Jeff Gold toes the rubber on a brisk winter afternoon at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon. His black team issued Nike cleats dig into the dirt as he comes set to deliver a 2-2 pitch. His front leg jerks upward as he tilts his body showing the numbers on the back of his jersey to the hitter. The front foot hits the dirt as his tall, lanky frame extends across the mound as the ball leaves his right hand. The ball traces across the outer half of the plate and dips at the last second. The batter swings and misses. Words of praise from the coaches ring out across the empty stadium.

        Gold makes the pitch look effortless but his career as a collegiate athlete hasn’t always gone as easy as that pitch did. Coming out of high school, Gold did not receive any scholarship offers from Pac-10 schools, decided to walk on at the University of Oregon, had shoulder and blood clot injuries throughout his first two years at Oregon, was buried on the depth chart by his pitching coach, and thought about transferring.

          “It’s not that easy being a Division 1 athlete, especially when you are a walk-on. I work just to prove that I deserve to be on that field. Nothing is given to me,” Gold said.  

            Gold is coming off his most productive season as an Oregon Duck. The 6’3” redshirt junior posted an 8-4 record in 13 starts with a 3.36 earned run average in 2012, after he started the season as a virtual unknown in the bullpen. Injuries to the Ducks starting rotation and a new pitching coach helped pave the way for Gold to seize an opportunity few walk-on athletes experience, to be a big time contributor on a national championship caliber team.

            “When you finally get that chance that you have worked your ass off for, you have to perform or else you might not get that chance again. That’s why I’m so hard on myself even when I give up one hit. I want the coaches to keep having faith in me,” Gold said.

            Gold grew up in Moraga, California where he played baseball at Campolindo High School. Growing up, his greatest ambition was playing in the Pacific 10 Conference, but recruiters never looked his way. He did not receive any scholarship offers from Pac-10 schools, although he did receive offers from the University of Hawaii and Long Beach State.

            He ended up choosing the only Pac-10 school that offered him a spot on the team, even though he wouldn’t be on scholarship. “I figured I’d rather walk on here then play for Hawaii,” Gold says.

            Gold was eager to prove himself worthy when he arrived on campus in August 2009. Despite having shoulder surgery in June, he was ready when the season started in February 2010. His coaches redshirted him his first year on campus, meaning he was ineligible for any game action, but still had a spot on the roster. Looking back, Gold sees his redshirt year as a blessing. “It helped me get acclimated to the college game. I was a good pitcher but didn’t grasp some of the situational aspects of the college game,” Gold said.

            Gold was retained on the roster as a walk-on and was ready to prove his worth in 2011, when he had another medical setback. He developed a blood clot in his left arm in mid February of 2011. He was put on blood thinners for two months before he was cleared to play in the middle of the 2011 season. Upon his return he was relegated to the bullpen. The coaches he said, began to show little faith in his ability.

            “I worked my ass off all year. I was pitching well in my bullpen sessions,” Gold said. But, he became frustrated. “The coaches would get me pumped up to pitch, tell me that I was going to pitch and never put me in. It pissed me off,” Gold said a hint of frustration still evident in his tone.

            Then In April Gold’s frustration boiled over. During the Ducks 9-2 loss at the University of Southern California, every member of the bullpen saw action except for Gold. “No one could throw strikes in the game and here I am spotting up in the bullpen and I didn’t get in. After that I thought about transferring,” Gold said rubbing his goatee lightly.

           He talked to his father after the game and told him that he was going to transfer at the end of the year if he didn’t get more opportunities to pitch. His father, Ivan, who has paid for his tuition, calmed him down. “He told me to wait the year out and if I didn’t get an opportunity than I could transfer. But he reminded me of how hard I have worked to pitch in this conference and to think about that,” Gold said.

            The next week, Gold got a spot start against the University of Portland. He went five innings, allowed three runs, and struck out six in the Ducks 14-3 win.

            Former catcher Brett Hambright gives Gold all the credit for the work he put in before that start in order to get the nod against Portland. “That year he worked hard and took some crap, but he never complained. He just kept at it,” Hambright said.

            Gold finished out the year in the pen, pitching mainly in blowouts, but he was motivated by the start against Portland.

          At the end of the 2011 season he dedicated his off-season to making the starting rotation. He wanted to face  the schools that didn’t give him a chance coming out of high school.  “I had a chip on my shoulder you know? None of the other teams in conference gave me a shot during the recruiting process, I wanted to show them what they missed out on,” Gold said.

           During the summer of 2011 a change in the Ducks coaching staff would open the door for Gold to get an opportunity to prove himself. Pitching coach Andrew Checketts left Oregon to become the head coach at the University of California at Santa Barbara. The man who had kept Gold on the bench during his first two seasons wouldn’t be hindering his growth anymore. “ I was pumped when I heard the news. Checketts had never liked me and I didn’t like him, it was probably the best thing that could have happened for me,” Gold said.

            At the start of the 2012 season, Gold was stuck in the role of middle of the week starter, meaning he would only see conference action out of the bullpen and only start against out of conference opponents. “I was pitching against teams like Texas State and San Francisco. I just couldn’t crack the rotation,” Gold said. But, when the Ducks number 3 starter Brando Tessar was injured, Gold got his shot at starting on Sundays.

            His first conference start was against Washington State. Gold had trouble throughout andlost 10-6, but he gained valuable experience. “I lost the game, but after that I really felt good. I got into a routine and a mindset. I was able to focus on executing pitches,” Gold said putting his right arm out and rotating it to simulate a curveball.

            In his next four starts he allowed no more than three runs. He gotwins against the University of California, USC, Seattle University, and Arizona Wildcats: eventual national champion But, the biggest start of his collegiate career was yet to come.

            On May 27Gold took the mound in Corvallis with a chance to give the Ducks the conference title. But, he suffered the shortest outing of his career going only 4 innings, andsurrendering two runs in a 5-0 loss to rival Oregon State.

            “I wanted to kill someone,” Gold said as he slammed his fist on the bench. “I had one dream and I was given the opportunity to do it and I failed. I wanted to go into that stadium and shut them up,” Gold said as he placed his index finger over his lips. “ I had one opportunity to shut everyone who told me I couldn’t do it up. It was for a ring. I hated myself,” Gold said.

            Two weeks later Gold started the Ducks Super Regional game against Kent State, a game the Ducks lost 3-2, eliminating them from the postseason, one win away from a birth in the College World Series.

           This season the fourth year junior isn’t dwelling on missed opportunities, “I just have to keep working. Use it as fuel. I should have a ring but I don’t,” Gold said.

            It is uncertain whether or not Gold will retain his spot in the rotation for the 2013 season. He doesn’t know if he will come back next year. He could get drafted in this year’s Major League Baseball Amateur Player Draft and decide to play minor league baseball. BUTif his parents will continue to help him out, he would like one last ride at the University of Oregon in 2014. “There is nothing I have been more proud of in my life than representing this university. I want to come back,” Gold said.

            As Gold and the number seven ranked Oregon Ducks prepare for a ride that most hope has a ring at the end, Gold continues to work at proving his doubters wrong. After completing his simulated game on that brisk January afternoon he trots off to the bullpen to discuss his outing. He knows thathis future, like his past, won’t be as easy as throwing a well placed curve.