Thursday, May 10
No. 15 Oregon State (36-21; 7-11) at California (32-28; 6-12) - 3 p.m.
(Levine-Fricke Field - Berkeley, CA)
Friday, May 11
No. 15 Oregon State at No. 16 Stanford (33-16-1; 7-10-1) - 7 p.m.
(Smith Family Stadium - Palo Alto, CA)
Saturday, May 12
No. 15 Oregon State at No. 16 Stanford - 1 p.m.
(Smith Family Stadium - Palo Alto, CA)
Sunday, May 13
NCAA Tournament Selection Show - 12-1 p.m. - ESPNEWS
WHAT A SPECIAL GROUP: Oregon State’s five seniors - , , , and - head into the final week of the regular season with numerous accomplishments under their belts. 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. Entering the week, they have amassed 166 victories in their time at Oregon State and hold a .716 winning percentage while on the field - the highest winning percentage of any graduating class in program history.
MORE ON THE SENIOR CLASS: Oregon State’s senior class of , , , and have defeated teams ranked in the Top 25 an amazing 45 times during their four seasons at Oregon State.
NCAA SELECTION SHOW SUNDAY: Oregon State looks to make a ninth straight postseason appearance when the NCAA Selection Show airs on Sunday between 12-1 p.m. on ESPNews.
THANK YOU FANS: The May 5 softball game against No. 5 ranked University of Arizona boasted the highest attendance figure in Oregon State history as 1,008 fans watched the Beavers take on the defending national champion Wildcats. The previous record for attendance at the OSU Softball Complex was 976, set on May 4, 2002 against top-ranked UCLA.
BEAVERS AND BEARS SERIES NUMBERS: University of California leads the all-time series against Oregon State by a 61-31 edge. OSU has won four straight in the series, including sweeping Cal on the opening weekend of Pac-10 play with 4-3 and 6-0 victories. Beaver senior pitcher broke the Oregon State career wins and saves records when OSU registered the 6-0 victory on April 1. The two teams met last year in the NCAA Super Regional with Oregon State clinching its first ever berth in the NCAA Women’s College World Series.
BEAVERS AND CARDINAL SERIES NUMBERS: Stanford leads the all-time series against Oregon State by a 30-22 margin. The Cardinal won this season’s Pac-10 opener on April 30 by a 2-1 margin. A two-out seventh inning RBI double by Alissa Haber proved to be the deciding factor in the Stanford victory. The Cardinal has won four of the last five meetings between the two teams.
SOLID DEFENSE: Oregon State enters the week leading the Pacific-10 Conference and ranking second in the nation with a .979 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 25 double plays on the year.
DID YOU KNOW: Junior is the only player in Oregon State history to score 40 or more runs in back-to-back seasons. Miranda finished the 2006 campaign with a school record 52 runs and enters the week with 43 runs scored on the year.
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 457-345-3 and a 98-199 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.
