Jason Ogata Named To ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII First Team
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State designated hitter Jason Ogata has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII First-Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced Thursday.
Ogata, a junior from Portland, is a business major and has been a key component of Oregon State’s offensive success this season. He leads the club with 55 hits and is second with 37 runs driven in. He is tied for second on the club with 12 doubles and four home runs.
He is one of just two players on the 2008 Beavers to play in all 40 games, and has hit safely in 32 of them. He began the season on a seven-game hit streak, and has two streaks of six games and another with four.
Because he finished on the first team, Ogata will now be eligible for Academic All-America status. Each first-team player from the eight regions advances to the national ballot, with the Academic All-America team announced May 27. Nominations and voting are done by Sports Information Directors nationwide.
The Beavers have had five different players earned Academic All-America honors. The most recent winner was Mitch Canham in 2007. Ben Bertrand earned first-team honors in 1998, while Mason Smith was honored in 1994. Ken Bowen and Bryan Ganter each earned All-America honors in 1986 and 1987.
Oregon State returns to the field Friday to start a three-game series against UCLA at Goss Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. PT. Catch the game live on the Beaver Sports Network, Beaver Nation Online () and Yahoo! Sports. Mike Parker will be behind the mic for all three games.
Outfield general admission seats for $10 are available for Friday and Sunday’s games. Saturday’s game is sold out. Coastal Farm & Ranch is giving out sunglasses to the first 500 fans at Friday’s game.
