OSU's Long And Winding Road Continues
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March 1, 2004
HAWAI'I TOURNAMENT Les Murakami Stadium - Honolulu, Haw. TUESDAY, MARCH 2 Oregon State vs. The Citadel; 4 p.m. PST (Internet audio at www.osubeavers.com) WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3 Oregon State at Hawai'i; 8:30 p.m. PST THURSDAY, MARCH 4 Oregon State vs. Chicago State; 4 p.m. PST (Internet audio at www.osubeavers.com) FRIDAY, MARCH 5 Oregon State in bracket play; time and opponent TBA SATURDAY, MARCH 6 Oregon State in bracket play; time and opponent TBA (Internet audio at www.osubeavers.com)
Okay, somebody cue The Beatles - a little "Long and Winding Road," if you please.
Oregon State's baseball season has started with four straight weeks on the road, meandering through four different time zones, facing a variety pack of 12 different opponents. That trek goes through its final stage this weekend as the Beavers (8-1 overall) land at the Hawai'i Tournament for five games.
OSU will play The Citadel (2-4) on Tuesday at 4 p.m. PST, tournament host Hawai'i (9-7) on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. PST and Chicago State (0-3) on Thursday at 4 p.m. PST. The tourney moves to bracket play on Friday and Saturday, with opponents and times to be determined after the first three days of games.
After winning the championship of the Riverside Baseball Invitational over the weekend, the Beavers found themselves ranked 20th nationally by Collegiate Baseball newspaper and 25th by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. OSU didn't crack the top 25 in the Sports Weekly/ESPN coaches poll, but the Beavers drew votes worth 30th place in that set of rankings.
While Oregon State is off to a good start, it's way to soon to crank up Queen's "We Are The Champions."
"Our guys expect to win and they've played well, and that's a good combination," OSU head coach Pat Casey said. "We've played enough different teams, and we feel we've played a good schedule, and it's going to get better. I feel the Pac-10 is the best conference in America, and everybody in the Pac-10 is winning right now so the road will only get tougher. During the five days over here, we should really expect to get better as a team."
Setting the right tone early in the season is important, and the Beavers have a chance this week to make it a full month of doing what it takes to win consistently before they ever have a home game. Putting together an extended mix of Huey Lewis and the News' "Working for a Living" and Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" is a possibility if OSU keeps going about its business the way it has in the season's first three weeks.
"We didn't play well against Sacramento State (on Saturday) and then played a real good team (Washington on Sunday), and we responded to not playing very well," Casey said of the Beavers' 13-8 win over their Pacific Northwest rivals. "What we could be as a team is up to the guys on the club as far as how much they want to stay on task and work, but so far our guys have played with a lot of energy, they've played hard, our pitching has been outstanding.
"But people are starting to make adjustments to us winning. They're coming out and trying to beat us, and targeting us as a club that is off to a good start and people want to get after us. I'm happy with what our guys have done; I just hope they understand that when you win, then you've got to practice harder, you've got to expect more from yourself, and you've got to really be relentless in your pursuit of getting better. I think we've got the right people; they've still got to go out and do it."
While we're coming up with some greatest hits, spin Peter, Paul and Mary's "Leavin' on a Jet Plane" and Bob Seger's "Travelin' Man."
The trip to Hawai'i is the back end of an 11-day, 10-night odyssey for OSU. Rather than return home after the RBI late Sunday night only to hop on the bus for a return to Portland International Airport early Monday morning, the Beavers stayed in Los Angeles on Sunday night and left from there for Hawai'i on Monday morning.
"This is good because we get to stay in one place for a while and play a bunch of games," Casey said. "The good thing is, we get to play baseball. The bad thing is, we're missing seven days of school and it's very difficult on our guys. We've got to do study hall, we've got to do weights, we've got to do a lot of things off the field in order to get back on the field. We're also in a very difficult place to take 30 20-year-olds, so we've got to make sure that everybody pays attention to what we're trying to do - and also has a good time, too."
The Citadel last played on Saturday, losing to North Carolina State and College of Charleston in the Bulldogs' own tournament. Hawai'i is coming off a weekend in which it lost two of three games to San Francisco in the Rainbows' home ballpark. Chicago State opened its season last weekend, being swept at Eastern Kentucky.
OREGON STATE LINEUP: C - Paul Richie, sr.; Kelso, Wash. (Kelso HS); .435, 1 HR, 8 RBIs or - Billy Munich, so.; El Macero, Calif. (Jesuit HS); .167, 0 HRs, 2 RBIs 1B - Andy Jenkins, jr.; Salem, Ore. (Mt. Hood CC); .296, 2 HRs, 7 RBIs or - Scott Nelson, so.; Eugene, Ore. (North Eugene HS); .111, 0 HRs, 0 RBIs 2B - Chris Kunda, so.; Philomath, Ore. (Philomath HS); .227, 0 HRs, 5 RBIs or - Chad Schroeder, fr.; Everett, Wash. (Cascade HS); .364, 0 HRs, 1 RBI 3B - Shea McFeely, so.; Federal Way, Wash. (Tacoma CC); .323, 1 HR, 7 RBIs SS - Tony Calderon, so.; Orange, Calif. (Santa Ana JC); .200, 0 HRs, 3 RBIs LF - Jacoby Ellsbury, so.; Madras, Ore. (Madras HS); .324, 0 HRs, 1 RBI CF - Aaron Mathews, jr.; John Day, Ore. (Grant Union HS); .317, 1 HR, 10 RBIs RF - Mike Lissman, fr.; Ontario, Ore. (Ontario HS); .474, 2 HRs, 7 RBIs or - Mike Hass, sr.; Redmond, Wash. (U. of Nevada); .421, 1 HR, 3 RBIs DH - Chris Campos, jr.; Modesto, Calif. (Modesto JC); .450, 1 HRs, 9 RBIs (Tentative pitching rotation) RHP - Ben Rowe, sr.; Perth, Australia (Greenwood HS); 0-0 record, 4.66 ERA LHP - Kyle Aselton, jr.; Chehalis, Wash. (Lower Columbia CC); 0-0 record, 0.00 ERA RHP or LHP - To be announced LHP - Jake Postlewait, sr.; Corvallis, Ore. (Corvallis HS); 3-0 record, 1.62 ERA RHP - Andy Baldwin, so.; Hood River, Ore. (Hood River Valley HS); 3-1 record, 3.24 ERA
OREGON STATE ALL-TIME VS. THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS: This will be the first meeting between Oregon State and The Citadel.
Oregon State has an all-time record of 4-13 against Hawai'i in a series dating back to 1961. The teams last meet in 2001, with Hawai'i taking 2 of 3 games; the Rainbows won the opener 7-3, the Beavers won the second game 18-7 and the Rainbows won the finale 12-9.
This will be the first meeting between Oregon State and Chicago State.
OREGON STATE'S LATEST GAMES: Oregon State won the Riverside Baseball Invitational that was held Feb. 27-Feb. 29. The Beavers beat host California-Riverside 16-3, lost to Sacramento State 10-3 and then beat Washington 13-8.
Against California-Riverside, Tony Calderon and Jacoby Ellsbury had 3 hits each and Mike Lissman and Andy Jenkins both homered as Oregon State won 16-3. The Beavers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning en route to season-highs for both runs and hits. OSU had 14 hits, including 7 for extra bases; in the first inning Jenkins had a t2run homer to centerfield and Calderon a run-scoring double against Highlander starter A.J. Shappi. For Calderon, the hit was the start of a 3-for-5 day. The double broke the ice to help the senior shortstop out of a season-opening 1-for-18 funk. The 16 runs doubled the Beavers' previous season-high, and one area where OSU knew it needed improvement during its fast start to the season was at the plate. UCR helped the Beavers by committing 5 errors, but OSU came up with the hits to turn them into runs. For the second straight week, senior lefthander Jake Postlewait had to work himself out of trouble several times but earned the win; he improved to 3-0 this season by going 5 innings and allowing 2 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out 4. Oregon State relievers Jared Sanders, Nathan Pendley and John Dailey didn't allow an earned run over the final 4 innings.
Against Sacramento State, Oregon State's season-opening winning streak ended at 7 games with a 10-3 loss. The Beavers allowed at least 1 run in each of the first 5 innings to fall behind 8-2. Oregon State also committed 4 errors in the game, helping the Hornets to 5 unearned runs. Oregon State starter Andy Baldwin surrendered 1 walk and 3 hits in the second inning as the Hornets scored twice for a 3-1 lead. Baldwin had gone 6.2 innings in winning each of his first 2 starts, but against Sacramento State the sophomore righthander went 4.0 innings and gave up 6 runs (4 earned) on 6 hits and 4 walks while striking out 2. Trailing 8-2, the Beavers had a shot at getting back in the ballgame in the bottom of the sixth inning. Mike Hass hit his second double of the game with 1 out, then scored on Chad Schroeder's 2-out single down the rightfield line. Aaron Mathews followed with another single to chase Hornet righthander Warren Rosebrock, and reliever Renecke Strelzriede's 2-ball, no-strike pitch to Mike Lissman was driven to the wall in centerfield, but Sacramento State centerfielder Ronnie Machado made a leaping catch to end the inning with the score still 8-3. Hass finished the day 3-for-4 with 2 doubles, while Ellsbury was 2-for-4 with 1 double and stole 3 bases.
Against Washington, Paul Richie and Aaron Mathews had 4 hits each to lead Oregon State's 19-hit attack in a 13-8 victory. Richie also drove in 4 runs and Gunderson pitched 3-plus innings of 2-hit, 1-run ball to earn his third win of the season in relief. Richie's 4 hits and 4 runs matched his career-highs in those categories, both reached last April 22 in a 14-4 win at Portland. That was also the last time the Beavers had as many hits as the 19 they collected against the Huskies; Washington had entered the game with a 3.44 team earned run average and was allowing an average of 5.8 hits per game. After each team scored a pair of runs in the first inning, the Beavers took the lead for good with 4 runs in the bottom of the second inning against Husky righthander Keaton Everitt. The Huskies came back for 3 runs in the top of the third, but Jonah Nickerson struck out Ben Johnson to end the inning with the tying run at second base. The freshman righthander, making his first start, got the Beavers through 3 innings with the lead. OSU bumped its lead to 7-5 on Richie's run-scoring single in the fourth inning, then tacked on 4 more runs to make it 11-5 in the bottom of the fifth. Gunderson, a freshman lefthander, kept the Huskies at bay from the fourth through sixth innings, holding them scoreless as he improved to 3-0 this season. The only run he allowed came after he hit the first batter of the seventh inning and was relieved by Nathan Pendley. Dallas Buck went the final 2.1 innings for the save; it was Buck's fourth save of the season, tying him for fifth place on OSU's all-time list of single-season leaders.
OREGON STATE NOTES: Oregon State's championship at last weekend's Riverside Baseball Invitational marked the second time the Beavers have won that tournament. OSU was also the RBI champion in 1985, when it was an 8-team event. The other 2 tournaments in which OSU has competed this season - the Coca-Cola Classic and the Texas-Arlington Invitational - did not name a champion, but the Beavers were the only team to go unbeaten at both events ... after hitting just .277 as a team through the season's first 2 weeks, Oregon State batted .368 as a team at the Riverside Baseball Invitational ... OSU is batting .296 with runners on base while its opponents are hitting .251 with runners on ... OSU is batting .400 with the bases loaded this season, while the Beavers' opponents have yet to come up with a hit with the bases loaded ... OSU is batting .361with 2 out while its opponents are hitting .286 ... of the 19 runners that OSU relief pitchers have inherited this season, only 7 have scored ... when freshman righthander Dallas Buck earned the save in a 13-8 win over Washington on Feb. 29, it was his third save of 2004; that tied him for the fifth-best single-season save mark in OSU history ... sophomore outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury has stolen 3 bases in a game 3 tims this season. Prior to that, OSU hadn't had a player steal 3 bases in a game since the opening weekend of the 2001 season ... junior outfielder Aaron Mathews has the Beavers' longest current hitting streak at 8 games; other current streaks have Ellsbury at 7 games, freshman outfielder Mike Lissman at 6 games and junior catcher Paul Richie at 5 games ... junior infielder Shea McFeely, Ellsbury, Richie and Mathews share the team lead for multi-hit games with 3 each ... Mathews is the team-leader for multi-RBI games with 3, while junior outfielder Chris Campos, junior infielder Andy Jenkins, Richie and McFeely have 2 each ...OSU was the Pacific-10's last unbeaten team in the 2004 season, not losing until Feb. 28 ... OSU's first 6 wins included 2 wins by a 1-run margin and 2 wins by a 2-run margin ... in 3 games at the Texas-Arlington Invitational, Campos was 7-for-9 with 1 triple, 1 home run, 6 runs batted in, 3 walks, 1 hit by pitch and 3 runs scored; he reached base in his last 10 plate appearances of the weekend ... during the first weekend of the season at the Coca-Cola Classic in Surprise, Ariz., OSU used 12 players who made their 4-year college debut, including 8 true freshmen.
BEAVERS OFF TO FASTEST START IN 42 YEARS: When Oregon State beat Southwest Missouri State 5-4 on Feb. 22 to conclude the Texas-Arlington Invitational, it gave the Beavers their fastest baseball start in 42 years. The last time OSU had won 6 straight games to start the season came in 1962, when the Beavers were en route to winning their first 18 games.
OSU eventually won its first 7 games before a loss, and that ties the 2004 Beavers for the eighth-fastest start in OSU history. OSU started 18-0 in both 1951 and 1962; 15-0 in 1959; 10-0 in 1960; 9-0 in 1927; 8-0 in 1930 and 1947; and was also 7-0 in 1938, 1939 and 1952.
HASS' FIRST FIVE HITS TIE RECORD: Senior outfielder Mike Hass made the first 5 hits of his Oregon State career count. The transfer from Nevada went 5-for-5 with a double and a home run in an 8-3 win over Arkansas-Little Rock on Feb. 21 to tie OSU's school record for hits in a game. The outburst came a day after Hass had been relegated to the bench in the fourth inning of a win over Texas-Arlington after being picked off first base. "It's a great way to respond," OSU head coach Pat Casey said. Added Hass: "That was the first time I think I've ever been picked off, besides having a lefthander's move to first. I was pretty disappointed in myself. I was trying to do something to help the team out ... Coach Casey told me he'd give me a chance, and I appreciated that. It's early in the season and we've got a lot to go still, but it's nice to win."
Hass, incidentally, is not the same Mike Hass that is a freshman wide receiver on Oregon State's football team; the pair are not related.
BEAVERS ON ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS: There were no all-tournament teams named at the Texas-Arlington Invitational or the Riverside Baseball Invitational.
Oregon State had 2 players named to the all-tournament team as OSU went unbeaten at the Coca-Cola Classic on Feb. 13-15 in Surprise, Ariz. - outfielder Aaron Mathews and pitcher Dallas Buck. Mathews was 4-for-12 with 2 doubles and a team-high 4 RBIs during the tournament. In OSU's final game, he cut down a Cal State-Northridge rally with a catch he made diving away from home plate and toward the centerfield wall; the catch started an inning-ending double play and the Beavers wound up winning 3-2. Buck had saves in his first 2 collegiate appearances, closing out the Beavers' 8-6 wins over Utah and Gonzaga in OSU's first 2 games at the tournament. Buck pitched a total of 2.1 innings, allowing 3 hits and 0 walks while striking out 2.
BEAVERS BRING BACK ORANGE JERSEYS: On Feb. 14, Oregon State wore orange jerseys for what is believed to be the first time since 1984 and took an 8-6 win over Gonzaga. Coincidentally, the win came on the day that Oregon - The Beaver State - celebrated the 145th anniversary of its statehood.
OREGON STATE ALL-TIME ON OPENING DAY: After beating Utah 8-6 on Feb. 13, the Beavers' all-time record in season-openers is 66-29, and OSU has won 12 of its last 18 on Opening Day. This season's Feb. 13 date for Opening Day was the latest for the Beavers since they began the 1995 season on Feb. 22 with a 4-3 win over Western Oregon in Corvallis.
In home-openers, OSU has an all-time record of 75-19, with the Beavers winning 14 of their last 16 home-openers and 29 of their last 32. OSU's first home game this season is set for March 12 against Gonzaga.
FOUR BEAVERS AMONG TOP 50 IN THEIR YEAR: Oregon State has 4 players that Baseball America magazine ranks among the top 50 players among all those in their class year heading into the 2004 season.
Righthanded pitcher Ben Rowe is rated the 13th-best senior, lefthanded pitcher Jake Postlewait is rated the 40th-best senior, outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is rated the 29th-best sophomore, and righthanded pitcher Dallas Buck is rated the 33rd-best freshman.
Rowe (Perth, Australia/Greenwood HS) was drafted in the 24th round by the Texas Rangers following the 2003 season but chose to return to Oregon State for his senior season. Rowe also had opportunities to sign with the Minnesota Twins while still in Australia; he is a two-time Pacific-10 All-Academic honorable mention selection.
Postlewait (Corvallis, Ore./Corvallis HS) was not drafted after last season but was approached by several professional teams about signing during an outstanding summer in the Alaska League. Despite missing almost three weeks of the season, he was an All-Pacific-10 first team selection after going 5-1 with a 3.43 earned run average.
Ellsbury (Madras, Ore./Madras HS) was a Freshman All-America selection by both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball newspaper last season, when he batted .330 with seven home runs, 33 runs batted in and 14 stolen bases. Also an outstanding fielder, he had been drafted in the 23rd round by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays after his senior year of high school but chose to attend OSU.
Buck (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS) had been rated the 46th-best prospect in the nation by Baseball America during his senior year of high school. He was drafted in the 19th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates but opted to attend OSU to play both baseball and football; as a defensive back and special teams player, he was the only true freshman to play for the Beavers last fall.
THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED: Here's the last time Oregon State players accomplished several notable feats, through Feb. 29:
THREW A NO-HITTER: April 11, 1967; Cleve Benson, Eric Selberg and Jack Humphrey vs. Portland. OSU 11, Portland 0. (Individual - April 12, 1947; Fred Gallagher vs. Montana. OSU 1, Montana 0). WAS NO-HIT: March 27, 1994; Jack Gullard, Lewis-Clark State at Hawai'i Easter Tournament. Lewis-Clark State 1, OSU 0. THREW A ONE-HITTER: Feb. 18, 1999; B.R. Cook vs. Oklahoma State at San Diego State Tournament. OSU 5, Oklahoma State 0. THREW A SHUTOUT: Feb. 20, 2004; Jake Postlewait, Jake McCormick and Jared Sanders at Texas-Arlington. OSU 7, Texas-Arlington 0. (Individual - May 19, 2001; Scott Nicholson vs. Southern California. OSU 6, Southern California 0. HAD 10 OR MORE STRIKEOUTS BY A PITCHER: April 6, 2001; Thad Johnson vs. California; 14 strikeouts. OSU 6, California 5. HIT A GRAND SLAM: February 27, 2003; Kerisi Reynolds vs. Cal State- Northridge at Lancaster, Calif. OSU 10, Cal State-Northridge 6. HIT TWO HOMERS IN A GAME: March 11, 2001; Andy Jarvis vs. Washington State at Yakima, Wash. (hit 3 homers). Washington State 8, OSU 7. (March 30, 2003; Seth Pietsch hit 2 homers vs. California but one was ruled a single when he was called out for passing Andy Jarvis between first and second base). HIT THREE HOMERS IN A GAME: March 11, 2001; Andy Jarvis vs. Washington State at Yakima, Wash. Washington State 8, OSU 7. PINCH-HIT A HOME RUN: March 7, 2001; Jason McBride vs. Washington. OSU 17, Washington 3. HIT AN INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUN: Feb 13, 2004; Andy Jenkins vs. Utah. OSU 8, Utah 6. HIT BACK-TO-BACK HOME RUNS: April 12, 2003; Aaron Mathews and Andy Jarvis vs. Washington State (incidentally, they came on the first pitch of each at-bat). OSU 11, Washington State 3. HIT BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK HOME RUNS: April 11, 2000; Brian Barden, Curtis Davis and Joe Gerber at Portland. OSU 13, Portland 5. HIT TWO TRIPLES IN A GAME: May 3, 1997; Abino Vazquez at Portland State. OSU 7, Portland State 5. HIT THREE DOUBLES IN A GAME: April 22, 2003; Paul Richie at Portland. OSU 14, Portland 4. HAD FIVE HITS IN A GAME: Feb 21, 2004; Mike Hass vs. Arkansas-Little Rock at Arlington, Tex. OSU 8, Arkansas-Little Rock 3. HAD FOUR HITS IN A GAME: Feb. 29, 2004; Paul Richie and Aaron Mathews vs. Washington at Riverside, Calif. OSU 13, Washington 8. DROVE IN SIX RUNS IN A GAME: February 21, 2003; Andy Jarvis vs. New Mexico (had 7 RBIs) at El Paso, Tex. OSU 18, New Mexico 16. DROVE IN FIVE RUNS IN A GAME: May 6, 2003; Chris Biles vs. Concordia. OSU 13, Concordia 2. SCORED FIVE RUNS IN A GAME: March 5, 2000; Brian Barden at Washington. OSU 27, Washington 4. SCORED FOUR RUNS IN A GAME: April 1-May 21, 2003; Jacoby Ellsbury at Portland (game was suspended due to rain April 1, completed May 21). OSU 18, Portland 6. STOLE FOUR BASES IN A GAME: April 11, 1991; David Anderson vs. Willamette. OSU 8, Willamette 0. STOLE THREE BASES IN A GAME: Feb. 28, 2004; Jacoby Ellsbury vs. Sacramento State at Riverside, Calif. Sacramento State 10, OSU 3. HAD FIVE WALKS IN A GAME: May 21, 1970; Bob Beall vs. UCLA. UCLA 7, OSU 2. HAD FOUR WALKS IN A GAME: March 8, 2003; Andy Jarvis at Portland. OSU 13, Portland 6. TURNED A TRIPLE PLAY: April 4, 2000; Joe Gerber and Will Hudson vs. Portland (line drive to 1B Gerber for 1 out; Gerber steps on first base before runner returns for 2 out; Gerber throw to SS Hudson covering second base before runner returns for 3 out).
OREGON STATE'S SCHEDULE: Oregon State will face 3 teams ranked in the Sports Weekly/ESPN national coaches poll of March 1: No. 1 Stanford (3 games), No. 6 Arizona State (3 games) and No. 21 Arizona (3 games). OSU will play another 2 teams who received votes in the poll but didn't crack the top 25: Washington (6 games) and UCLA (3 games).
RAIN ON THE ROAD: If the recent trend continues, Oregon State will have better weather luck at home than it does on the road.
Since the start of the 1997 season, the Beavers have had 34 games either cancelled or rescheduled due to rain. Of those, only 12 have been games at OSU's Goss Stadium at Coleman Field; 15 were at ballparks in California, Nevada, Hawai'i, Texas or Florida. Another 7 were at ballparks elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest.
OSU has lost just 3 home games to rain during that time, while having 11 games cancelled at sites outside the region and 3 called off at other Pacific Northwest ballparks. The Beavers have postponed 8 home games, 4 games at sites outside the region and 5 at other Pacific Northwest ballparks.
OREGON STATE HEAD COACH Pat Casey: Pat Casey, now in his 10th season at OSU, celebrated the 400th victory of his head coaching career on April 14, 2002 when the Beavers completed an 11-9 win over Hawai'i-Hilo. Casey's career record is 443-317-5, which includes 7 years at George Fox in Newberg, for a winning percentage of .582.
Casey has a record of 272-204-4 with the Beavers for a winning percentage of .578. Of the 19 head coaches in OSU baseball history, only Ralph Coleman (1923-28, 1930-31, 1938-66) and Jack Riley (1973-94) have coached more wins for the Beavers.
Casey was named the Pacific-10 Northern Division Coach of the Year in 1997 after leading the Beavers to a 38-12-1 mark, a school record for wins in a regular season. During Casey's time at OSU, 19 Beavers have been drafted by Major League Baseball teams and 4 more players have signed as free agents.
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.
OREGON STATE'S ALL-TIME RECORD: Oregon State's all-time record in varsity baseball is now 1,755-1,217-15, a winning percentage of .590. OSU's all-time record in conference games is now 777-577, a winning percentage of .573.
To break the numbers down a step further, since starting varsity baseball in 1907, the Beavers have scored 19,566 runs and allowed 15,191 runs. That's an average score of 6.55-5.09.
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 94 seasons at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field, the Beavers are 910-399-1 at home for a winning percentage of .695. Last season, OSU was 9-12 at home. Since the start of the 1993 season, OSU is 160-70 at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field for a winning percentage of .696.
Oregon State's ballpark made its initial venture into night baseball in 2002 with the addition of its first-ever set of lights. The first night game saw OSU beat fourth-ranked Stanford 4-1 on April 27.
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.
TICKET INFORMATION: Season tickets for Oregon State baseball are $100, which entitles the ticketholder to the same reserved seat for all 21 OSU home games in 2004. For OSU faculty and staff, and for senior citizens age 62 and over, season tickets are $80.
The Family Plan for the 2004 season admits up to 2 adults and up to 4 students through high school to all 21 home games. The cost is $20 per adult and $10 per child, and a family must purchase the tickets for all its members at the same time.
The Pacific-10 Plan for 2004 is $50 and provides the ticketholder with a reserved seat to all 12 home games against conference opponents.
Individual game tickets for Oregon State baseball are sold on a general admission basis and cost $5 for adults and $3 for seniors age 62 and over and children through high school.
There is a team/group rate of $2 per person, but those interested in using that plan must call the OSU athletic ticket office at 1-800-GO BEAVS at least 2 days prior to the game to arrange for those tickets.
For more information, call the OSU athletic ticket office at 1-800-GO BEAVS or visit the OSU athletics website at www.osubeavers.com
OREGON STATE DUGOUT CLUB: The Oregon State Dugout Club is an organization devoted to supporting 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 membership. This year's tournament will be held this summer at Tokatee Golf Club in Blue River.
For more information on the OSU Dugout Club, call (541) 737-2825.
OREGON STATE RADIO BROADCASTS: Oregon State baseball will again be broadcast this season, with most of the Beavers' schedule heard on KEJO-AM (1240) and via the internet at www.osubeavers.com. There is a charge for listening via the internet; the cost is $4.95 per month or $14.95 for the entire 2003-04 school year, and that allows the listener access to all OSU athletic broadcasts that are on the internet. Mike Parker, the voice of the Beavers, handled play-by-play duties with assistance from John Warren and Kip Carlson. The broadcast schedule begins with the start of Pacific-10 play on March 26 at California; selected games each weekend will be broadcast over the internet prior to that time.
TELEVISION BRINGS OUT BEST IN BEAVERS: Oregon State's home game against Arizona on April 2 will be televised by Fox Sports Net on a tape-delayed basis, shown either April 3 or 4. Prior to 2003, Oregon State had played on national cable television each of the last 5 seasons, and the Beavers have gone 3-2 in those games, including a 3-0 mark at home. Since Fox Sports Net (formerly Prime Sports) began televising games in 1990, Oregon State has a 29-15 record in televised games, including 8-3 in national TV games.
