The No. 4 Oregon State baseball team didn't remain undefeated on the season, but won another series thanks to Friday and Saturday wins over the West Virginia Mountaineers. Following 2-1 home stand at Goss Stadium, the Beavers now turn their attention to T-Mobile Park and Seattle Washington for the three-day Seattle Baseball Showcase that features matchups with Minnesota, Indiana and Coastal Carolina.

This 3-2-1 article breaks down three things we've learned from the Beavers so far this season, two questions we have moving forward, and pose one prediction about the team.

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1. Even Oregon State's offense can have an off day: After scoring a combined 13 runs in the Friday and Saturday games against West Virginia, the Oregon State offense had a forgettable day in the finale against the Mountaineers and were held scoreless for the first time this season. While it was well-noted last week that WVU had a strong pitching staff, having a bit of a clunker to round out the weekend wasn't what the Beavers were hoping for. Despite allowing just two runs to West Virginia, the Beavers managed just three hits of their own and couldn't settle into an offensive rhythm against Mountaineers starter Kade Strowd. Sometimes getting that first loss of the season out of the way after starting the season undefeated ins't such a bad thing and given the firepower that the Beavers possess (.278 BA, 11 home runs) it's a matter of time before they put a crooked number on the scoreboard.

2. Top-end offensive production leading the way: Despite failing to score in the finale, the Oregon State offense had a solid weekend against the Mountaineers, scoring 13 runs in the first two contests. As the season begins to settle in four weeks in, we're starting to see which players are going to be an offensive force on an everyday basis and which are still struggling to find their rhythm. Between Adley Rutschman (.343, five home runs, 12 RBI), Alex McGary (.429, 15 hits, 12 RBI), Beau Phillip (.349, 15 hits, 3 home runs, 14 RBI), Kyler McMahan (.333, 11 hits, six RBI), Preston Jones (.321, nine hits, four 2B) and Tyler Malone (.263) the Beavers have established an offensive core of players who are swinging the bats very well. With starters Andy Armstrong and Zak Taylor both hitting below .156 to start the season, OSU's needed the big plays to overcome the slow starts by the veterans Armstrong and Taylor. As I mentioned several weeks ago, it's only a matter of time before Armstrong and Taylor come around, but in the meantime, the Beavers core of hitters has done a splendid job of carrying the squad.

3. Sunday pitching spot could still be up for grabs: Head coach Pat Bailey and pitching coach Nate Yeskie gave the starting nod to Sam Tweedt against the Mountaineers and despite allowing just four hits and two earned runs, it wasn't enough to get the win as the Beavers weren't able to crack the scoreboard themselves. After Grant Gambrell had taken the Sunday spot in the first two weeks, OSU elected to go with Tweedt when the starting rotation shrunk to three games. While Tweedt is certainly a solid option for the Sunday starter job moving forward, I think it's going to be hard to keep Brandon Eisert out of the starting rotation in my mind. OSU might have it set in stone that he's going to stay in the 'pen, but his numbers this season have been very impressive. He's 4-0 and hasn't allowed a run this season along with tallying a 13:1 K/BB ratio. He's pitched the fourth most innings (11.0) on the season and if the Beavers don't get someone like Gambrell or Tweedt to seize the role, I could see Eisert getting a look.

1. How will the Beavers handle the atmosphere in Seattle? With a three-game set against some of the best in college baseball, the Beavers will need to be on their A game this weekend. With Minnesota being a borderline top-25 team, Coastal Carolina ranked 17th, and Indiana playing some of the better competition early in the season, the Beavers will face three very tough teams. The Gophers will be looking to get a measure on revenge as OSU bested them 13-1 in the opening weekend in Surprise while Indiana and Coastal Carolina will be looking for a statement win against one of the nations best teams. OSU has handled far greater environments with much-more on the line... cough cough. Omaha 2018, but are still working out the kinks of a vastly new group.

2. How will the Beavers respond to their first loss of the season? After starting the season with 10 straight wins, the Beavers dropped their first game of the season by way of a 2-0 loss to WVU to round out the home opening weekend. Given that the Beavers had won the first two games, I was surprised to see the Beavers drop the finale and tally just three hits. In years' past, when the Beavers would drop a game like this early in the season, it would galvanize them towards another winning streak. With a tough tier of opponents on deck this weekend, how the Beavers respond to the loss will determine how successful they are in Seattle.

Oregon State takes 2/3 in Seattle: Perhaps the most intriguing three-game series of the Beaver Baseball season is upon us as the Beavers play three teams that all have postseason aspirations. With Indiana and Coastal Carolina being near-NCAA participants on a yearly basis in the postseason and Minnesota not far behind, this will be a very tough weekend for the Beavers. Look for the Beavers to take 2 of 3 this weekend and have a slight edge in Seattle as all three teams have to come a long ways to get to Seattle. I expect the Beavers to bounce back from their 2-0 Sunday defeat and make a statement in the Emerald City against some of college baseball's best this weekend.