Baseball: Oregon State is cruising
The Oregon State Baseball team opened their 2017 season at home with a series sweep of UC Davis over the weekend. The Beavers scored a combined 22 runs and allowed just three hits against UC Davis, en route to three complete victories.
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Where Beavers sit through 11 games
- 10-1 overall, 3-0 at home.
- Beavers moved into the No. 5 ranking on Monday following a three-game series sweep of UC Davis. Oregon State placed in the top five or better in the Collegiate Baseball poll (3), ESPN Coaches poll (4), USA Today (4), Baseball America (5), NCBWA (5) and Perfect Game (5) rankings.
- The No. 5 ranking is the highest of the season to this point for the Beavers, who were ranked seventh a week ago. Thanks to wins in convincing fashion at home coupled with domination so far through the non-conference schedule, the Beavers have a strong case to be in the top five or above to this point.
Strong doubleheader Saturday
- During Saturday’s double header the Beavers allowed just eight hits and two runs, outscoring UC Davis a combined 18-2. In the second game, the Beavers scored their highest run total of the season with 14 runs, outpacing their mark of 11 runs against Duke on February 19th. The Beavers have now outscored their opponents a combined 65-19 so far.
Casey hits 799
- With the win against UC Davis on Sunday, head coach Pat Casey obtained his 799th win while at Oregon State. Now in his his 23rd season, Casey, who is already Oregon State’s winningest coach, can achieve his 800th program win following a victory against Ball State in game one on Thursday.
Masters of the ERA
- Through 11 games, the Beavers currently hold just a 1.36 ERA. That falls as second best in the nation, only behind Harvard. The Beavers 1.36 ERA is firmly ahead of 2nd-place Arizona, who currently boasts a 2.01 on the season.
- The Beavers are looking like the most impressive pitching team in the Pac-12 to this point. Currently with five saves already on the season, the Beavers have continually cruised to victories in large part to their pitching staff. Luke Heimlich continues to lead the way with a 2-0 record on the season, giving up just one run in 20 innings pitched. Jake Mulholland earned his first victory on Sunday in impressive fashion, throwing four scoreless innings.
- A 1.36 ERA through 11 games is a mighty impressive stat for a team that is trying to return to Omaha. Coupled with an uptake in hitting against UC Davis, the Beavers currently go toe-to-toe with other top schools such as TCU, Florida State and Florida.
Beavers sweep at home
- In their first three home games this season, the Beavers finished with a 3-0 record. Last season, the Beavers were unable to complete their first home series sweep, losing just once to San Francisco. The Beavers need to continue taking advantage while playing at home before going on the road during the conference schedule.
What’s next
- The Beavers will play Ball State in a four-game series beginning on Thursday. Oregon State played Ball State just once last year in the season opener, which saw a close Beaver victory 7-6.
- Ball State is currently 8-4 on the year and is coming off a five-game series at home in which they went 4-1. The Cardinals have already matched up against three top 25 teams with a notable win during the season opener against No. 22 Maryland.
- While it’s ambitious to assume the Beavers will sweep the series, it’s important for them to at least split versus Ball State to maintain their dominance before conference action. The Beavers cannot afford a lull in action to this point yet with Arizona close behind with a matching 10-1 record. Arizona also currently holds the number one rank in the nation when it comes to RPI, losing just their first game to Nebraska on Sunday. I would look for the Beavers to take full advantage of playing at home and not fall asleep on Ball State, who will be coming into Corvallis looking for an upset.
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