No. 7 Oregon State baseball vs. No. 2 Virginia: Start time moved up because of weather

Another aspect of the Oregon State baseball schedule has been adjusted due to the winter Arctic blast that is sweeping through Texas.

In order to avoid the worst of the freezing temperatures that are sweeping through central Texas, administrators announced Wednesday that the Beavers’ big game versus the Virginia Cavaliers will now begin two hours earlier. The new time for Friday’s first pitch is 2 p.m. PST.

Officials canceled Oregon State’s midweek matchup against the Houston Cougars just hours before the announcement.

The Beavers began their 17-day, 11-game season-opening tour last week with four games in Surprise, Arizona, and were set to play the Cougars in Round Rock, Texas, on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for the Austin area and an extreme cold warning for the Texas Hill Country due to an Arctic blast that brought subfreezing temperatures and strong winds to Central Texas. About 20 miles outside of Austin is Round Rock.

Over the course of the three-day, four-team Round Rock Classic, temperatures are predicted to range from 20 to 42 degrees until Sunday.

On the seventh-ranked Beavers’ new independent schedule, the game against Virginia is arguably the most anticipated and difficult one thus far this season.

The Beavers face their toughest test in what should be a contested tournament against the Cavaliers, who came into the week rated second and with hopes of winning the national championship. The Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Oklahoma Sooners, who are ranked in the top 20 in one of the five major college baseball polls, are also in the running.

For the first time since 2007, when OSU won two of three games at the Charlottesville Regional en route to a second straight national championship, the Beavers and Cavaliers will square off.

Last week, the Beavers easily won four games in four days in Surprise, kicking off the season in a commanding manner. They recorded a string of shutouts over the weekend and steamrolled UNLV, Indiana, and Xavier by a combined score of 40-6 after needing an eighth-inning comeback to defeat Xavier in the season opener.

With 18 strikeouts and only five hits allowed in 15 scoreless innings, the weekend rotation was instrumental in the victories. Freshman right-hander Dax Whitney won Perfect Game National Pitcher of the Week, while sophomore left-hander Ethan Kleinschmit pitched six no-hit innings. Additionally, the offense was quite effective, averaging 12.0 runs per game with 31 walks and 51 hits.

However, the cold Texas weather will put the Beavers’ hot start to the test. Following the difficult Round Rock field, OSU will play in the College Baseball Series in Arlington against Baylor, Auburn, and Ohio State.