OSU hosts Arizona State in baseball
March 30, 1999
THURSDAY, APRIL 1
Arizona State at Oregon State, 2 p.m.
(Radio: KLOO-AM, 1340; joined in progress at 3 p.m.)
MUPC Spring Fling Weekend: Free Spring Fling packs to the first 500 OSU students through the gates, plus concession specials for all OSU students.
FRIDAY, APRIL 2
Arizona State at Oregon State, 2 p.m.
(Radio: KLOO-AM, 1340; joined in progress at 3 p.m.)
MUPC Spring Fling Weekend: Free Spring Fling packs to the first 500 OSU students through the gates, 50 cent hot dogs for all OSU students.
SATURDAY, APRIL 3
Arizona State at Oregon State, 1 p.m.
(Radio: KLOO-AM, 1340)
Corvallis Gazette-Times Day: Free cup cozy for first 300 fans through the gates.
Oregon State (10-19 overall, 0-3 Pacific-10) returns to two things this week: Goss Stadium at Coleman Field and Pacific-10 Conference play. The Beavers would like to get back to something else, as well - winning. OSU has dropped six straight games, all on the road, since beating Portland on March 17.
While the Beavers get to return to familiar ground, that won't make the task facing them an easy one. Oregon State welcomes 16th-ranked Arizona State (27-11, 3-3) for the Sun Devils' first-ever visit to Goss Stadium at Coleman Field.
OSU's bats have begun heating up, as the Beavers had at least 10 hits in each game last weekend while being swept at Minnesota.
"That's a good sign," Casey said. "But we've got to improve our production in big situations, being able to get more out of our scoring chances. We have to start taking it to clubs before we're down six or seven runs. It's up to us to start making some positive things happen, and we need to find a way to do that this weekend."
The Beavers could find their chances bolstered by getting some people back to full strength. Nine OSU players have missed at least one series due to injury, including five pitchers - B.R. Cook, Travis Rainwater, Mike Boire, Don Stykel and Jed Mitchell. Four other Beavers are out for the season - infielder Craig Avery, outfielder Rudy Zarfas, catcher Chris Biles and pitcher Rob Greenwald.
Last weekend, ASU swept California at home 12-10, 25-0 and 19-11. In that series, the Sun Devils batted .419 as a team.
"This will be one of the best clubs we see this season," OSU head coach Pat Casey said. "It's another challenge for us, and the way things have gone lately, it's a very big challenge.
"The same thing is true this week that's been true for the past month. We've got to get ourselves ready to play and show that we want to take on some challenges. If we're going to turn this thing around this spring, we've got to start doing it pretty darn quick."
OREGON STATE PROBABLE LINEUP:
C-Bryan Ingram, fr.; Everett, Wash. (Cascade HS); .265, 1 HR, 12 RBIs
or Jeff Sakamoto, sr.; Beaverton, Ore. (U. Puget Sound); .162, 0 HRs, 4 RBIs
1B-Joe Gerber, jr.; Portland, Ore. (Grant HS); .319, 4 HRs, 18 RBIs
or Tim Dryden, jr.; Roseburg, Ore. (Lane CC); .359, 1 HR, 16 RBIs
2B-Corrie Willkie, sr.; Mission Viejo, Calif. (Saddleback JC); .318, 1 HR, 15 RBIs
3B-Josh Carter, fr.; Fallbrook, Calif. (Fallbrook HS); .197, 0 HRs, 8 RBIs
or Tim Dryden, jr., Roseburg, Ore. (Lane CC); .359, 1 HR, 16 RBIs
SS-Troy Schader, sr.; La Center, Wash. (Green River CC); .228, 5 HRs, 15 RBIs
OF-Drew Hedges, jr.; Portland, Ore. (Beaverton HS); .320, 1 HR, 16 RBIs
OF-Rob Colley, sr.; Tenino, Wash. (Lower Columbia CC); .299, 1 HR, 18 RBIs
OF-K.C. Rumrey, fr.; Medford, Ore. (North Medford HS); .277, 0 HRs, 0 RBIs
or Rod Gott, jr.; Ravensdale, Wash. (Green River CC); .241, 1 HR, 12 RBIs
or Eric Stark, so.; Sumner, Wash. (Sumner HS); .205, 0 HRs, 4 RBIs
DH-Tim Dryden, jr.; Roseburg, Ore. (Lane CC); .359, 1 HR, 16 RBIs
or Curtis Davis, so.; Corvallis, Ore. (Corvallis HS); .268, 0 HRs, 10 RBIs
(Pitching rotation to be determined)
P-B.R. Cook, jr.; Salem, Ore. (Sprague HS); 2-6, 4.35 ERA
P-Mark Newell, jr.; Salem, Ore. (Jefferson HS); 3-2, 7.09 ERA
P-Pat Versluis, jr.; Mission Viejo, Calif. (Saddleback JC); 1-3, 7.54 ERA
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT: Oregon State has an all-time record of 8-13 against Arizona State in a series that dates back to 1963. The last meeting was in 1989, a 4-2 ASU win at the Riverside Baseball Invitational. OSU's last win was in 1985, a 13-2 win at the RBI. This will be ASU's first baseball visit to OSU.
INJURY REPORT: Four Beavers are out for the season - freshman catcher Chris Biles with a knee injury, senior outfielder Rudy Zarfas with a hand injury, junior infielder Craig Avery with a shoulder injury and junior pitcher Rob Greenwald with a back injury.
LAST WEEK: Oregon State got a taste of the great indoors when it played Minnesota on the Metrodome's artificial turf March 26-28, and the Beavers wound up being swept by scores of 14-6, 16-9 and 11-6. In each game, OSU suffered through an inning in which Minnesota scored seven or more runs.
On March 26, Oregon State fell behind 5-0 before rallying to within 5-3 and then 7-5. The Beavers had a chance at taking the lead in the seventh inning when Corrie Willkie blasted a ball toward left field that had a chance at becoming a three-run homer; however, it was caught on the warning track. Minnesota then scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh to put the game away.
On March 27, the Beavers failed to cash in on a bases-loaded, one-out opportunity in the top of the first inning and then trailed 7-0 after three innings. Minnesota bumped its lead to 14-1 with a seven-run sixth inning; OSU came back with seven runs of its own in the top of the seventh but could get no closer.
On March 28, OSU was down just 1-0 going into the bottom of the fourth inning but Minnesota erupted for nine runs for a 10-0 lead. The Beavers eventually made it 10-4 on Eric Stark's two-run triple in the sixth inning, but the Gophers held OSU off for the win.
TOP PLAYERS LAST WEEK: Infielder/designated hitter Tim Dryden and outfielder/designated hitter K.C. Rumrey both batted .500; Dryden was 3-for-6 with a double and a run batted in, Rumrey was 2-for-4 with a double ... outfielder Rob Colley continued his hot hitting by batting .444 (4-for-9) with 2 RBIs ... catcher/infielder Bryan Ingram batted .400 (4-for-10) with a double and a team-high 4 RBIs for the week ... outfielder Eric Stark batted .400 (2-for-5) and drove in 2 runs with OSU's first triple of the season ... reliever Hal Ranstad didn't allow an earned run in 4.1 innings of work in the series finale, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out three ... reliever Mike Gits saw the first action of his career in counting games; in 2 appearances, he pitched 1.0 scoreless inning, allowing 1 hit and striking out 1.
HEAD COACH PAT CASEY: Pat Casey is in his fifth season as Oregon State's head baseball coach. He has a record of 140-85-4 with the Beavers for a winning percentage of .620. His career record is 311-198-5, which includes 7 years at George Fox University in Newberg, and is good for a winning percentage of .610.
Casey is the fourth OSU baseball head coach to reach 100 victories at the school, following Ralph Coleman (561), Gene Tanselli (115) and Jack Riley (613). Casey, who picked up his 100th OSU victory on Feb. 21, 1998 at San Diego, reached the century mark quickest, as it took Coleman until his ninth season at Oregon State and it took both Tanselli and Riley until their fifth seasons.
Casey came to OSU from George Fox after leading the Bruins to a 171-113-1 record and 3 NAIA District 2 titles.
ALL-TIME RECORD: Oregon State's all-time record in varsity baseball is now 1,626-1,098-15, a winning percentage of .596. OSU's all-time record in conference games is now 733-504, a winning percentage of .593. In its 89 seasons of varsity baseball prior to 1999, OSU has had 67 winning seasons; the Beavers finished at .500 in another 4 seasons. The Beavers have won 20 pennants through the years. Oregon State began fielding a varsity baseball team in 1907 and has failed to field a team only 3 times since then - in 1917 due to World War I and in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II.
GOSS STADIUM AT COLEMAN FIELD: Oregon State baseball enters a new era this season with the opening of Goss Stadium at Coleman Field, adding one of the nation's newest stadiums to one of its oldest diamonds. Goss Stadium is set to be dedicated on April 17 when the Beavers play host to California.
Oregon State has been playing on the same site since starting varsity baseball in 1907, making Goss Stadium at Coleman Field the oldest diamond in the Pacific-10 and one of the oldest in the country. In 89 seasons at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field, the Beavers are 848-355-1 all-time at home for a winning percentage of .705.
OSU is 1-3 at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field this season.
Oregon State went 20-4 at home in 1998, with its .833 home winning percentage giving the Beavers the top mark in the Pacific-10 Conference. Since the start of the 1993 season, OSU is 96-26 at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field for a winning percentage of .787.
Goss Stadium at Coleman Field was constructed over the winter. The structure seats approximately 1,500 people and includes a press box, concession/lobby area, dugouts, locker rooms, restrooms and storage areas. The outfield surface was rebuilt to match the top-quality infield; lights for night play are planned in the near future.
BEAVERS GET LITTLE OUT OF HOME RUNS: Nine of the 15 OSU homers have come with the bases empty, and three more came with just one man on base. Oregon State is still looking for its first grand slam of 1999.
PACIFIC-10'S NEW ALIGNMENT: Pacific-10 Conference baseball has a new look this season, as the Northern and Southern divisions have been eliminated in favor of a single nine-team league. Each team will play every other conference team in a single three-game series, with four series at home and four on the road. Sites of each series will be reversed the following year.
This is the second time the conference has attempted such a move. The first try was from 1967-69, when the Pacific-8 merged the Northern and Southern divisions.
BEAVERS FACE TOP-FLIGHT SCHEDULE: Again this spring, Oregon State will be tested by one of the nation's toughest schedules. The Beavers have four opponents ranked in the USA Today coaches poll of March 29: No. 3 Stanford, No. 16 Arizona State, No. 20 Texas Tech and No. 22 Nebraska. Other teams on OSU's schedule who received votes in the poll but did not make the top 25 are Arizona, Oklahoma State, Minnesota, Southern California, Washington and Washington State.
BEAVERS PICKED FOR EIGHTH IN PACIFIC-10: Oregon State was picked for eighth place in the Pacific-10 Conference preseason coaches poll. The results of the poll:
Team Pts. 1. Southern California 64 2. Stanford 55 3. Washington 38 4. Arizona State 37 (tie) UCLA 37 6. California 36 7. Arizona 34 8. Oregon State 12 9. Washington State 11
BEAVERS IN NATIONAL PUBLICATIONS, RANKINGS: Oregon State was picked to finish near the bottom of the Pacific-10 in the preseason predictions of several national publications.
Baseball America ranked Oregon State eighth in the Pacific-10, but ranked the Pacific-10 as the best conference in the country. BA ranked the Beavers 60th in its NCAA Division I top 100.
Collegiate Baseball didn't place OSU among the six Pac-10 teams it predicts to receive NCAA bids and the Beavers were not in CB's top 40. CB tabbed shortstop Troy Schader, outfielder Rob Colley and first baseman/designated hitter Joe Gerber among its Pac-10 players to watch.
The USA Today/National Association of Baseball Coaches preaseason poll didn't list OSU among its top 25, but the Beavers did receive a vote to tie for 49th place. OSU received votes in the Feb. 15 poll that were good for a 48th place tie.
1999 OREGON STATE PLAYER HONORS: Oregon State has had one selection as a Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball newspaper national Player of the Week and one as a Pacific-10 Pitcher of the Week this season. Pitcher B.R. Cook earned both honors for his one-hitter in a 1-0 win over 25th-ranked Oklahoma State on Feb. 18.
RECORDS SET BY OREGON STATE IN 1999: Here are Oregon State's entries in the Beaver record books so far this season, and where some of the Beavers rank on the school's of career leader lists:
HIT BY PITCH Game: 3; Jim Champion, 1992 vs. Portland; Tyson Vermillion, 1996 vs. Washington State; Tyson Vermillion, 1997 vs. Oklahoma; Bryan Ingram, 1999 vs. Gonzaga. CAREER HOME RUNS 8. Ken Bowen (1984-87) 19 9. Ryan Lipe (1995-98) 17 (tie) Troy Schader (1997-present) 17 10. Chris Newman (1980-84) 16 (tie) Joe Gerber (1997-present) 16
BEAVERS ON THE RADIO: For the fourth straight season, Oregon State baseball can be heard on KLOO-AM (1340). This week, all three of the Beavers' games against Arizona State will be broadcast, with the games on Thursday and Friday being joined in progress at 3 p.m.
BEAVERS ON TELEVISION: Oregon State will have one game telecast live nationally on the Fox Sports Net cable network; that will be the Beavers' home game against California on April 17. That is also the date that has been set for the dedication of Goss Stadium.
OSU will also have a game televised on a tape-delay basis by Fox Sports Northwest. The May 16 game against Washington State at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field will be broadcast at 1 p.m. May 17.
PROMOTIONAL DATES IN 1999: Oregon State has a full schedule of promotions for this spring's games at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. Here's a complete list:
APRIL 1-3 - OREGON STATE VS. ARIZONA STATE
Spring Fling Weekend
April 1 - Free MUPC Spring Fling packs to first 500 OSU students, plus concession specials for all OSU students
April 2 - Free MUPC Spring Fling packs to first 500 OSU students, plus 50 cent hot dogs for all OSU students
April 3 - Corvallis Gazette-Times Day; free G-T cup cozy to first 300 fans
APRIL 13-14 - OREGON STATE VS. WASHINGTON
April 13 - Bi-Mart 2-for-Tuesday, get 2-for-1 coupons at Bi-Mart
April 14 - Bi-Mart 2-for-Wednesday, get 2-for-1 coupons at Bi-Mart
APRIL 16-18 - OREGON STATE VS. CALIFORNIA
Baseball Oregon Weekend - all youth team coaches contact Mark DuBois at 503-981-5308 to pick up team ticket packets. All players in uniform and at the ballpark by 12:30 p.m. on Saturday or Sunday can take the field with the Beavers for introductions and the national anthem.
April 16 - MUPC Friday, 50 cent hot dogs for all OSU students.
April 17 - Goss Stadium at Coleman Field Dedication, first 1,500 fans receive a free souvenir mini-bat
April 18 - Pennant Day, first 500 fans receive a free Goss Stadium at Coleman Field souvenir pennant
MAY 11 - OREGON STATE VS. PORTLAND
May 11 - Bi-Mart 2-for-Tuesday, get 2-for-1 coupons at Bi-Mart
MAY 14-16 - OREGON STATE VS. WASHINGTON STATE
Les Schwab Tires Kids and Scouts Weekend - contact your local scout leader or any Corvallis, Albany, Lebanon or Sweet Home Les Schwab Tires dealer to pick up tickets for kids in high school or younger. All kids at the ballpark by 12:30 p.m. on Saturday or Sunday can take the field with the Beavers for introductions and the national anthem.
May 14 - MUPC Friday, 50 cent hot dogs for all OSU students.
May 15 - Les Schwab Tires Water Bottle Day, free Les Schwab Tires water bottle to first 400 fans
May 16 - Fan Appreciation Day, assorted prizes given away to Oregon State baseball fans
