Softball Hosts Final Civil War Game; Bay Area Schools
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LOOKING AHEAD — The Oregon State softball team (26-25, 4-10 Pac-10) looks to sweep the Dodge Civil War Series on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. after game three against Oregon (29-22, 2-11 Pac-10) has been postponed twice. The Beavers will then host No. 22 California (37-20, 5-10 Pac-10) at 3:00 p.m. before taking on No. 8 Stanford (42-10, 7-8 Pac-10) on Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m.
This weekend is Cancer Awareness Weekend. Fans will receive Oregon State prize packs for each strikeout thrown, and representatives from the Corvallis Clinic will be at the OSU Softball Complex.
Sunday is also Alumni Recognition Day. A former Oregon State softball player will throw out the first pitch. And as always, Saturday is Kids’ Day at the OSU Softball Complex. Children ages 12 and under receive $2 admission to the game.
TRACKING THE BEAVS — Full results from this week’s games can be found through the newly redesigned www.OSUBeavers.com. Live stats are available for all four games through Gamewatcher. Gamewatcher can be found by clicking on the link found under "Live" on the main athletic website page or by accessing the 2008 Oregon State softball schedule.
GAME 49: OREGON — Tuesday, Apr. 29 (3:00 p.m.): Oregon State took the all-time series record lead on Saturday, Apr. 18, with a 3-1 win to make it 78-77-1, 30-18-1 under head coach .
The Ducks were able to snag a 2-1 win over No. 8 Arizona last weekend but fell to No. 1 Arizona State on Saturday and Sunday. Sophomore outfielder Neena Bryant continues to lead the Ducks at the plate, batting .376 with 59 total hits, 10 doubles, nine home runs, 25 runs and 42 RBI. She has 19 successful stolen bases on 21 attempts. Oregon’s pitchers have a combined season 2.29 ERA, but in Pac-10 play post a 4.12 ERA, giving up 56 total runs, 49 earned. Sharing the majority of the in the circle, senior Alicia Cook and junior Melissa Rice have 13-10 and 11-9 overall records with Rice tallying three complete-game shutouts and Cook earning four and posting three combined shutouts each.
GAME 53: NO. 22 CALIFORNIA — Friday, May 2 (3:00 p.m.): Oregon State is 33-62 all-time against the Golden Bears. The two teams split in Berkeley earlier this season with the Beavers taking a 8-0 win in six innings on Saturday before falling 3-0 on Sunday.
Cal’s Senior Day wasn’t spoiled by the Huskies as the team defeated Washington 3-1 on Sunday after falling to UCLA on Friday and Washington the day before. Freshmen Sanoe Kekahuna and Valerie Arioto lead all Golden Bear hitters with .335 and .330 averages. Kekahuna leads the team with seven home runs and 43 RBI, while Arioto has a team-high 15 doubles and 46 runs. Sophomore pitcher Marissa Drewrey posts a 24-13 overall record with 248 strikeouts on 247.0 total innings of work. She has nine complete game shutouts and holds opponents to a .221 batting average. The Golden Bears will play a single non-conference game against UC Davis on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.
GAMES 54 & 55: NO. 8 STANFORD — Saturday and Sunday, May 3 and 4 (3:00 and 12:00 p.m.): Oregon State is 24-31 all-time against the Cardinal. Stanford took a 10-1 decision in six innings earlier this season.
Stanford went 1-2 on the weekend, defeating Washington in 10 innings on Friday before dropping close 1-0, 4-1 decisions to UCLA at Smith Family Stadium. Junior pitcher Missy Penna threw all 24.0 innings, throwing 21 strikeouts and only four walks. Penna leads all Cardinal pitchers with a 1.07 ERA and a 30-9 overall record. She has 11 complete game shutouts and four combined and is second in the conference with 327 total strikeouts, holding batters to a .153 average. At the plate, sophomores Alissa Haber and Rosey Neill lead the team with .382 and .370 averages. Neill has tallied 17 home runs on the season with a .781 slugging percentage, while Haber has a team-leading 14 doubles and 43 runs.
LOOKING BACK AT LAST WEEK — Oregon State was unable to come up with a win in the desert, falling 8-4 and 5-1 to No. 1 Arizona State after finishing the Apr. 6 suspended game. The Beavers also came up short against No. 8 Arizona in 7-6 and 13-1 (5 innings) decisions.
Senior hit her eighth home run of the season, 40th career, against Arizona on Saturday evening.
Junior led all hitters, hitting .385 with five hits, including the team’s only double, adding a pair of RBI and stolen bases and a run. She was perfect from the field with 11 putouts and six assists.
DODGE CIVIL WAR SERIES — Oregon State took not only the 2008 softball series but the overall Dodge Civil War Series, 8-7, on Apr. 18, with a 3-1 win over the Ducks. The Beavers won in Eugene earlier this season in a 7-4 decision. Visit www.oregonlive.com/sites/civilwar to see the full results of this year’s series.
PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK — After her .538 average performance, 1.154 slugging percentage, freshman was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week for the week of Mar. 11-17. The honor was Roderfeld’s first, first Oregon State honoree of the season and 33rd all-time.
RPI RANKING — Oregon State currently is ranked 68th in the latest RPI release on Tuesday, Apr. 29. The Beavers continue to inch their way up the rankings after initially receiving a 80th place ranking in the initial release.
POINTS IN THE POLL — Oregon State received top 25 rankings in both the USA Today/NFCA Division I Preseason Top 25 Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Preseason Poll. The Beavers were ranked 18th in the USA Today/NFCA Poll, while sitting in the No. 19 spot in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. After going 4-6 to start the season, the Beavers received votes in the USA Today/NFCA Poll, while dropping out of the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll.
CLUTCH RBI CHISHOLM — Sophomore has come up big on the season in RBI situations, collecting 21 so far on the season in the top three of the order. The left-handed batting slapper also leads the team with a .333 batting average with 55 hits, 29 runs and 64 total bases. Chisholm’s RBI single against then-ranked No. 18 Ohio State helped boost the Beavers to their first win over a ranked opponent on the season.
THREE STRIKEOUT STEFANIE EWING — With 87 at bats recorded thus far on the season, junior has chalked up a low three strikeouts and hadn’t recorded a single strikeout through the first 46 games. Starting 35 games, the catcher has 19 hits, four doubles, one home run and 15 RBI. The right-handed batter has also drawn 11 walks. Ewing’s strikeout number helps the Beavers boast the least amount of strikeouts in the conference with 198 thus far on the season.
MARK ON MIRANDA — Senior was named to the 2008 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List, announced Jan. 30 by the Amateur Softball Association. Miranda is a two-time All-American, three-time All-Pacific Region First Team selection and three-time All-Pacific-10 Conference First Team honoree. The 2008 Pre-Season Watch List is comprised of 50 players representing 34 schools and 14 different NCAA Division I Conferences.
DRAPER GETS ANOTHER YEAR — Pitcher was awarded her true freshman season back by the NCAA after battling injury during the 2007 season. She appeared in three games last season for four innings of pitching, facing 15 batters, and played in one game as the designated player. Draper is considered a redshirt freshman eligibility-wise for the 2008 season.
HOLLADAY HANGS OUT FOR A SEASON — Freshman pitcher will redshirt her true freshman season. Holladay is scheduled for surgery and will rehab for the rest of the 2008 season. She was the 2007 Oregon Pitcher of the Year at Corvallis High School.
TOUGH AT HOME — The 2008 Oregon State softball team is 9-3 at the OSU Softball Complex after winning its home opener against Portland State on Feb. 20. The team was undefeated at home until conference play.
CHASING RECORDS — Senior set a new school record for runs scored on Saturday, Mar. 22, tallying a new best of 149 during the 2008 season and is knocking on the door of breaking more career offensive records. Miranda is 27 RBI, 28 hits, 12 doubles, 10 triples and 13 home runs away from breaking school records in all five categories. She already holds the school records for most runs scored (52) and most home runs (16) scored in a single season.
PAC-10 PREVIEW — Two-time defending NCAA National Champion, Arizona, barely edged out Arizona State in the Pac-10 Preseason Coaches Poll. The Wildcats and Sun Devils both received four first-place votes with Arizona receiving 45 total votes to Arizona State’s 44. Oregon State was picked to finish seventh with a five-vote edge over in-state rival, Oregon. Seven Pac-10 teams were voted into the two top 25 preseason polls with Cal being the only team not receiving top status.
TICKET INFORMATION — Tickets are available for home softball games by walk-up purchase only at the OSU Softball Complex. Ticket prices are $6 for adults and $4 for seniors and children. Admission is free for Oregon State students with valid ID card.
2007 RECAP — In Oregon State head coach ’s 13th season with the Beavers, the program continued to flourish. The Beavers made their ninth straight postseason appearance in 2007 advancing to the NCAA Regional Tournament, ending the season 41-23 overall, 10-11 in Pac-10 play. They finished the season ranked 15th in the nation, having been ranked as high as 13th during the season. Seniors , , , and helped Oregon State to the first Women’s College World Series appearance in school history, one NCAA Super Regional appearance, four trips to the NCAA Regional Tournament and a Pac-10 title. Shortstop Longfellow and pitcher McGowan helped further establish the senior class’ accomplishments by breaking a combined nine records in 2007. Longfellow now holds the career records for at bats (775), runs scored (141), hits (242), singles (192) and stolen bases (57). McGowan finished her career at Oregon State breaking records for the most shutouts (36), wins (100), saves (13) and strikeouts (862).
OSU SOFTBALL COMPLEX — The Oregon State softball complex opened in April of 2001. The $1.5 million dollar complex features 750 bleacher backed seats, a concession and restroom facility, as well as one of the top playing surfaces in the nation. The sunken dugouts each contain a restroom for players as well as large storage areas. The press box facility, one of the best in the Pac-10, allows ample seating for six scorers in the main booth with two smaller television/radio booths located on both sides. A state-of-the-art sound and public address system are housed in the press box. Oregon State has hosted six fall tournaments since the OSU Softball Complex opened in 2001. The facility was home of the 2006 NCAA Regional and Super Regional Tournaments - with Oregon State winning both, and earning its first ever trip to the NCAA Women’s College World Series. Additional bleacher seating was added for the NCAA postseason games and a plan is in the works to add lights to the facility for the 2008 season.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR BEAVER SOFTBALL — Oregon State completes the regular season first heading to Portland State for a non-conference game at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6 before hosting No. 21 Washington on Thursday, May 8 at 3:00 p.m. and taking on No. 4 UCLA on Friday and Saturday at 3:00 and 1:00 p.m. at the OSU Softball Complex.
