Friday, May 4
No. 15 Oregon State (36-18; 7-8) vs. No. 9 Arizona State (45-13; 9-6) - 3 p.m.
(OSU Softball Complex - Corvallis, OR)
Saturday, May 5
No. 15 Oregon State vs. No. 5 Arizona (35-10-1; 11-3-1) - 1 p.m.
(OSU Softball Complex - Corvallis, OR)
Sunday, May 6
No. 15 Oregon State vs. No. 5 Arizona - 1 p.m.
(OSU Softball Complex - Corvallis, OR)
ALUMNI DAY ON SATURDAY: Saturday’s game against No. 5 Arizona will be “Alumni Day” at the OSU Softball Complex. Nearly 20 former Oregon State players will be in attendance and introduced prior to the starting line-up. Among those in attendance will be six participants in the AIAW World Series - representing the Class of 1979 will be Melinda (Farm) Ameele, Taraleen (Elliott) Stymer, and Denise (Smail) Denny - representing the Class of 1980 will be Lisa Hoogesteger, Dawn Collins, and Janet (Haglund) Rathbone. Prior to the game’s first pitch, Oregon State will unveil a banner in the outfield recognizing the 1977-1982 teams that participated in the AIAW World Series. Throwing out the first pitch will be Class of 2000 graduate and four-time All-American pitcher Tarrah Beyster. Beyster’s jersey #00 was retired on May 12, 2001 and a banner will be unveiled in the outfield recognizing the accomplishment.
SENIOR DAY IS SUNDAY - THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES: Sunday marks the end of the playing career in Corvallis for Beaver seniors , , , and . The Class of 2007 helped set the standard for Oregon State softball - helping lead the Beavers to the Pac-10 title in 2005 and an inaugural berth in the NCAA Women’s College World Series in 2006. The five seniors look to become only the second graduating class in school history to record 40 victories in four straight seasons and are the only class to ever beat powerhouse UCLA every season during their career.
TICKET PRICES: All tickets for the OSU Softball Complex must be purchased at the gate and all seats are general admission. Ticket gates open one hour prior to game-time.
General Admission: $6
Seniors (62+) and Youth (3-18): $4
GREAT “D”: Oregon State enters the week leading the Pacific-10 Conference and ranking second in the nation with a .980 fielding percentage. The highest fielding percentage that Oregon State has ever finished the season with was .976, set in 2005. The Beavers have also turned 24 double plays on the year.
ADDING TO THE LIST: Oregon State senior shortstop broke both the Oregon State hits and singles records when the Beavers faced No. 12 UCLA on April 29. Longfellow enters the week with 227 career hits and 177 career singles, surpassing previous record holder Jodi Chmielewski (1996-99). The 5-1 speedster also holds the OSU school record for stolen bases (54) and ranks second all-time in runs scored (128) and sacrifice hits (45).
MCGOWAN MAKES IT FOUR: Oregon State senior pitcher has broken four career pitching records already this season - Wins, Shutouts, Strikeouts, and Saves. McGowan became OSU’s all-time wins and shutouts leader on April 1 after a 6-0 victory over University of California. The Reno, NV, native broke the strikeouts record in Oregon State’s commanding 7-0 victory over No. 14 UCLA on April 13. McGowan earned her Pac-10 leading fifth save of the season and 13th in her career against UC Santa Barbara on April 30 to break the all-time saves record. The 6-2 hurler enters the week with 95 career victories, 35 shutouts, and 824 strikeouts, and 13 saves.
PAC-10 POWER: Sophomore first baseman has hit safely in seven straight games and leads the Beavers with a .354 (17-for-48) Pac-10 batting average. Young holds a .521 slugging percentage in conference games and has two home runs and nine RBI.
SUCCESS IN THE CIRCLE: Oregon State senior pitcher leads the Beavers with four victories against teams ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25. McElroy has won four of her last six appearances in the circle for the Beavers and holds a 14-8 overall record.
MIRANDA RULES: Oregon State junior utility player leads the Beavers with 41 RBI (currently 5th place on the single season charts) and 41 runs scored (currently tied for 3rd on the single season charts). Miranda also leads the team in hits (55), doubles (9), triples (6), home runs (9), slugging percentage (.609) and on-base percentage (.419). She ranks in this week’s Pac-10 top-10 in eight different statistical categories.
LAYING IT DOWN: Oregon State senior outfielder leads the Pac-10 with 14 sacrifices on the season. Just two Oregon State players have tallied more that 14 sacrifices in a single year - had 19 in 2004 and Alycia Stevens recorded a school record 20 sacrifices in 1996.
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 457-342-3 and a 98-196 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.
