Beavers visit old foe for non-league series
Feb. 29, 2000
SATURDAY, MARCH 4
Oregon State at Washington, 1 p.m.
(Radio: Live on KLOO-AM 1340)
SUNDAY, MARCH 5
Oregon State at Washington, 1 p.m.
(Radio: Live on KLOO-AM 1340)
Oregon State (5-6 overall, 0-0 Pacific-10) meets a very familiar foe this weekend, as the Beavers go on the road once again for a quick two-game series at Washington (3-6, 0-0). The series between the former Northern Division rivals will not count in the Pacific-10 standings, but that doesn't do much to lessen the way OSU will approach the games at Husky Ballpark.
"They're still the Huskies, and those games have meant a lot to us ever since I've been here," OSU head coach Pat Casey said. "Even if it doesn't figure in the race, you still want to beat them. We've got quite a few guys on our club from Washington, and I know they want to play well in front of their family and friends. The level of competition won't drop because it's a non-league series."
The Beavers are riding a bit of a hot streak as they go to Seattle, having averaged 9 runs and 13.6 hits per game last week in winning four of five games at the Nevada-Las Vegas/Coors Desert Classic.
"We did hit the ball better," Casey said. "We started accomplishing some things at the plate, but we've got a ways to go there. We had opportunities to win against Santa Clara (in a 12-10, 12-inning loss) and didn't get the job done, there were some times in other games we maybe could have put teams away and didn't.
"But we also executed some things when we had to, and we did come up with big hits when we had to come from behind (against Nevada and Nevada-Las Vegas). We showed some signs of learning how to play at this level, and with a young ball club we're going to have to keep learning all the way through the season to have a chance to be successful."
The Beavers also got some strong pitching performances. Freshman Stephen Copeland threw eight innings to earn a 4-3 victory over Nevada-Las Vegas, transfer Scott Nicholson showed improved control in a seven-inning start to beat West Virginia, Nick Renault earned saves against UNLV and Cal State-Northridge, and James Atwood allowed just three runs in over eight innings of work during two appearances, including a win over CSUN.
"Stephen Copeland was outstanding, and we had some other pitchers step up and show they're capable of success at this level," Casey said. "But we still need to show more consistency as a staff. It's a pretty young group, and we're going to have to develop more guys who can give us quality starts and quality innings."
Washington is coming off a 4-game split with Gonzaga last weekend in Seattle, as Washington won 5-3, Gonzaga 7-3, Washington 10-8 and Gonzaga 10-5.
Todd Linden leads the Huskies at the plate, batting .452 with three homers and 13 RBIs. Ed Erickson is batting .300 with 1 homer and eight RBIs, and in part-time duty Daniel Jahn is hitting .375 with 2 RBIs.
OREGON STATE PROBABLE LINEUP
C-Bryan Ingram, so., Everett, Wash. (Cascade HS), .378, 0 HRs, 4 RBIs
1B-Joe Gerber, sr., Portland, Ore. (Grant HS), .349, 0 HRs, 13 RBIs
2B-Zach Gordon, jr., Simi Valley, Calif. (Moorpark JC), .129, 0 HRs, 2 RBIs
or Brian Barden, fr., Bonita, Calif. (St. Augustine HS), .278, 0 HRs, 7 RBIs
3B-Brian Barden, fr., Bonita, Calif. (St. Augustine HS), .278, 0 HRs, 7 RBIs
or Tim Dryden, jr., Roseburg, Ore. (Lane CC), .450, 1 HR, 6 RBIs
SS-Will Hudson, fr., Fountain Valley, Calif. (Fountain Valley HS), .226, 0 HRs, 3 RBIs
OF-Eric Stark, jr., Sumner, Wash. (Sumner HS), .286, 0 HRs, 3 RBIs
OF-Josh Carter, so., Fallbrook, Calif. (Fallbrook HS), .357, 2 HRs, 5 RBIs
OF-Drew Hedges, sr., Portland, Ore. (Beaverton HS), .379, 0 HRs, 10 RBIs
or Rod Gott, sr., Ravensdale, Wash. (Green River CC), .222, 1 HR, 5 RBIs
or Jackson Coleman, jr., Soldotna, Alaska (Eastern Arizona JC), .222, 0 HRs, 4 RBIs
DH-Curtis Davis, jr., Corvallis, Ore. (Corvallis HS), .111, 0 HRs, 1 RBI
or Andy Jarvis, fr., Renton, Wash. (Liberty HS), .263, 1 HRs, 3 RBIs
(Tentative starting pitching rotation)
RHP-Thad Johnson, jr., Santa Rosa, Calif. (Santa Rosa JC), 0-1, 5.74 ERA
LHP-Scott Nicholson, jr., Longview, Wash. (Lower Columbia CC), 1-2, 10.29 ERA
ALL-TIME VS. THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS: Oregon State has an all-time record of 201-166-2 against Washington in a series dating back to 1911, and the Beavers are on a 1-game losing streak against the Huskies. Last season, Washington took 4 of 5 meetings, the Huskies won both games of a non-league series in Corvallis by scores of 14-5 and 17-16, then the Pacific-10 series in Seattle saw Washington win 10-7, OSU win 6-3, and Washington win 12-4.
INJURY REPORT: Junior outfielder Eric Stark (groin pull) is questionable. Junior pitcher Don Stykel (right shoulder) is questionable. Junior catcher Kory Thaut (right shoulder) is probable.
RECENT OREGON STATE NOTES: As a team, Oregon State batted .354 last week at the Nevada-Las Vegas/Coors Desert Classic, that raised the Beavers' team average for the season from .229 to .292 ... senior outfielder Drew Hedges batted .500 (.9-for-18) for the week with 6 runs scored, 6 runs batted in and 4 walks ... senior first baseman Joe Gerber had 3 doubles during the week, breaking into OSU's all-time top 10 list for career doubles. Gerber is now tied for fifth with 31 doubles, he already held spots on the OSU top 10 lists for career home runs, RBIs and total bases. Gerber's bat began to heat up last week, as he hit .429 (9-for-21) with 3 doubles, 6 RBIs and 5 walks, raising his batting average for the season from .273 to .349 ... senior Tim Dryden returned to the starting lineup at third base for the final 4 games last week and it made it tough to put him back on the bench. He batted .444 (8-for-18) with 1 double, 1 triple, 1 homer and 5 runs batted in, he also drove home the winning run in the eighth inning of OSU's 4-3 win over host UNLV ... freshman Stephen Copeland made his first career pitching start and the righthander earned the win vs. Nevada-Las Vegas. In 8-plus innings, he gave up just 3 runs (all earned) on 7 hits and 2 walks, striking out 4 ... Nick Renault took over the closer's role as the sophomore righthander earned saves against UNLV and Cal State-Northridge. In 3 appearances during the week, he did not allow a run in 3.1 innings on 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out 4 ... freshman shortstop Will Hudson showed immediately that he belonged at the Division I level in the field, and now his bat is coming around as well. Last week, he hit .353 (6-for-17) with 3 RBIs and 3 walks, raising his batting average from .071 to .226 for the season ... sophomore outfielder Josh Carter also had a good week, batting .385 (5-for-13) with 2 doubles, 1 homer and 4 RBIs ... James Atwood came out of the bullpen in a pair of games last week and earned the win against Cal State-Northridge. In 8.2 innings during the week, he allowed 3 runs (all earned) on 6 hits while walking 4 and striking out 6.
LAST WEEK: Oregon State found some offensive firepower as the Beavers won 4 of 5 games at the Nevada-Las Vegas/Coors Desert Classic. OSU had at least 10 hits in each game in beating West Virginia 9-6 and Nevada 9-5 on Feb. 24, falling to Santa Clara 12-10 in 12 innings on Feb. 25, beating Nevada-Las Vegas 4-3 on Feb. 26 and beating Cal State-Northridge 13-10 on Feb. 27. The Beavers played the entire tournament without centerfielder Eric Stark, who was sidelined by a groin pull. OSU placed second in the tournament behind Santa Clara, both teams were 4-1, but the Broncos won the tiebreaker based on the head-to-head meeting.
In the 9-6 win over West Virginia, OSU jumped to a 6-0 lead by the middle of the third inning. Jackson Coleman, taking Stark's place in the lineup, had a single, a double and 3 runs batted in by that time. After the Mountaineers closed within 6-5 by the end of the seventh inning, the Beavers responded with 3 runs in the top of the eighth, including a 2-run single by Bryan Ingram. OSU shortstop Will Hudson had his best game at the plate, going 3-for-4, and Scott Nicholson pitched 7 innings for his first career win.
In the 9-5 win over Nevada, the Beavers had to rally from deficits of 2-1, 3-2 and 5-4. OSU tied the game at 5-5 on Drew Hedges' RBI single in the sixth inning, then took the lead with a 4-run seventh inning that included Rod Gott driving in the tying run and Hudson singling home 2 more runs. Craig Hays earned the win, pitching 4 shutout innings in relief of Mark Newell.
In the 12-10 loss to Santa Clara, the Beavers trailed 10-3 until breaking loose for a 7-run eighth inning. Joe Gerber had a 2-run double, Andy Jarvis a 2-run homer and Drew Hedges a game-tying 2-run single in the inning. OSU had a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth, loading the bases with 2 out, but couldn't push a run across. Finally, the Broncos' Matt Queen delivered a 2-out, 2-run single in the top of the 12th inning that proved the difference.
In the 4-3 win over host Nevada-Las Vegas, Stephen Copeland got his first career start on the mound and picked up his first win. The righthander pitched 8 strong innings before Nick Renault came on to earn his first career save. OSU rallied for 3 runs in the eighth inning, including Gerber's 2-run double that tied the game and Tim Dryden's single that drove home the game-winner.
In the 13-10 win over Cal State-Northridge, the Beavers had to hold off a furious Matador rally as CSUN scored 6 times with 2 out in the top of the ninth inning. Renault finally came on to get the final out and pick up his second save, securing James Atwood's first career victory. The Beavers had big innings with 4 runs in the first, 3 runs in the third and 4 more runs in the fifth, Gerber finished the day 4-for-4 with a double while Josh Carter homered and drove in 4 runs and Dryden was 3-for-5 with a homer and 3 RBIs.
HEAD COACH PAT CASEY: Pat Casey is in his sixth season as Oregon State's head baseball coach. Casey currently has a record of 154-107-4 with the Beavers for a winning percentage of .589. His career record is 325-220-5, which includes 7 years at George Fox University in Newberg, for a winning percentage of .595.
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 his alma mater, George Fox, after leading the Bruins to a 171-113-1 record and winning 3 NAIA District 2 titles at the school in Newberg, Ore.
ALL-AMERICA CANDIDATE JOE GERBER: Oregon State first baseman Joe Gerber (Portland, Ore./Grant HS) is coming off one of the finest offensive seasons in school history, and the senior has already begun collecting honors for 2000. The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association named Gerber to its preseason All-America second team.
ALL-TIME RECORD: Oregon State's all-time record in varsity baseball is now 1,637-1,120-15, a winning percentage of .593. The Beavers' all-time win total ranked 40th among all NCAA Division I schools entering the 2000 season.
OSU's all-time record in conference games is now 740-518, a winning percentage of .588.
To break the numbers down one step further, since starting varsity baseball in 1907, the Beavers have scored 18,085 runs and allowed 13,759 runs. That's an average score of 6.52-4.96.
In its 90 seasons of varsity baseball, OSU has had 67 winning seasons, the Beavers finished at .500 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 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 90 seasons at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field, the Beavers are 852-361-1 all-time at home for a winning percentage of .702. Since the start of the 1993 season, OSU is 101-32 at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field for a winning percentage of .759.
Goss Stadium was added to Coleman Field over the winter of 1998-99. The ballpark holds 2,000 fans, with the main grandstand seating 1,500 of those. The structure includes a press box, concession/lobby area, dugouts, locker rooms, restrooms and storage areas.
The playing surface has been completely rebuilt recently, with the infield undergoing renovation in 1996 and the outfield in 1998.
ALL-TIME HOME OPENERS: Oregon State will play its home opener March 7 when Western Oregon visits Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. The Beavers are 72-19 all-time in home openers, but last season's 5-2 loss to Southern California broke a string of 11 straight wins on Opening Day at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. The Beavers have won 26 of their last 29 home openers.
BEAVER ATTENDANCE: The Beavers averaged 672 fans per home date in 1999. OSU drew three crowds of 1,000 or more for home games in 1999.
A season-high 1,246 turned out on April 17 for the dedication of Goss Stadium at Coleman Field and saw the Beavers beat California 11-5, that was the second-largest OSU home crowd of the 1990s. OSU also drew 1,164 on May 15 for an 8-6 win over Washington State and 1,035 on May 16 for a season-ending 9-7 win over WSU.
In the past 2 seasons, OSU has drawn 9 crowds of 1,000 or more after having just 5 crowds of 1,000 or more in the first 8 seasons of the 1990s.
OREGON STATE BASEBALL TICKETS: Season tickets for Oregon State's 22-date home schedule are now on sale. The tickets, which are $85 per seat, guarantee the same theater-style seat at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field for all Beaverhome games in 2000.
Single-game reserved seat tickets for OSU baseball are $6 each. Single-game general admission tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students through high school and senior citizens age 62 and over.
OSU students are admitted free with their All-Sports Pass. If they have not purchased an All-Sports Pass, OSU students are admitted for $1 with their student identification card.
Baseball is also part of the OSU 7-Sport Pass, which is good for general admission seating at all home contests in baseball, wrestling, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, gymnastics and women's basketball. The 7-Sport Pass is $130 for a family pass that admits 2 adults and 2 children, $80 for an adult pass, and $60 for a senior citizen or student pass.
For more information, call the OSU athletic ticket office at 1-800-GO BEAVS.
ALL-TIME OPENERS: This is the 91st varsity baseball season for Oregon State, and the Beavers' 7-6 loss to Kansas State on Feb. 4 broke with OSU's tradition of faring well on Opening Day. OSU is 65-26 all-time in season-openers, and the defeat broke a 6-game win streak in Opening Day contests for OSU. That was the longest string of season-opening wins for Oregon State since the Beavers took 10 straight from 1947-56.
Another note: Feb. 4 was the earliest date on which OSU has ever opened a baseball season, edging 1999's Feb. 5 date vs. KSU.
TELEVISION BRINGS OUT BEST IN BEAVERS : Oregon State has been slated for a national cable television game in 2000, that coming when the Beavers play host to Stanford on May 6 in a game that will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net. The schedule for telecasts in the Pacific Northwest has yet to be announced by Fox Sports Net.
Oregon State has played on national cable television twice in the last 2 seasons, and the Beavers are 2-0 in those games. In 1999, OSU dedicated Goss Stadium at Coleman Field by beating California 11-5. In 1998, the Beavers beat Arizona 3-2 in a game marking the first visit to Corvallis by a Southern Division team in 27 years.
Oregon State wrapped up the 1990s with a 25-13 record in televised games, including 7-1 in national TV games.
OREGON STATE RADIO BROADCASTS: Oregon State baseball will again be broadcast this spring on KLOO-AM (1340) in Corvallis, with almost the entire Beaver schedule on the air. Some games may be pre-empted due to programming conflicts. Mike Parker, the voice of the Beavers, will handle the play-by-play duties along with John Warren and Kip Carlson.
OREGON STATE DUGOUT CLUB: The Oregon State Dugout Club is an organization devoted to the support of Beaver baseball. The group is open to the general public, dues are $75 per year.
Also, anyone entering the OSU Dugout Club Golf Tournament automatically gains club membership. This year's tournament will be held June 12 at Tokatee Golf Club in Blue River.
Over the past several seasons, projects financed by the OSU Dugout Club include batting cages at Coleman Field, helping finance trips that upgrade the quality of the Beavers' non-league schedule, and carpeting the baseball locker room in Gill Coliseum.
For more information on the OSU Dugout Club, call the OSU baseball office at (541) 737-5738.
BEAVERS FACE TOP-FLIGHT SCHEDULE: Again this spring, Oregon State will play one of the nation's most challenging schedules. The Beavers have 15 games scheduled against teams in the Feb. 28 USA Today coaches poll - No. 2 Stanford, No. 11 Southern California, No. 15 Arizona State, No. 19 Fresno State and No. 24 UCLA. OSU has 9 more games against teams that received votes in the poll but did not make the top 25 - Arizona, Nevada, Ohio State and Texas A&M. The Beavers beat Nevada 9-5 on Feb. 24 and lost to Texas A&M 9-4 on Feb. 4.
BEAVERS AMONG CAREER LEADERS : Current Oregon State players on or near the school's career top 10 lists through Feb. 28:
BATTING AVERAGE (minimum 260 at-bats) 1. Jay Dean, 1952-55 .379 2. A.J. Marquardt, 1993-94 .373 3. Ben Bertrand, 1996-98 .358 4. Dan Cunningham, 1971-73 .354 5. Dave Brundage, 1984-86 .350 (tie) Mike Leone, 1996-97 .350 7. Twink Pederson, 1956-58 .346 (tie) Rob Colley, 1998-99 .346 9. Jason Akina, 1992-93 .342 10. Chris Wakeland, 1995-96 .341 > * Joe Gerber, 1997-present .366 <> * Drew Hedges, 1997-present .338 < *="" -="" cannot="" join="" list="" until="" career="" is="" complete.="" at-bats="" 10.="" bryan="" ganter,="" 1984-87="" 557=""> Drew Hedges, 1997-present 399 <> Joe Gerber, 1997-present 388 < hits="" 10.="" tim="" lambert,="" 1985-88="" 165=""> Joe Gerber, 1997-present 142 <> Drew Hedges, 1997-present 135 < runs="" 10.="" troy="" schader,="" 1997-99="" 117=""> Drew Hedges, 1997-present 99 <> Joe Gerber, 1997-present 95 < doubles="" 1.="" ken="" bowen,="" 1984-87="" 36="" 2.="" troy="" schader,="" 1997-99="" 35="" 3.="" tim="" lambert,="" 1985-88="" 34="" 4.="" bob="" mcnair,="" 1978-80="" 32="" 5.="" mickey="" riley,="" 1980-83="" 31="" (tie)="" jeff="" brauning,="" 1988-89="" 31=""> (tie) Joe Gerber, 1997-pres. 31 8. Pete Rowe, 1974-77 30 (tie) Quinn Williams, 1983-86 30 (tie) Dave Schoppe, 1988-91 30 > Drew Hedges, 1997-present 26 < triples="" 7.="" lute="" barnes,="" 1967-69="" 7="" (tie)="" bob="" beall,="" 1968-70="" 7="" (tie)="" bob="" mcnair,="" 1978-80="" 7="" (tie)r.a.="" neitzel,="" 1988-90="" 7=""> Eric Stark, 1998-present 3 < home="" runs="" 1.="" al="" hunsinger,="" 1980-81="" 28="" 2.="" bob="" mcnair,="" 1978-80="" 27="" (tie)="" jim="" wilson,="" 1980-82="" 27="" 4.="" matt="" bailie,="" 1995-98="" 25=""> (tie) Joe Gerber, 1997-pres. 25 < 6.="" steve="" smith,="" 1981-83="" 21="" (tie)="" david="" schmidt,="" 1994-96="" 21="" (tie)="" ben="" bertrand,="" 1996-98="" 21="" (tie)="" troy="" schader,="" 1997-99="" 21="" 10.="" ken="" bowen,="" 1984-87="" 19=""> Drew Hedges, 1997-present 10 < runs="" batted="" in="" 1.="" matt="" bailie,="" 1995-98="" 144="" 2.="" ken="" bowen,="" 1984-87="" 131="" 3.="" bob="" mcnair,="" 1978-80="" 130="" 4.="" ryan="" lipe,="" 1995-98="" 126="" 5.="" troy="" schaer,="" 1997-99="" 118=""> 6. Joe Gerber, 1997-present 115 < 7.="" pete="" rowe,="" 1974-77="" 110="" 8.="" al="" hunsinger,="" 1980-81="" 105="" (tie)="" jim="" wilson,="" 1980-82="" 105="" (tie)="" ben="" bertrand,="" 1996-98="" 105=""> Drew Hedges, 1997-present 87 < walks="" 10.="" kevin="" hooker,="" 1991-95="" 94=""> Drew Hedges, 1997-present 73 <> Joe Gerber, 1997-present 69 < total="" bases="" 1.="" ken="" bowen,="" 1984-87="" 303="" 2.="" bob="" mcnair,="" 1978-80="" 285="" 3.="" matt="" bailie,="" 1995-98="" 269="" 4.="" ryan="" lipe,="" 1995-98="" 255="" 5.="" troy="" schader,="" 1997-99="" 254=""> 6. Joe Gerber, 1997-present 248 < 7.="" tim="" lambert,="" 1985-88="" 246="" 8.="" pete="" rowe,="" 1974-77="" 243="" 9.="" dave="" brundage,="" 1984-86="" 242="" 10.="" bryan="" ganter,="" 1984-87="" 236=""> Drew Hedges, 1997-present 195 < slugging="" percentage="" (minimum="" 260="" at-bats)="" 1.="" jim="" wilson,="" 1980-82="" .640="" 2.="" al="" hunsinger,="" 1980-81="" .639="" 3.="" ben="" bertrand,="" 1996-98="" .631="" 4.="" a.j.="" marquardt,="" 1993-94="" .578="" 5.="" chris="" wakeland,="" 1995-96="" .569="" 6.="" mike="" leone,="" 1996-97="" .555="" 7.="" bob="" mcnair,="" 1978-80="" .535="" 8.="" chris="" newman,="" 1980-84="" .520="" 9.="" david="" schmidt,="" 1994-96="" .513="" 10.="" dave="" brundage,="" 1984-86="" .507=""> * Joe Gerber, 1997-present .639 <> * Drew Hedges, 1997-present .489 < *="" -="" cannot="" join="" list="" until="" career="" is="" complete.="" wins="" 10.="" scott="" christman,="" '91-93="" 21="" (21-8)=""> Mark Newell, 1996-present 13 (13-8) SAVES 1. Mike Boire, 1996-98 10 2. Jim Grove, 1979-82 9 3. Dave Schoppe, 1989-91 6 4. Ron Daulton, 1984-86 5 (tie) Tim Lambert, 1985-88 5 6. Jeff Post, 1989-92 4 (tie) Scott Christman, 1991-93 4 > (tie) Mark Newell, 1996-pres. 4 STRIKEOUTS 10. Andrew Checketts, 1996-98 197 > Mark Newell, 1996-present 142 <>
