No. 7 SOFTBALL MAKES EIGHTH CONSECUTIVE NCAA
REGIONAL TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE; No. 7 SEEDED
BEAVERS HOST NEVADA ON FRIDAY AT 4 P.M. IN CORVALLIS
Friday, May 19
Baylor vs. Portland State - 1 p.m. PDT
No. 7 seed Oregon State vs. Nevada - 4 p.m. PDT
ALL GAMES WILL BE PLAYED AT THE OSU SOFTBALL COMPLEX
-CORVALLIS REGIONAL-
Radio broadcast will air on KTHH (990 AM) as well as on
Tournament is double elimination and will run through May 21
BEAVERS IN NCAA REGIONAL ACTION: Oregon State is making its eighth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Regional Tournament and is looking to advance to the College World Series in Oklahoma City, OK, for the first time in school history. OSU has a 20-14 all-time Regional Tournament record. The Beavers have reached the tournament championship game in five appearances (1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005).
TOURNAMENT FORMAT: 2006 marks the second year in which the Regional Tournament field consists of four teams at 16 different sites. Previously, there were eight sites with eight teams at each regional. In the current format, the winners of the double elimination Regional Tournament will advance to play a best two out of three game series against one team in the Super Regional. The eight Super Regional champions will make up the field for the Women’s College World Series.
FAST FACT: Oregon State has never hosted a NCAA postseason softball game.
SCOUTING NEVADA: University of Nevada enters Friday’s first round of the NCAA Regional Tournament with a 33-31 overall record. The Wolf Pack is making its first NCAA Regional appearance after defeating University of Hawaii in a best of three game series to claim the Western Athletic Conference title. Nevada has won 14 of its last 17 games, including a 2-1 victory at No. 23 Fresno State in the WAC Tourney. Sophomore pitcher Jordan McPherson has shouldered the bulk of the pitching load and has a 22-20 overall record with a 2.01 ERA. McPherson has amassed 233 strikeouts on the year while walking just 61 batters. A trio of players are currently batting above .300 - Kaycee Wilcks (.357), Sarah Hunt (.329), and Brittany Lorenzen (.322). Nine different Nevada batters have hit home runs on the season and the squad has hit 90 doubles. The Pack is 0-3 on the season against Pac-10 teams, with losses to Stanford, Arizona State and Washington.
RENO TIES: Oregon State junior All-American pitcher was the high school teammate of Nevada outfielder Cindy Elkins. The duo helped Wooster High School earn four consecutive Nevada 4A state titles.
BEAVERS AGAINST THE FIELD: Here is a quick breakdown of Oregon State’s record against the tournament field:
-Oregon State leads the all-time series against first round opponent University of Nevada by a 6-3-1 margin. The most recent meeting between the schools was an 8-3 Oregon State victory on March 6, 2005 at the CSUF Worth Tournament.
-Oregon State holds a 2-1 all-time record against Baylor University. The Beavers and Bears met earlier this season with OSU coming away with a 3-1 victory on Feb. 25 at the Palm Springs Classic. Seven different Beaver batters picked up hits in the game and Baylor’s lone run came on a seventh inning home run from Tessa Lynam. Baylor trainer Kelly Bare spent the past three seasons as a graduate assistant trainer for the Oregon State softball team.
-Oregon State holds a commanding 68-29-1 all-time record against Portland State University. The Beavers and Vikings split a pair of games earlier this season at the OSU Softball Complex. Oregon State pounded 14 hits, but left 12 runners stranded on base and PSU used 10 hits to earn a 6-4 victory in the Apr. 18 opener. Beaver third baseman used a 2-RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning to break-up Viking pitcher Michelle Hext’s no-hitter and lead Oregon State to a 3-0 victory in the night-cap. Oregon State assistant coach and her sister, Traci, Portland State’s graduate assistant coach, both competed in the NCAA Regional Tournament for Oregon State.
PAC-10 POSTSEASON: Seven Pacific-10 Conference teams have reached the 2006 NCAA Regional Tournament - marking the eighth straight season that at least seven of the eight conference teams have reached the postseason. Last year marked the 22nd time in 24 years that the Pac-10 sent at least one team to the Women’s College World Series championship game. The Pac-10 has won 17 NCAA softball championships since 1982 - more than any other conference.
STILL SEARCHING FOR 40: Oregon State enters the postseason with a 38-13 overall record. The Beavers have posted 40 or more wins in six of the last seven seasons.
ALL-PAC-10 HONOREES: Oregon State had six players receive All-Pacific-10 Conference honors on the season. Junior pitcher earned first team honors for back-to-back seasons and sophomore utility player also garnered first team status after being an honorable mention pick a year ago. The two first teamers marked the first time in Oregon State history that two Beaver players received first team Pac-10 accolades in the same season. Senior outfielder earned second team Pac-10 honors for the third straight year and became one of just three players (Tarrah Beyster and Jodi Chmielewski) to garner Pac-10 honors in all four years of her career. Junior shortstop also earned second team honors for the second straight year and is a three-time selection. Senior catcher picked up honorable mention accolades for the second straight year, while freshman was an honorable mention pick in her inaugural season.
FROM THE BATTERS BOX: Oregon State enters the week with an amazing eight different players on the roster batting above .300. The Beavers currently hold a .291 team batting average - the highest batting average in program history since joining the Pacific-10 Conference in 1987 (OSU finished the 2003 campaign with a .274 clip from the plate). Junior shortstop leads the team with a .331 (55-for-166) clip from the plate to go along with a team-leading 13 doubles. Freshman ranks second on the squad with a .323 (41-for-127) average. Young has hit above .300 throughout the season and ranks third on the team in home runs (7) and fourth in slugging percentage (.583). Senior outfielder is hitting a career-best .316 (49-for-155) with 29 runs scored and a team-best 35 RBI. Sophomore utility player is batting .314 (53-for-169) and led the team with a .313 (21-for-67) batting average during Pac-10 games. Miranda has scored an OSU single season record 46 runs and leads the squad with 14 homers.
FROM THE CIRCLE: Beaver junior pitchers (24-6) and (14-7) 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 201 strikeouts in 210.1 innings of work, while McElroy has 94 K’s in 120.0 innings of action. McGowan has totaled 630 career strikeouts - the fourth highest total of any pitcher in OSU history and she is the only hurler to tally back-to-back 200-plus strikeout seasons.
THIS, THAT, AND THE OTHER: Six of Oregon State’s 13 losses on the season have been by just one run...Shortstop is the only player to start every game of the season in the same position... ranks second in the Pac-10 lead in runs scored with 46 and ranks third in home runs with 14...Junior has tallied 17 RBI with 2-outs...Oregon State is 28-3 when scoring first...The Beavers are 25-1 on the season when tallying more hits than their opponent.
BEAVERS IN THE TOP 25: Oregon State finished the regular season with a No. 7 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll. Seven Pacific-10 Conference squads ranked in the Top 25; 1. UCLA, 3. Arizona, 6. California, 7. Oregon State, 9. Arizona State, 10. Stanford, 17. Washington. The Beavers dropped three spots to a No. 9 ranking in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll. OSU posted a program-best No. 5 ranking in both polls on May 3.
FACING THE BEST: The No. 7 ranked Beavers hold a 13-12 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.
BEATING THE COMPETITION: Oregon State has an advantage over its opponents in several statistical categories:
- Batting average: .291-.233
- Runs scored: 246-119
- RBI: 225-106
- Home Runs: 52-25
- Total bases: 619-333
- Slugging percentage: .461-.332
- Earned run average: 2.07-4.23
THE WINNING STREAK: No. 7 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 55-34 all-time record in games played at the OSU Softball Complex. The Beavers boast a 21-30 mark against opponents ranked in the Top 25. OSU finished the 2006 regular season campaign with a 12-5 mark in Corvallis. The Beavers have never played a postseason game in Corvallis.
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 - the exact spot where the Beavers finished the 2006 campaign. Last year’s defending national championship runner-up, UCLA, was picked to finish first.
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 415-321-3 and a 90-189 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.
