New Contract for UO Horton, Sept. 21

University of Oregon athletics director Rob Mullens has announced a contract extension for head baseball coach George Horton that will run through June 30, 2020. “We appreciate George’s leadership in building Oregon baseball, and we are excited about the future,” Mullens said. In nine seasons at Oregon, Horton has resurrected a dormant Ducks’ baseball program and built it into one of the top programs in the country. During his tenure in Eugene, he has compiled a 320-220-1 record (.592) while leading the Ducks to the postseason five times. Over the last six seasons, Oregon has won 234 games, tied for the 15th most in the country. Under Horton, Oregon made its first modern-era NCAA appearance in just its second season of existence, playing in the NCAA Regionals in 2010. The Ducks topped that effort in 2012 advancing to their first Super Regional and finishing just one win shy of advancing to the College World Series. UO also reached the NCAA Regionals in 2013, 2014 and 2015, winning a school-record 48 games in 2013. From 2012 to 2014, Oregon was one of just eight teams to win 40-plus games in all three seasons. “I’m very happy that we were able to extend our agreement well ahead of the Sept. 10 deadline,” Horton said. “And I’m excited for and eager to start the 2017-18 season so we can continue toward achieving our goals as a baseball program.” Oregon’s student-athletes have excelled on an off the field under Horton. A total of 29 players have been selected, two in the first round, in the Major League Baseball Draft, with four advancing to the big leagues. Academically, 36 players have been named to the Pac-12 All-Academic team during Horton’s tenure, with five earning first-team honors. In 2017 the team accumulated an average GPA of 3.02 with a 91 percent Graduation Success Rate.