Friday, April 6
No. 17 Oregon State (28-11; 2-1) at No. 10 Oregon (36-4; 2-1) - 3 p.m.
(Howe Field - Eugene, OR)
Saturday, April 7
No. 17 Oregon State vs. No. 10 Oregon - 1 p.m.
(Howe Field - Eugene, OR)
CIVIL WAR WEBCAST IS AVAILABLE: The live video webcast of Friday and Saturday’s Civil War as presented by the Northwest Dodge Dealers will be available through Beaver Nation Online. Both Oregon and Oregon State partner with XOS Technology for web-hosting and audio/visual service. The feed will be courtesy of the Ducks’ stadium video.
CIVIL WAR SERIES NUMBERS: Against Oregon - OSU’s longest running opponent at 151 games - the series is knotted at 75-75-1, but the Beavers boast a 27-16-1 record under the direction of head coach . Oregon State swept the season series against the Ducks the past two years and the Beavers have won seven straight in the Civil War as presented by the Northwest Dodge Dealers.
DID YOU KNOW: Five of the last six Civil War meetings have been decided by one run - Oregon State has been victorious in all five games.
COMPLETE AND TOTAL CIVIL WAR PITCHING DOMINANCE: Oregon State’s current pitching staff of seniors and hold a perfect 7-0 combined record in their careers against University of Oregon. McGowan boasts a 5-0 record and one save against the Ducks. The Reno, NV, native has struck out 39 batters in 34.0 innings pitched in the Civil War series.
DO YOU REMEMBER: The last time Oregon State and Oregon faced each other, the Beavers earned a 2-1 victory at the OSU Softball Complex on April 26, 2006. The Beavers scored both of their runs on solo home runs. belted her second home run of the season to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the third inning and hit what proved to be the game-winner with her fifth home run in as many games in a shot over the left field fence in the sixth inning. Oregon State pitcher struck out five batters in the complete game victory.
RE-WRITING HISTORY: Oregon State senior pitcher broke the school’s all-time wins record and career shutouts mark when the Beavers topped University of California, 6-0, on April 1 at the OSU Softball Complex. McGowan has 92 victories in her career, surpassing Tarrah Beyster (1997-00) and her 33 shutouts broke the 22-year-old record held by Joan Harvey (1982-85). For her efforts from the circle on the week, McGowan was named the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week for the sixth time in her career.
RECORDS ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN: Here is an up close look at the career records that seniors and are on pace to break in the upcoming weeks:
Saves - - 2nd with 11 - needs 2 saves to break record
Strikeouts - - 2nd with 796 - needs 14 K’s to break record
Hits - - 4th with 216 - needs 10 hits to break record
Singles - - 2nd with 167 - needs 10 singles to break record
COMPARING THE TWO: Oregon State enters the week with a 28-11 overall record on the season. Last year, after the first 39 games OSU held a 32-7 record - just a four-game difference from this season. The Beavers are also currently ranked No. 17 in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll, when after the first 39 games last year, OSU was ranked No. 9.
WE CAN AND WILL RUN: Oregon State enters the week with a total of 61 stolen bases so far on the season. The program record is 70 stolen bases, set in 2005. The Beavers have 12 different players on the roster with at least one stolen base on the year and senior leads the team with 13 swipes in 14 attempts. Johnson’s 13 steals on the season rank in a tie for fourth place in the OSU record book.
THIS, THAT, AND THE OTHER: Oregon State is 12-0 on the season when scoring in the first inning and the Beavers hold a 21-2 record when scoring first in the game... OSU is 16-0 on the year when its opponent makes two errors or more... The Beavers have out-scored their opponent in all seven innings, but OSU has been out-scored 5-0 in extra frames... Junior leads the team with 15 2-out RBI... Twelve different players have stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter on the year... Only two Beaver players - (third base) and (shortstop) - have started every game at the same position this season.
I DON’T THINK SO: Oregon State sophomore catcher leads the Pac-10 in runners caught attempting to steal. Ewing has thrown out 11 base runners on the season. This week’s opponent, University of Oregon, leads the conference in total stolen bases with 87 swipes on the year.
LAY IT DOWN: As a team, Oregon State leads the Pac-10 in sacrifice bunts with 43 on the season. Senior is tied for the conference lead with 11 sacrifice bunts on the year. The 11 sacrifices also tie Johnson for seventh place in the OSU single season record book.
BEAVERS IN THE TOP 25: Oregon State enters the week with a No. 17 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 and a No. 18 ranking in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll. Seven of the eight Pacific-10 Conference squads rank in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25; 5. Arizona, 7. Arizona State, 10. Oregon, 12-tie. UCLA, 12-tie. Washington, 14. Stanford, 17. Oregon State. OSU posted a program-best No. 5 ranking in both polls on May 3, 2006 and started the 2007 season with a No. 6 ranking.
THE WORD ON WALKER: Head coach is in his 13th 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 eight consecutive NCAA Regional Tournament appearances and guided the squad to its first ever berth in the NCAA Women’s College World Series in 2006. The winningest coach in program history, Walker, has an overall coaching record of 449-335-3 and a 93-190 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 last 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.
