No. 8 OSU Greets Field For NCAA Corvallis Regional
FRIDAY, JUNE 2
Game 1: Hawai’i vs. Kansas, 12 noon
Game 2: Wright State at Oregon State, 5 p.m.
SATURDAY, JUNE 3
Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 1 p.m.
Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 6 p.m.
SUNDAY, JUNE 4
Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, 1 p.m.
Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6 p.m.
(if winner is Game 4 winner, tournament is over)
MONDAY, JUNE 5 (if necessary)
Game 7: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 2 p.m.
(For Oregon State’s games, live radio on KEJO-AM 1240 in Corvallis area, live radio on KUIK-AM 1360 in Portland area. For all games, live stats on the internet at www.ncaasports.com. For all games, live video via subscrpipton on the internet at www.osubeavers.com. The availability of live audeo for tournament games is being determined.)
With the Pacific-10 championship already in hand, Oregon State now starts working toward its next goal of the 2006 baseball season - reaching the College World Series. What is hoped to be the road to Omaha begins in Corvallis this weekend, as the Beavers (39-14 overall, 16-7 Pacific-10) play host to the NCAA Corvallis Regional at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field.
OSU is the No. 1 seed for the four-team, double-elimination tournament that runs Friday through Monday. The Beavers will greet No. 2 seed Kansas (42-23, 13-14 Big 12), No. 3 seed Hawai’i (43-15, 17-6 Western Athletic) and No. 4 seed Wright State (30-25, 17-13 Horizon). First-round pairings have OSU playing Wright State on Friday at 5 p.m.; Kansas and Hawai’i will open the tournament on Friday at 12 noon.
"Everybody in all sports, in the postseason they step up," OSU head coach Pat Casey said. "The games are going to rise to that. The pitching usually wins the games in tournaments and we feel like we’ve got good pitching, so we’ve got to come out and play against some good clubs. We don’t know a whole lot about these clubs, but we’re going to find out and it will be fun."
For OSU, it’s the second straight year in the postseason and the second straight year that the Beavers have hosted the NCAA Regionals. Oregon State is 22-3 at home this season, and the Beavers are 48-9 over the past two seasons at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field.
"To be able to play at home, that’s a big advantage for us," Casey said. "It was an advantage last year, and hopefully it will be an advantage this year. I think anytime somebody travels and is in a new setting they have to get used to it, and hopefully we can come out and be sharp. I think the things that are going to win games in regionals are pitching and defense, and I feel those are two of our strong suits."
"We’re just going to go out and try to do what we normally do, and play one game at a time. We’ve just got to worry about ourselves and what we can do, and that’s be efficient in the small things that are important in the game."
Added OSU pitcher Kevin Gunderson: "We’re excited; we’re real excited. We want to have a good week of practice and get out there and really do our thing. We’ve got to focus on those things, and I’m sure our coaches will do a good job of getting scouting reports on the teams that are coming in.
"It’s a tough regional, and there are no easy wins. Anything can happen in the Regionals and the Super Regionals and the World Series. It’s first things first – we’ve got to take care of the regional here, and hopefully we’ll get good crowds and play up to our potential."
The Beavers will go into the postseason with a load of All-Pacific-10 honors, as voted on by the conference’s coaches. Topping the list were the Pac-10 Player of the Year, junior outfielder Cole Gillespie (.370, 11, 50), and Coach of the Year Pat Casey; it was the second straight year that OSU had earned Player of the Year (Jacoby Ellsbury shared the award in 2005) and Coach of the Year. Senior second baseman Chris Kunda also earned the conference’s initial Defensive Player of the Year award.
A trio of Beavers earned all-conference first team honors for the second straight season - sophomore shortstop Darwin Barney (.348, 0, 29), junior righthanders Dallas Buck (11-2, 2.92) and Jonah Nickerson (9-4, 2.61) and junior lefthander Kevin Gunderson (2-2, 2.54, 15 saves). Earning honorable mention from OSU were sophomore catcher Mitch Canham (.302, 7, 43), senior second baseman Chris Kunda (.288, 0, 30) and senior third baseman Shea McFeely (.307, 2, 43).
Wright State won the Horizon League tournament after finishing third in the regular season. In last week’s tournament, the Raiders beat Cleveland State 16-1, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 20-3 and Butler 12-0 and 4-1. WSU’s rotation for the weekend has senior righthander Robert Barrett (8-3 record, 2.80 earned run average) going against Oregon State on Friday, then junior righthander Erich Schanz (6-3, 3.79) on Saturday and senior righthander Chris Snyder (4-7, 5.47) on Sunday. At the plate, the Raiders have been led by junior infielder Ross Oeder (.377 batting average, 1 home run, 26 runs batted in), senior outfielder Justin Wilson (.335, 6, 32), junior infielder Dan Biedenharn (.330, 0, 26), senior catcher Aaron Garcia (.325, 3, 35) and senior outfielder Amin Abusaleh (.322, 7, 37).
Hawai’i earned an at-large bid to the NCAAs after placing second in the Western Athletic Conference tournament, losing the championship game to Fresno State 8-4 after beating Louisiana Tech 8-0, losing to Nevada 10-3, beating Louisiana Tech 8-2, and beating Nevada 11-2. The Rainbows also finished second to Fresno State in the WAC’s regular-season race. UH will start junior righthander Steven Wright (11-2, 2.30) on Friday, then go with junior lefthander Ian Harrington (8-3, 4.09) and senior righthander Justin Costi (8-2, 4.14) in the next two games, with the order to be determined. At the plate, top hitters for Hawai’i have been junior infielder Justin Frash (.368, 3, 53), senior outfielder/catcher Matt Inouye (.337, 0, 34), senior outfielder Robbie Wilder (.335, 1, 17) and senior first baseman Luis Avila (.333, 8, 54).
Kansas won the Big 12 Tournament, beating Nebraska 9-7 in che championship game after topping Oklahoma 7-2, Oklahoma State 11-6 and Missouri 4-3; KU had tied for fifth place during the regular season. The Jayhawks will pitch senior righthander Kodiak Quick (11-4, 3.36) on Friday, then go with junior lefthander Sean Land (5-6, 4.93) on Saturday and senior righthander Ricky Fairchild (6-6, 5.65) on Sunday. At the plate, KU has been paced by senior infielder Jared Schweitzer (.358, 9, 37), sophomore outfielder John Allman (.335, 6, 50) and senior outfielder Gus Milner (.332, 7, 56).
Oregon State lineup (statistics through May 28)
C - Mitch Canham, so., Lake Stevens, Wash. (Lake Stevens HS);
.302, 7 HRs, 43 RBIs
or - Casey Priseman, so.; Woodinville, Wash. (Woodinville HS);
.200, 0 HRs, 3 RBIs
or - Erik Ammon, so.; Salem, Ore. (U. of Hawai’i);
.357, 0 HRs, 4 RBIs
1B - Bill Rowe, sr.; Ashland, Ore. (U. of California-Santa Barbara);
.323, 5 HRs, 38 RBIs
2B - Chris Kunda, sr.; Philomath, Ore. (Philomath HS);
.288, 0 HRs, 30 RBIs
3B - Shea McFeely, sr.; Federal Way, Wash. (Tacoma CC);
.307, 2 HRs, 43 RBIs
SS - Darwin Barney, so.; Beaverton, Ore. (Southridge HS);
.348, 0 HRs, 29 RBIs
LF - Cole Gillespie, jr.; West Linn, Ore. (West Linn HS);
.370, 11 HRs, 50 RBIs
CF - Tyler Graham, jr.; Great Falls, Mont. (C.M. Russell HS);
.260, 1 HR, 11 RBIs
RF - Scott Santschi, jr.; Vancouver, Wash. (CC of Spokane);
.290, 1 HR, 27 RBIs
or - John Wallace, fr.; Reno, Nev. (Reno HS);
.341, 0 HRs, 15 RBIs
DH - Mike Lissman, jr.; Ontario, Ore. (Ontario HS);
.316, 0 HRs, 8 RBIs
or - Ryan Gipson, sr.; Central Point, Ore. (Shasta JC);
.207, 0 HRs, 13 RBIs
or - Geoff Wagner, sr.; Redmond, Ore. (Central Oregon CC);
.250, 1 HR, 10 RBIs
(Tentative pitching rotation)
Fri., RHP - Dallas Buck, jr.; Newberg, Ore. (Newberg HS);
11-2 record, 2.92 ERA
Sat., RHP - Jonah Nickerson, jr.; Oregon City, Ore. (Oregon City HS);
9-4 record, 2.61 ERA
Sun., RHP - Mike Stutes, so.; Lake Oswego, Ore. (Santa Clara U.);
6-2 record, 2.71 ERA
Mon. - To be announced
Post patterns
OREGON STATE ALL-TIME IN THE POSTSEASON: Oregon State has an all-time record of 10-15 in NCAA postseason games. The Beavers have gone 8-10 in Regionals, 2-1 in Super Regionals and 0-4 in the College World Series. This is OSU’s eighth appearance in the NCAA postseason, following trips in 1952, 1962, 1963, 1983, 1985 and 1986.
OSU’s last trip to the NCAAs was last season, when the Beavers advanced to the College World Series. OSU went unbeaten in the Corvallis Regional, topping Ohio State 4-3 and St. John’s (N.Y.) 11-1 and 19-3. The Beavers then won the Corvallis Super Regional, beating Southern California 10-4, losing 9-8 in 10 innings, and winning 10-8. At the CWS, Oregon State lost to Tulane 3-1 and Baylor 4-3 in 10 innings.
This is the fourth time OSU has hosted NCAA postseason play at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. In addition to the 2005 Regionals and Super Regionals, the Beaver ballpark was the site of a 1963 regional championship series that saw eventual national champion Southern California win 6-5, OSU win 8-6, and then USC take the deciding game 7-5. In 1952, the Beavers beat Fresno State to earn the Far West regional title, sweeping the series 2-1 and 8-4.
It’s history
OREGON STATE ALL-TIME VS. THIS WEEK’S OPPONENTS: Oregon State has an all-time record of 1-0 against Wright State. The only previous meeting came in 1996, when the Beavers took a 3-2 win in the Hawai’i Easter Tournament.
This would be the first meeting between Oregon State and Kansas.
Oregon State has an all-time record of 4-15 against Hawai’i in a series dating back to 1961, and the Beavers have lost the last 3 meetings against the Rainbows. The teams last met in 2004 at the Hawai’i Easter Tournament, with UH winning 10-1 and 7-3.
This and that
OREGON STATE NOTES: Outfielder Cole Gillespie has Oregon State’s longest current hitting streak at 11 games. 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 ... Gillespie leads the Beavers in multi-hit games with 24 while Barney has 23, McFeely 20, catcher Mitch Canhamn 17 and first baseman Bill Rowe 17 each, second baseman Chris Kunda 12, and outfielder Scott Santshi 11 and outfielder John Wallace 10 ... Gillespie also leads the Beavers in multi-RBI games with 14 while McFeely has 11, Santschi 10, Barney, Canham and Rowe 9 each, and Kunda 8 ... not only has OSU stolen 63 bases to just 24 by its opponents this season, but the Beavers have also been successful at a much higher percentage, .741 to .500 ... in another measure of speed, the Beavers have also out-tripled their opponents 27-9 ... OSU is 22-4 this season at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field, and since the start of the 2005 season the Beavers are 48-9 in their home ballpark. The Beavers won their first 12 home games of 2006 for a 13-game home winning streak over 2 seasons; that was their longest home streak since OSU also won 13 in a row at home over the 1997 and 1998 seasons ...
Want to win a Pacific-10 Player of the Week or Pitcher of the Week honor? Just win the conference title. OSU led the conference for the second half of the season and generally had the best overall record and highest ranking of any team in the conference, and it was a true team effort. The Beavers didn’t have a player earn one of the Pac-10’s weekly honors until the weekend that they clinched a tie for the conference title by sweeping Washington State from May 19-May 21; catcher Mitch Canham and pitcher Dallas Buck got the nod for their performances at WSU. The next week, as OSU split a pair of home games with UCLA to wrap up sole possession of a second straight conference title, outfielder Cole Gillespie earned the Player of the Week award ...
Oregon State clinched at least a share of the Pacific-10 title for the second straight season by taking a 3-game sweep at Washington State from May 19-21. In OSU’s varsity baseball history, which dates back to 1907, it’s the Beavers’ 22nd regular-season championship. This is the first time Oregon State has won back-to-back titles since taking the Pacific-10 Northern Division Tournament in both the 1985 and 1986 seasons; the last time OSU won back-to-back regular-season titles came with the 1982 and 1983 Pac-10 Northern Division championships ... You want to talk about quality starts? OSU got a trio of top-flight efforts as the Beavers swept WSU. Junior righthander Dallas Buck pitched a 3-hitter in a 16-1 win to start the series, junior righthander Jonah Nickerson followed that with a 5-hitter in a 10-2 win in the second game, and then sophomore righthander Mike Stutes blanked the Cougars for 5-plus innings of a 13-3 win in the finale ... OSU’s sweep at Washington State meant the Beavers haven’t lost a game in the Evergreen State in the past 2 seasons. Oregon State had earned a sweep at Washington in 2005 ... OSU’s 10-run fifth inning in a 16-1 win at Washington State on May 19 was the Beavers’ first double-digit inning of the season; it was the most runs in a frame for the Beavers since they scored 13 against St. John’s in the championship game of the 2005 NCAA Corvallis Regional ...
After taking the loss against Gonzaga on Feb. 10, Oregon State closer Kevin Gunderson didn’t suffer another loss until May 13 at Arizona State. Gunderson responded in a big way, though, being credited with the win the next day as the Beavers eeked out a 9-8 win to keep hold of sole possession of first place in the Pac-10 standings ... with his playing time limited by injuries this season, OSU outfielder Tyler Graham didn’t steal a base from Mar. 4-May 14. He ended the drought at a crucial time; after reaching base on an error with 2 out in the ninth inning, he swiped second base and that allowed him to score the winning run moments later in a 9-8 victory as Mitch Canham’s grounder was misplayed ... going into a series at Arizona State from May 12-14, Oregon State had won all 27 games in which it led after 6 innings. The Beavers then saw that streak end as leads got away in the seventh and eighth innings of the first 2 games of the series against the Sun Devils ...
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 the April 30 game against New Mexico 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 ... junior righthander Jonah Nickerson’s 13 strikeouts in in OSU’s 8-4 win over Cal Poly on Apr. 29 were the most by an OSU pitcher since 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 33 runs, 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 OSU has swept Cal. Since the Pac-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 2001-02 ... 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 how 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 Goss Stadium at Coleman Field on April, 9, because the raw materials were available. With OSU’s Anton Maxwell about to throw the first pitch against Arizona, the contest was delayed several minutes when a rooster wandered onto the leftfield warning track. It eluded capture for a few minutes before being nabbed by the OSU grounds crew and several Beavers, then was removed from the ballpark through a gate in – you guessed it – fowl territory. The rooster was turned over to a public safety officer with five hens – but no rooster – on his property ... There have been all kinds of postponements on the West Coast this season, and OSU was involved in a unique one. 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. 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 for the Beavers and Broncs on Apr. 1. UTPA’s travel plans meant playing Apr. 2 wasn’t an option, so the teams played the nearly 7 innings remaining in their first game and then their regularly scheduled doubleheader on Apr. 1. Saturday’s first pitch 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 included 141 outs, 223 plate appearances, 14 pitching changes, 51 hits, 30 runs, 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, in terms of playing time, but not in terms of innings. 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 the 2 2/3 games took 7:24 of actual playing time. 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 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
May 15 10th 6th 7th 9th
May 22 8th 5th 5th 6th tie
May 29 8th 5th 4th 5th
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
May 15 35th 4th
May 22 29th 4th
May 29 30th 4th
We’re nationwide
OREGON STATE AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS: Here is where Oregon State ranks among the NCAA Division I leaders through May 28 (complete lists of leaders can be found at www.ncaasports.com/baseball/mens/stats):
INDIVIDUAL DOUBLES (per game)
21. Cole Gillespie 0.40
INDIVIDUAL TRIPLES (per game)
31. Shea McFeely 0.11
INDIVIDUAL FEWEST STRIKEOUTS (at-bats per strikeout)
28. Darwin Barney 15.9
INDIVIDUAL RUNS (per game)
2. Cole Gillespie 1.38
INDIVIDUAL SLUGGING PERCENTAGE
27. Cole Gillespie .683
INDIVIDUAL WALKS (per game)
28. Cole Gillespie 0.78
INDIVIDUAL EARNED RUN AVERAGE
71. Jonah Nickerson 2.61
85. Mike Stutes 2.71
INDIVIDUAL WINS
11. (tie) Dallas Buck 11
INDIVIDUAL SAVES
3. Kevin Gunderson 15
TEAM BATTING AVERAGE
88. Oregon State .302
TEAM RUNS (per game)
53. Oregon State 7.1
TEAM SLUGGING PERCENTAGE
97. Oregon State .433
TEAM TRIPLES (per game)
6. Oregon State 0.51
TEAM DOUBLES (per game)
79. Oregon State 1.92
TEAM EARNED RUN AVERAGE
24. Oregon State 3.53
TEAM STRIKEOUTS (per 9 innings)
70. Oregon State 7.3
TEAM FIELDING PERCENTAGE
18. Oregon State .973
DOUBLE PLAYS (per game)
57. Oregon State 0.96
TEAM WINNING PERCENTAGE
13. Oregon State .736
Pac men
OREGON STATE AMONG PACIFIC-10 LEADERS: Here is where Oregon State ranks among Pacific-10 leaders through May 28 (complete lists of leaders can be found at www.pac-10.org):
INDIVIDUAL BATTING
4. Cole Gillespie .370
10. Darwin Barney .348
INDIVIDUAL SLUGGING PERCENTAGE
1. Cole Gillespie .683
INDIVIDUAL ON-BASE PERCENTAGE
2. Cole Gillespie .492
8. Darwin Barney .455
INDIVIDUAL RUNS
1. Cole Gillespie 69
INDIVIDUAL RUNS BATTED IN
7. Cole Gillespie 50
INDIVIDUAL DOUBLES
3. Cole Gillespie 20
6. (tie) Bill Rowe 18
INDIVIDUAL TRIPLES
2. (tie) Shea McFeely 6
4. (tie) Mitch Canham 5
INDIVIDUAL HOME RUNS
4. (tie) Cole Gillespie 11
INDIVIDUAL TOTAL BASES
5. Cole Gillespie 129
INDIVIDUAL WALKS
2. Cole Gillespie 39
3. Darwin Barney 37
8. (tie) Shea McFeely 30
INDIVIDUAL STOLEN BASES
4. (tie) Cole Gillespie 14
4. (tie) Darwin Barney 14
INDIVIDUAL EARNED RUN AVERAGE
3. Jonah Nickerson 2.61
4. Mike Stutes 2.71
6. Dallas Buck 2.92
INDIVIDUAL OPPONENTS BATTING AVG.
2. Dallas Buck .199
4. Mike Stutes .227
7. Jonah Nickerson .253
INNINGS PITCHED
5. (tie) Dallas Buck 101.2
7. Jonah Nickerson 100.0
INDIVIDUAL STRIKEOUTS
4. (tie) Jonah Nickerson 97
INDIVIDUAL WINS
2. Dallas Buck 11
3. Jonah Nickerson 9
10. (tie) Mike Stutes 6
INDIVIDUAL SAVES
1. Kevin Gunderson 15
TEAM BATTING AVERAGE
5. Oregon State .302
TEAM SLUGGING PERCENTAGE
5. Oregon State .433
TEAM ON-BASE PERCENTAGE
2. Oregon State .401
TEAM EARNED RUN AVERAGE
1. Oregon State 3.53
TEAM OPPONENTS BATTING AVERAGE
1. Oregon State .240
TEAM FIELDING PERCENTAGE
2. Oregon State .973
Conference call
2006 BEAVERS ON PACIFIC-10 ALL-TIME LISTS: Here are the 2006 Beavers on the Pacific-10 all-time leaders lists through May 28:
CAREER SAVES
1. Jack Krawczyk, Southern California,
1995-98 49
> 2. Kevin Gunderson, Oregon State,
2004-present 32 <
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 28:
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.
RUNS IN A SEASON, INDIVIDUAL: 69; Cole Gillespie, 2006.
SAVES IN A SEASON, INDIVIDUAL: 15, Kevin Gunderson, 2006.
SAVES IN A CAREER, INDIVIDUAL: 32, Kevin Gunderson, 2004-present.
HIT BATTERS IN A CAREER, INDIVIDUAL: 71, Dallas Buck, 2004-present.
TRIPLES IN A SEASON, TEAM (TIED): 27, 2006, 2002.
You just made the list
2006 BEAVERS ON OREGON STATE ALL-TIME 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 May 28:
CAREER AT-BATS
4. Ken Bowen, 1984-87 643
5. Brian Barden, 2000-02 639
6. Aaron Anderson, 1988-92 613
> 8. Shea McFeely, 2004-present 605 <
7. Pete Rowe, 1974-77 593
9. Ryan Lipe, 1995-98 581
10. Kevin Hooker, 1991-95 577
> Chris Kunda, 2003-present 542 <
CAREER HITS
5. Joe Gerber, 1997-2000 201
6. Chris Biles, 2000-03 199
7. Drew Hedges, 1997-2000 187
8. Pete Rowe, 1974-77 186
> (tie) Shea McFeely, 2004-present 186 <
CAREER RUNS
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, 2003-05 168
2. Ken Bowen, 1984-87 150
3. Todd Thomas, 1980-83 148
(tie) Brian Barden, 2000-02 148
5. Andy Jarvis, 2000-03 141
6. Drew Hedges, 1997-2000 139
> 7. Shea McFeely, 2004-present 137 <
CAREER DOUBLES
5. Brian Barden, 2000-02 39
6. Seth Pietsch, 2001-03 38
7. Drew Hedges, 1997-2000 37
(tie) Jacoby Ellsbury, 2003-05 37
9. Ken Bowen, 1984-87 36
10. Troy Schader, 1997-99 35
> (tie) Chris Kunda, 2003-present 35 <
> Shea McFeely, 2004-present 34 <
> Cole Gillespie, 2004-present 28 <
CAREER TOTAL BASES
5. Chris Biles, 2000-03 318
6. Ken Bowen, 1984-87 303
7. Bob McNair, 1978-80 285
8. Drew Hedges, 1997-2000 283
9. Seth Pietsch, 2001-03 274
> 10. Shea McFeely, 2004-present 272 <
CAREER TRIPLES
1. Todd Thomas, 1980-83 13
2. Chuck Fisk, 1952-55 10
(tie) Seth Pietsch, 2001-03 10
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
> (tie) Shea McFeely, 2004-present 8 <
> Mitch Canham, 2004-present 7 <
> Cole Gillespie, 2004-present 6 <
> Chris Kunda, 2003-present 5 <
CAREER WALKS
1. Ken Bowen, 1984-87 120
2. Mickey Riley, 1980-83 118
3. Rich Dodge, 1974-77 111
4. Matt Bailie, 1995-98 106
> 5. Shea McFeely, 2004-present 104 <
CAREER STOLEN BASES
7. Rich Dodge, 1974-77 40
8. R.A. Neitzel, 1988-90 39
9. Bryan Ganter, 1984-87 36
10. Quinn Williams, 1983-86 35
(tie) Jason Stranberg, 1996-98 35
> Tyler Graham, 2003-present 33 <
CAREER WINS
1. Ken Noble, 1975-78 30 (30-17)
2. Mike Gorman, 1979-82 28 (28-16)
(tie) John Sipple, 1984-88 28 (28-13)
(tie) Jeff Post, 1989-92 28 (28-14)
5. Cecil Ira, 1961-63 27 (27-9)
> 6. Dallas Buck, 2004-present 26 (26-9) <
7. Scott Anderson, 1981-84 25 (25-17)
8. Andrew Checketts, 1996-98 24 (24-7)
9. Jeff Otis, 1986-90 23 (23-14)
10. Mason Smith, 1991-94 22 (22-18)
> (tie) Jonah Nickerson, 2004-pres. 22 (22-9) <
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. Jonah Nickerson, 2004-present 265 <
3. John Sipple, 1984-88 263
4. Scott Anderson, 1981-84 258
> 5. Dallas Buck, 2004-present 250 <
CAREER INNINGS PITCHED
4. Scott Anderson, 1981-84 325.2
5. Jeff Otis, 1986-90 306.0
> 6. Dallas Buck, 2004-present 300.0 <
7. Jeff Post, 1989-92 286.0
8. Cecil Ira, 1961-63 281.0
9. Stephen Copeland, 2000-03 274.0
10. John Sipple, 1984-88 267.0
> Jonah Nickerson, 2004-present 256.0 <
SEASON AT-BATS
2. Brian Barden, 2002 232
3. Aaron Mathews, 2004 227
4. Brian Barden, 2001 226
(tie) Darwin Barney, 2005 226
6. Seth Pietsch, 2003 224
7. Josh Carter, 2001 220
8. Andy Jarvis, 2003 217
9. Andy Jarvis, 2001 214
10. Shea McFeely, 2005 213
> Shea McFeely, 2006 212 <
> Darwin Barney, 2006 207 <
SEASON HITS
2. Brian Barden, 2001 83
3. Brian Barden, 2002 81
(tie) Andy Jenkins, 2005 81
5. Josh Carter, 2001 78
(tie) Seth Pietsch, 2003 78
7. R.A. Neitzel, 1990 75
8. Dave Brundage, 1986 74
(tie) Joe Gerber, 1999 74
(tie) Joe Gerber, 2000 74
(tie) Aaron Mathews, 2004 74
> Darwin Barney, 2006 72 <
> Cole Gillespie, 2006 70 <
> Shea McFeely, 2006 65 <
SEASON RUNS
> 1. Cole Gillespie, 2006 69 <
2. Jason Stranberg, 1997 67
3. Jacoby Ellsbury, 2003 56
(tie) Jacoby Ellsbury, 2004 56
(tie) Jacoby Ellsbury, 2005 56
6. Dave Brundage, 1985 55
7. Ben Bertrand, 1997 52
(tie) Seth Pietsch, 2003 52
9. Chris Wakeland, 1996 51
(tie) Brian Barden, 2001 51
(tie) Seth Pietsch, 2002 51
> Darwin Barney, 2006 46 <
> Shea McFeely, 2006 45 <
SEASON DOUBLES
1. Seth Pietsch, 2002 24
(tie) Tony Calderon, 2003 24
3. Chris Biles, 2003 23
> 4. Cole Gillespie, 2006 20 <
5. A.J. Marquardt, 1993 19
(tie) Joe Gerber, 2000 19
(tie) Jacoby Ellsbury, 2005 19
8. Jeff Brauning, 1989 18
(tie) Troy Schader, 1999 18
(tie) Josh Carter, 2001 18
> (tie) Bill Rowe, 2006 18 <
> Chris Kunda, 2006 13 <
> Scott Santschi, 2006 12 <
> Darwin Barney, 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
> (tie) Shea McFeely, 2006 6 <
7. Twink Pederson, 1956 5
(tie) Lute Barnes, 1968 5
(tie) Dave Backen, 1980 5
(tie) David Anderson, 1992 5
> (tie) Mitch Canham, 2006 5 <
SEASON HOME RUNS
4. Al Hunsinger, 1980 13
(tie) Joe Gerber, 1999 13
6. Steve Smith, 1983 12
(tie) David Schmidt, 1996 12
(tie) Andy Jarvis, 2001 12
(tie) Seth Pietsch, 2003 12
10. Chris Newman, 1983 11
(tie) Joe Gerber, 1998 11
(tie) Zach Gordon, 2000 11
(tie) Andy Jarvis, 2002 11
> (tie) Cole Gillespie, 2004-present 11 <
SEASON RUNS BATTED IN
4. Bob McNair, 1980 59
5. Joe Gerber, 1999 57
6. Andy Jenkins, 2005 56
7. Brian Barden, 2001 55
8. Al Hunsinger, 1981 54
(tie) Ryan Lipe, 1997 54
(tie) Ben Bertrand, 1998 54
(tie) Josh Carter, 2001 54
> Cole Gillespie, 2006 50 <
SEASON WALKS
3. Jeff Doyle, 1976 45
4. Lance Rice, 1988 42
5. Ben Bertrand, 1998 41
6. Ken Bowen, 1986 40
(tie) Dave Brundage, 1986 40
(tie) Troy Haugen, 1989 40
(tie) Joe Gerber, 2000 40
(tie) Shea McFeely, 2004 40
> Cole Gillespie, 2006 39 <
SEASON TOTAL BASES
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, 2005 142
2. Seth Pietshc, 2003 133
> 3. Cole Gillespie, 2006 129 <
SEASON WINS
1. Scott Christman, 1993 14 (14-1)
2. Dallas Buck, 2005 12 (12-1)
3. Cecil Ira, 1962 11 (11-3)
(tie) Jeff Reece, 1983 11 (11-3)
(tie) Mason Smith, 1994 11 (11-3)
(tie) Andrew Checketts, 1998 11 (11-1)
(tie) Scott Nicholson, 2001 11 (11-2)
(tie) Jake Postlewait, 2004 11 (11-3)
(tie) Anton Maxwell, 2005 11 (11-1)
> (tie) Dallas Buck, 2006 11 (11-2) <
10. 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)
> Jonah Nickerson, 2006 9 (9-3) <
SEASON SAVES
> 1. Kevin Gunderson, 2006 15 <
SEASON STRIKEOUTS
3. Dallas Buck, 2005 118
4. Mason Smith, 1994 115
5. Jonah Nickerson, 2005 114
6. Chris Pine, 1998 104
7. Jeff Reece, 1983 100
8. Scott Anderson, 1984 98
(tie) Scott Christman, 1992 98
10. Denny Straub, 1964 97
> (tie) Jonah Nickerson, 2006 97 <
SEASON INNINGS PITCHED
5. Cecil Ira, 1962 116.2
6. Mike Thurman, 1994 114.2
7. Scott Christman, 1993 110.2
8. Jonah Nickerson, 2005 110.0
9. Scott Anderson, 1994 108.1
10. Jeff Post, 1992 107.2
> Dallas Buck, 2006 101.2 <
> Jonah Nickerson, 2006 100.0 <
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 28:
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: May 20, 2006; Jonah Nickerson at Washington State. OSU 10, Washington State 2.
THREW BACK-TO-BACK COMPLETE GAMES: May 19-20, 2006; Dallas Buck and Jonah Nickerson at Washington State. OSU 16, Washington State 1; OSU 10, Washington State 2.
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: Apr. 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: May 19, 2006; Darwin Barney at Washington State. OSU 16, Washington State 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: May 19, 2005; Mitch Canham at Washington State. OSU 16, Washington State 1.
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, 2006; 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 13 RUNS IN AN INNING: June 5, 2005; second inning vs. St. John’s. OSU 19, St. John’s 3.
SCORED 12 RUNS IN AN INNING: June 5, 2005; second inning vs. St. John’s (scored 13 runs). OSU 19, St. John’s 3.
SCORED 11 RUNS IN AN INNING: June 5, 2005; second inning vs. St. John’s (scored 13 runs). OSU 19, St. John’s 3.
SCORED 10 RUNS IN AN INNING: May 19, 2006; fifth inning at Washington State. OSU 16, Washington State 1.
Pac it up
BEAVERS EARNING ALL-PACIFIC-10 HONORS: After winning the Pacific-10 championship, Oregon State earned high honors when the all-conference selections were announced. Beaver junior outfielder Cole Gillespie (West Linn, Ore./West Linn HS) was named the Pacific-10 Player of the Year and OSU head coach Pat Casey was named the Pacific-10 Coach of the Year. It was the second straight year that the Beavers garnered both honors, as former outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury had shared the Player of the Year honor in 2005. Senior second baseman Chris Kunda (Philomath, Ore./Philomath HS) earned the conference’s initial Defensive Player of the Year award.
A trio of Beavers earned all-conference first team honors for the second straight season - sophomore shortstop Darwin Barney (Beaverton, Ore./Southridge HS), junior righthanders Dallas Buck (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS) and Jonah Nickerson (Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City HS) and junior lefthander Kevin Gunderson (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic HS). Earning honorable mention from OSU were sophomore catcher Mitch Canham (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens HS), senior third baseman Shea McFeely (Federal Way, Wash./Tacoma CC) and Kunda.
Hitting the books
BEAVERS EARNING ALL-ACADEMIC HONORS: Oregon State’s Mitch Canham (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens HS) was a first-team selection and teammate Jake McCormick (Marysville, Calif./Erindale HS, Australia) earned honorable mention when the Pacific-10 All-Academic Baseball Team was announced. To be named to the team, players must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average. Canham, a sophomore catcher, has a 3.49 GPA and is majoring in Business Administration. Canham was on the Pac-10 All-Academic second team last season. McCormick, a junior utility player, has a 3.05 GPA and is majoring in Sociology. McCormick also earned Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention in 2005.
U-S-A! U-S-A!
BARNEY PICKED FOR TEAM USA TRIALS: Oregon State sophomore shortstop Darwin Barney (Beaverton, Ore./Southridge HS) is among 20 players from across the country to earn an invitation to the 2006 USA Baseball National Team Trials. Barney’s invitation makes this the third straight year that an OSU player has been selected for the USA Baseball National Team Trials, as pitchers Jonah Nickerson and Kevin Gunderson were selected for Team USA last season and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury was invited to the trials in 2004.
The 2006 USA Baseball National Team Trials will be held June 22-July 1 in exhibition games against teams in the New England Collegiate League. The USA Baseball National Team will be selected from a pool of 36 players, of which an additional 16 have yet to be determined. The official 22-man team roster will be announced on July 2.
"The National Team is defined by athlete performance in the college game," said USA Baseball General Manager of National Teams Eric Campbell. "This short list of invitees to the trials represents non-draft eligible players whose 2006 performance on the field has warranted an invite to the trials. We will continue to watch the rest of the season to find those remaining invitees that demand consideration."
Among other games during the summer’s international schedule, the 2006 USA Baseball National Team will look to defend its FISU World University Baseball Championship this August in Havana, Cuba.
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.
Back Pac
BEAVERS WITH PACIFIC-10 WEEKLY HONORS: Oregon State’s Cole Gillespie was named the Pacific-10 Baseball Player of the Week for May 23-May 28. Gillespie (West Linn, Ore./West Linn HS), a junior outfielder, batted .500 (4-for-8) as OSU split 2 games with UCLA. In the first game of the series, as OSU won 9-2 to clinch sole possession of the Pac-10 title, Gillespie went 3-for-5 with 1 homer, 1 triple, 1 double, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Gillespie’s 2-run homer capped a 3-run fourth inning that put OSU up 5-1; he also had a run-scoring triple in the bottom of the sixth inning and then doubled and scored in the eighth.
Mitch Canham and Dallas Buck were named the Pacific-10 Baseball Player of the Week and Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for May 16-May 22. Canham (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens HS), a sophomore catcher, and Buck (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS), a junior righthander, received the honors for their contributions to OSU’s sweep at Washington State, assuring the Beavers at least a tie for a second straight Pac-10 championship. Canham batted .538 (7-for-13) with 1 home run, 1 double, 10 RBI, 4 runs scored and was 1-for-1 in stolen base attempts. Canham also threw out the only Cougar baserunner who attempted to steal during the weekend. For the week, Canham had an .846 slugging percentage and a .600 on-base average. Buck threw a 3-hitter in the series-opener against a Washington State team that went into the series with a Pac-10-leading .323 team batting average. Buck walked 1 and struck out 6 in pitching his first complete game of the season, needing just 102 pitches.
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.
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 outfielder Cole Gillespie (West Linn, Ore./West Linn HS) is among 30 semifinalists for the Brooks Wallace Award; OSU junior pitchers Dallas Buck (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS) and Kevin Gunderson (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic HS) were also among 120 players who had been on the watch list for the award, 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 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, who died of cancer in 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 media.
Buck is one of 10 semifinalists for the 2006 Roger Clemens Award, which honors the nation’s top collegiate pitcher; it’s the second straight year Buck has been a semifinalist. Buck, Gunderson and junior Jonah Nickerson (Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City HS) were all on the watch list for the Clemens Award; OSU was 1 of just 3 schools in the country to have 3 players 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 2003 by the committee 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. 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 c
