clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Baseball Season Opener at UCSB: Game Thread

By Brendan Donnelly's Pine Tar
Ben Wetzler will get the opening day start Santa Barbara. Who will it be the in the rest of the games? <em>(Photo by RVM)</em>
Ben Wetzler will get the opening day start Santa Barbara. Who will it be the in the rest of the games? (Photo by RVM)

#23 Oregon State (0-0, 0-0) @ UCSB (0-0, 0-0) - 2:00 PM (PST) - Santa Barbara, CA

The much-anticipated baseball season kicks off today, as Oregon State takes on the UCSB Gauchos in Santa Barbara. After the Friday matinee, the two teams will face off in a doubleheader Saturday, before closing the series on Sunday. Ben Wetzler gets the opening day start, but it's anybody's guess who will start on the mound for the Beavers the rest of the weekend. The best guess for the Gaucho's starter is senior Matt Vedo.

When these teams met last year, the Beavers won the series 2-1, OSU's lone loss coming in the series finale.

Last year, the Beavers played very well until the last few weeks, when the team fell apart, and saw the Pac-10 championship slip out of their hands. Finishing with a 41-19 record (17-10 in conference), the Beavers hosted a regional in Corvallis, which they easily won. But the Beavers were swept by Vanderbilt in the super-regional, ending an exciting season. Much of the 2011 Beaver squad is returning this year, but some key players such as Andrew Susac, Sam Gaviglio, Josh Osich, Brian Stamps, and Carter Bell will not. For a more in-depth look at the team, rvm posted his annual Baseball Preview on Tuesday.

The Gauchos finished 6th in the Big West last year, going 10-14 in conference, and an even 26-26 overall.

They have a new coach this year, former Beaver pitcher Andrew Checketts.

Here's to a fun season, and Go Beavers!