No. 5 OSU Gets Set For Baseball Battle
FRIDAY, MAY 12
No. 5 Oregon State at No. 17 Arizona State; 7 p.m. PDT
(Live radio on KEJO-AM 1240 in Corvallis area, no radio on KUIK-AM 1360 in Portland area; live stats on internet at www.thesundevils.com)
SATURDAY, MAY 13
No. 5 Oregon State at No. 17 Arizona State; 6 p.m. PDT
(Live radio on KEJO-AM 1240 in Corvallis area, no radio on KUIK-AM 1360 in Portland area; live stats on internet at www.thesundevils.com)
SUNDAY, MAY 14
No. 5 Oregon State at No. 17 Arizona State; 1 p.m. PDT
(Live radio on KEJO-AM 1240 in Corvallis area, tape delay radio on KUIK-AM 1360 in Portland area at 4 p.m.; live stats on internet at www.thesundevils.com)
After Oregon State finished off its series against Washington last weekend, OSU head coach Pat Casey thought about the schedule immediately in front of the Beavers and noted, "We’ve got to go on the road for six games now, and in this conference, that’s like hiking through a blizzard for three miles with very little clothing."
While OSU has had to play through some hailstorms during May trips to Washington State - next week’s destination - there’s very little chance the Beavers will feel like they’re in a blizzard this weekend.
Oregon State (34-11 overall, 11-4 Pacific-10), ranked No. 5 in this week’s USA Today/ESPN coaches poll, visits No. 17 Arizona State (30-16, 8-7) for a series between Pac-10 contenders that ought to heat things up in a number of ways.
First, there’s the warmer temperatures, which should come as a relief to the Beavers after the number of cool, damp games they’ve had both at home and on the road this season.
Second, there’s the fact that both OSU and Arizona State are playing for a chance at the Pacific-10 championship, places in NCAA Regionals and improved seeding for those postseason berths.
"There’s a lot on the line in this series, just like there is every weekend in this conference," Casey said. "Week-in and week-out, you’re going to be playing a team that’s capable of reaching the postseason and doing well in the postseason. The challenge is even a little bigger going to Arizona State because they’re still right there near the top of the standings, they’ve got a great tradition of success and they’re tough to beat at home. We’ve got our work cut out for us."
Oregon State enters the weekend in first place in the Pac-10, two games in front of Southern California (10-8), 2 1/2 games in front of ASU and UCLA (8-7), 3 games in front of Washington (9-9) and 3 1/2 games in front of Washington State (7-8).
"It’s great to be in first place," Casey said. "But this conference is so even this season that if your performance lets down even a little, you could drop a long way in a hurry.
"We’ve put ourselves in a good position, but we have to stay focused on doing the things well that got us here - pitch, play defense, and execute in some situations at the plate. If we drop off in any of those three areas, then we’re going to have trouble."
Oregon State has limited opponents to two or fewer runs in nine of its last 14 games, and the Beavers have committed one or fewer errors in 19 of their last 21 games.
OSU did beat Arizona State 11-0 in February at the Coca-Cola Classic tournament in nearby Surprise, Ariz.
"There’s not really anything from that game that translates to this weekend," Casey said. "It’s a win that looks good on our resume right now, but that was the first weekend of our season and you had two teams who were still trying to create their identity a little bit. I think we’re a better team than we were then, and I know ASU is a much, much better team than they were then."
Among the Pac-10 leaders through Monday’s games, OSU junior outfielder Cole Gillespie (.354 batting average, 9 home runs, 39 runs batted in) is ninth in batting average, third in slugging percentage (.646) and on-base percentage (.485), first in runs scored (57), 10th in RBIs, tied for sixth in doubles (15) and homers, first in walks (33) and sixth in stolen bases (12). Sophomore shortstop Darwin Barney (.337, 0, 22) is seventh in on-base percentage (.449), third in walks (31) and seventh in stolen bases (11).
On the pitching side, the Beavers lead the conference in ERA with a mark of 3.36; that’s also good for 17th in NCAA Division I nationally. In the Pac-10, Oregon State sophomore righthander Mike Stutes (5-2 record, 2.25 earned run average) is third in earned run average, fourth in opponents’ batting average (.218) and tied for 10th in wins; junior righthander Dallas Buck (9-1, 3.08) is seventh in ERA and innings pitched (79.0), third in opponents’ batting average (.215) and second in wins; junior righthander Jonah Nickerson (8-3, 2.65) is fourth in ERA, third in wins, eighth in innings pitched (78.0), tied for fourth in strikeouts (79); and junior lefthander Kevin Gunderson (1-1, 1.42) is first in saves (15) and is also tied for the national lead in saves.
Arizona State did not play last weekend; the Sun Devils’ last competition came when they beat rival Arizona 22-8 at home in a non-conference game May 2. ASU lost two of three games at Stanford from April 28-30, losing 7-1, winning 11-7 and losing 11-4 in Pac-10 play.
ASU has had 11 different pitchers start games this season; the most frequent have been freshman lefthander/outfielder Ike Davis (2-3, 7.46) with 11 starts and freshman lefthander Jeff Urlaub (5-2, 3.88) and junior righthander Pat Bresnehan (3-2, 5.16) with eight starts each. Leading the Sun Devils at the plate have been sophomore infielder Eric Sogard (.373, 7, 32, and the brother of OSU freshman pitcher Alex Sogard), freshman first baseman Brett Wallace (.371, 3, 21), Davis (.348, 6, 54) and freshman catcher Preston Paramore (.326, 3, 30).
Oregon State lineup (statistics through May 7)
C - Mitch Canham, so., Lake Stevens, Wash. (Lake Stevens HS);
.291, 6 HRs, 32 RBIs
or - Casey Priseman, so.; Woodinville, Wash. (Woodinville HS);
.200, 0 HRs, 3 RBIs
or - Erik Ammon, so.; Salem, Ore. (U. of Hawai’i);
.500, 0 HRs, 3 RBIs
1B - Bill Rowe, sr.; Ashland, Ore. (U. of California-Santa Barbara);
.331, 3 HRs, 32 RBIs
2B - Chris Kunda, sr.; Philomath, Ore. (Philomath HS);
.295, 0 HRs, 25 RBIs
3B - Shea McFeely, sr.; Federal Way, Wash. (Tacoma CC);
.322, 2 HRs, 38 RBIs
SS - Darwin Barney, so.; Beaverton, Ore. (Southridge HS);
.337, 0 HRs, 22 RBIs
LF - Cole Gillespie, jr.; West Linn, Ore. (West Linn HS);
.354, 9 HRs, 39 RBIs
CF - Tyler Graham, jr.; Great Falls, Mont. (C.M. Russell HS);
.226, 1 HR, 6 RBIs
or - Koa Kahalehoe, fr.; Las Vegas, Nev. (Durango HS);
.268, 0 HRs, 8 RBIs
RF - Scott Santschi, jr.; Vancouver, Wash. (CC of Spokane);
.283, 1 HR, 27 RBIs
or - John Wallace, fr.; Reno, Nev. (Reno HS);
.379, 0 HRs, 10 RBIs
DH - Mike Lissman, jr.; Ontario, Ore. (Ontario HS);
.328, 0 HRs, 5 RBIs
or - Ryan Gipson, sr.; Central Point, Ore. (Shasta JC);
.202, 0 HRs, 13 RBIs
or - Geoff Wagner, sr.; Redmond, Ore. (Central Oregon CC);
.247, 1 HR, 10 RBIs
(Tentative pitching rotation)
Fri. - To be announced
Sat. - To be announced
Sun. - To be announced
It’s history
OREGON STATE ALL-TIME VS. THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT: Oregon State has an all-time record of 16-29 against Arizona State in a series that dates back to 1963. Last season, OSU won 3 of 4 meetings; the Beavers beat the Sun Devils 12-6 in a tournament at ASU that opened Oregon State’s season, then took a Pac-10 series in Corvallis by winning 6-5, losing 3-1 and winning 5-1. In 2004, Arizona State swept a conference series in Tempe by scores of 9-3, 3-1 and 8-4.
That was the week that was
OREGON STATE’S PAST WEEK: Oregon State finished an 8-game homestand with a Pacific-10 series against Washington, and the Beavers won 2 of 3 games against their longtime regional rival.
On May 5, Washington pitcher Tim Lincecum outdueled Oregon State’s Dallas Buck as the Beavers lost 6-4. Lincecum set the Pac-10 record for career strikeouts, fanning 16 OSU hitters, but Cole Gillespie managed a 2-for-3 night with 1 homerun and 4 RBIs for the Beavers. A crowd of 2,362 – OSU’s first sellout of the season – included approximately 60 scouts from major league teams intent on seeing Buck and Lincecum. The Beavers took a 3-0 lead on Gillespie’s 3-run homer in the third inning, but Washington came back with 4 runs in the top of the fourth and OSU couldn’t draw even from then on. The Beavers also had scoring chances in the first, seventh and eighth innings against Lincecum but stranded runners at third in all those frames. Buck had retired the first 9 Huskies he faced through 3.0 innings, then Washington scored all 4 of its runs in the fourth inning with 2 out. The Huskies got 3 hits and a walk in the inning, which was capped by Matt Stevens’ wind-boosted 2-run homer that made it 4-3. OSU had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh when Scott Santschi tripled with 1 out and Ryan Gipson was hit by a pitch, but Chris Kunda hit into an inning-ending double play. Washington extended its lead to 6-3 in the top of the eighth, getting run-scoring singles from Zach Clem and Curt Rindal.
The Beavers drew within 6-4 in the bottom of the eighth on Gillespie’s single and brought the go-ahead run to the plate with none out, but Lincecum fanned the next 3 hitters. Chris Kunda was 2-for-5 with a double and a triple for OSU.
On May 6, Oregon State’s Shea McFeely was 3-for-5 with 1 homer and scored the winning run in the seventh inning as the Beavers beat Washington 5-3. Kevin Gunderson earned his 15th save of the season to break his own single-season record for OSU. A second-straight sellout crowd of 2,327 and a regional cable television audience watched
McFeely score the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and John Wallace add a run-scoring single in the bottom of the seventh, then Gunderson recorded the final 6 outs to break the OSU single-season record that he set last season. Jonah Nickerson had his string of victories in 6 straight starts come to an end as reliever Eddie Kunz was credited with the win after getting the final 2 outs in the top of the seventh inning, improving his record to 4-1 this season. Nickerson went 6.1 innings and allowed 3 runs on 9 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6; Gunderson allowed 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 1 in his 2.0 innings. Oregon State left 14 runners on as it collected 12 hits, but it kept the game in reach by not giving Washington’s powerful lineup a big inning; UW scored single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings. McFeely’s homer to leftfield tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth; after Washington went up 3-2, the Beavers tied the game at 3-3 when Wallace drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth. McFeely then started the Beavers’ 2-run rally in the seventh with a single up the middle and Bill Rowe added a single before Mike Lissman reached on an error to load the bases. McFeely raced home on a wild pitch from Nick Hagadome to make it 4-3; then with 2 out and the bases loaded Wallace singled to drive in the final run for a 5-3 OSU lead. Wallace was 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs while Lissman was 2-for-3 and Rowe was 2-for-5.
On May 7, Oregon State pitcher Mike Stutes didn’t allow an earned run in 8.0-plus innings as the Beavers beat Washington 7-1. The start of the game was delayed 2 hours, 51 minutes by rain and then was delayed again 57 minutes by rain in the bottom of the sixth inning. When the contest finally began in front of a damp crowd of 881, Stutes set the Huskies down in order in the top of the first inning. The Beavers then came up with 4 runs against UW righthander Elliott Cribby in the bottom of the first, getting a run-scoring fielder’s choice by Gillespie, a run-scoring double from Mitch Canham and a 2-run double by Shea McFeely. Stutes worked into the ninth inning before giving way to relievers Joe Paterson, Eddie Kunz and Kevin Gunderson as the OSU staff combined on a 4-hitter, with the only Washington run being unearned. In his 8.0 innings, Stutes allowed the 1 unearned run on 3 hits and 4 walks while striking out 8 as he improved his record to 5-2 and lowered his earned run average to 2.25. OSU led 5-0 when the game was delayed with Darwin Barney at the plate against Washington reliever Bryce Mooney – a high school teammate of Stutes’ at Lake Oswego High near Portland - and runners at second and third with 2 out. After Barney walked, Gillespie singled off the glove of diving UW shortstop Danny Cox to drive in 2 runs and make it 7-0. Stutes then retired the Huskies in order on 8 pitches in the top of the seventh; in the eighth, he gave up a walk and a hit but struck out Zach Clem looking to end the inning with 2 runners on. McFeely was 2-for-4 with 1 double and 3 RBIs for OSU, while Canham was also 2-for-4 with 1 double.
This and that
OREGON STATE NOTES: Outfielders Cole Gillespie and Mike Lissman and reserve catcher Erik Ammon have OSU’s longest current hitting streak at 3 games each, while third baseman Shea McFeely, catcher Mitch Canham, outfielder John Wallace and first baseman Bill Rowe all have 2-game streaks. Shortstop Darwin Barney’s 17-game hitting streak from Mar. 3-Apr. 1 has been the longest this season for OSU, while third baseman Shea McFeely had a 10-gamer from Feb. 23-Mar. 11 ... Barney and Gillespie lead the Beavers in multi-hit games with 19 each while McFeely has 18, Rowe 15, Canham 14, Santschi 10, second baseman Chris Kunda 8, Wallace 7 and Lissman 6 ... McFeely and Gillespie both have 11 multi-RBI games while Santschi has 10, Canham, Kunda and Rowe have 6 each and Barney has 6 ... OSU is 21-3 this season at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field, and since the start of the 2005 season the Beavers are 47-8 in their home ballpark. The Beavers won their first 12 home games of 2006, giving them a 13-game home winning streak over 2 seasons; that was their longest home winning streak since Oregon State also won 13 in a row at home over the 1997 and 1998 seasons ... OSU is 27-0 this season in games in which it leads after 6 innings; the Beavers are 3-0 in games tied after 6 innings and 4-11 in games in which they trail after 6 innings ... OSU has scored in the first inning in 20 of its games this season, and the Beavers are 16-4 in those games ... not only has OSU stolen 54 bases to just 22 by its opponents this season, but the Beavers are also stealing successfully at a higher percentage - .730 to .500 - than their opponents ... in another measure of speed, the Beavers have also out-tripled their opponents 23-6 ...
How badly did Oregon State and Washington want to play on May 7? Badly enough that the Beavers and Huskies waited 2 hours, 51 minutes past the scheduled 1 p.m. start time before beginning the game, then sat out a 57-minute rain delay in the bottom of the sixth inning en route to OSU’s 7-1 victory. Total playing time for the game? Just 2 hours, 38 minutes, but it seemed much, much longer ... OSU closer Kevin Gunderson reached a pair of milestones when the junior lefthander earned the save as OSU beat Washington 5-3 on May 6 at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. That gave Gunderson 15 saves for the season, breaking the school single-season record of 14 that he had set in 2005. It was also the 32nd save of Gunderson’s career, giving him sole possession of second place on the Pac-10’s all-time list behind Jack Krawczyk (49 for Southern California from 1995-98) ... OSU’s pitching staff had a pair of impressive streaks end against Washington on May 5-May 6. On May 6, OSU won 5-3 but the win was credited to reliever Eddie Kunz; that ended junior righthander Jonah Nickerson’s string of wins in 6 straight starts. On May 5, national player of the year candidate Tim Lincecum outdueled OSU junior righthander Dallas Buck in a 6-4 Washington win; Buck saw his personal winning streak end at 14 straight decisions, dating back to a loss at Arizona in 2005, and his scoreless innings streak ended at 25.2 innings ...
Daniel Turpen made his first start of the season a good one. Finding out just over 2 hours before game time against New Mexico on April 30 that he’d be starting, the sophmore righthander went 6.2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 7 hits and 0 walks, striking out 2 ... after Jonah Nickerson fanned 13 hitters in OSU’s 8-4 win over Cal Poly on Apr. 29, it took a bit of digging through the record books to find the last time a Beaver pitcher had recorded that many strikeouts. The answer? Apr. 6, 2001, when Thad Johnson fanned 14 hitters in a 6-5 win over California. Nickerson’s outing came one day after teammate Mike Stutes had fanned 11 New Mexico hitters in OSU’s 16-1 win ... when OSU lost to Portland 20-13 on Apr. 25 at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field, it took a long time for the Beavers’ 7-game winning streak to die - try 12 innings spread over 5 hours, 9 minutes. The game included not only the 33 runs, but 8 lead changes, 34 hits and 13 errors ... when Portland beat OSU on Apr. 25, it was the first time this season that OSU had lost a game that it led after 8 innings. The Beavers had been 25-0 when leading after 8 until that evening ...
When Oregon State earned a sweep at California from Apr. 21-Apr. 23, that made it 2 straight years in which the Beavers have swept the Golden Bears. Since the Pacific-10 merged its Northern and Southern divisions for the 1999 season, that was just the second time that OSU had swept a conference series from an opponent in back-to-back years; the other was against Washington State in 2001 and 2002 ... Oregon State’s 3 wins at California from Apr. 21-Apr. 23 made it 3 times in the Beavers’ last 4 Pac-10 road series over 2 seasons that OSU had earned a sweep ... from Mar. 29-Apr. 23, OSU outfielder John Wallace put together a 6-game hitting streak and he did it the hard way - 4 of the games were ones in which he came off the bench ... OSU lefthander Kevin Gunderson earned the save in all 3 games at California from Apr. 21-Apr. 23. That’s believed to be the first time in OSU history that someone has earned 3 saves in a weekend ...
OSU swept Stanford at home Apr. 13-16 by scores of 3-0, 1-0 and 12-1; that 1 run allowed was the fewest funs ever allowed by the Beavers in a 3-game series; the previous low was 2 runs by Washington State in a 1920 series in Corvallis when the Beavers swept by scores of 3-0, 6-2 and 3-0 ... that series against Stanford was also the first time ever in 8 tries Oregon State had swept a 3-game series from Stanford; OSU had swept a 2-game series at Stanford in 1970 ... when OSU’s series against Stanford was rained into a fourth day on Apr. 16, it was the first time since the Pac-10 merged its Northern and Southern Divisions for the 1999 season that the Beavers had a series extended a day, either at home or on the road ... when OSU opened its series against Stanford by blanking the Cardinal 3-0 and 1-0 on Apr. 13-Apr. 14, it was the first time OSU had posted back-to-back shutouts since blanking Washington (4-0), Portland (5-0) and Portland State (10-0) in succession from Apr. 18-Apr. 24, 1993. It marked the first time Stanford had been shut out in back-to-back games since falling to Fresno State (4-0) and Santa Clara (13-0) on Feb. 22-25, 1975 ... when OSU beat Stanford 1-0 on Apr. 14, it was OSU’s first 1-0 win since topping Oklahoma State on Feb. 18, 1999. It was also the first appearance by OSU righthander Dallas Buck since getting his somewhat-lengthy locks cut earlier in the week. Said Buck: "The long hair wasn’t getting it done" ... when OSU blanked Stanford 3-0 on Apr. 13, it was the first time in 60 games that Stanford had been shut out, dating back to a 2-0 home loss to Pacific (Calif.) on March 29, 2005. It was also the first time in 109 Pac-10 games that Stanford had been shut out, dating back to a 4-0 loss to California on April 28, 2001 ...
Remember that scene from the movie "Bull Durham" in which the Bulls meet on the mound? And how the first baseman, Jose, tells the others that his girlfriend put a hex on his mitt and he needs a to cut the head off a live rooster to remove the curse? Too bad Jose wasn’t at Oregon State’s Goss Stadium at Coleman Field on April, 9, because the raw materials would have been available. With OSU’s Anton Maxwell about to throw the first pitch of a game against Arizona, the start of the contest was delayed several minutes when a rooster wandered onto the leftfield warning track. It eluded capture for a few minutes before being corralled by the OSU grounds crew and several Beaver players, then removed from the ballpark in a gate by the groundskeeping building in – you guessed it – fowl territory. The rooster was turned over to an OSU public safety officer who has five hens – but no rooster – on his property ...
There have been all kinds of baseball postponements on the West Coast this season, and OSU was involved in one of a different kind. Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski had been set to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field when the Beavers played Nevada on Mar. 3, but a scheduling conflict prevented his appearance that day. Kulongoski made it to the ballpark for OSU’s first Pac-10 home game, though, throwing out the first pitch Apr. 7 before the Beavers’ 10-5 win over Arizona ...
When Oregon State’s game with Texas-Pan American on Mar. 31 was suspended with 1 out in the top of the fourth inning due to rain, it meant a long day was in store for the Beavers and Broncs on Apr. 1. Because of UTPA’s travel plans, playing on Apr. 2 wasn’t an option; it meant the teams would have to play the nearly 7 innings of their first game and then both games of their regularly scheduled doubleheader on Apr. 1. Saturday’s first pitch of the suspended game was thrown at 11:34 a.m. and the final out was recorded at 10:07 p.m., a span of 10 hours, 33 minutes; just for fun, the first game of the series went 10 innings before being decided. And that 10:33 included a 50-minute rain delay in the first game of the series in the middle of the seventh inning, perhaps the longest seventh-inning stretch in college baseball history. The day’s play included 141 outs, 223 plate appearances, 14 pitching changes, 51 hits, 30 runs and 6 errors ... and 861 pitches. It’s believed to be the longest day in the history of Goss Stadium at Coleman Field, which opened in 1907, if you’re talking about the amount of playing time, but not if you’re talking in terms of innings. Even with the extra inning in the series’ first game, the 25 innings fell short of what was played on May 5, 1972. On that day, OSU and Washington played 20 innings in the first game of a doubleheader with the Beavers falling 2-1 in what is still the longest game (by innings) in Pac-10 history; the Beavers won the 7-inning second game 7-1. But the total playing time of those 1972 games was just 6:23 – including 4:38 for that 20-inning game – while Saturday’s 2 2/3 games took 7:24 of actual playing time, plus that 50-minute rain delay during the completion of the first game and the 2 breaks between games. OSU radio broadcaster Mike Parker managed to get through all 25 innings with his voice intact - barely - and meritorious service awards are due 3 members of OSU’s all-volunteer press box crew that were there from first pitch to final out on the day (and night) – Glenda Curry, Paul Andresen and Rob Horman ...
Oregon State second baseman Chris Kunda got a share of 2 school records with 1 swing of the bat on Apr. 1. His double just inside the third base bag in the eighth inning of a 14-1 win over Texas-Pan American was his fifth hit and third double of the game, matching OSU marks that have been accomplished many times. The most recent instances had come in the 2005 postseason, when Andy Jenkins had 5 hits (and hit for the cycle) in OSU’s NCAA Super Regional-clincher against Southern California, and when Mitch Canham had 3 doubles in a win over St. John’s in a NCAA Regional victory ... through OSU’s first 22 games of the season, the Beavers had not won a game in which they trailed after 6 innings. 3 of OSU’s next 4 wins then came in precisely that fashion. The Beavers scored 4 runs in the top of the ninth inning for a 6-4 win at Pacific (Calif.) on Mar. 28; OSU then tied the game with 2 runs in the ninth inning and won it 5-4 in the 10th against Texas-Pan American in a game that began Mar. 31, was suspended that night, and then completed on Apr. 1; then used a 7-run seventh inning to beat Arizona 10-5 on Apr. 7 ...
It was a long, long weekend when Oregon State and Utah Valley State got together for a 3-game series Mar. 24-Mar. 26 at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. The first game of the series started 36 minutes late due to rain, then was delayed by rain for another 36 minutes before being suspended in the middle of the fifth inning. The next day, the resumption of the opening game was delayed 39 minutes by rain and also included an 87-minute rain delay; the second game was played without delay but took 3:31 to play. Finally, the start of the 36 series finale was delayed 36 minutes by rain and then took 3:48 to play ... Oregon State pitchers Dallas Buck and Jonah Nickerson broke into the Beavers’ all-time top 10 lists in separate categories as the Beavers swept Utah Valley State in a 3-game series Mar. 24-Mar. 26. Buck’s victory was the 21st of his career, getting him on the all-time list in that category. Nickerson recorded 8 strikeouts in a victory on Mar. 25, giving him 201 for his career and earning him a place in that category ...
OSU found out Mar. 19 that sometimes it really is faster to go on foot. The start of the Beavers’ 4-1 loss at Southern California that day was delayed approximately 20 minutes because OSU’s bus was stuck in a traffic snarl caused by the running of the Los Angeles Marathon ... when OSU won at USC on Mar. 17, it was the fourth straight season in which OSU has won its Pac-10 opener. It was also the first time in 7 tries that the Beavers had won a series-opener at USC, dating back to 1951 ... OSU’s 4-1 win at USC on Mar. 17 was the third straight time that OSU righthander Dallas Buck outdueled Trojan righthander Ian Kennedy in a matchup of 2005 All-Americans. Kennedy was the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year last season but Buck and the Beavers got the victories in a pair of meetings in Corvallis ... appropriately, Mar. 17 is not only St. Patrick’s Day but also OSU head coach Pat Casey’s birthday. On Mar. 17, OSU handed Casey a present in the form of a 4-1 win at Southern California. In Casey’s 12 seasons at OSU, the Beavers are 4-0-1 in games played on Mar. 17 ...
Mar. 11 was a tough night to be a Casey when the Beavers lost to New Mexico 13-2. In the bottom of the second inning, both OSU head coach Pat Casey and OSU catcher Casey Priseman were ejected ... when third baseman Shea McFeely tripled twice in OSU’s 10-4 win at New Mexico on Mar. 10, it matched the Beavers’ school record for triples in a game. The last player to do it had been Abino Vazquez against Portland State in 1997; that was the second time that season Vaquez had managed the feat, as he also did it against Gonzaga that season ... OSU first baseman Bill Rowe had a chance to hit for the cycle Mar. 10 in OSU’s 10-4 win at New Mexico, having singled, doubled and tripled - in that order - in his first 4 plate appearances. In the eighth inning, he did get his fourth hit but it was a single through the right side ...
Teams talk about "picking each other up" – a player taking up the slack for another during a game or a season. When Oregon State found itself without outfielders Tyler Graham and Cole Gillespie due to injuries on Mar. 5, senior Geoff Wagner and freshman John Wallace filled in effectively during a 9-1 win over Nevada. Wagner, moving over from the part-time designated hitter spot, had career-highs with 4 hits and 3 runs, going 4-for-5 with a double. Wallace, making his first career start, was 2-for-3 with 1 RBI and a sacrifice bunt ... OSU pitcher Dallas Buck moved onto OSU’s all-time top-10 for career strikeouts when he recorded 5 against Nevada on Mar. 4, giving him 200 for his career ... OSU opened its 2006 home schedule with a 13-4 win over Nevada on Mar. 4 at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski had been scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch but was a late scratch from the lineup; OSU President Dr. Edward Ray stepped into the spot and threw a strike ...
Oregon State pitcher Mike Stutes’ first win for the Beavers was impressive. Feb 26 vs. St. Mary’s (Calif.) - a team batting .291 on the season entering the game - Stutes struck out 10 hitters in 5.2 innings; he allowed allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 4 hits and 1 walk. In the bottom of the fourth, Stutes struck out the side on 10 pitches ... centerfielder Tyler Graham was sidelined by a nagging leg problem for all but 1 at-bat during the Beavers’ first 7 games of the season; he finally played his first full game Feb. 24 in a 2-1 loss at California-Davis. The next day, Feb. 25 in an 8-3 win at Sacramento State, Graham announced his return in a big way. Graham hit his first career home run, had a 2-out bunt single to drive in another run and came up with a diving catch to start a double play and squelch a Sac State rally ... From Feb. 10-Feb. 23, outfielder Cole Gillespie batted in the leadoff spot 5 times; each time, he led off OSU’s first inning by getting on base and scoring ...
Pitching Feb. 19 in OSU’s 7-1 loss at Pepperdine, Eddie Kunz pitched 2.2 scoreless, hitless innings, striking out 6 to double his previous career high. Kunz entered the game with 0 out and runners at second and third in the sixth inning and struck out the side ... Scott Santschi made his first start in leftfield on Feb. 19 at Pepperdine after Cole Gillespie had hurt his arm trying for a diving catch the previous day, and Santschi responded with a gem of a defensive play. In the bottom of the second, Santschi found the base of the fence, leaped and caught a drive by the Waves’ Danny Worth at the top of the fence to take away a 2-run homer and end the inning ... the first run batted in of outfielder Koa Kahalehoe’s OSU career was a biggie, as it gave the Beavers a win over 14th-ranked Pepperdine in the conclusion of a suspended game Feb. 18. Kahalehoe slapped a single through the right side to drive in Mitch Canham in the top of the eighth inning for a 7-6 Beaver lead ... after Oregon State’s series-opening game at Pepperdine was suspended by darkness on February 17, several of the Beavers went out to dinner together at a restaurant near the team’s hotel in Calabasas. After their meal, who did they bump into in the parking lot? San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds, who posed for pictures with the OSU players, chatted for a few minutes and showed them a few hitting drills, sans bat and balls ...
With centerfielder and leadoff hitter Tyler Graham unavailable for the season-opening Coca-Cola Classic due to a leg injury, Cole Gillespie found himself batting in the leadoff spot for the first time he could remember. Gillespie responded by reaching base 11 times in 16 plate appearances on the weekend; he was 6-for-11 with 4 doubles, 9 runs scored and 5 walks. In all 3 games, he started the first inning for OSU by reaching base and eventually scoring ... OSU righthander Jon Koller had thrown just 1.0 inning in the past 2 seasons for OSU because of arm problems, but the senior showed during the season’s opening weekend that he may be back in a big way. Koller tossed 4.0 scoreless innings for the Beavers at the Coca-Cola Classic against Nevada and Gonzaga, allowing 1 hit and 0 walks while striking out 1 ... OSU outfielder Geoff Wagner finished the first weekend of the season with 1 home run and 6 runs batted in; those matched his totals for the entire 2005 season in those categories ...
OSU has played in 3 of the 4 Coca-Cola Classics since the tournament began with the opening of Surprise Stadium for the 2003 season. The Beavers are now 7-2 in the ballpark, which is the spring training home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals ... OSU righthander Dallas Buck got the start for Opening Day against Nevada on Feb. 10; it was his second straight Opening Day start for OSU. The last time the Beavers had the same starting pitcher for back-to-back season-openers? Not that long ago - 2003-04 with Jake Postlewait, and before that it was 2000-01 with Thad Johnson.
Get out the vote
BEAVERS IN NATIONAL RANKINGS: Oregon State earned its highest-ever preseason rankings in 2006 in the 4 national polls. Here is where OSU has been in the national rankings this season:
POLL ESPN / SPORTS BASEBALL COLLEGIATE NATL. COLL.
DATE WKLY. COACHES AMERICA BASEBALL BSBL. WTRS.
Preseason 6th 8th 3rd 3rd
Feb. 6 No poll 6th 2nd 3rd
Feb. 13 No poll 6th 2nd 3rd
Feb. 20 No poll 8th 10th 10th
Feb. 27 14th 13th 14th 12th
Mar. 6 12th 11th 12th 10th
Mar. 13 15th 13th 14th 11th
Mar. 20 19th 16th 19th 15th
Mar. 27 15th 12th 18th 12th
Apr. 3 14th 11th 16th 13th
Apr. 10 15th 11th 19th 15th
Apr. 17 10th 9th 14th 11th
Apr. 24 6th 5th 7th 6th
May 1 5th 5th 6th 6th
May 8 5th 4th 5th 6th
Party on, Boyd
BOYD’S WORLD ELEVATES OREGON STATE: A way to look at how teams rate nationally is the college baseball website, Boyd’s World (www.boydsworld.com). Each week its author, Boyd Nation, runs the scores from across the nation through the NCAA’s formula for figuring the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) that helps the NCAA selection committee determine the postseason field. He posts these on Boyd’s World, and also posts his own Iterative Strength Ratings (ISR), which he describes as "the results of an algorithm designed to measure the quality of a team’s season to date by combining their winning percentage with the difficulty of their schedule. The algorithm computes all teams simultaneously and attempts to take advantage of inter-regional games more accurately than other rating systems."
Here is where the Beavers have ranked in Boyd’s World this season:
DATE PSEUDO-R.P.I. I.S.R.
Mar. 6 87th 21st
Mar. 13 57th 22nd
Mar. 20 50th 27th
Mar. 27 47th 21st
Apr. 3 40th 14th
Apr. 10 40th 15th
Apr. 17 32nd 6th
Apr. 24 27th 4th
May 1 32nd 5th
May 8 33rd 5th
We’re nationwide
OREGON STATE AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS: Here is where Oregon State ranks among the NCAA Division I leaders through May 7 (complete lists of leaders can be found at www.ncaasports.com/baseball/mens/stats):
INDIVIDUAL TRIPLES (per game)
45. Mitch Canham 0.12
INDIVIDUAL FEWEST STRIKEOUTS (at-bats per strikeout)
17. Darwin Barney 17.5
INDIVIDUAL RUNS (per game)
5. Cole Gillespie 1.36
INDIVIDUAL WALKS (per game)
36. Cole Gillespie 0.79
INDIVIDUAL EARNED RUN AVERAGE
47. Mike Stutes 2.25
85. Jonah Nickerson 2.65
INDIVIDUAL WINS
11. (tie) Dallas Buck 9
39. (tie) Jonah Nickerson 8
INDIVIDUAL SAVES
1. (tie) Kevin Gunderson 15
TEAM BATTING AVERAGE
93. Oregon State .299
TEAM RUNS (per game)
64. Oregon State 7.0
TEAM TRIPLES (per game)
11. Oregon State 0.51
TEAM EARNED RUN AVERAGE
17. Oregon State 3.36
TEAM STRIKEOUTS (per 9 innings)
67. Oregon State 7.4
TEAM FIELDING PERCENTAGE
19. Oregon State .972
DOUBLE PLAYS (per game)
96. Oregon State 0.89
TEAM WINNING PERCENTAGE
8. Oregon State 0.756
Pac men
OREGON STATE AMONG PACIFIC-10 LEADERS: Here is where Oregon State ranks among Pacific-10 leaders through May 8 (complete lists of leaders can be found at www.pac-10.org):
INDIVIDUAL BATTING
9. Cole Gillespie .354
INDIVIDUAL SLUGGING PERCENTAGE
3. Cole Gillespie .646
INDIVIDUAL ON-BASE PERCENTAGE
3. Cole Gillespie .485
7. Darwin Barney .449
INDIVIDUAL RUNS
1. Cole Gillespie 57
INDIVIDUAL RUNS BATTED IN
10. Cole Gillespie 39
INDIVIDUAL DOUBLES
5. Bill Rowe 16
6. (tie) Cole Gillespie 15
INDIVIDUAL TRIPLES
2. (tie) Shea McFeely 5
2. (tie) Mitch Canham 5
9. (tie) Scott Santschi 3
INDIVIDUAL HOME RUNS
6. (tie) Cole Gillespie 9
INDIVIDUAL TOTAL BASES
9. (tie) Cole Gillespie 102
INDIVIDUAL WALKS
1. Cole Gillespie 33
3. Darwin Barney 31
5. (tie) Shea McFeely 29
INDIVIDUAL STOLEN BASES
6. Cole Gillespie 12
7. Darwin Barney 11
INDIVIDUAL EARNED RUN AVERAGE
3. Mike Stutes 2.25
4. Jonah Nickerson 2.65
7. Dallas Buck 3.08
INDIVIDUAL OPPONENTS BATTING AVG.
3. Dallas Buck .215
4. Mike Stutes .218
INNINGS PITCHED
7. Dallas Buck 79.0
8. (tie) Jonah Nickerson 78.0
INDIVIDUAL STRIKEOUTS
4. (tie) Jonah Nickerson 79
INDIVIDUAL WINS
2. Dallas Buck 9
3. Jonah Nickerson 8
INDIVIDUAL SAVES
1. Kevin Gunderson 15
TEAM BATTING AVERAGE
4. Oregon State .299
TEAM SLUGGING PERCENTAGE
7. Oregon State .424
TEAM ON-BASE PERCENTAGE
1. Oregon State .404
TEAM EARNED RUN AVERAGE
1. Oregon State 3.36
TEAM OPPONENTS BATTING AVERAGE
1. Oregon State .239
TEAM FIELDING PERCENTAGE
3. Oregon State .972
Just for the record
2006 ENTRIES IN THE OREGON STATE RECORD BOOK: Here are the Oregon State school records set or tied during the 2006 season through May 7:
HITS IN A GAME, INDIVIDUAL (TIED): 5; Apr. 1, 2006; Chris Kunda vs. Texas-Pan American (2nd game). OSU 14, Texas-Pan American 1.
DOUBLES IN A GAME, INDIVIDUAL (TIED): 3; Apr. 1, 2006; Chris Kunda vs. Texas-Pan American (2nd game). OSU 14, Texas-Pan American 1.
TRIPLES IN A GAME, INDIVIDUAL (TIED): 2; Mar. 10, 2006; Shea McFeely at New Mexico. OSU 10, New Mexico 4.
SAVES IN A SEASON, INDIVIDUAL: 15, Kevin Gunderson, 2006.
You just made the list
2006 BEAVERS ON OREGON STATE LISTS: Here are the 2006 Oregon State players on or near the school’s all-time top-10 lists for career or single-season marks through Apr. 30:
CAREER AT-BATS
10. Matt Bailie, 1995-98 570
> (tie) Shea McFeely, 2004-present 570 <
> Chris Kunda, 2003-present 508 <
CAREER HITS
10. Kevin Hooker, 1991-95 180
> Shea McFeely, 2004-present 178 <
CAREER RUNS
6. Drew Hedges, 1997-2000 139
7. Ryan Lipe, 1995-98 134
(tie) Joe Gerber, 1997-2000 134
9. Matt Bailie, 1995-98 132
> (tie) Shea McFeely, 2004-present 132 <
CAREER DOUBLES
10. Troy Schader, 1997-99 35
> Shea McFeely, 2004-present 32 <
> Chris Kunda, 2003-present 30 <
> Cole Gillespie, 2004-present 23 <
> Mike Lissman, 2004-present 18 <
CAREER TOTAL BASES
10. Matt Bailie, 1995-98 269
> Shea McFeely, 2004-present 260 <
CAREER TRIPLES
4. Jeff Doyle, 1975-77 9
(tie) Eric Stark,1998-2001 9
(tie) Aaron Mathews, 2002-04 9
7. Dave Backen, 1979-81 8
(tie) Dave Schoppe, 1989-91 8
(tie) Abino Vazquez, 1996-97 8
(tie) Jacoby Ellsbury, 2003-05 8
> Shea McFeely, 2004-present 7 <
> Mitch Canham, 2004-present 7 <
> Cole Gillespie, 2004-present 5 <
> Chris Kunda, 2003-present 5 <
CAREER WALKS
3. Rich Dodge, 1974-77 111
4. Matt Bailie, 1995-98 106
5. Dave Backen, 1979-81 103
> (tie) Shea McFeely, 2004-present 103 <
CAREER STOLEN BASES
10. Quinn Williams, 1983-86 35
> Tyler Graham, 2003-present 30 <
CAREER WINS
5. Cecil Ira, 1961-63 27 (27-9)
6. Scott Anderson, 1981-84 25 (25-17)
7. Andrew Checketts, 1996-98 24 (24-7)
> (tie) Dallas Buck, 2004-present 24 (24-7) <
9. Jeff Otis, 1986-90 23 (23-14)
10. Mason Smith, 1991-94 22 (22-18)
> Jonah Nickerson, 2004-present 21 (21-8) <
CAREER SAVES
> 1. Kevin Gunderson, 2004-present 32 <
2. Jared Sanders, 2002-04 12
3. Mike Boire, 1996-98 11
4. Jim Grove, 1979-82 9
> 5. Dallas Buck, 2004-present 7 <
CAREER STRIKEOUTS
1. Mason Smith, 1991-94 267
2. John Sipple, 1984-88 263
3. Scott Anderson, 1981-84 258
4. Scott Christman, 1991-93 249
> 5. Jonah Nickerson, 2004-present 247 <
6. Mike Gorman, 1979-82 237
> 7. Dallas Buck, 2004-present 233 <
CAREER INNINGS PITCHED
5. Jeff Otis, 1986-90 306.0
6. Jeff Post, 1989-92 286.0
7. Cecil Ira, 1961-63 281.0
> 8. Dallas Buck, 2004-present 278.1 <
9. Stephen Copeland, 2000-03 274.0
10. John Sipple, 1984-88 267.0
> Jonah Nickerson, 2004-present 234.0 <
SEASON RUNS
1. Jason Stranberg, 1997 67
> 2. Cole Gillespie, 2006 57 <
SEASON DOUBLES
10. Marc Malloy, 1994 17
(tie) Brent Watts, 1994 17
(tie) Chris Wakeland, 1996 17
> Bill Rowe, 2006 16 <
> Cole Gillespie, 2006 15 <
> Scott Santschi, 2006 11 <
SEASON TRIPLES
1. Abino Vazquez, 1997 7
2. Jeff Doyle, 1977 6
(tie) Todd Thomas, 1983 6
(tie) Seth Pietsch, 2002 6
(tie) Aaron Mathews, 2004 6
6. Twink Pederson, 1956 5
(tie) Lute Barnes, 1968 5
(tie) Dave Backen, 1980 5
(tie) David Anderson, 1992 5
> (tie) Shea McFeely, 2006 5 <
> (tie) Mitch Canham, 2006 5 <
SEASON HOME RUNS
10. Chris Newman, 1983 11
(tie) Joe Gerber, 1998 11
(tie) Zach Gordon, 2000 11
(tie) Andy Jarvis, 2002 11
> Cole Gillespie 9 <
SEASON WINS
9. Cecil Ira, 1963 10 (10-3)
(tie) John Sipple, 1985 10 (10-2)
(tie) Rod Scheckla, 1988 10 (10-6)
(tie) Jeff Post, 1990 10 (10-4)
(tie) Mike Thurman, 1994 10 (10-4)
> Dallas Buck, 2006 9 (9-0) <
> Jonah Nickerson, 2006 8 (8-3) <
SEASON SAVES
> 1. Kevin Gunderson, 2006 15 <
I’m telling you for the last time ...
THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED: Here’s the last time Oregon State players accomplished several notable feats through May 7:
THREW A NO-HITTER: Apr. 11, 1967; Cleve Benson, Eric Selberg and Jack Humphrey vs. Portland. OSU 11, Portland 0. (Individual - Apr. 12, 1947; Fred Gallagher vs. Montana. OSU 1, Montana 0.)
WAS NO-HIT: Mar. 27, 1994; Jack Gullard, Lewis-Clark State at Honolulu, Haw. Lewis-Clark State 1, OSU 0.
THREW A 1-HITTER: Apr. 24, 2005 (1st game); Anton Maxwell vs. Washington State. OSU 8, Washington State 1.
THREW A SHUTOUT: Apr. 27, 2006; Dallas Buck and Kevin Gunderson vs. Cal Poly. OSU 3, Cal Poly 0 (Individual - Mar. 4, 2006; Jonah Nickerson vs. Nevada. OSU 4, Nevada 0.)
THREW A COMPLETE GAME: Apr. 16, 2006; Jonah Nickerson vs. Stanford (7 innings). OSU 12, Stanford 1 (9 innings - Mar. 4, 2006; Jonah Nickerson vs. Nevada. OSU 4, Nevada 0.)
HAD 14 STRIKEOUTS BY A PITCHER: Apr. 6, 2001; Thad Johnson vs. California. OSU 6, California 5.
HAD 13 STRIKEOUTS BY A PITCHER: Apr. 29, 2006; Jonah Nickerson vs. Cal Poly. OSU 8, Cal Poly 4.
HAD 12 STRIKEOUTS BY A PITCHER: Apr. 29, 2006; Jonah Nickerson vs. Cal Poly (had 13 strikeouts). OSU 8, Cal Poly 4.
HAD 11 STRIKEOUTS BY A PITCHER: Apr. 29, 2006; Jonah Nickerson vs. Cal Poly (had 13 strikeouts). OSU 8, Cal Poly 4.
HAD 10 STRIKEOUTS BY A PITCHER: AApr. 29, 2006; Jonah Nickerson vs. Cal Poly (had 13 strikeouts). OSU 8, Cal Poly 4.
HIT 3 HOMERS IN A GAME: Mar. 11, 2001; Andy Jarvis vs. Washington State at Yakima, Wash. Washington State 8, OSU 7.
HIT 2 HOMERS IN A GAME: June 5, 2005; Danny Anderson vs. St. John’s. OSU 19, St. John’s 3.
PINCH-HIT A HOME RUN: Mar. 28, 2005; Scott Nelson vs. Brigham Young (grand slam). OSU 12, Brigham Young 5.
HIT A GRAND SLAM: Mar. 29, 2005; Scott Nelson vs. Brigham Young (pinch hit). OSU 12, Brigham Young 5.
HIT AN INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUN: Feb. 13, 2004; Andy Jenkins vs. Utah. OSU 8, Utah 6.
LED OFF A GAME WITH A HOME RUN: Mar. 29, 2005; Jacoby Ellsbury vs. Brigham Young (BYU’s Sean McNaughton also led off the game with a homer). OSU 11, Brigham Young 6.
HIT A WALKOFF HOME RUN: June 3, 2005; Shea McFeely vs. Ohio State. OSU 4, Ohio State 3.
HIT BACK-TO-BACK HOME RUNS: May 14, 2005; Mitch Canham and Shea McFeely at Washington. OSU 7, Washington 4.
HIT BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK HOME RUNS: Apr. 11, 2000; Brian Barden, Curtis Davis and Joe Gerber at Portland. OSU 13, Portland 5.
HIT 2 TRIPLES IN A GAME: Mar. 10, 2006; Shea McFeely at New Mexico. OSU 10, New Mexico 4.
HIT 3 DOUBLES IN A GAME: April 1, 2006; Chris Kunda vs. Texas-Pan American (2nd game). OSU 14, Texas-Pan American 1.
HIT FOR THE CYCLE: June 13, 2005; Andy Jenkins vs. Southern California (2-run double in 1st inning, solo homer in 3rd inning, single in 4th inning, triple in sixth inning; added 1-run single in 7th inning to go 5-for-5). OSU 10, Southern California 8.
HAD 5 HITS IN A GAME: April 1, 2006; Chris Kunda vs. Texas-Pan American (2nd game). OSU 14, Texas-Pan American 1.
HAD 4 HITS IN A GAME: April 1, 2006; Chris Kunda vs. Texas-Pan American (2nd game) (had 5 hits). OSU 14, Texas-Pan American 1.
DROVE IN 9 RUNS IN A GAME: Mar. 2, 1985; Ken Bowen at Chico State. OSU 36, Chico State 12.
DROVE IN 8 RUNS IN A GAME: Mar. 31, 2004; Shea McFeely at Portland. OSU 25, Portland 4.
DROVE IN 7 RUNS IN A GAME: Mar. 31, 2004; Shea McFeely at Portland (drove in 8 runs). OSU 25, Portland 4.
DROVE IN 6 RUNS IN A GAME: May 18, 2004; Tony Calderon vs. Portland (2nd game). OSU 16, Portland 3.
DROVE IN 5 RUNS IN A GAME: June 5, 2005; Shea McFeely vs. St. John’s. OSU 19, St. John’s 3.
SCORED 6 RUNS IN A GAME: Mar. 2, 1985; Ken Bowen at Chico State. OSU 36, Chico State 12.
SCORED 5 RUNS IN A GAME: Mar. 5, 2000; Brian Barden at Washington. OSU 27, Washington 4.
SCORED 4 RUNS IN A GAME: Apr. 28, 2005; Cole Gillespie vs. New Mexico. OSU 16, New Mexico 1.
STOLE 4 BASES IN A GAME: Apr. 11, 1991; David Anderson vs. Willamette. OSU 8, Willamette 0.
STOLE 3 BASES IN A GAME: Feb. 28, 2004; Jacoby Ellsbury vs. Sacramento State at Riverside, Calif. Sacramento State 10, OSU 3.
HAD 5 WALKS IN A GAME: May 21, 1970; Bob Beall vs. UCLA. UCLA 7, OSU 2.
HAD 4 WALKS IN A GAME: May 6, 2006; Chris Kunda vs. Washington. OSU 5, Washington 3.
TURNED A TRIPLE PLAY: Apr. 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).
SCORED 10 OR MORE RUNS IN AN INNING: June 5, 2005; 13 runs in second inning vs. St. John’s. OSU 19, St. John’s 3.
State of the nation
BEAVERS WITH WEEKLY NATIONAL HONORS: Oregon State junior righthander Jonah Nickerson (Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City HS) was named to the College Baseball Foundation’s National Honor Roll for the week of Feb. 28-Mar. 5. Nickerson pitched a 5-hitter for his first career shutout as Oregon State beat Nevada 4-0 on March 4; Nickerson struck out 9 and walked 0. Nickerson allowed just 1 hit in the first 5 innings and took a 3-hitter into the ninth. From the third through the eighth innings, Nickerson didn’t throw more than 13 pitches in an inning; from the fourth through the eighth, he retired 13 of the 15 batters he faced.
Hey now, you’re an all-star
BEAVERS ON ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS: Oregon State had 5 players picked to the Coca-Cola Classic All-Tournament team Feb. 10-12 in Surprise, Ariz. – pitchers Dallas Buck and Jonah Nickerson, first baseman Bill Rowe, and outfielders Cole Gillespie and Geoff Wagner. Gillespie, taking over the leadoff spot during Tyler Graham’s absence, reached base 11 times in 16 plate appearances on the weekend; he was 6-for-11 with 4 doubles, 9 runs scored and 5 walks. Wagner had the 2-run homer in the top of the ninth inning that put the Beavers on the verge of victory in the finale and finished the tournament 3-for-11 with 6 RBIs and 3 runs scored. Rowe was 6-for-13 in the tournament with 4 doubles, 5 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Buck earned the Opening Day victory over Nevada, pitching 5.0 innings and allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 1 hit and 4 walks while striking out 9. Nickerson got the victory over 11th-ranked Arizona State, pitching 5.0 innings and allowing 0 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3.
Strongman
BUCK EARNS STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING ALL-AMERICA: Oregon State junior righthander Dallas Buck (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS) has been named one of the All-American Strength and Conditioning Athletes of the Year by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). This year, the program recognized 242 athletes at 160 schools for their dedication to strength training and conditioning. Buck was an All-American during the 2005 season, when he helped Oregon State to the Pacific-10 championship and a berth in the College World Series by posting a 12-1 record and 2.06 earned run average. Buck also was a defensive back on the OSU football team during his freshman and sophomore years. "Dallas is an incredible athlete," said OSU strength coach Andy Dendas, who selected Buck for the award. "He has a tremendous drive to compete and to be the best in the weight room and on the field." The NSCA All-American Athlete of the Year Award is in its 27th year, and is made possible by a grant from Power Systems Inc., a producer of fitness products based in Knoxville, Tenn.
Head of the class
BEAVERS WITH PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA HONORS: Oregon State pitchers Dallas Buck (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS), Kevin Gunderson (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic HS) and Jonah Nickerson (Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City HS) all received Preseason All-America honors.
Buck was a first-team selection by Collegiate Baseball newspaper and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and a second-team pick by Baseball America magazine. Gunderson and Nickerson were both second-team selections by Collegiate Baseball newspaper and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Watch this!
BEAVERS ON WATCH LISTS FOR NATIONAL AWARDS: Several Oregon State players have been placed on the watch lists for national awards in 2006.
Oregon State junior pitchers Dallas Buck (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS) and Kevin Gunderson (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic HS) are on a list of 120 players on the 2006 Wallace Watch, compiled by the College Baseball Foundation in Lubbock, Tex. The Brooks Wallace Award is presented annually to the national college baseball player of the year.
The Wallace Watch will be trimmed to 12 semi-finalists by late May. Then the selection committee will narrow the list to 3 finalists following the NCAA Super Regionals. The award is dedicated to the memory of former Texas Tech shortstop and assistant coach Brooks Wallace. In the summer of 1984 he was diagnosed with cancer and fought the disease until his death on March 24, 1985, at age 27. The selection committee for the Wallace Award is comprised of a national panel of preeminent coaches, sports information directors, former winners and beat media who most closely follow the sport.
Buck, Gunderson and junior Jonah Nickerson (Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City HS) are all on the watch list for the 2006 Roger Clemens Award, which honors the top pitcher in college baseball. OSU is 1 of just 3 schools in the country to have 3players on the Clemens watch list, along with defending national champion Texas and Nebraska. The Roger Clemens Award was named after future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens, who began his march to stardom while leading Texas to the College World Series title in 1983. All NCAA Division I head baseball coaches will take part in the voting for the honor, in addition to a selected panel of national media and all past winners of the Rotary Smith Award, which was retired after the 2003 dinner by the committee that is sponsoring the Clemens Award. The event is administered by the Greater Houston Baseball Association.
Gunderson has been named to the watch list for the second annual Stopper of the Year Award, given to the nation’s top relief pitcher in NCAA Divison I baseball. Gunderson is one of 30 players on the watch list for the award, given by by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Nominations were made by each school’s baseball sports information contact. At the end the regular season, the Division I leader in saves and 4 other relief pitching standouts will be selected as the award’s finalists. These finalists will be released on May 31, just prior to the beginning of the NCAA Regionals. From the list of finalists, the NCBWA’s All-America Committee will select a winner. The second annual winner will be announced on June 7, two days prior to the beginning of the NCAA Super Regionals.
Baseball America style
BEAVERS IN BASEBALL AMERICA PRESEASON PREVIEW: Oregon State was ranked eighth nationally and picked to repeat as Pacific-10 champion when Baseball America magazine released its list of preseason honors and rankings. Oregon State junior starting pitcher Dallas Buck (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS) was named to the publication’s Preseason All-America second team, which is selected by Major League Baseball scouting directors based on performance, talent and major league potential.
Buck and junior closer Kevin Gunderson (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic HS) were named to Baseball America’s preseason All-Pacific-10 team. Buck was listed as the No. 3 prospect in the conference for the 2006 Major League Baseball draft, while sophomore shortstop Darwin Barney (Beaverton, Ore./Southridge HS) was listed as the Pac-10’s No. 5 prospect for the 2007 draft.
OSU junior outfielder Tyler Graham (Great Falls, Mont./C.M. Russell HS) was selected as the conference’s fastest runner, best baserunner and best defensive outfielder. OSU senior Ryan Gipson (Central Point, Ore./Crater HS, Shasta JC) was picked as the Pac-10’s best defensive second baseman.
Coach class
PAC-10 COACHES PICK OREGON STATE: Oregon State was selected to win the 2006 Pacific-10 championship when the Pac-10 head coaches cast ballots in their annual preseason preview. OSU’s best previous placing in the conference’s preseason poll had been sixth on several occasions, including 2005.
Weather or not to play
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 50 games cancelled or rescheduled due to rain. Of those, only 18 have been games at OSU’s Goss Stadium at Coleman Field; 21 were at ballparks in California, Hawai’i, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas or Florida. Another 10 were at ballparks elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest.
OSU has lost just 4 home games to rain during that time, while having 17 games cancelled at sites outside the region and 4 called off at other parks in the region. The Beavers have rescheduled 14 home games, 5 games outside the region and 6 at other parks in the region.
Just for openers
OREGON STATE ON OPENING DAY: Oregon State has a tradition of playing well on Opening Day. After winning 12-4 over Nevada on Feb. 10 in Surprise, Ariz., the Beavers’ all-time record in season-openers is 68-29, and OSU has won 14 of its last 20 season-openers. Oregon State also beat Nevada on March 3 in the Beavers’ home-opener; in home-openers, OSU now has an all-time record of 78-19, with the Beavers winning 17 of their last 19 home-openers and 32 of their last 35.
OSU’s earliest season-opener came in 2002, a 13-5 loss at Arizona State on Jan. 31. Oregon State’s earliest home-opener came in 2005, when the Beavers beat Portland 6-1 on Feb. 15.
Casey in the dugout
OREGON STATE HEAD COACH PAT CASEY: Pat Casey, now in his 12th season at OSU, was named the the West Region Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Pacific-10 Coach of the Year in 2005. Casey was also named Co-Coach of the Year when the College Baseball Foundation announced its National Honors Team.
In January, Casey earned the Slats Gill Sportsperson of the Year Award at the Oregon Sports Banquet. Casey was also named OSU’s Male Sport Coach of the Year at the annual year-end Benny Awards after a 2005 season in which OSU set a school record for wins and Casey passed a pair of personal milestones.
Casey earned his 300th win with the Beavers when Oregon State beat California-Davis 8-0 on Feb. 19, 2005 at the San Diego Tournament, and he earned his 500th win in 18 seasons at OSU and George Fox when the Beavers beat UCLA 3-1 on May 6, 2005.
Casey has a record of 375-248-4 with the Beavers for a winning percentage of .604. Casey’s career record of 546-361-5, which includes 7 years at George Fox in Newberg, for a winning percentage of .601.
Of the 19 head coaches in OSU baseball history, only a pair of men who spent more than 2 decades each guiding the Beavers - Ralph Coleman (1923-28, 1930-31, 1938-66) and Jack Riley (1973-94) - have coached more wins for Oregon State.
Casey was named the Pacific-10 Northern Division Coach of the Year in 1997 after leading the Beavers to a 38-12-1 mark, at the time a school record for wins in a regular season. During Casey’s time at OSU, 32 Beavers have been drafted by Major League Baseball teams and 9 more players have signed with professional teams 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.
The big picture
OREGON STATE’S ALL-TIME RECORD: Oregon State’s all-time record in varsity baseball is now 1,859-1,262-15, a winning percentage of .595. OSU’s all-time record in conference games is now 817-600, a winning percentage of .577. To break the numbers down a step further, since starting varsity baseball in 1907, the Beavers have scored 20,612 runs and allowed 15,864 runs. That’s an average score of 6.57-5.06.
There’s no place like home
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. The ballpark’s first game saw Salem High beat the Beavers 4-0 on April 12, 1907.
Now in their 97th season at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field (OSU didn’t play baseball in 1917, 1944 and 1945), the Beavers are 967-419-1 all-time at home for a winning percentage of .698. This season, Oregon State is 21-3 at home and is averaging 1,320 fans per home date; since the start of the 2005 season, OSU is 47-8 at home.
OSU won its first 12 games at home in 2005, giving the Beavers a 13-game home winning streak over the past 2 seasons. That was the longest home win streak for Oregon State since it won 13 in a row during the 1997-98 seasons.
OSU was 26-5 at home in 2005 and averaged 1,484 fans per home date; that was a record for home wins in a season, beating the 20-4 mark of the 1998 Beavers. During the regular season, the Beavers were 21-4 at home and averaged 1,133 fans per home date.
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. New bleachers have raised capacity for the 2006 season to 2,300 (up from the previous 2,000), with the main grandstand seating approximately 1,400 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.
Club scene
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. Also, anyone entering the OSU Dugout Club Golf Tournament automatically gains membership; this year’s tournament will be held June 29 at Trysting Tree Golf Club in Corvallis. For more information on the OSU Dugout Club, call (541) 737-0598.
Radio days
OREGON STATE RADIO BROADCASTS: Oregon State baseball will again be broadcast this season, with all 56 games available on the internet via subscription at www.osubeavers.com and www.yahoo.com. In addition, both KEJO-AM 1240 in Corvallis and KUIK-AM 1360 in the Portland area will carry most of the Beavers’ schedule, though broadcast schedules for the 2 stations will vary. Mike Parker, the voice of the Beavers, will handle play-by-play with assistance from Jim Wilson and Kip Carlson.
This weekend, KEJO-AM will broadcast all 3 games at Arizona State live. KUIK-AM will not broadcast the Friday or Saturday games, but the Sunday game will be broadcast via tape delay at 4 p.m. KUIK also carries "Diamond Notes" with OSU head coach Pat Casey on Mondays at 4:30 p.m. and "Behind the Mike" with OSU play-by-play announcer Mike Parker on Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m.
OSU games can be heard on the internet via Beaver Nation Insider at www.osubeavers.com; a subscription is $4.95 a month for audio only, $8.95 a month for audio and video, and there is a current special providing audio and video for $79.95 for 15 months. The audio/video packages include 20 live webcasts of OSU games from Goss Stadium at Coleman Field in 2006.
Lights, camera, action
OREGON STATE TELEVISION BROADCASTS, WEBCASTS: Oregon State’s home game against Washington on May 6 was televised live by FSN in the Pacific Northwest. OSU’s game at Southern California on March 18 was televised via tape delay by FSN in the Pacific Northwest.
In addition, 20 OSU home games will be webcast live on www.osubeavers.com and will be available via subscription via Beaver Nation Insider; a subscription is $4.95 a month for audio only, $8.95 a month for
