Oregon’s Rikuu Nishida goes viral for opposite field home run using wooden bat

Oregon infielder Rikuu Nishida is going viral on Twitter after hitting his first career home run over the weekend to help the Ducks complete a four-game sweep of San Diego, but it’s his approach at the plate that has people stunned.

The junior from Japan put the Ducks on the board first with a solo home run in the first inning of Sunday’s game, an opposite field homer off a pitch from sophomore righty Morgan Luceford.

The impressive feat was made even better by the fact that Nishida opted for a wooden bat.

“So good, so good,” Nishida said of his first career home run, via the team’s website. “Yes, it was my first time hitting a home run since I came here. It was fun.”

While Major League Baseball requires players to use wooden bats, collegiate players have the option to choose but usually opt for metal bats for a number of reasons.

A junior college transfer from Mt. Hood Community College, Nishida was a two-time ABCA/Rawlings Pacific Association Division All-America selection.

He also played summer ball in the Cape Cod Baseball League where he led the league in stolen bases (28) and was named a CCBL All-Star.

Oregon went on to hit two more solo home runs in Sunday’s 5-1 win over San Diego to sweep the series.

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