Beavers Host UCLA in Final Home Weekend
Let’s Play Ball:
The Oregon State softball team (25-20, 5-13 Pac-12) returns home for the final time this season this week, when it hosts No. 7/7 UCLA (38-8, 12-3) at the OSU Softball Complex. The series will begin Saturday at 1 p.m., and will be followed by games at noon on Sunday and at 4 p.m. on Monday.
Follow Along:
Sunday and Monday’s games will be carried live on Pac-12 Networks. Ann Schatz and Jessica Mendoza will have the call. Live stats will be available on the schedule page of OSUBeavers.com, and updates for all thing Oregon State softball can be found on twitter @OregonStateSB.
Celebrating Seniors:
Oregon State will celebrate an outstanding group of five seniors on Monday, when it holds its annual Senior Day ceremony. Dani Gilmore highlights this year’s class, graduating as one of the best players in school history. Gilmore ranks in the top-10 in the OSU record book for batting average, runs, hits and walks, and has earned All-Far West Region and All-Pac-12 honors. CJ Chirichigno has started every game the Beavers have played in the last two years, and is batting .320 this year. Hannah Akamine has made a big contribution to the Beaver lineup in her one season with the team, starting 44 games at catcher and hitting over .300. Kori Nishitomi hit .346 in her junior campaign, and has scored 15 runs this season. Melanie Dembinski pitched eight complete games and a shutout in her career.
Last Week vs. The Sun Devils:
Oregon State earned a win over No. 21 Arizona State last week, and came close to winning the series down in Tempe. The Beavers overcame a late two-run deficit to top the Sun Devils in Friday’s game, as senior Dani Gilmore hit a two-run homer in the top of the sixth inning to give the Beavers a 7-6 win. Oregon State would push Arizona State to the brink again on Sunday, tying the game in the fifth inning before the Sun Devils won the game in walk-off fashion.
Give Me Gilmore:
Senior Dani Gilmore has continued her fantastic collegiate career this season, leading the team with a .369 batting average and eight home runs, while continuing to do outstanding defensive work in center field. The senior is slugging a team-best .669 through 40 games this season, and is tied for fourth in Oregon State history with 15 doubles already this year. Gilmore needs just two more doubles to tie the all-time record.
More Gilmore:
Gilmore has made her way into the Oregon State career record books, as she closes in on the end of her senior campaign. She entered the season with a .336 career batting average, good for fifth in school history, and has continued to improve that number, moving up to .346. Gilmore moved into the Oregon State career lead with 166 career runs earlier this year, and is one of 10 players in OSU history to reach the 200 career hit mark. Gilmore has also built on her impressive walks total, extending her control of second all-time with 119.
Cheer On Chirichigno:
Senior CJ Chirichigno hit three home runs in the Beavers’ weekend series against Arizona State. The Costa Mesa, Calif. native opened the weekend with a solo shot on Friday that helped the Beavers get back within striking distance. She followed that up with a two-homer game on Saturday, including a monster shot that cleared the scoreboard in left field. Saturday’s contest marked Chirichigno’s second multi-homer game this season.
Manewa Mashing:
Junior Mikela Manewa has been hitting the ball well over the last few weeks, hitting .342 with two homers over the last 14 games. The Kapolei, Hawaii, native has also stolen a pair of bases over that stretch to go along with six runs scored. Overall, Manewa is hitting .341 in her debut season with the Beavers, after transferring in from the College of Southern Nevada in the fall. She has hit five home runs this season, and is leading the team with 24 walks.
Taking One For The Team:
Senior catcher Hannah Akamine is making her way into the Oregon State record book in a painful category, having been hit by 13 pitches this season, the fourth-highest total in school history. Akamine has been plunked more times than any player in the conference, and sits six short of the OSU record. The top three spots on the Oregon State all-time list are held by Desiree Beltran (2011-13).
Transferring In:
Oregon State has brought in some valuable transfers over the past two seasons, as the Beaver coaching staff searches the nation for outstanding talent. OSU typically starts six players who have transferred into the program in the last two seasons, and four of the team’s five leaders in batting average are transfers (Manewa, Noland, Chirichigno and Akamine). Beaver ace Beverly Miller also transferred into the program this season, and leads the team in every meaningful pitching category.
Everetting:
Freshman Alysha Everett has started the Beavers’ last six games, going 6-for-17 in that span. The freshman is currently second on the team with a season batting average of .348 this season, and has 12 RBIs.
Slamming Sammi:
Sammi Noland has made a splash in her first year with the Beavers. The transfer is third on the team with seven home runs and leads the team with 36 RBI. She is hitting .328 on the year, good for fourth on the team.
Akamine Named Pac-12 Player of the Week:
Hannah Akamine was named Pac-12 player of the week after spearheading the offensive efforts for the team when the Beavers took a 5-0 sweep at the Fresno State Louisville Slugger Bash Feb. 28-March1. The senior hit 8-for-14 for a .571 batting average, scoring seven runs and driving in nine with two doubles and a home run. Akamine is hitting .368 with a .561 slugging percentage in her first year with Oregon State. The transfer from Tennessee has now been named a player of the week for the SEC and the Pac-12.
