Oregon State Dallas Regional Guide
Beavers In The Postseason
Oregon State has advanced to the 2015 postseason. The Beavers will play as the No. 2 seed at the Dallas Regional, hosted by Dallas Baptist. Also at the regional is No. 3 Texas and No. 4 VCU. Texas is Oregon State’s opening opponent on Friday at 11:30 a.m. PT (1:30 p.m. in Texas).
Postseason History
Oregon State is making its 16th visit to the postseason since the program’s first season in 1907. The Beavers carry a 50-31 (.613) postseason record into the regional, with the current head coach, Pat Casey, claiming 45 of those victories. Oregon State’s visit is the team’s seventh consecutive, which extends the program’s record stretch. The Beavers are 29-18 in NCAA Regional games (.617), including a 15-2 mark at Goss Stadium. OSU is 24-9 (.727) in NCAA Regional games since the NCAA adopted the current postseason format.
Against The Regional Field
Oregon State has a limited history with the Dallas Regional. The Beavers have never played VCU, are 2-1 against Dallas Baptist and 0-1 against Texas. The Beavers hosted Dallas Baptist in 2005 at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field, losing the first game, 17-7, before winning games two and three by scores of 7-2 and 11-3, respectively. OSU’s lone meeting with Texas came at the 1952 College World Series where the Longhorns won, 10-1.
In Non-Conference Action
Every game played by the Beavers throughout the postseason are non-conference contests, even if Oregon State takes on a Pac-12 foe. OSU finished the regular season with a 19-6 record in non-conference games, including a 12-3 mark at home. The Beavers hit .311 as a team in non-conference games, as five regulars batted better than .300. Opponents hit just .220 as the team’s pitching staff recorded a 2.71 earned run average. For more of a breakdown on non-conference action, turn to the 2015 regular season in review pages.
Youth Is Served
Oregon State has continually started one of the nation’s youngest lineups on a day in, day out basis. Head coach Pat Casey has more often than not penciled in either eight or nine underclassmen into the starting lineup. The lone upperclassmen to be solidified in the lineup is junior Jeff Hendrix, who has started all 55 games in center field. Aside from Hendrix, upperclassmen (position players) have started just 67 games for the Beavers.
Postseason Experience
While youth does have its advantages, it can have its disadvantages. Only eight OSU position players have seen postseason action, while seven pitchers were on the 2014 postseason roster.
Away From Home
Oregon State is 15-10 away from Goss Stadium at Coleman Field this season, but the Beavers have improved over the last couple months. The Beavers opened the year 5-3 in a two-week stretch in Surprise, Ariz. The Beavers have gone 6-1 in their last seven games away from Goss Stadium, which includes a three-game series sweep of Stanford in California.
The Staff Is Strong Again
Oregon State finished the regular season with a 2.88 earned run average, which ranks second only in the Pac-12 to league champion UCLA. The Beavers are vying for their third consecutive sub-3.00 season, which would be the first time in the modern era (1967 on). Additionally, the Beavers finished the regular season with a .219 batting average against, which leads the Pac-12. That comes on the heels of a .212 batting average against in 2014 and .217 in 2013.
More Strong D
Pitching and defense have been at the hallmark of Pat Casey coached teams and 2015 was no different. We explained the pitching above, now the defense. The Beavers finished the regular season with the Pac-12’s top fielding percentage at .977. Oregon State finished conference play with a phenomenal .980 fielding percentage. OSU turned 51 double plays in the regular season while hitting into 40 of their own.
Pat Casey Moves Into 9th
Oregon State head coach Pat Casey, the all-time winningest coach in Corvallis, in any sport, surpassed former UCLA head coach Art Reichle for the ninth-most wins in league history when Casey won No. 748. Casey will next move up in the all-time rankings with win No. 764, which would surpass long-time USC head coach Mike Gillespie.
Power Surge
The Beavers experiened a power surge offensively this season, hitting 40 home runs, good for second in the Pac-12. OSU was led by KJ Harrison’s 10, which placed him into third in the league. Ten different Beavers hit at least one home run, with multiples coming from Gabe Clark (eight), Jeff Hendrix (six), Caleb Hamilton (four), Joe Gillette (two), Michael Howard (two), Logan Ice (two) and Kyle Nobach (two).
