The 3-2-1: Oregon State Baseball finishes strong in Starkville, eyes SDSU

The Oregon State Baseball team (3-4) only managed one victory in its road series against No. 10 Mississippi State over the weekend, but the Beavers wrapped up the weekend with a confidence-building 7-2 victory. With a four-game road series against San Diego State on tap this weekend, BeaversEdge.com Managing Editor Brenden Slaughter gives you the latest on Mitch Canham's group in another edition of the 3-2-1.

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1. Christian Chamberlain is dealin': While Chamberlain's Friday performance will be overshadowed by the fact that the Beavers allowed the Bulldogs to blow the game open in the bottom of the eighth, he deserves a ton of credit as he's proven he's up to the task of being the Beavers' Friday ace. In 5 1/3 scoreless innings worked, Chamberlain tallied 12 strikeouts against just two walks and two hits. OSU wasn't able to give him enough offensive production to put him in a position to get the win, but the junior has proven he's more than capable of pitching in big-time spots.

2. Too many men left on base: If there's one glaring negative statistic that has doomed the Beavers in the first two weeks of the season, it's that they've left far too many runners stranded. In fact, the Beavers have left 66 baserunners in their eight contests. If the Beavers hope to become a more consistent offense, that number is going to have to trend down. It's becoming clear that the Beavers can get runners on, there's just something about coming up with that crucial hit that has mostly alluded them this season.

3. The Beavers can compete with anyone: While the Beavers did indeed drop the series to Mississippi State, their weekend of play proved that they're capable of going toe-to-toe with college baseball's top teams. The Bulldogs are a complete team and the Beavers had them on the ropes on more than one occasion over the weekend, albeit coming away with a lone Sunday victory. With all that being said, while the weekend was likely frustrating for players, coaches, and fans alike, the potential is there with this group and they're going to be a force to be reckoned with before the season is all said and done.

1. How can the Beavers translate base-runners to runs? As mentioned above, the Beavers' eyesore stat is that they've left far too many runners on the bases rather than translating them to runs. It costed them on numerous occasions in Surprise and again against the Bulldogs, which should cause some reason for concern. It's early enough in the season that the Beavers can certainly remedy the issue, but if they're going to consistently win games, they need to give their pitching staff more run support.

2. Will Jake Mulholland return to the starting rotation? After having a disappointing start to the season as a part of the starting rotation, Mulholland was moved back to the bullpen in Starkville and only made one appearance, pitching an inning of relief in Friday's 6-2 loss. With the Beavers moving back to a four-game series against SDSU this weekend, I'm wondering what pitching coach Rich Dorman's plan is for him moving forward. Were the Beavers convinced in his one outing that they didn't want him to start? Was it merely matchup related? At this point, it's still too early to tell what the move is for Mullholland moving forward, but if he's not in the starting rotation against the Aztecs, that could be a sign that the Beavers feel more confident in him as a reliever.

Oregon State will win the series vs San Diego State: Despite the Beavers having some what-if type feelings after knowing they very well could have won this series, I like them against the Aztecs this weekend. The season is still young and the Beavers are still figuring things out in the first year of the Canham era, so a tough weekend like this last one in Starkville will only pay dividends down the line. The Aztecs (5-3) already boast a top-25 win (Cal State Fullerton) on the season, but most recently dropped an 11-5 decision at the hands of USC. SDSU is a quality opponent, but this a series that the Beavers should be able to regain momentum and get back to having a winning record. Look for the Beavers to take the series this weekend.