No. 8 SOFTBALL HOSTS BAY AREA SCHOOLS; BEAVERS FACE No. 7 CALIFORNIA ON FRIDAY BEFORE MEETING No. 6 STANFORD OVER THE WEEKEND
Friday, April 28
No. 7 California (38-8; 6-5) at No. 8 OSU (35-7; 7-4) - 3 p.m. PDT (Corvallis)
- Televised by FSN to air on April 30 at 9 a.m. -
Saturday, April 29
No. 6 Stanford (33-10; 6-6) at No. 8 OSU - 1 p.m. PDT (Corvallis)
Sunday, April 30
No. 6 Stanford at No. 8 OSU - 1 p.m. PDT (Corvallis)
FAST FACTS: No. 9 ranked Oregon State has been ranked in the nation’s Top-10 for nine consecutive weeks...The Beavers’ current 35-7 (.833) record is the best after 42 games in program history.
MORE TV TIME: Friday’s 3 p.m. game between No. 8 ranked Oregon State and No. 7 ranked University of California will be televised nationally on a tape-delayed broadcast by Fox Sports Net. The game will air on Sunday at 9 a.m. Jim Watson will be calling the play-by-play with Angie Mentink providing the color analysis.
BEAVERS AND BEARS SERIES NUMBERS: California leads the all-time series with Oregon State, 60-26, but the Beavers are 13-26 against Cal with at the helm. The Beavers won the season series against the Bears last year for the first time since the 2001 campaign, but OSU has picked up at least one victory against Cal in eight consecutive seasons. Over the last 10 games played in Corvallis, the Bears hold a 6-4 edge in the series.
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST CALIFORNIA (APRIL 9): Alex Sutton hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning in a scoreless game to lead University of California past Oregon State, 2-0, on April 9 in Berkeley. The game shaped up to be a pitcher’s dual between Cal’s Kristina Thorson and OSU’s . McElroy allowed just four hits in the complete game - two were by Sutton. Thorson amassed 13 strikeouts while scattering three hits. On the weekend, the Beavers left 14 runners stranded on base.
BEAVERS AND CARDINAL SERIES NUMBERS: Stanford leads the all-time series with Oregon State by a 28-21 advantage. The Beavers have a 9-27 record against the Cardinal under the direction of . Stanford has won 17 of the last 20 meetings between the squads. Oregon State has lost six straight games to the Cardinal in Corvallis, dating back to the 2001 campaign.
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST STANFORD (APRIL 7): Stanford first baseman Erin Howe hit a game-winning RBI single through the right-side of the infield in the bottom of the seventh inning as the No. 9 ranked Cardinal upset No. 6 ranked Oregon State, 3-2, on April 7 in Palo Alto. Stanford used three hits and a walk to rally in the seventh for the game-winner. Oregon State pitcher allowed just six hits on the afternoon but the Cardinal strung half of them together in the final inning. OSU had its chances in the contest, leaving six runners stranded on base.
DO YOU REMEMBER: Oregon State’s most recent victory against Stanford at the OSU Softball Complex was a 1-0 shutout on May 11, 2001. Beaver sophomore outfielder Steph Adams accounted for the game’s lone score when she belted a home run over the center field fence in the second inning.
STRIKE OUT CANCER: Oregon State will be hosting “Strike Out Cancer” days this week as the Beavers host No. 7 California and No. 6 Stanford. Strike Out Cancer is a program sponsored by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) in an effort to raise funds and awareness in the fight against cancer. All proceeds collected over the weekend will be donated to the American Cancer Society and Linn Benton Relay for Life. Those contributing $5 or more will be eligible for an array of prizes from the OSU softball program.
INCREDIBLE: Sophomore has hit a home run in five consecutive games. The Camarillo, CA, native was named Pac-10 Player of the Week, Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week, and USA Softball Co-National Player of the Week after leading the Beavers with a .556 batting average last week in OSU’s victories against top-ranked UCLA and sweep of No. 14 Washington. Miranda raised her single season home run total to 13 - tied for second place on the OSU single season charts - when she went deep in back-to-back games against Oregon on Wednesday. Miranda is leading the Beavers in Pac-10 batting average with a .361 clip from the plate, to go along with six home runs in 11 conference games.
BIG TIME FOR MILESTONES: Seniors and each hit milestones during Wednesday’s Civil War. Allen drove in a pair of runs to reach 100 career RBI, while Iapala was 1-for-1 from the plate in a pinch-hit situation to earn her 200th career hit. Just seven players in Oregon State history have recorded 100 RBI and only seven players in school history have amassed 200 career hits.
GETTING CLOSE TO 600: Junior All-American pitcher needs just five strikeouts to amass 600 K’s in her career. McGowan has 166 strikeouts on the season in 176.1 innings of work.
FROM THE BATTERS BOX: Oregon State enters the week with an amazing nine different players on the roster batting above .300 - The Beavers boast the Pac-10’s best batting clip with a team average of .309. Junior shortstop leads the team with a .364 (51-for-140) clip from the plate to go along with a team-leading 12 doubles. Freshman ranks second on the squad with a .352 (38-for-108) average. Young has hit above .300 throughout the season and ranks third on the team in home runs (7) and slugging percentage (.630). Beaver pitcher is batting .337 (32-for-95) with eight home runs, while senior outfielder is hitting .336 (44-for-131) with 24 runs scored and a team-best 32 RBI.
FROM THE CIRCLE: Beaver junior pitchers (22-4) and (13-3) combined to win 28 consecutive appearances before Oregon State dropped its 3-2 8-inning contest against No. 9 Arizona State on April 1. McGowan has amassed 166 strikeouts in 176.1 innings of work, while McElroy has 79 K’s in 99.0 innings of action. Senior reliever has made five appearances and boasts a 1.24 ERA. OSU holds a 1.71 combined ERA compared to its opponents’ 4.70 ERA.
THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY: Oregon State entered the week ranked in the Top 10 in the nation in two different categories:
Won-Loss Percentage: 9th - .825
Home Runs per game: 10th - 1.05
NOW THAT’S RUN PRODUCTION: Sophomore has scored a team-leading 44 runs in 42 games on the season. Miranda’s 44 runs scored rank in 2nd place in the OSU single season record book. holds the Beaver record with 45 runs scored during the 2004 campaign. Miranda’s average of 1.05 runs scored per game leads the Pac-10 and ranks 8th nationally.
DID YOU KNOW: Oregon State entered the week leading the Pac-10 in ERA during conference games, with a 1.36 mark.
THIS, THAT, AND THE OTHER: Oregon State is 15-0 on the year in games that the Beavers have hit two or more home runs...The Beavers are 29-0 on the season when leading after four innings...Shortstop is the only player to start every game of the season in the same position...OSU is 6-0 on the season in night games... leads the Pac-10 in runs scored with 44... ranks second in the Pac-10 with 12 doubles...Junior has tallied 16 RBI with 2-outs...Oregon State is 28-1 when scoring three or more runs...The Beavers are 24-1 on the season when tallying more hits than their opponent.
BEAVERS IN THE TOP 25: Oregon State moved up one spot this week to a No. 8 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll. Seven Pacific-10 Conference squads currently rank in the Top 25; 1. UCLA, 3. Arizona, 6. Stanford, 7. California, 8. Oregon State, 10. Arizona State, 16. Washington. The Beavers are ranked No. 9 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll.
FACING THE BEST: The No. 8 ranked Beavers hold a 10-6 record this season against teams ranked in the Top-25. The Beavers finished the 2005 season with 16 victories against opponents ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 Poll. Of Oregon State’s 59 games on the season, the Beavers faced ranked opponents on 26 occasions OSU moved as high as No. 6 nationally during the 2005 campaign.
BEATING THE COMPETITION: Oregon State has an advantage over its opponents in several statistical categories:
- Batting average: .309-.221
- Runs scored: 226-85
- RBI: 206-75
- Home Runs: 45-16
- Total bases: 553-327
- Slugging percentage: .492-.306
- Earned run average: 1.71-4.70
THE WINNING STREAK: No. 8 ranked Oregon State reeled off a school record 28 consecutive victories from Feb. 11-Mar. 31. The winning streak was the longest in the nation this season and marked the longest in Division I softball since University of Arizona won 32 in a row in 2002. The 28-game streak ranks in a tie for 16th place all-time in the NCAA Division I record book. Oregon State became one of just 11 teams in NCAA history to win 28 straight games.
THE NUMBERS BREAKDOWN: Oregon State returns 13 players from last season’s squad that finished with a 43-16 overall record and earned a share of the Pacific-10 Conference championship (the first regular season Pac-10 championship for any women’s sport in Oregon State history). OSU earned the Pac-10’s automatic berth to the NCAA Regional Tournament as the Beavers made their seventh consecutive postseason appearance. The Beavers reached the Regional Tournament championship game for a fifth time in the last seven years, before falling to DePaul University. The Beavers return eight defensive starters from a year ago, as well as three pitchers - including Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year and first team All-American .
OSU SOFTBALL COMPLEX: Oregon State currently holds a 53-31 all-time record in games played at the OSU Softball Complex. The Beavers boast a 19-27 mark against opponents ranked in the Top 25. OSU is 10-2 at home this season and finished the 2005 regular season campaign with a 10-4 mark in Corvallis.
TICKET PRICES: Oregon State will be charging admission to all of its home games starting this season. All tickets must be purchased at the gate and all seats are general admission.
General Admission: $6
Seniors (62+) and Youth (3-18): $4
PAC-10 COACHES POLL: In a preseason poll voted on by the Pac-10 coaches, Oregon State was tabbed to finish fifth in the conference. Last year’s defending national championship runner-up, UCLA, was picked to finish first. The Beavers were predicted to finish seventh in the 2005 poll but won a share of the Pac-10 title and earned the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
2005 PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE CO-CHAMPIONS: Oregon State earned a share of the 2005 Pacific-10 Conference championship - the first regular season Pac-10 title for any women’s sports team in Oregon State history. OSU, Arizona, California, and Stanford all finished with 13-8 records in conference play. The Beavers won the tie-breaker to earn the Pac-10’s automatic berth to the NCAA Regional Tournament. For the first time in program history, Oregon State won the season series against five conference opponents (Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Washington).
IN THE DUGOUT: , a former player for the 1999 NCAA Champion UCLA Bruins, enters her fourth season at Oregon State. Buck was promoted to the first assistant position in September of 2004. A four-year letterwinner, Buck graduated from UCLA in 2002. Former OSU standout shortstop joins Oregon State for her first season as an assistant. A three-time All-Pacific-10 Conference honoree, Feldt helped lead the Beavers to three straight NCAA Regional Tournament appearances before graduating in 2001. She dominates the OSU record book with her name dotting eight different career batting categories. Former Beaver player and assistant coach moves into the newly created position of Director of Softball Operations. Smith spent four seasons as an assistant. The first recruit to sign a letter of intent to play for , Smith, was a member of OSU’s squad from 1995-99 and helped the Beavers make their first NCAA Regional Tournament appearance.
THE WORD ON WALKER: Head coach is in his 12th season at the helm for the Beavers. Walker, a graduate of UCLA, has turned around Oregon State’s softball program to make it a contender on a national scale. Walker has led the Beavers to seven consecutive NCAA Regional Tournament appearances. The winningest coach in program history, Walker, has an overall coaching record of 413-315-3 and an 88-183 mark in the Pacific-10 Conference. Walker guided the 2005 Beavers to a share of the Pacific-10 Conference title and earned Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his career. Walker and his staff were honored as the Speedline Pacific Region Coaching Staff of the Year after their efforts in 2005. He earned his 400th career victory earlier this season when Oregon State rallied for a 2-1 8-inning win against BYU in the home opener on Mar. 25, 2006. Walker was selected as one of just 12 coaches named to the USA Softball National Team Coaches Pool, and serves as an assistant coach for the USA Elite Team. Prior to his arrival at Oregon State, Walker spent 11 seasons at national powerhouse UCLA as a manager and assistant coach. During his time in Westwood, the Bruins won six NCAA titles and made 10 appearances in the College World Series.
