Oregon State (35-7-1, 14-6-1) outscored Washington State by the tune of 26-4 in Friday and Saturday's games, but Sunday's matchup ended in an anticlimactic 7-7 tie. Next up for the Beavers is another Civil War matchup and the biggest weekend series of the season as Stanford comes to Corvallis.

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1. Luke Heimlich is on a roll

The Beavers’ senior southpaw has been in some kind of groove over his last few outings as he’s led the Beavers to five straight series opening wins. Having a dominant ace pitcher is so crucial in the Pac-12 as the team that wins the first game in a three game series has the upper hand and snags all the momentum.

Heimlich has been that guy for the Beavers this season. With Jake Thompson and Drew Rasmussen gone from last years starting rotation, Heimlich was counted on for the Beavers to be their Friday night tone-setter and over the course of the season, he’s done just that.

Heimlich’s stats are some of the best in the Pac-12 and the country.

11-1 record

3.01 ERA

101 SO

17 BB

The Beavers will need Heimlich to continue to produce if the Beavers to hope claim their second straight Pac-12 title.

2. OSU’s offense can win them games

Despite the Beavers not having the same top-line starting pitching that it did a year ago, OSU has still managed to remain one of the top teams in the country because their offense is elite. Over their last twelve games, the Beavers are averaging just over nine runs per game. With an offense that potent, you can counteract an occasional bad start from a starting pitcher.

From top-to-bottom there are no holes in the Beaver lineup as one through nine can hurt you all the same. It’s rare to field a team where everyone in the lineup is a threat and right now, that’s the best advantage OSU has working for them. When their bats are hot, there are few teams that can slow down the likes of players like Nick Madrigal, Cadyn Grenier, Trevor Larnach and Adley Rutschman.

3. There may be a new Sunday starter

With Grant Gambrell being chased after pitching just two-thirds of the first inning and allowing five runs (four earned) against Washington State, head coach Pat Casey and pitching coach Nate Yeskie will most likely have a new face on the mound this upcoming Sunday. Coming into the series vs Washington State, Casey had hinted that he might be eyeing a change to the Sunday starter spot and even went as far to say that it was entirely possible that there would be a new face on Sundays.

Yet, despite all that chatter that there’d be a change, there wasn’t one. Gambrell started, but didn’t last a whole inning as he couldn’t settle into a rhythm and put the Beavers in an early 5-0 hole.

The most likely candidates to replace Gambrell on Sunday’s moving forward are Kevin Abel, Sam Tweedt, Christian Chamberlain, Jordan Britton, or Brandon Eisert. All of these players have starting experience and could potentially fill the void that the Beavers have missing on Sunday’s.

Luke Heimlich and Bryce Fehmel both have big time experience both in Pac-12 and postseason play and are the anchors of the Beaver starting rotation. However, in order for the Beavers to be a national title contender, they’ll need to find a consistent threat on Sundays.

1. Can the Beavers get a consistent Sunday pitcher?

As Oregon State begins to enter the final stretch of the Pac-12 slate and begin to eye the postseason, Casey knows that the Beavers need to have a third starting pitcher that they can trust to go out there and deliver. Heimlich has done it numerous times throughout his illustrious four years. Fehmel has pitched and won some of the biggest postseason games in recent memory against Vanderbilt and LSU.

With a starting spot now most likely up for grabs, we’ll see who Casey and Yeskie decide their new Sunday guy is.

2. How will OSU game plan for Stanford?

In what is most likely the most important series of the 2018 season and perhaps one of the biggest regular season series in recent memory, the Beavers know that they have their work cut out for them against No. 2 Stanford this weekend. Luckily, the Beavers have the friendly confines of Goss Stadium on their side, but the Cardinal boast one of the most elite teams in the country. The importance of the series cannot be understated and it will be intriguing to watch the chess match between Cardinal skipper David Esquer and Casey.

Beavers take two of three against Stanford

The Beavers have one of the best home field advantages in the country in Goss Stadium and it will be on full display this weekend against the Cardinal. Stanford is arguably the best team in the country, boast some of the best pitching that college baseball has seen this season, but OSU has been swinging hot bats lately and Luke Heimlich and Bryce Fehmel have been sharp as of late. Look for the Beavers to win the series against the Cardinal and stay in contention for their second straight Pac-12 title.