:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45743078/Trevor_Morrison_Arizona.0.0.jpg)
Oregon St. wraps up their nearly 2 week stay in Surprise, AZ, and their games in the Pac-12 Big 12 Tournament today with a get-away game against Kansas. Baseball loves "getaway" games early in the day, but this is almost ridiculous, an 11 AM AST start, which is 10 AM PST, and Beaver body clock time. Some of these kids may literally not have played at this hour since Little League.
OSU game notes.
Radio broadcast stations: KICE 940-AM in Bend, KEJO 1240-AM in Albany, KKNX 840-AM in Eugene, KLZS 1450-AM in Eugene, KLAD 960-AM in Klamath Falls, KPOJ 620-AM in Portland and KSKR 1490-AM in Roseburg (carry all games), KAKT 105.1 FM & 104.7 FM in Medford, and KBZY 1490-AM in Salem (Saturday and Sunday games only.)
Due to the overlap with the women's basketball game (another morning start!), that game is shifted from its normal flagship station in the Valley, KEJO 1240 AM, to KLOO 1340 AM.
The Beavers (4-3) will be looking to avoid slipping to a .500 record for the weekend tournament, and for their stay in Surprise, after yesterday's 9-6 loss to Oklahoma, a game in which Oregon St. left a dozen runners on base, half of them in scoring position. The Beavers actually out-hit the Sooners 12-8, but Oklahoma was highly efficient with their hits, while Oregon St. was anything but, and wasted a 4 for 4 day for Trevor Morrison, and a 3 run home run by Gabe Clarkon
The JayHawks (2-4) will be looking to bounce back too, after an 8-5 loss to Washington St. last evening.The Cougars came from behind twice, with a 4 run 7th inning the decisive sequence of the game, this after Kansas had taken the lead with 2 runs in the top of the inning.
Kansas, after getting swept in a 3 game series at LSU (Oregon St. fans will recall how tough the Tigers are in Alex Box Stadium) on opening weekend, got off to a strong start in Surprise, with an 11-8 win over Washington on Thursday, and then followed that up with a 6-3 win over Utah.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3434270/OSU_Kansas_lineup.0.png)
The Beavers are going with what looks like it could settle into being close to the regular lineup today, with Logan Ice back behind the plate, and KJ Harrison back at first base.
Oregon St. will send sophomore RHP Jake Thompson (0-1, 9.00 ERA) to the mound first. Thompson, expected to become the Beavers' second weekend starter behind Andrew Moore, suffered a broken ankle last fall, and is being eased back into action. His return was anything but easy last Monday against New Mexico though, as he gave up 8 hits and 5 runs in 4 innings plus 2 batters, and took the loss in the Lobos' 5-2 win.
Kansas will counter with 6'7" Sophomore RHP Sean Rackoski (0-0, 6.23 ERA). The tall Arizona native went 4 1/3 innings last Sunday against the Tigers, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks, with 3 strikeouts, but didn't figure in the decision of the 7-4 loss, as it was 3-3 when he left.
Avoiding strikeouts will be the other key for the Beavers besides cutting down on stranded runners, which was directly connected, yesterday against Oklahoma, when Oregon St. batters struck out an astounding 17 times.