2020 Season in Review

By The Numbers:

Oregon State finished with a 17-9 overall record before the season was shortened by the COVID-19 global pandemic. OSU was scheduled to begin Pac-12 play the week that sporting events were canceled.
The Beavers received votes for six weeks from the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and for three weeks from the NFCA/USA Today poll. Oregon State faced three opponents over four games during the season that were either ranked or receiving votes at the time of play.
The team finished with three run-rule victories over Houston (Feb. 15), Nevada (Feb. 29) and Wright State (Mar. 5). In total, OSU outscored opponents 96-53.
Through 26 games, Oregon State compiled 177 total hits including: 27 doubles, two triples and 16 home runs.
Defensively, OSU fielded seven double plays on the season, the second most in the Pac-12.
From the circle, four Beaver pitchers combined to help OSU to a 1.49 ERA to rank second in the Pac-12 and seventh in the NCAA when the season ended. This was on pace to be the lowest team ERA since the 2001 team posted a 1.37 ERA.
The pitching corps also finished ranked as followed in the NCAA: seventh in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.35) and 21^st in shutouts (seven). In the Pac-12 the group ranked: first in opponent batting average (.179), first in saves (five) and third for most strikeouts (209).
Leading the team to 17 wins during her eighth season at the helm of the program, head coach Laura Berg brought her career record at OSU to 209-182-1 making her the second coach in OSU history to surpass the 200-win mark when the team defeated Idaho State at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Feb. 20.

Mighty Mazon:

As a junior, Mariah Mazon earned shortened-season Softball America Third Team All-American honors. She becomes the sixth Beaver All-American in the program and the first since Cambria Miranda in 2007.
Mazon also picked up Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors on Feb. 18 after her performance at the Houston Classic.
The Tulare, Calif. native proved to be a standout for OSU in the circle and from the plate. From the circle, she finished with a 1.18 ERA to sit fourth in the Pac-12 and 31^st nationally. She finished with 130 strikeouts (second in the Pac-12, seventh in the NCAA), picked up four saves (first in the Pac-12, sixth in the NCAA) and finished with a 10-6 record through 20 appearances. Mazon also tied for third in the NCAA with six shutouts and second in the Pac-12 in opponent-batting average with a .158.
Mazon became the first pitcher since 2017 to throw a no-hitter by opening the season with seven innings pitched and nine strikeouts against UNLV on Feb. 7. She became the first pitcher to throw multiple no-hitters in a season since 2002 when she repeated the feat the following week pitching five innings with seven strikeouts at Houston in an 8-0 run-rule victory on Feb. 15.
From the plate, Mazon led the Beavers with a .377 batting average. She finished the season with 29 hits, including five doubles and four home runs. She had 15 RBI and scored eight runs.

Nunes Knows:

Junior Missy Nunes showed her versatility and experience in the Beaver lineup by playing four different positions (left field, catcher, first base and third base) while starting all 26 games in 2020. Nunes is the only player on the current roster to start every game to date of her career at OSU.
Nunes was third on the team with a .291 batting average. She finished with 25 hits, including six doubles, and led the team with five home runs. She hit her first-career grand slam in the Orange and Black at Hawaii on Feb. 28 to help propel OSU to a 5-1 victory.
The Livermore, Calif. native has made herself a staple in the OSU lineup with her efficiency at the plate. In 2020, she led the team by bringing in 22 runners and scored 14 runs herself.
While behind the plate, Nunes caught five runners attempting to steal to sit second in the Pac-12.

Fortified Freshmen:

Two freshmen, Xiao Gin and Grace Messmer, made an immediate impact on the field being the starting second baseman and shortstop, respectively. Both players started all 26 games.
Gin was second on the team with a .298 batting average. She recorded 25 hits, including three doubles and one triple. She scored 13 runs and batted in another nine. In total, Gin had seven multi-hit games and reached base in 15-consecutive games for a team high.
Besides playing second base, the San Luis Obispo, Calif. native also saw time in the circle pitching 10.2 innings in 2020. She picked up two wins while striking out nine total batters. She finished the season ranked sixth in the Pac-12 after picking up one save.
Messmer finished with a .268 batting average and recorded four doubles and one home run. She also co-led the team with 14 runs scored and had five multi-hit games.
Defensively, the Cloverdale, B.C. native played a key role up the middle for OSU. She sits fourth in the Pac-12 for fielding double plays after turning five of OSU's seven.

Senior Spotlight:

Joining Mazon and Gin in the circle are graduate transfer Trystan Melancon and senior Nerissa Eason.
Melancon appeared in 11 games in 2020 posting a 5-3 record with 50.1 innings pitched. She started the season with a knock-out 11 strikeout performance against Southern Utah on Feb. 7.
The Tomball, Texas native finished the season with 55 strikeouts to sit ninth in the Pac-12. She also posted a 1.83 ERA to rank 10^th. Oregon State is looking forward to her return to the squad in 2021.
Eason appeared in the circle twice for the Beavers and maintained a 1.75 ERA. She struck out three batters in 4.0 innings pitched. The Grass Valley, Calif. native has elected to return to the squad next season.
Fallon Molnar was the third senior on the roster. She saw action in 19 games, primarily as a designated player. She was batting .294 with a .706 slugging percentage. She recorded 10 hits, four of which were home runs. The Cayucos, Calif. native finished with 11 RBI and scored six runs. Molnar is one of the seniors that has elected to return for her fifth season.
The fourth senior was Karla Calderon. The Ripon, Calif. native was Oregon State's go-to pinch runner this season. She appeared in 18 games and scored seven runs.

Next Level Newcomers:

Besides picking up Melancon as a transfer, Oregon State nabbed two more in junior Morgan Allen and redshirt sophomore Rylee Maston.
Allen became the primary first baseman. The Monroe, Wash. native finished the season with 10 hits, three RBI and scored four runs.
Maston was the primary catcher for Mazon. The Lancaster, Calif. native recorded two doubles and a home run while racking up five RBI before going down with an injury.

Sophomore Splendor:

Maia Rader, Ashton Phillips and Izzy Owen brought ample playing experience into their sophomore seasons.
Rader started at third base and was batting .226. The Orangevale, Calif. native recorded 12 hits, scored eight runs and brought in two runners.
Phillips added 10 hits, including a double, two RBI and one run scored while serving as the primary center fielder.
Owen batted .250 with 16 hits, including a double and a triple, seven RBI and seven runs scored.

Rounding Out The Roster:

Rounding out the Beaver squad is Val Pero, Chance Burden, Ivana Perez, Bailey McLaughlin and Frankie Hammoude.
Pero was the primary catcher for Melancon. The San Diego, Calif. native was batting .200 with one home run and three runs scored before becoming injured.
Burden and Perez each saw time in the outfield. The Huntington Beach and La Habra natives have combined for four hits, three RBI and six runs scored.
McLaughlin began the season injured and was making her comeback during the ASU Invitational as a designated player. Originally from Reno, Nev., she finished her first weekend back with a .375 batting average, one double and one RBI.
A 2019 Pac-12 All-Freshman honoree and 2019 Junior Women's National Team member, Hammoude saw action in two games during the 2020 season before being plagued by injury. She finished the season batting .500 and looks to make a strong return in 2021.

For more information on the Oregon State softball team, visit OSUBeavers.com or follow the team @BeaverSoftball on Twitter and Instagram.

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Players Mentioned

Morgan Allen

Chance Burden

Karla Calderon

Nerissa Eason

Xiao Gin

Frankie Hammoude

Rylee Maston

Mariah Mazon

Bailey McLaughlin

Trystan Melancon

Grace Messmer

Fallon Molnar

Missy Nunes

Izzy Owen

Ivana Perez

Val Pero

Maia Rader

Ashton Zeiher