Ken Knutson fondly remembers his days in a UW baseball uniform, contending for a conference title as a senior in 1981.

But that year, in order to win the Pac-10 North and make the postseason, the Huskies had to get through Oregon, and it was up to Knutson, who was a pitcher for the Dawgs, to help his team to victory.

“The interesting thing is that we had won the championship [against Oregon] on a Sunday, and we were really excited and celebrated on the field,” said Knutson, now UW’s head coach. “But we had the ruling where we had to go make up two rain-out games [against the Ducks].”

Knutson pitched his way to a win in the second makeup game, and the Huskies won both to win their conference for the first time since 1959.

For Oregon, which reinstated its baseball program this season after a 28-year absence, the upcoming weekend series against the Huskies could be an opportunity to shine in its first year back.

For Washington, the series at Oregon is another chance to redeem itself after an unfashionable sweep at the hands of UCLA last week, and maybe a chance to find some of the glory of Knutson’s 1981 team.

But if last week is any indication of how the Huskies will play, they have a lot to work on.

The Huskies managed five runs in three games and only one hit in each of their first two matches against the Bruins.

Slugging right fielder Kyle Conley went 1-for-11, and injuries to several key players meant that the Dawgs were already going to be starving for offense.

“UCLA’s pitching just stumped us,” Knutson said. “We had a few hits in the third game, but we didn’t string any hits together. We’re looking for ways to score and string some hits together.”

On the mound, Knutson is continuing to show confidence in his most recent trio of starters.

Freshman Aaron West will start Friday after pitching 4 1/3 innings against the Bruins, allowing two runs on four hits.

Right-handed pitcher Jason Erickson, who struggled through five innings last week, will get the start Saturday against the Ducks, while another freshman, Andrew Kittredge, will start Sunday.

Kittredge has arguably been the best of the bunch, with an ERA of 3.43 through 39 1/3 innings this season.

“He’s just very good, he’s got great ability and he’s gone out there and gave us consistent starts,” Knutson said.

Despite the Ducks being new to the scene, having played them four times already in non-conference games gives the Huskies some idea of what to expect in this new rivalry.

“That’s the big thing,” Knutson said. “The rivalry will pick up, and it’s been so long since we played, but it’ll be exciting and hard-fought.”

Reach reporter Allen Wagner at sports@dailyuw.com.