The Oregon State baseball team will host its first Pac-12 opponent of the season this week, when the Washington Huskies visit Goss Stadium for a three-game series in Corvallis.
The second-ranked Beavers won their opening conference series a week ago, taking two of three games from the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City.
The series victory did not come without a key loss, however, as the Beavers suffered a costly injury to a starting infielder (see below). But the injury news is not all bad for Oregon State — Friday night starter Aiden May is scheduled to pitch for the first time since Feb. 23.
(Weekly trivia: Mason Guerra hit three home runs in the Beavers’ 14-3 Tuesday night rout of the Portland Pilots, tying the single-game school record. He’s the third player in program history to belt three in a game. Can you name the other two? Answer below)
Here’s a primer for the series, which opens at 7:05 p.m. Friday at Goss Stadium:
THE WEEK THAT WAS
Oregon State went 3-1, earning a series victory over Utah and winning a mid-week matchup against the Portland Pilots. The Beavers needed a pair of late-game rallies to win Games 1 and 2 against the Utes, using a five-run ninth on Friday before breaking a scoreless tie with a seven-run eighth on Saturday to push their winning streak to 12 games. But the Utes flipped the script in the series finale, overcoming a nine-run deficit on Sunday to avoid a sweep. Two days later, the Beavers punked the Pilots in a record-setting Tuesday night win in Portland.
THE POLLS
The Beavers (18-2, 2-1 Pac-12) continued their steady climb up the national rankings this week, surging to No. 2 in four of the five major college baseball polls. This includes the D1Baseball Top 25, which The Oregonian/OregonLive uses for its rankings.
A LOOK AT THE HUSKIES
After a sluggish start to the season, Washington (6-8-1, 1-2) enters the weekend playing its best baseball of the season. On March 10, the Huskies were 3-7-1 and staring at a home sweep against Stanford. But they earned an impressive 9-2 victory in the series finale, then pulled off a stunner, taking two of three games from then-No. 14 Texas in Austin.
But win or lose, Washington has created an identity as a pitching-and-defense-focused club that struggles mightily at the plate. The Huskies lead the Pac-12 in ERA (3.32) and rank second in fielding percentage (.980), but rank last in batting average (.226) and runs scored (70). For perspective, the Beavers have scored 73 runs in their last eight games.
The Huskies’ bullpen has been dominant and enters the series hot, having allowed just one earned run over the last six games, as Sam Boyle, Grant Cunningham, Colton McIntosh, Gianluca Shinn and Isaac Yeager have combined to throw 29 1/3 shutdown innings during the stretch. Washington leads the nation in double plays, averaging 1.2 per game, and has turned at least one in 11 of the last 15 games.
As for the lineup, well, it’s been anemic all season, averaging a meager 4.7 runs per game while amassing just 39 extra-base hits (including 11 homers) . Only three regulars — first baseman Jeter Ybarra (.324), second baseman Aiva Arquette (.308) and outfielder Carson Ohland (.302) — are batting above .300. The biggest threat is Ybarra, who hit .636 with three doubles and five RBIs against Texas to earn Pac-12 Player of the Week honors.
The mix of solid pitching and dreadful hitting has resulted in the Huskies playing an uncanny number of close games through five weeks. Ten of their 15 outings have been decided by two runs or less, and they are 3-6-1 in those games.
AN ACE RETURNS
The Beavers will receive a 6-foot-2 shot in the arm this weekend, when May makes his long-awaited return. The junior right-hander has not pitched since Feb. 23, when he was forced to leave a high-profile matchup against Arkansas in the fifth inning with tightness near his forearm. Coach Mitch Canham pledged to be the “bad guy” with his ace’s return, saying he would be overly cautious and give May extra rest to avoid jeopardizing his health and long-term success. After tossing multiple bullpen sessions and facing live hitters in practice, the junior from Albuquerque was cleared Tuesday to return against the Huskies. May had a solid OSU debut, allowing one run on four hits in a season-opening win over New Mexico, and was in the middle of an epic pitcher’s duel against first-round MLB prospect Hagen Smith before being pulled against Arkansas. May will return under a pitch limit in Friday’s opener, but even a limited return is a boost for the Beavers.
BAZZANA BASH
It was Brady Kasper who, late last year, hinted at the type of season Travis Bazzana would have in 2024. “Everyone knows we’re playing with a future big leaguer in the dugout,” Kasper told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “He’s different than other guys … it’s like watching the next Adley Rutschman.” The “most interesting man in college baseball” has backed up the hype — and then some — this season, hitting .481 with 10 home runs, six doubles, 30 RBIs, 33 runs scored and 21 walks.
Bazzana enters the Washington series in the middle of a ridiculous hot streak, having recorded multi-hit efforts in seven of his last eight games, while going 11 for 15, with four home runs, three doubles, 12 RBIs and eight runs scored over the last three.
The junior from Sydney, Australia, is not just having a good season, but a historically good season, and he’s threatening to break multiple Oregon State records. On Tuesday, he set the school record for runs scored with 169, surpassing the great Jacoby Ellsbury, and more marks are sure to topple this season. Bazzana ranks third on the Beavers’ all-time list in walks (125) and stolen bases (55), sixth in doubles (42) and slugging percentage (.614), seventh in homers (27), eighth in triples (10), ninth in batting average (.359) and he’s on the verge of moving into the top 10 in hits (202) and RBIs (129). With 35 regular season games and the postseason left, it’s just a matter of when, not if, Bazzana breaks some of the marks.
LIFE WITHOUT CARAWAY
The Beavers will have to play the next few weeks without starting third baseman Trent Caraway, who broke a finger in his right throwing hand during a bunt attempt last Saturday against Utah. The star freshman is expected to be sidelined between 4-8 weeks, leaving the Beavers without a consistent and productive part of their potent lineup — Caraway is hitting .352 with two home runs, five doubles, nine RBIs and 14 runs scored in 14 games.
We saw a glimpse the last two games of what life will look like without Caraway. Canham inserted Jabin Trosky into the starting lineup at shortstop and moved Elijah Hainline from short to third base. Trosky responded in impressive fashion against Utah and Portland, going 6 for 8 with four runs scored and two walks, continuing a red-hot streak at the plate. The 5-11 sophomore, who is perhaps the Beavers’ most sure-handed fielder, has 10 hits in his last 17 at-bats, with seven runs scored, three walks and one RBI. He has four multi-hit performances in his last five games, giving Canham little reason to look in another direction while Caraway is sidelined.
That said, the Beavers’ coach does have other options. He could move Guerra from first base to third and start Jacob Krieg at first, opening up the designated hitter role to anyone. Guerra (14) and Krieg (six) have collectively started every game at first base this season. But, the way Trosky is swinging the bat, there is little reason for Canham to mix things up.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: OSU RHP Aiden May (1-0, 3.72) vs. RHP Jared Engman (0-3, 4.63)
Saturday: OSU RHP Jacob Kmatz (2-0, 1.85) vs. RHP Calvin Kirchoff (1-0, 3.20)
Sunday: OSU RHP Eric Segura (3-0, 5.25) vs. RHP Spencer Dessart (1-1, 4.44)
PAC-12 STANDINGS
1. Cal Bears (4-2)
2. Oregon Ducks (4-2)
3. Oregon State Beavers (2-1)
4. Utah Utes (3-3)
5. Arizona State Sun Devils (3-3)
6. Stanford Cardinal (3-3)
7. Arizona Wildcats (3-3)
8. USC Trojans (3-3)
9. Washington State Cougars (2-4)
10. UCLA Bruins (2-4)
11. Washington Huskies (1-2)
SERIES HISTORY
The Beavers boast a 256-190-2 all-time edge in the series, which includes a decisive 142-73 advantage in Corvallis. Oregon State has owned the Huskies in recent seasons, winning 20 of the last 24 meetings. Washington snapped a 13-game OSU winning streak in the 2023 series finale, however, beating the Beavers 7-2 at Husky Ballpark.
TRIVIA ANSWER
Jacob Melton and Andy Jarvis also have slugged three homers in a game for the Beavers. Melton did so against Utah in 2021, putting an exclamation point on his big night with a memorable bat flip after a seventh-inning grand slam. Jarvis did so in 2001 against Washington State.
— Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.