The 3-2-1: Beavers sweep ACU, finish regular season 49-4
The wait is over folks. Thanks to a sweep of Abilene Christian the Oregon State Beavers baseball team is headed to the postseason riding a 16 game winning streak. The Beavers will now await their postseason fate. The Beavers are all but guaranteed to be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and will be hosting regionals in Corvallis. The selection show is Monday at 9:00 a.m. on ESPN2. Here is the 3-2-1 from the Beavers’ series win against ACU.
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3 things we learned
1. OSU has their rotation dialed in
Thanks to Drew Rasmussen’s 80+ pitches, the Beavers finally have the rotation that they have wanted all season long. No offense to Bryce Fehmel, but the Beavers have truly wanted the lineup of Thompson, Heimlich, and Rasmussen for some time. However, Rasmussen’s health limited him early in the season, but he is finally entering his peak. He pitched marvelously against Abilene Christian on Saturday and appears to be at a limit of 90+ pitches now heading into postseason play. Now that OSU has Heimlich, Thompson, and Rasmussen they arguably have the best starting three in all of college baseball.
2. OSU’s bullpen and latter rotation guys are capable
Coming into this weekend, we didn’t know how far Pat Casey and Co. were going to let starters Heimlich, Thompson, and Rasmussen pitch and that meant we were going to get an extended look at the bullpen before regional play and they didn’t disappoint. Whether it was Max Engelbrekt on Thursday, Jordan Britton on Friday and Sunday, Brandon Eisert on Friday, Jake Mulholland on Saturday and Sunday, or Bryce Fehmel on Sunday the Beavers had guys in the bullpen that stepped up and threw strikes and got outs when it mattered. It’s an underrated aspect to have solid guys in the bullpen who can pitch big innings, or start when necessary if you ever need to fight your way back through the loser's bracket of regionals or Omaha.
3. OSU can score runs and win games without their studs
The Beavers played the majority of the weekend without stars Nick Madrigal, Steven Kwan, and KJ Harrison. All three guys played sparingly this weekend, but it was no more than keeping those guys from accumulating any sort of rust. But perhaps the most impressive thing was that OSU was able to get production from guys that they don’t normally count on. Players like Andy Atwood, Andy Armstrong, and Preston Jones all filled in admirably at various times in the series and proved they could come through for the Beavers when it mattered most.
2 questions
1. Will OSU have their main guys healthy?
I asked this same question last week, and I still don’t have answer. We saw Harrison, Kwan, and Madrigal all play at some point this weekend, but all three of them weren’t their usual selves. It was very evident that Kwan is still hampered by his quad injury, and I still believe Harrison’s ankle and Madrigal’s hand are bothering them both respectively. I’m assuming that Casey and Co. were just being uber cautious with this group of guys and want them to be 100 percent healthy or close to for regional play. I feel that if this series had more on the line, all three guys would have played.
2. How will the rotation look for regional play?
The last time that OSU hosted the regionals in Corvallis as the No. 1 overall seed, the Beavers shook up their lineup and threw their 3rd best starter Andrew Moore in the first game against North Dakota State in order to save Ben Wetzler and Jace Fry for the latter parts of the regional. The move at first looked genius as Moore held NDSU to one run, but it later backfired as Fry pitched his worst game as a Beaver against UC Irvine and the Beavers weren’t able to recover. I’ve been hearing rumors that Thompson might be the first Beaver to pitch in the regionals, and it will be interesting to keep an eye on it. I think there could be benefits to starting Thompson and having Heimlich and Rasmussen right behind him.
Prediction
The Beavers will be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament and will be hosting in Corvallis without any surprises. While this may seem obvious, Beaver fans know to never trust the selection committee as OSU was snubbed last season. My bold prediction for the weekend is that OSU starts with Thompson on Friday, with Heimlich on Saturday and Rasmussen on Sunday.
Quotable
Pat Casey on Madrigal, Kwan, and Harrison
“I anticipate them all being ready to go, I really do,” Casey said. “We have good people helping them out and getting them ready to go. Our trainers and doctors are outstanding. Madrigal, Kwan, and Harrison would have played today if it was a Pac-12 series we needed to get into the tournament.”
Jordan Britton on Casey’s message to the players
“Take one game at a time,” Britton said with a smile. “Whoever comes in here we are going to give them our best shot. Whoever they bring, we will take.”
Andy Atwood on his home run
“It was a 1-2 count, and was a curveball in and I was able to get my bat to it and put it over the fence,” Atwood said. “It was my first career home run at OSU and it isn’t something I do too often so it was a really good feeling.”
Bonus: Check out our coverage from selection Monday tomorrow as we will have reactions from the coaches and players as they learn who is playing in Corvallis. We will also have a story recapping selection Monday tomorrow, and will have a complete regional primer later in the week.