville and catcher/outfielder Chase Meggers all claimed honorable mention all-conference honors.
In 2023, five Ducks’ hitters claimed All-Pac-12 honors with two of those claiming all-region accolades and one earning All-America honors. Both Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game tabbed shortstop Cowley as a third-team All-American following the season. Cowley was joined on the ABCA All-West Region second team by freshman designated hitter Drew Smith, with Cowley also earning first-team All-Pac-12 Conference honors along with third baseman Ceballos. Outfielders Nishida, Colby Shade and Tanner Smith were all honorable mention all-league picks.
In 2022, three Ducks’ position players earned All-Pac-12 Conference recognition with three also claiming ABCA All-District honors. Josh Kasevich and Brennan Milone claimed first-team all-league honors while Hall earned honorable mention recognition. Milone was a first-team all-district pick as a designated hitter while Kasevich (SS) and Cowley (3B) garnered second-team honors.
Walsh became just the 10th Duck all-time to be named a freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball. The Ducks’ rookie first baseman set Oregon freshman school records for doubles (18), home runs (6) and total bases (103).
2021 was a banner season for Oregon’s hitters. Zavala, Oregon’s right fielder, became just the second Duck in the modern era named to all six major All-America teams. Zavala joined David Peterson (2017) as a unanimous All-America pick, earning first-team All-America honors from the ABCA, Baseball America, D1Baseball, the NCBWA and Perfect Game while claiming second-team recognition from Collegiate Baseball.
With Zavala leading the way, it was a historic season at Oregon with three different Duck hitters earning All-America honors. First-baseman Gabe Matthews and Smith, an outfielder, joined Zavala, with both claiming third-team All-America recognition from Collegiate Baseball.
In addition to boasting three All-American hitters, Oregon placed eight players on the All-Pac-12 Conference Team including five first-teamers, the most in school history. Five of those were position players. Zavala earned Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year honors while Matthews and Yovan joined Zavala on the first team. Smith and Kasevich were named honorable mention all-league.
In Marder’s first season, Oregon’s hitters got off to a hot start before the season ended abruptly because of COVID-19. Yovan and Zavala both earned Collegiate Baseball All-America honors.
Yovan claimed first-team recognition after batting .429 with four home runs. He finished in the top three in the Pac-12 Conference in seven different categories – slugging percentage, runs scored, batting average, on-base percentage, hits, home runs, total bases – and in the top six in two more.
Zavala earned third-team honors as a third baseman after leading the Pac-12 in RBI with 22. He also ranked fourth in the conference in batting average (.418) and hits (23) and 11th in on-base percentage (.493). Nationally, Zavala ranked 11th in RBI per game, 16th in RBI and 18th in toughest to strikeout (three strikeouts in 67 plate appearances).
During his tenure at Oregon, Marder has coached nine of the top 14 highest-drafted position players in Oregon’s modern era history, including the top two. In the 2021 MLB Draft, Zavala became the first modern-era Duck position player picked in the first or second rounds when the Texas Rangers selected him in the second round with the 38th overall pick. Kasevich joined Zavala as a second-round pick in 2022 when the Toronto Blue Jays picked him with the 60th overall selection.
Hall became the fifth-highest position player draft pick in 2022 when the New York Yankees selected him in the fourth round (130 overall) before falling to sixth after Ceballos moved into the four slot after the Atlanta Braves selected him in the third round (94 overall) of the 2023 draft. Milone is the seventh highest after the Oakland A’s picked him in the sixth round (184 overall) in 2022. Shade ranks as the 10th highest drafted Oregon position player after the Miami Marlins picked him in the ninth round (263 overall) in 2023, just before Nishida became the 12th highest when the Chicago White Sox selected him in the 11th round (329 overall). Bennett Thompson became the 13th highest when he was picked by the Cleveland Guardians in the 13th round (385 overall) last July, while Bryce Boettcher is now the 14th highest after he was selected 18 picks after Thompson in the 13th round (403 overall) by the Houston Astros.
Including the nine draft picks, Marder has coached 11 Ducks who have gone on to play professional baseball. Both Matthews and Yovan signed free agent contracts with the Los Angeles Angels after finishing their collegiate careers.
Stanford (2018-19)
Marder returned to Eugene after spending two seasons at Stanford as an assistant coach. He assisted with nearly all aspects of the program, including working with Stanford’s hitters and catchers while also serving as the team’s first base coach.
In Marder’s second season at Stanford in 2019, he oversaw nine Cardinal picked in the MLB Draft, including catcher Maverick Handley, who claimed Pac-12 Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Under Marder’s guidance, Handley led the Pac-12 in pickoffs (9) and stolen bases caught (13) while allowing just three passed balls. The Cardinal finished 45-14, good for the fifth-highest win percentage (.763) and third-fewest losses in program history, while earning its 11th Super Regional berth and first since 2014.
Keiser (2017)
Before coaching at Stanford, Marder spent one season as an assistant coach with the Keiser Seahawks. At Keiser, he led the squad in recruiting operations as well as coaching third base. Marder helped the Seahawks to the program’s first NAIA World Series appearance, which included a conference championship and a school-record 43 wins.
Playing Career and Personal
Marder started his coaching career at Oregon in 2015-16 as an undergraduate coach while finishing his degree in political science. He served as an assistant for Wasikowski at Purdue and as an assistant coach for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod League in the summers of 2014 and 2015.
Marder played catcher, the infield and the outfield at Oregon from 2010-2011. The Seattle Mariners selected the Calabasas, Calif., native in the 16th round of the 2011 MLB Draft as a draft-eligible sophomore. He spent four years in the Seattle organization and reached as high as Double-A.
Marder is married to former Oregon soccer player Scout Libke.
