Building The Dam - All PostsAn Oregon State Beavers bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48073/btd-fave.png2024-03-18T11:20:07-07:00http://www.buildingthedam.com/rss/current/2024-03-18T11:20:07-07:002024-03-18T11:20:07-07:00Beaver Baseball: OSU Starts the Pac-12 Season with a Series Win
<figure>
<img alt="NCAA BASEBALL: JUN 04 Baton Rouge Regional - LSU v Oregon State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/x-dFNQv8MR8ok2Yf5naUiDrYtg0=/0x0:2838x1892/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73215817/1258471123.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="xObf6r">Both Oregon State and Utah came out of this series with dramatic come-from-behind victories. The difference was a comfortable Saturday win by OSU to capture the series win. As a result, the Beavers move up the D1 Baseball rankings to #2 in the country behind Arkansas this week as former #2 LSU dropped a series at home to unranked Mississippi State.</p>
<p id="Nl8Jlu">The Beavers return to Oregon to face a sneaky-good Portland team in a mid-week game on Tuesday before returning to Corvallis to face a Washington team coming off a series win on the road against #23 Texas.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="1bTNab">
<h2 id="b83BLU">Series Recap</h2>
<p id="EKBVjZ"><strong>Friday -</strong> With only three games over the weekend OSU tried a new approach for the Friday start, stacking the lefty <strong>Nelson Keljo</strong> and righty <strong>Jaren Hunter</strong> together to create a two-headed starter. They combined for 6.1 IP, 5 R, 11 H, 4 K, 2 BB and since they are Oregon State pitchers they hit two batters for good measure. Utah pieced together those runs via any means possible. A leadoff single resulted in a man on third after a balk and wild pitch by Keljo, and was driven in on a groundout to 2nd base. Another run scored in the 4th after Keljo hit <strong>Karson Bodily</strong> to start the inning, who then advanced to third on a throwing error by <strong>Tanner Smith</strong> on a stolen base attempt, then scored on a sac fly. Utah’s <strong>Merit Jones </strong>outdueled the Keljo-Hunter combination, allowing 2 runs over 6 innings, striking out 9 and working around 5 walks of his own. All of this put the Beavers down 5-2 heading into the 9th inning and facing Utah star closer <strong>Micah Ashman</strong>. Things spiraled quickly for Ashman, who allowed a double to Smith to lead off the inning, then a home run to <strong>Elijah Hainline</strong> (his 2nd of the game) to bring the Beavers within one. Back-to-back singles by <strong>Micah McDowell</strong> and <strong>Mason Guerra</strong> tied the game, and a walk to <strong>Jacob Kreig</strong> got Ashman the hook but <strong>Jaden Harris </strong>wasn't the answer either. He immediately walked <strong>Gavin Turley</strong> with the bases loaded to give the Beavers the lead, and a <strong>Trent Carraway </strong>single gave the Beavs a cushion. <strong>Bridger Holmes</strong> closed out the 9th without issue to secure OSU’s first Pac-12 win of the year.</p>
<p id="e0x5Vn"><strong>Saturday -</strong> For 7 innings the Beavers and Utes were both in search of any sort of clutch hitting. Oregon State left runners on base in each of the first seven innings, a total of 11 despite having the leadoff runner on in 4 of those innings. Utah left runners on in 5 of the first 7 innings and had a leadoff runner in 5 of those. Both <strong>Jacob Kmatz</strong> for OSU and <strong>Bryson Van Sickle </strong>for Utah worked around those runners and completed their scoreless outings of 5 and 4 innings respectively. Utah reliever <strong>Colter McAnelly</strong> worked 3.1 solid innings and was removed in the 8th after allowing a leadoff walk and getting one out with a fielder's choice. OSU then jumped all over Utah relievers <strong>Payton Riske</strong> and <strong>Bransen Kuehl</strong> with a <strong>Travis Bazzana</strong> bases loaded double started the scoring. All told, the Beavers had 5 base hits and drawing 3 walks while putting 7 runs on the board in the 8th and securing the series win. </p>
<div id="2wW2WX">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Clutch AB<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoBeavs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoBeavs</a> <a href="https://t.co/3zYRDG4Zit">pic.twitter.com/3zYRDG4Zit</a></p>— Oregon State Baseball (@BeaverBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeaverBaseball/status/1769139515942469740?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2024</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="F1TEWA"><strong>Sunday -</strong> For three and a half innings it looked like the Beavers would stroll comfortably out of Salt Lake City with a sweep. Bazzana had a double and two home runs in his first three at bats to help build a 9-0 lead through three innings, while <strong>Eric Segura </strong>retired the first nine hitters in order. That trend did not continue into the 4th. Segura walked the leadoff hitter that inning, followed by a single by <strong>Kai Roberts</strong>. The freshman then threw the ball away on a pickoff attempt allowing the first run to score, then a parade of singles and doubles followed, interrupted by one pop-up out and a hit batter. By the time Segura was saved from the meltdown the lead was down to 9-6. A freshman having his first bad day on the mound is nothing remarkable, but the complete inability for the bullpen to manage what was still a 3-run lead was what doomed OSU in this one. Oregon State allowed 16 base hits (a season high) and hit four batters (one by Segura, the other three by the bullpen). It was a particularly rough day for<strong> AJ Hutcheson </strong>(1 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 0 K, 0 BB) and <strong>Noah Ferguson</strong> (a hit batter and a double without recording an out), two pitchers the Beavers rely on in pressure situations.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="WdBaP9">
<h2 id="mhwiB3">What We Learned</h2>
<ul>
<li id="DCl6Vg">
<strong>You have to play the full 9 innings. </strong>It took the Beavers a while to get going in the first two games, yet they won both. They came out on fire in game 3 and couldn't hold a 9-run lead. Baseball is a funny game and a series win rarely hurts, but OSU will have to shrug off a frustrating Sunday game as the season continues.</li>
<li id="Rfm0v9">
<strong>Oregon State is going to take advantage of bullpen’s, regardless of pedigree. </strong>They were held to a total of 2 runs in the first 7 innings on Friday and Saturday on the way to posting a combined 15 runs in those games. They did the same thing to Arkansas earlier in the year after Haden Smith left the game, and the Razorback’s bullpen is no slouch.</li>
<li id="NI7K8t">
<strong>Utah’s is good enough to make noise in the Pac-12 this season.</strong> After the first two games, I would have pointed to Utah’s pitching staff and said that was good enough to compete while the offense may struggle. Fourteen runs against a solid Oregon State staff indicates that Utah can play with anyone. The Pac-12 may not be strong at the top outside of the Beavers, but it is balanced, and Utah can very much play their way up from a 3-3 start to conference play.</li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="JCnnyh">
<h2 id="TwWZm2">Batting Line of the Week</h2>
<p id="6rPNqI"><strong>Travis Bazzana Batting Line - 17 PA .500/.529/1.063</strong></p>
<p id="9aqNVk">The Utes chose to go after Bazzana, whose only walk was in the first plate appearance of the series. The strategy worked on Friday and Utah held him to an 0-for-4 day. It very much did not work over the next two days as Bazzana racked up 8 hits including his 7th and 8th home runs of the season on Sunday. He remains statistically one of the top 5 hitters in the country and is tied for the Pac-12 lead in batting average and home runs.</p>
<div id="iN625j">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">RT if you like Bazzana two-run home runs.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoBeavs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoBeavs</a> <a href="https://t.co/7vSN1kpfvq">pic.twitter.com/7vSN1kpfvq</a></p>— Oregon State Baseball (@BeaverBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeaverBaseball/status/1769441557906964598?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="8uThCh"><strong>Non-Travis Bazzana Batting Line: Micah McDowell - 15 PA .417/.353/.750</strong></p>
<p id="8xDyja">The only reason McDowell’s season-long batting average of .460 does not lead the Pac-12 is because Bazzana’s is one point higher. The senior was back in centerfield for against the Utes and delivered two multi-hit games along with his 3rd home run of the year. He has been the 2nd best Beaver bat when in the lineup, so it's a bit confusing to see him asked to sacrifice so much (3 times against Utah), particularly when Bazzana is more than capable of stealing bases by himself.</p>
<p id="6WMujP">A special shout-out goes to Jabin Trosky who put together a 4-for-5 performance in Sunday’s loss. A glove-first shortstop, the redshirt sophomore is hitting .455/.480/.591 in 26 plate appearances so far this year.</p>
<h2 id="XhkyXd">Pitching Line of the Week</h2>
<p id="BimmBk"><strong>Jacob Kmatz - 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 0 R, 3 K, 3 BB</strong></p>
<p id="GKWXZI">Friday and Sunday were days to forget for much of the Oregon State pitching staff outside of Bridger Holmes (1 IP, 0 R, 2 K, 0 BB) and to a lesser extent Tephen Montgomery (1.2 IP, 0 R, 1 K, 0 BB, one inherited runner scored). Kmatz did not have his best outing of the year on Saturday, but it was enough to keep Utah contained for five innings and give the offense a chance to break through late and secure what ended as a comfortable win. </p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="daEDe7">
<h2 id="Xxjpl4">Pac-12 Power Rankings</h2>
<p id="tCyV3g">In what has been a season-long trend, the teams at the bottom of the power rankings had more impressive series than most of the ones at the top, in particular Washington who went on the road and took 2-of-3 from #23 Texas. Updated power rankings below with last weekend's series results. The numbers in parentheses is the run differential from the three-game series).</p>
<ol>
<li id="7L1A08">(NC) <strong>Oregon State</strong>. Won series @ Utah 2-1 (26-20)</li>
<li id="95HJZ9">(NC) <strong>Oregon</strong>. Won series vs Cal 2-1 (16-17)</li>
<li id="R4i3lo">(Up 1) <strong>California</strong>. Lost series @ Oregon 1-2 (17-16)</li>
<li id="XaRLuJ">(Down 1) <strong>Stanford</strong>. Lost series vs USC 1-2 (17-17)</li>
<li id="QkfExq">(Up 1) <strong>Arizona State</strong>. Won series @ Arizona 2-1 (10-16)</li>
<li id="R7TW9u">(Down 1) <strong>Arizona</strong>. Lost series vs Arizona St 1-2 (16-10)</li>
<li id="pNelWr">(Up 3) <strong>Washington</strong>. Won series @ Texas 2-1 (17-10)</li>
<li id="hQRwbW">(Down 1) <strong>UCLA</strong>. Won series vs WSU 2-1 (18-17)</li>
<li id="xvVY5u">(Down 1) <strong>Utah</strong>. Lost series vs OSU 1-2 (20-26)</li>
<li id="RoNz2a">(Up 1) <strong>USC</strong>. Won series @ Stanford 2-1 (17-17)</li>
<li id="cUGv5w">(Down 2) <strong>Washington State</strong>. Lost series @ UCLA 2-1 (17-18)</li>
</ol>
https://www.buildingthedam.com/2024/3/18/24102051/beaver-baseball-osu-starts-the-pac-12-season-with-a-series-winTucker_Smith2024-03-17T19:33:13-07:002024-03-17T19:33:13-07:00Beavers Book Tickets to Albany 1 Regional: Face Eastern Washington in First Round
<figure>
<img alt="Oregon State v Colorado" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8CQSW8y-cgzf8DozwzzSlk4wQsM=/0x0:3997x2665/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73214323/2043330105.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The NCAA Women’s Tournament Bracket is out. Here’s how things shook out for Oregon State</p> <p id="LTvOnm">The NCAA released the bracket for the Women’s Basketball Tournament earlier this afternoon, and things went pretty much as expected for <a href="https://www.buildingthedam.com">Oregon State</a>. In their big return to March Madness, the Beavers picked up a three seed in the Albany 1 regional, and will face Eastern Washington in the first round.</p>
<div id="awyZ6D">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dance with us <br><br>All-session tickets for the Corvallis First and Second Rounds at Gill Coliseum are on sale ! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoBeavs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoBeavs</a><br><br> ️ <a href="https://t.co/kk5uC2IZ5y">https://t.co/kk5uC2IZ5y</a> <a href="https://t.co/ArQQJMEQdM">pic.twitter.com/ArQQJMEQdM</a></p>— Oregon State WBB (@BeaverWBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeaverWBB/status/1769532402194317629?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2024</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="ebu365">The Albany 1 Regional is headlined by the best team in the country, the South Carolina Gamecocks. South Carolina went undefeated this season, giving the Beavers a significant obstacle to overcome if they want a deep run in the tournament.</p>
<p id="DEvn2Z">Eastern Washington, the Beavers first round opponent, comes to the tournament as a 14 seed. The Eagles won the Big Sky Conference to clinch their trip to the big dance, after having gone 29-5 overall and cruising through the Big Sky tournament.</p>
<p id="WzSaS3">Also in the Albany 1 Regional is <a href="https://www.onefootdown.com">Notre Dame</a>. The Fighting Irish, ranked 10th nationally, picked up the 2nd seed in the region. 4th seed Indiana, 5th seed Oklahoma and 6 seed Nebraska are some of the other big names featured in the region. Should the Beavers advance past the first round, they’ll face the winner between Nebraska and 11th seed <a href="https://www.goodbullhunting.com">Texas A&M</a>.</p>
<p id="D7VM6O">The first round of the Tournament kicks off on March 22nd and 23rd. The Beavers first two games will be hosted in Corvallis, so get down to Gill if you can and cheer the team on.</p>
https://www.buildingthedam.com/2024/3/17/24103472/beavers-tickets-albany-1-regional-eastern-washington-in-first-round-ncaaw-march-madness-bracketJohn Severs2024-03-15T10:06:28-07:002024-03-15T10:06:28-07:00Beaver Baseball: OSU Travels to Utah
<figure>
<img alt="Oregon State v UCLA" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IIRPSfqeOCy_HekxP-ei5BHdTZY=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73209916/1490167478.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="PtU1uR">Oregon State kicks off the Pac-12 season with a trip to Salt Lake City to take on a Utah team that is having a fun start to the year. The Utes have been a perennial bottom-feeder since joining the Pac-12, finishing 10th or 11th in 9 of 12 seasons, including the last three. Not much else was expected going into this year, both the Pac-12 coaches and D1 Baseball predicted more of the same, picking Utah to finish 10th in 2024. Head coach <strong>Gary Henderson’s </strong>squad have shrugged off that history so far this year, running out to an 11-4 start. That has not eliminated questions about Utah’s ability to contend in the Pac-12 (their three best wins against UC San Diego and two against Washington State were all by 1 run), but all of their games have been on the road so far this year, and it is certainly better to be 11-4 than 4-11. </p>
<div class="c-float-right"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GG-upnPQK9bTcfi-kIYew6efp-k=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25338035/Matchup.jpg">
</figure>
</div>
<p id="16zSNl">This weekend will tell us a lot about Utah and how much they have improved on pre-season expectations. Two big questions will be whether their lineup can continue to provide solid production against Pac-12 pitching and if the bullpen can continue to be a shutdown factor and keep them in those one-run games.</p>
<p id="3nyqfS">The weather should be just fine in Salt Lake City for this series, with highs in the low 50s and winds around 10 mph. Utah will carry a live stream for the Saturday and Sunday games, with the Beaver Radio Network carrying audio for all three.</p>
<ul>
<li id="twLl0K">Friday - Mar 15th @ 5:00 PM PT</li>
<li id="IIAgXv">Saturday - Mar 16th @ 1:00 PM PT</li>
<li id="xAfc1r">Sunday - Mar 17th @ 11:00 AM PT</li>
</ul>
<p id="7Zl9G1"><strong>NOTE: </strong>The matchup overviews starting this week will include both NCAA RPI (Rating Percentage Index) and Boyd’s World ISR (Iterative Strength Rating). Both are mathematical attempts to rank all college baseball teams, and RPI in particular is heavily weighted when it comes to NCAA tournament selections and seeding. You can read more about RPI <a href="https://www.abca.org/magazine/magazine/2013-1-Winter/Ground_Rules_Understanding_the_new_RPI.aspx">here</a>, and ISR <a href="http://www.boydsworld.com/baseball/faq.html">here</a>. The caveat is that both are unstable metrics at the beginning of the year and will shift around through the first few weeks of conference play. But with a month of baseball under our belts, the ratings are not meaningless and give a good indication of how a team has performed so far.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="u0XCME">
<h2 id="V6QOy7">Offense</h2>
<div class="c-float-left"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/K5K3nriR7NPLoRu0_gMGH3tgbBY=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25338036/Hitting.jpg">
</figure>
</div>
<p id="1vu0kw">The Beaver offense is the class of the Pac-12 even without the services of multiple impact players. Thier 10.08 runs per game is more than a run clear of second place Oregon and that includes 8 games in the cool damp confines of spring Goss Stadium. OSU should welcome back <strong>Trent Caraway </strong>to the lineup and <strong>Micah McDowell </strong>seems to be set to at least be a regular DH if not a complete return to his regular CF location. It would also not be surprising to see <strong>Tyce Peterson </strong>make a return to the lineup on Saturday. He has been absent since February 25th, partially due to the large collection of right-handed starters the Beavers have faced since then.</p>
<p id="mKUJiB">Utah has scored runs at a decent clip, their 6.55 runs per game is right around average for the Pac-12. Thier underlying numbers have not been as favorable, highlighted by a .763 OPS that is 9th in the Pac-12. They are free swingers that don't strike out or walk much and aren’t afraid to run on the basepaths. Senior CF <strong>Kai Roberts</strong> is the anchor of the lineup. He has been a regular starter since his freshman year and leads the Utes in home runs (4) and doubles (7) this year and is tied for the lead in stolen bases (6). Junior 1B <strong>Drake Digiorno</strong> (.293/.408/.512) and LF <strong>Karson Bodily</strong> (.313/.343/.563) have been solid middle of the order bats as well. The bottom of the lineup has struggled, which Beaver pitching will need to take advantage of.</p>
<p id="ItVlqN"><strong>Advantage: Oregon State</strong></p>
<p id="Uxi4m8"><strong>NOTE: </strong>Quality Hitters in the table are defined as players that are above the 75th percentile in plate appearances (currently 57) and OPS (currently 1.054). It is intended to capture hitters that are both regulars in the lineup and are producing at a level that would be an impact on any team. The total number is an indication of how deep a lineup is. For most teams this is 1-2 hitters, although some lineups have up to 6 quality hitters in the lineup.</p>
<h2 id="tzCMDz">Starting Pitching</h2>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NJQjOz3KoTMe_omfzXuFd3LIEsg=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25338037/Starters.jpg">
</figure>
<p id="ZMSCfK">It sounds like <strong>Aiden May</strong> <a href="https://x.com/OMNsports/status/1767992331247198445?s=20">will not return this weekend</a> (although <strong>Mitch Canham</strong> held out next week as a possibility). The Beavers will keep the same rotation structure they have the last two weekends, keeping <strong>Jacob Kmatz</strong> and<strong> Eric Segura </strong>in their Saturday and Sunday roles. The change will be lefty <strong>Nelson Keljo</strong> stepping into the weekend starting role in place of Jaren Hunter, who has struggled so far this year. </p>
<p id="j37wGN">Keljo made his first start of the year last Thursday after making three relief appearances earlier in the year. The sophomore has been more effective than Hunter this year and has been extended somewhat in all four of his outings, facing 8 or more hitters in each and throwing over 50 pitches in his last two appearances including the start.</p>
<p id="zwGxRv">After that the Beavers have the advantage on both Saturday and Sunday. That’s not to diminish Utah’s rotation, but the combination of results (ERA), underlying numbers (FIP, K-BB%) and competition favor the Beavs.</p>
<p id="eyMwtS"><strong>Advantage: Oregon State</strong></p>
<p id="OZbmcv">NOTE: The stats here are for a player’s starts alone, so for example Nelson Keljo’s relief appearances are not included here. GS stands for Game Score, a measure of a pitcher's performance in a start that covers how deep they pitch, runs they give up, as well as hits, strikeouts, walks and more. You can read more about how it is calculated <a href="https://www.mlb.com/glossary/advanced-stats/game-score">here</a>. The GS +/- metric is how much above or below the team average start a player has performed. </p>
<h2 id="LvOU0a">Bullpen</h2>
<div class="c-float-right"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/66FgnLoE4n1S_V6eepZJpfzrX5g=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25338038/Bullpen.jpg">
</figure>
</div>
<p id="V7P1k2">Keljo making the start leaves <strong>Tyler Mejia</strong> as the only left-handed pitcher in the OSU bullpen. That is something to watch out for with Jackson and other Utah regulars such as SS <strong>Core Jackson</strong> hit from the left side. For the entire Beaver bullpen this weekend is an opportunity to clean up the free passes, which would turn an average bullpen into a strength.</p>
<p id="1zaayP">As could be expected with some close-fought wins, the Utah bullpen has been a strength through the season so far. Closer <strong>Micah Ashman</strong> has been the biggest force for the Utes and has not allowed a run in his 6.2 IP while striking out 9 and allowing just 2 hits and a walk. <strong>Randon Hostert</strong> is a senior long man who has pitched 4 or more innings in 4 of his 5 outings this year. He has done a good job of limiting runs and has a 2.55 ERA, with most of that damage coming against Washington St in the Friday game. But like others in the Utah bullpen, the underlying strikeouts and walks indicate some regression is coming, his FIP of 4.99 is good but not as good as the ERA.</p>
<p id="4lsOCu"><strong>Advantage: Utah</strong></p>
<p id="xrzWua"><strong>NOTE: </strong>Arms is a count of the number of relievers a team has used this season. Quality arms are ones that have thrown more innings than 75% of relievers (5.6 currently) and have an FIP better than 75% of relievers (4.52 currently). Clean Outings are defined as ones where a reliever goes at least one inning and does not allow a run. Clean Outing % is the percentage of all outings by a bullpen that qualify as clean.</p>
https://www.buildingthedam.com/2024/3/15/24100526/beaver-baseball-osu-travels-to-utahTucker_Smith2024-03-13T19:05:40-07:002024-03-13T19:05:40-07:00Beaver Baseball: Thoughts Headed into Conference Play
<figure>
<img alt="Oregon State v UCLA" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ARQxTPtns3CNF8hiqTgv2hsEibY=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73205737/1491401248.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="mz8Ipo">With the bulk of non-conference play now complete along with a month of the season its worth stepping back and taking a look at the Oregon State baseball team. The Beavers came into the season with expectations back at the College World Series level. OSU has held up to those expectations so far and shown impressive depth over the last two weeks as they have managed some injuries to key contributors. The final season of Pac-12 baseball awaits the Beavers, so let's take a look at what they have shown and how that projects forward.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="4jJvPj">
<h3 id="iipe5P">The offensive depth is as good or better than expected.</h3>
<p id="nByksu">There was plenty of talk about the home run power of this lineup going into the year and the star power of <strong>Travis Bazzana</strong>, <strong>Gavin Turley</strong>, and crew. The Beavers have lived up to that hype through 16 games. The team OPS of 1.042 is good for 13th best in the country and their 28 home runs lead all Pac-12 teams. Nine OSU hitters have at least two home runs, and only two regulars are hitting below .300. That is no knock on either of those two, <strong>Mason Guerra</strong> is hitting .290, but has a .408 on base percentage while <strong>Tanner Smith</strong> is hitting .261 with 3 home runs while providing solid defense behind the plate. </p>
<p id="XD7KWX">Bazzana was expected to be an offensive leader of this team and has very much done so. His video game-like .450/.588/.900 batting line puts him right at the top of the Golden Spikes conversation for best player in college baseball. <strong>Micah McDowell</strong> is right behind him with a .474/.571/.763 line, but it has been injuries to him and fellow senior <strong>Brady Kasper</strong> that have shown off the depth and versatility of the Beaver’s offensive firepower. <strong>Dallas Macias</strong> was originally part of the DH conversation but has played center and right since those two went down and hit .326/.415/.535. <strong>Jacob Krieg</strong> stepped into the DH role, then 1B when Guerra slid over to his old home at 3B temporarily. Kreig then jumped all over North Dakota State and Cal State Northridge pitching and his OPS of 1.468 is second only to Bazzana on the team.</p>
<div id="kM79Wi">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">And now Travis Bazzana gets in on the action!<a href="https://t.co/a1pkN1nG65">https://t.co/a1pkN1nG65</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoBeavs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoBeavs</a> <a href="https://t.co/SOlYsavVyZ">pic.twitter.com/SOlYsavVyZ</a></p>— Oregon State Baseball (@BeaverBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeaverBaseball/status/1761900332014047356?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2024</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="gWrpix">Guys like McDowell and Kasper should find their way back into the lineup in the coming weeks, and its hard to see a Pac-12 pitching staff that can slow this lineup down.</p>
<h3 id="7Tkmhd">Starting rotation with Aiden May is good enough to hang with anyone. Without him, the depth may be a problem.</h3>
<p id="JXO2TY">The planned weekend rotation of <strong>Aiden May</strong>, <strong>Jacob Kmatz</strong>, and <strong>Eric Segura</strong> has been solid in their combined 10 starts this year, putting together a 3.20 ERA and 4.78 FIP. Kmatz has been striking hitters out at a rate nearly 10 points higher than his career 19% while keeping walks steady and the ball in the ballpark (an issue that plagued him throughout last year). The freshman Segura has been a revelation as a Sunday starter and is keeping up with Kmatz in the strikeout department while holding hitters to a .585 OPS. That includes a 7-strikeout performance against Oklahoma State showing he can put together those starts against high level competition. </p>
<div id="Pieeng">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Got the swing aaaaaand miss.<br><br>Still 4-1 Beavs.<a href="https://t.co/a1pkN1nG65">https://t.co/a1pkN1nG65</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoBeavs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoBeavs</a> <a href="https://t.co/0nwgzJPdtn">pic.twitter.com/0nwgzJPdtn</a></p>— Oregon State Baseball (@BeaverBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeaverBaseball/status/1761903354744021063?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2024</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="T4sOg1">May was matching outs on the other side of a legendary performance by Arkansas lefty <strong>Hagen Smith</strong> when he left the game due to injury on February 23rd and has yet to return to the mound. <strong>Jaren Hunter</strong> has filled his role as the Friday starter but has not had the same success he saw last year, posting a 6.75 ERA and 7.59 FIP in three starts this year. Neither Hunter or any other of the weekday starters have had a start that matches that of the weekend crew. That can be overcome in Pac-12 play, the Beaver offense is enough to put runs on the board and take the pressure off the pitching staff, but it's an area of concern if OSU gets stuck coming from behind in tournament play.</p>
<h3 id="4OzUS6">The bullpen is deep but lacks proven, reliable options.</h3>
<p id="wrOJvO">Fourteen pitchers have made relief appearances for the Beavers through 16 games. Presumed closer <strong>Kyle Scott</strong> is one of those but has not pitched since the second game of the year working back from an injury. Coaches Canham and Dorman have done an admirable job mixing and matching relivers, with only one pitcher throwing more than once in a weekend through the first three weeks (<strong>AJ Hutcheson</strong>). </p>
<p id="Z4hDf8">That changed a bit last weekend against CSUN, when 6 relivers made multiple appearances, but only <strong>Bridger Holmes</strong> was effective in all of his outings. Holmes is likely the anchor of the bullpen coming out of the last weekend of non-conference play. He has yet to allow a run in 9 innings, striking out 14 and allowing just a .107 batting average to opposing hitters. He has managed to hit a team-leading 6 batters along the way, the biggest cause for concern. As a whole the Beaver bullpen has a formidable ERA of 3.63, but a FIP of 5.76 exposes their propensity to put runners on via walks and hit batters and give team’s extra chances they don’t need.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="DrWZMD">
<h3 id="NYB7bF">Pac-12 Lookahead and Power Rankings</h3>
<p id="zR8YiJ">The Beavers were expected to be the class of the Pac-12 and that impression has solidified through non-conference play. The expected challengers have had struggles to start the year, while the breakout teams like Cal and Utah were expected to finish towards the bottom and have a lot to prove in conference play. Below are the Building the Dam Pac-12 Power Rankings after the first week of conference play and will be updated in the series recaps throughout the rest of the season.</p>
<ol>
<li id="4OKZpv">
<strong>Oregon State 15-1 (0-0): </strong>Clear #1. The Beavers have duality wins against likely tournament teams Texas Tech and Oklahoma St. and have not lost a weekend this year. </li>
<li id="qQZDAL">
<strong>Oregon 11-5 (2-1): </strong>The Ducks have some quality wins against Oklahoma and Grand Canyon, but pair those with a loss to Texas Tech and a home series loss to UC Santa Barbara. Despite those slip-ups they are the only one of the projected challengers to OSU to come through non-conference play more-or-less unscathed.</li>
<li id="wGv2ol">
<strong>Stanford 8-7 (2-1): </strong>The Cardinal got off to a horrific start, losing series to Cal State Fullerton and Penn State and found themselves at 1-5 in the middle of the 2nd weekend of the season. They have picked things up and are 7-2 in their last 9 games, including a series win against Washington to start Pac-12 play, but do not look close to challenging for a title at this point in the season.</li>
<li id="vaLOuG">
<strong>California 11-3 (3-0):</strong> The Golden Bears were picked to finish 8th in the league by both Pac-12 coaches and D1 baseball and find themselves on top of the Pac-12 standings after a sweep of UCLA last weekend (a team picked 2 or 3 in the Pac-12 to start the year). Cal played a solid non-conference schedule and held up just fine, despite missing pre-season All-Pac-12 starter Ian May to start the year. </li>
<li id="TVsTi6">
<strong>Arizona 7-7 (2-1): </strong>Three straight losses to TCU, Dallas Baptist, and Alabama on weekend three make it look bad for UA. All are good competition and the Wildcats lost two of those games by one run. A series loss to San Diego is worse, but there is plenty of room for Arizona to make a run.</li>
<li id="6eB9MQ">
<strong>Arizona State 7-9 (1-2): </strong>ASU is one of a number of Pac-12 teams with losses to TCU and Texas A&M on their resume, but not much else to make up for that with a close series win vs Santa Clara and 4 game splits with Ohio State. The Sun Devils lost their series to UO to start the Pac-12 season but have the tools to live up to D1 Baseball’s regional expectations for them.</li>
<li id="YiHKIL">
<strong>UCLA 5-10 (0-3): </strong>The Bruins were a preseason top 25 team that is hurting massively right now. UCLA lost two competitive games and one non-competitive one to a top-10 TCU team in non-conference play, which is fine by itself. What is less good is the 7-game losing streak they are now riding after being swept by Cal and losing a mid-week game at home to UCONN on Tuesday. </li>
<li id="75LpoT">
<strong>Utah 11-4 (2-1): </strong>Utah has had an impressive non-conference performance considering the pre-season expectations. That being said, it was not an overly difficult schedule so Pac-12 play will say a lot about the Utes. They go OSU, Cal, Stanford for their next 3 series, wins in those matchups would vault them up the list.</li>
<li id="7HUl6n">
<strong>Washington State 8-6 (1-2): </strong>Wazzu played TCU to a one-run game in non-conference play and has looked like a solid, balanced team. Thier losses were sprinkled throughout series wins, up until they dropped a home series to Utah to start conference play.</li>
<li id="yzXpMh">
<strong>Washington 4-7-1 (1-2): </strong>UW has not won a series this year despite not playing high level competition like other Pac-12 teams that have struggled out of the gate. The Huskies kept it close in two losses to Stanford last weekend before winning 9-2 to avoid the sweep.</li>
<li id="m0OLeD">
<strong>USC 4-12 (1-2): </strong>Everything is bad for the Trojans in 2024. Playing home games 50 miles away from campus due to renovations at Dedeaux Field, USC won 2 of 3 vs Portland, a mid-week game against Fullerton and avoided a sweep by Arizona on Sunday. They have lost everything else, whether to good teams like TCU and Texas A&M, or to not-so-good ones like BYU and Loyola Marymount. They play Stanford, UCLA, and Oregon State in their next three series.</li>
</ol>
https://www.buildingthedam.com/2024/3/13/24098283/beaver-baseball-thoughts-headed-into-conference-playTucker_Smith2024-03-11T11:15:22-07:002024-03-11T11:15:22-07:00Beaver Baseball: Sweeping into Pac-12 Season
<figure>
<img alt="NCAA BASEBALL: JUN 04 Baton Rouge Regional - LSU v Oregon State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dAy9MNCSbaVcIADC8CCC0D7O4AU=/0x0:2574x1716/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73198592/1258471155.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="cC3ACz">There were some close moments, but nothing that stopped Beaver Baseball from running their win streak to 10 games and overall record to 15-1 heading into conference play.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="CvSb0C">
<h2 id="lmSGpf">Series Recap</h2>
<p id="eDCkjW"><strong>Thursday -</strong> CSUN put their ace on the mound to start the series and <strong>Thomas Bainton</strong> put together a solid start for the Matadors, holding the OSU lineup scoreless until a two-out rally in the 5th that was started by a <strong>Travis Bazzana </strong>single and finished with a <strong>Mason Guerra</strong> double. Bainton was replaced to start the 6th inning and the Beaver bats went to work, scoring 8 runs over the next two innings against three different Matador relievers. <strong>Nelson Keljo </strong>became the 7th OSU pitcher to get a start this year and went three strong innings, allowing one run, while a parade of 5 relievers helped close out the game.<strong> Micah McDowell</strong> and <strong>Brady Kasper</strong> made their returns in this game, with McDowell starting at DH and Kasper pinch hitting at the position later in the game as part of an elaborate conga line of substitutions at the position.</p>
<p id="ajLRE2"><strong>Friday -</strong> <strong>Jaren Hunter</strong> started off his 3rd start of the year by hitting the leadoff man, and things didn't get much better from there for the junior. He allowed six hits and walked 3 in addition to the hit batter through 3 innings. The offense batted around in the bottom of the first to give Hunter some help, including two Bazzana singles and a three-run home run by <strong>Jacob Kreig</strong>. </p>
<div id="dnTy8o">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">That bat whip <a href="https://t.co/xn8I1omClT">pic.twitter.com/xn8I1omClT</a></p>— Oregon State Baseball (@BeaverBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeaverBaseball/status/1766270998264078588?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2024</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="bfFKTj"><strong>Ian Lawson</strong> was solid in relief, going 3 scoreless innings to bridge the gap to the later innings. The Matadors got the tying run to the plate in the 9th after <strong>AJ Hutcheson</strong> hit a batter and walked the next on four pitches. <strong>Bridger Holmes</strong> was brought on to close the game out and shut the door with authority, striking out the next three CSUN hitters while throwing strikes with 9 of his 11 pitches.</p>
<p id="0feWNO"><strong>Saturday -</strong> The Beavers got on the board quickly on Saturday, building a 3-0 lead through the first two innings thanks to a Guerra single and a McDowell double. In no surprise, Bazzana scored two of those runs after picking up a single and a double in his first two trips to the plate. <strong>Jacob Kmatz </strong>struggled more than he has in his prior starts this year, allowing a solo home run in the 2nd to <strong>Jakob Simons</strong>, then allowing 3 straight hits with one out in the 4th, followed by a sac fly and a wild pitch to give CSUN the 4-3 lead. The game went back and forth from there, with the Beavers ultimately re-taking the lead in the bottom of the 8th, and freshman <strong>Drew Talavs</strong> was brought on to close the game out. He could not get the job done, allowing a leadoff double and a walk before being lifted for fellow freshman <strong>Matthew Morrell</strong>. Two on and no outs with a one run lead is a tough spot for your fourth collegiate appearance, but Morrell was up for the task. He forced a groundout to the first hitter he saw, then intentionally walked the bases full to set up the double play. A first pitch pop-up gave him the opportunity to strike out <strong>Shunsuke Sakaino</strong> on a full count to preserve a Beaver victory and series win.</p>
<p id="AQOO1e"><strong>Sunday -</strong> For much of Sunday the Beavers looked to be cruising to a comfortable 4 game sweep. <strong>Eric Segura</strong> held the Matadors to 2 runs through 5 solid innings of work, tying his season high with 7 strikeouts. The offense continued to do what they did best throughout this series, mix in hits between taking advantage of the spotty command of CSUN pitchers and built an 8-2 lead through 6 innings. The 8th and 9th innings became a chore, starting with a two out walk issued by <strong>Kellan Oakes</strong>. <strong>Kamau Neighbors</strong> of the Matadors later cleared the bases with a double to bring the score to 8-6 before <strong>Noah Ferguson</strong> was brought on and got the strikeout to end the inning. The OSU bats got one back in the bottom of the inning, but the 9th inning had similar vibes. Ferguson started with a strikeout and following up with walks, singles, and hit by pitches before Holmes was brought into the game for the third time this week. He managed to hit two batters, one of which walked in a run, but closed the door after that to secure the sweep.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="UWi5y9">
<p id="B9UyKi"></p>
<h2 id="WrWKdI">What We Learned</h2>
<ul>
<li id="bXi1cw">
<strong>Which Players are Progressing Back from Injury? </strong>Both McDowell and Kasper were eased into action in this series, McDowell more so than Kasper. Wilson Weber made his first start at catcher since February 19th, making his way back into his role as the backup catcher. There was no sign of May which isn't necessarily a surprise, but the focus will increase on Hunter the longer May is out. The junior has not played up to his numbers from last year and had the roughest of his 3 starts of 2024 this last weekend. Trent Caraway missed the series with an illness, which ended up allowing Kreig to spend the entire series in the field.</li>
<li id="d2SKJW">
<strong>Can the Pitching Staff Get a Handle on Thier Control? </strong>The short answer is no. The Beavers walked 21 Matadors over 4 games and added another 7 hit batters. So far this year, OSU’s walk rate of 4.4 per game and hit batters (1.9 per game) are well above last year's totals (3.6 BB/G, 1.0 HBP/G), and translates to an average of two extra baserunners per game. The issue is spread across the entire staff, with 10 of the 21 walks given by starters this weekend. This will likely not be that much of an issue in Pac-12 play given how powerful the OSU lineup is but will come back to bite them in high stakes situations later in the year if not addressed.</li>
<li id="hcwgUf">
<strong>Who Handles the DH Spot? </strong>Mitch Canham and crew used the DH spot as a way to ease McDowell and Kasper back into action, along with providing multiple pinch-running opportunities to Barndon Forrester and Dawson Santana. McDowell played the full game at DH by Sunday and went 2-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBI for his efforts.</li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="XmLL52">
<h2 id="OFyzux">Batting Line of the Week</h2>
<p id="JyXNTQ"><strong>Travis Bazzana Batting Line - .500/.600/.563</strong></p>
<p id="OZC5hj">The contact was not quite as loud this past weekend as it has been earlier in the year. Of Bazzana’s 8 hits in the series, only 1 went for extra bases. That isn’t really an issue when you get on base 60% of the time as a leadoff man in front of a lineup as deep as the Beaver one. Bazzana scored 7 runs in the series, and consistently set the table for the OSU lineup.</p>
<p id="MHhfTp"><strong>Non-Travis Bazzana Batting Line: Jacob Krieg - .467/.556/1.200</strong></p>
<p id="iRrq7D">Kreig has gotten an opportunity with the injuries to McDowell and Kasper pulling Dallas Macias into the field, and even more so with Mason Guerra sliding over to third base for 2 or three games in the series. The big sophomore accounted for 3 of the 5 Beaver home runs this weekend. The 118 MPH exit velocity on Krieg’s Friday home run was the highest ever recorded by the Dam Analytics squad. With both Krieg and Macias playing so well, it will be a good problem to have fitting everyone in once the combination of McDowell, Kasper, and Caraway are back to full strength.</p>
<h2 id="Ul08pp">Pitching Line of the Week</h2>
<p id="HjLdhb"><strong>Pitcher: Bridger Homes - 3 APP, 3 IP, 0 R, 7 K, 0 BB</strong></p>
<p id="Nr53mi">Holmes is the first OSU pitcher to make 3 appearances in one weekend series in the 2024 season, and he kept earning the right to take the ball. The Junior College transfer struck out seven of the twelve batters he faced and allowed three baserunners (all via hit batters of course). High leverage opportunities have been spread around the Beaver bullpen in the early part of the season, but Holmes got the traditional save on Saturday and the firemen role on Sunday. With the presumed closer to start the year (Kyle Scott) shelved with an injury for the moment, it seems like Holmes has seized the opportunity.</p>
<p id="2nrDjg"></p>
https://www.buildingthedam.com/2024/3/11/24095950/beaver-baseball-sweeping-into-pac-12-seasonTucker_Smith2024-03-08T08:59:02-08:002024-03-08T08:59:02-08:00Beavers Take Down Colorado After Double OT Comeback
<figure>
<img alt="Oregon State v Colorado" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Vp5-jdgg8IWNToSRlGT7sCtehVo=/0x0:3997x2665/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73191961/2043330105.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It looked like the Beavers were down and out late in the game before a miraculous comeback.</p> <p id="LB8e3a">Late into Thursday’s matchup against Colorado, <a href="https://www.buildingthedam.com">Oregon State</a>’s first game of the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/pac-12-basketball-tournament">Pac-12 tournament</a>, it looked like the Beavers were gassed. Scoring had been light in the game but the Beavers had the worst of it. Down 12 with seven and a half minutes left in the game, it looked like OSU’s tournament was over in the first round. That didn’t happen, as Oregon State went on an incredible run to take down the Buffaloes 85-79 in double overtime.</p>
<p id="gBoS37">A three from Talia von Oelhoffen sparked the comeback. That was followed by a three from Timea Gardiner, and all of a sudden the Buffalo lead had been halved. Gardiner added a layup to get the margin down to 4, and then a Raegan Beers layup cut it to two. She added a free throw to get the Beavers within 1.</p>
<p id="ZF2cn3">A von Oelhoffen layup then gave the Beavers their first lead since the first half. In only three minutes the game had been completely turned on its head. Colorado battled back and retook the lead, but as time ticked down a pair of free throws from Timea Gardiner gave the Beavers a chance in overtime.</p>
<p id="lz257Q">Colorado immediately jumped in front in extra time, with a three from Frida Formann and a jumper from Jaylyn Sherrod. OSU answered back with back to back layups from Donovyn Hunter, and a three from Dominika Paurova gave them the lead in the final seconds. A Jalyn Sherrod jump shot then sent the game to its second overtime period.</p>
<p id="BF5xao">Colorado again jumped in front, with free throws from Aaronette Vonleh. The final OT period would be very foul heavy, and success at the line ended up mattering a great deal. Free throws from Raegan Beers and Timea Gardiner gave the Beavers the lead back. After some back and forth, a three from Dominika Paurova gave the Beavers a slim lead with little time remaining, and free throws from Timea Gardiner and Donovyn Hunter sealed the deal for a huge Beaver win.</p>
<p id="0y7QxM">There were a lot of heroes on the court for OSU tonight. Raegan Beers of course is always impressive, but she was unstoppable tonight. 27 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists. Four more Beavers scored 13 points each: Donovyn Hunter, Talia von Oelhoffen, Timea Gardiner and Dominika Paurova. Paurova was especially clutch tonight, hitting threes at key moments to give the Beavers the win.</p>
<p id="xUguUH">Oregon State doesn’t have much time to rest, as a rematch with the Stanford Cardinal looms Friday night. OSU just barely fell short in their last meeting, and that was without Raegan Beers. It could be a very different story tonight.</p>
https://www.buildingthedam.com/2024/3/8/24094349/beavers-colorado-after-double-ot-comeback-reagan-beers-dominika-paurova-talia-von-oelhoffenJohn Severs2024-03-07T03:41:39-08:002024-03-07T03:41:39-08:00Beaver Baseball: Final Tuneup Before Pac-12 Season
<figure>
<img alt="Syndication: Arizona Republic" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/O9glVIsdf4ARQzB1wPtbMAEPpLA=/0x21:3000x2021/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73188412/usa_today_21032549.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="rkTUD7">For most of the Pac-12, conference play starts this weekend. For the Beavers, there is one more tune-up series before 10 straight weekends of Pac-12 opponents. Cal State Northridge will travel to Corvallis and take on the Beavers for the first time since 2005. The Matadors are coming off of a competitive 2023 in the Big West and the combination of a solid lineup and a pitching staff with good control to test Oregon State.</p>
<p id="zNOAsb">Pac-12 Insider lays claim to the video stream for the Thursday and Saturday games, while Oregon State will carry Friday and Sunday on osubeavers.com.</p>
<ul>
<li id="nO6ZjF">Thursday - Mar 7th @ 5:35 PM PT</li>
<li id="39WJwA">Friday - Mar 8th @ 4:05 PM PT</li>
<li id="uWTJjO">Saturday - Mar 9th @ 1:05 PM PT</li>
<li id="E46f4V">Sunday - Mar 10th @ 12:05 PM PT</li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="1QuSVa">
<h2 id="x924bB">Oregon State Statistical Check In</h2>
<div class="c-float-left"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7Sa6o75fwiv409Y7Zs-GPR7ibQo=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25321515/OSU_Stats.jpg">
</figure>
</div>
<p id="106lec">With most of the regular starters getting to somewhere around 50 at bats, current season data is starting to grow out of small sample size territory. Oregon State’s batting profile reflects a team that is patient and drives the ball a long way and is willing to give up some strikeouts to achieve that. The pitching staff has dealt with some control issues that have let a few too many baserunners on but have left them stranded and allowed an impressively few 4 home runs to opposing teams so far this year. That 3.22 ERA will likely rise if they don’t find a way to limit the free passes, but it is still the makings of a pitching staff that can control a Pac-12 where no one other than OSU has emerged from the pack in non-conference play.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="FXfNKl">
<h2 id="YWfNFl">Opponent Preview</h2>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1Jc5LnXwDExrDbaNpo_3VDgl-kg=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25321507/CSUN_Overview.jpg">
</figure>
<p id="i4HrOO">After being a somewhat regular participant in the 1990’s the Matadors have not made the tournament since last winning the Big West in 2002. Head coach Eduardo Cornejo stepped in last year and nearly broke that streak in his first season at the helm. Northridge narrowly missed out on a tournament berth last year, losing a tiebreaker to Cal State Fullerton that would have put them in the field for the first time since that 2002 appearance.</p>
<p id="8asq7i">Nevertheless, it was a solid 3rd place finish in the Big West last year for the LA-area team and they are looking to build on it this year. It’s a deep field they are up against with teams like UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, and UC San Diego all in the mix in a league expected to get two NCAA tournament berths. </p>
<p id="ymI3xm">The Matadors were picked to finish 5th in the Big West in the preseason coaches' poll and 4th by D1 Baseball. They have stabilized after stumbling out of the gate in a series loss to Utah Valley, winning their last 8 games against competition they are as good or better than. The lineup has produced and has above average power, their 14 home runs lead the Big West in 2023. On the other side of the diamond, home runs have been an issue for the pitching staff who have given up 13 so far this year, but limiting free passes has helped contain the damage. The combination of low strikeout and walk rates indicate the Beaver bats should see pitches to hit in this series.</p>
<p id="5Xl0tP"><strong>Players to Watch</strong></p>
<div class="c-float-right"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ebb4Q6dhuRKk8v31yMYBi-_YVic=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25321514/CSUN_Stats.jpg">
</figure>
</div>
<p id="2XCxPk"><strong>SP Thomas Bainton</strong> Bainton was the Matador’s Saturday starter last year and put together a respectable 4.18 ERA in 14 starts. He has assumed the Friday role in 2024 and has put up a 2.24 ERA over his first 3 starts. He went 7 innings and threw 103 pitches in his last outing against Nevada so he can get deep into games if the Beavers let him. 13 of his outs were flyouts in that game, there are opportunities to drive the ball when Bainton is on the mound.</p>
<p id="GpEGPN"><strong>CF Jakob Simons</strong> There is a lot of punch in the 5’9” frame of the former walk-on Simons. He put together a .356/.450/.665 slash line in 2023 along with 14 home runs and 11 stolen bases, an effort earned him co-Big West Player of the Year honors. He has picked up right where he left off in 2024 while improving his strikeout rate from 18.5% to 14.8% and doubling his walk rate (8.1% to 14.8%).</p>
<div id="cqQEUD">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Down 4-3. Two outs in the bottom of the 9th.<br><br>Relive the epic 3-run walk-off home run from <a href="https://twitter.com/jakepsimons?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jakepsimons</a> on Thursday.<br><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoMatadors?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoMatadors</a> <a href="https://t.co/0S31K9HSoz">pic.twitter.com/0S31K9HSoz</a></p>— CSUN Baseball (@CSUNBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/CSUNBaseball/status/1764024393079083334?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2024</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="ij4YAe">
<h2 id="udVd83">What We Are Watching</h2>
<ul>
<li id="bXi1cw">
<strong>Which Players are Progressing Back from Injury? </strong>OSU ended the series against North Dakota State without the services of their Friday Night starter (Aiden May), two starting outfielders (Micah McDowell and Brady Kasper), closer (Kyle Scott), and backup catcher (Wilson Weber). While injury updates are always hard to come by in Corvallis, it seems that none of them are serious, and you would certainly rather all of those guys be healthy at the end of the season and in conference play rather than grinding it out in 40-degree weather in March. The Beavers depth has stood up well, particularly Dallas Macias who has become a middle-of-the-order bat over the last six games and has covered center field as well. We may not see any of those players return this weekend to give them one more week to recover, but losing any more is very much going to test the Beavers depth.</li>
<li id="d2SKJW">
<strong>Can the Pitching Staff Get a Handle on Thier Control? </strong>The Beavers issued 7 walks in Thursday’s game against NDSU. They got that under control through the rest of the series with a combined 6 over the next three games but hit a remarkable 11 batters in the series as well. Between walks and hit batters the Beavers are allowing an extra 6 baserunners a game, which will come back to bite them against stiffer competition. You could make a good argument that it did cost them the Arkansas game. OSU walked only 3 but hit 4 batters in that game, and 3 of those came around to score.</li>
<li id="hcwgUf">
<strong>Who Handles the DH Spot? </strong>With Macias moving into the outfield to cover down for McDowell and Kasper, it has been Jacob Krieg that has stepped into the DH slot over Tyce Peterson. Peterson started the season with plenty of power, hitting two home runs in Suprise, but also picked up 9 strikeouts in 14 at bats. Kreig has brought similar power (two of his 4 hits have been for extra bases), as well as a knack for getting hit by pitches. His 7 HBP are tied for 16th nationally despite having fewer than half the at-bats of most of the players on that list. That has driven his OBP to .561, which is hard to ignore. Can he keep that up when not wearing an average of one baseball for every start he makes?</li>
</ul>
https://www.buildingthedam.com/2024/3/7/24086449/beaver-baseball-final-tuneup-before-pac-12-seasonTucker_Smith2024-03-04T10:56:54-08:002024-03-04T10:56:54-08:00Oregon State Baseball: Taking Care of Business
<figure>
<img alt="FloSports: FloBaseball Kubota College Baseball Series - Weekend 2" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-Od2OLN2fDaCFSjkV2O4Wq28_cE=/0x0:6000x4000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73181778/usa_today_22624311.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Beavers Sweep NDSU in First Home Series of 2024</p> <p id="ZqsA4e">It was as unlike baseball weather as you can ask for, perfect for an early season matchup of teams from Oregon and North Dakota. The #6 Beavers took care of business against North Dakota State in a series sweep to open the 2024 home season at Goss Stadium. It wasn’t perfect, but the Beaver offense displayed patience and came through when it mattered.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="neLCwt">
<h2 id="Jtvame">Series Recap</h2>
<p id="l5EWkH"><strong>Thursday - </strong>5 runs, 1 hit, no errors, 2 left on base. That was the line from the top half of the first inning on Thursday. <strong>Ian Lawson</strong> was unable to find the plate in his second career start and walked 4 of the 6 batters he faced. Luckily for the Beavers, NDSU’s <strong>Matt Sargeant</strong> was equally erratic in the rain and gave up 4 walks of his own in the first inning along with a hit batter and a base hit to allow the Beavers to claw back 4 of those runs in the bottom half of the inning. From there Oregon State teed off, most notably <strong>Elijah Hainline</strong>. The Washington State transfer has had a slow start to the year but went 3-for-5 with a double and 5 RBIs to lead the Beaver assault on Bison pitching.</p>
<p id="rkwYns"><strong>Friday -</strong> Walks were less of an issue for Beaver pitching on Friday, but a combination of cold, damp weather and an impressive outing by NDSU lefty <strong>Nolan Johnson</strong> made hits hard to come by. The game was made further surreal by a delay brought on by a light outage, and a subsequent one after home plate umpire Matt McMahon was hit on the hand by a pitch with <strong>Travis Bazzana</strong> at the plate with two men on and the Beavers down 5-1. Nearly thirty minutes later Bazzana returned to the batter’s box and launched a hanging breaking ball to over the right field fence to bring the Beavers within 1. Two walks and two errors by the Bison later in the inning gave OSU a 6-5 lead they would not relinquish. <strong>Micah McDowell </strong>left the game with an injury after grounding out in the 4th, which leaves Gavin Turley as the only starting outfielder currently healthy (<strong>Brady Kasper</strong> has missed the last 6 games with an injury). </p>
<div id="UzjpPW">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">#6<br>boys showed fight for a comeback win.<a href="https://twitter.com/DASBeavers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DASBeavers</a> <a href="https://t.co/2Pe8DculGu">pic.twitter.com/2Pe8DculGu</a></p>— Trav Bazzana (@TBazzana) <a href="https://twitter.com/TBazzana/status/1763794707652698560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2024</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div>
<p id="O33J1W"><strong>Saturday - Jacob Kmatz </strong>brought stability to Beaver pitching on Saturday, following up his career high 11 with another 8 against NDSU. He showed fantastic control throughout his outing with no walks and getting 5 of his 8 strikeouts looking. He ran his pitch count to 93, which is a sign that there isn't much of a leash left on him as he finishes his recovery, but also that he will need to find ways of being more efficient if he is to go deeper into games. </p>
<p id="tLKHwA"><strong>Sunday -</strong> Beaver hitters picked up another 9 walks in the series finale to pair with 14 hits. Bazzana was the only starter not to register a hit, which he made up for by drawing 4 of those free passes. Coach Canham has raved about the defensive abilities of <strong>Jabin Trosky,</strong> who got the start at short for the series finale. He cleared loaded bases with a triple in the first inning to put the Beavers ahead 4-0 and added a sac fly in the third. </p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="panPX5">
<h2 id="NzxeuO">What We Learned</h2>
<ul>
<li id="mCwHNp">
<strong>Rotation without May - </strong>Both Lawson and Jaren Hunter had outings that left something to be desired over the weekend. Some of that can be attributed to non-baseball conditions that made controlling the baseball difficult (Thursday and Friday were night games, while Kmatz and Segura got the benefit of afternoon starts). Regardless of that, the Beavers likely would have gone 1-1 at best in those games against better competition and can't make a habit of going down 5 runs in weekend series. There isn’t much depth left among those originally in the conversation for a starting role. With Adien Jimenez out for the year, only Nelson Keljo (one of two lefties on the staff) and freshman Laif Palmer have not gotten a start so far this year.</li>
<li id="S7M48X">
<strong>Bullpen Organization - </strong>Five OSU relievers had outings of 2 or more innings in the Thursday & Friday games, mitigating the damage from two short starts. AJ Hutcheson (3 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 2 K, 1 BB) and Bridger Holmes (2.1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 4 K, 1 BB) both turned in appearances that kept NDSU at bay and let the offense get back into the game. Hutcheson became the first OSU pitcher to throw twice on the same weekend, turning in another 2 innings to finish off Sunday’s game.</li>
<li id="2Syvbs">
<strong>Tracking Beaver Bombs - </strong>One way to score 19 runs without hitting the ball out of the yard is to take 15 walks, which OSU did on Thursday night. The cold and wet conditions over the weekend were not conducive to long-traveling baseballs to say the least. The Beavers did collect a total of 4 home runs over the series, putting them on a more realistic (but no less impressive) pace of 105 home runs for the regular season.</li>
</ul>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="3FvW1T">
<h3 id="t2LiRp">Batting Line of the Week</h3>
<p id="sazID7"><strong>Travis Bazzana Batting Line - .417/.611/1.000</strong></p>
<p id="E7WzTO">Not only did Bazzana put up a line that included a home run, two triples, and six walks, he did it while delivering the most dramatic moment of the weekend with his 7th inning home run on Friday night to pull the Beavers within one. His season OPS of 1.606 is 10th best in the country (4th among players in Power 5 conferences) and the Australian remains comfortably in the mix for the Golden Spikes Award.</p>
<p id="rIQy5w"><strong>Non-Travis Bazzana Batting Line: Elijah Hainline - .417/.611/.583</strong></p>
<p id="XcBkFE">It has been a slow start for Hainline, who had two hits in the first seven games of the year. A return to the northwest was kind to the Washington State transfer, who went 3-for-4 in the series opener and collected a total of 5 hits over the course of the weekend. His bat was hot enough to earn him a start at DH on Sunday as Coach Canham and team move players around to compensate for the loss of McDowell and Kasper.</p>
<h3 id="45GaQg">Pitching Line of the Week</h3>
<p id="v6mqB3"><strong>Jacob Kmatz: 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 8 K</strong></p>
<p id="8OOIYY">Kmatz has come out firing in his last two starts and has looked like a front-end starter against Michigan and North Dakota State. His 8 strikeouts would have tied a career high if he had not set a new one with 10 last week. He is still allowing a ton of fly balls (56%), but his HR/FB rate of 7.1 this year is almost half that of last year. Some regression is to be expected there, but if he can keep up the strikeouts there are fewer fly balls to get him in trouble.</p>
https://www.buildingthedam.com/2024/3/4/24086448/oregon-state-ndsu-baseball-2024Tucker_Smith