This week, the Oregon State baseball team will play three games at Globe Life Field in the College Baseball Series in Texas as they attempt to bounce back from a humiliating weekend.
The Beavers, who are rated ninth, are making their second trip in as many years at the round-robin competition, which also includes the Auburn Tigers, Baylor Bears, and Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Beavers lost to Oklahoma and Minnesota by a total score of 18-8 in two weekend games in Round Rock, Texas, after starting the season with five strong wins, including a convincing 7-2 thumping of projected national championship contender Virginia.
The four-team Round Rock Classic ended in a difficult and unexpected manner, and for a club barely scraping through a 10-game, 17-day season-opening tour, things don’t get much easier.
A preview of this weekend’s tournament, which begins Friday at 5 p.m. with a game against Baylor, is provided below:
(Weekly trivia: OSU is playing the Bears for the first time since they defeated them in an elimination game at the 2005 College World Series, and for the second time in school history. In that game, who was the losing pitcher? To get the solution, scroll to the bottom.
THAT WEEK
Last week, the Beavers got off to a fast start with two decisive victories. On Monday, they crushed Xavier 18–6 in Surprise, Arizona, and on Friday, they defeated then-No. 2 Virginia in a game that built their resume. However, the Beavers lost 8-4 against Oklahoma and 10-4 to Minnesota at the Round Round Classic, and everything fell apart over the weekend.
THE POLLS
After their weekend struggles, the Beavers (5-2) fell in all five major college baseball rankings, but they were still in the top 10 on three separate lists. In the D1Baseball Top 25, which The Oregonian/OregonLive utilizes to determine rankings, this includes a No. 9 ranking.
A GLANCE AT BAYLOR
The Bears have a strong start to the season, winning seven of their first eight games by a combined score of 62-23, despite being selected by conference coaches to finish 13th out of 14 teams in the Big 12. They defeated Gonzaga two games to one, defeated Stephen F. Austin and the University of Texas-San Antonio twice in the middle of the week, and began the season with a three-game sweep of the lower-tier Youngstown State. They played all eight games at home.
Baylor has started a season with a 7-1 record or better just four times in the previous 30 years. Playing at home and facing a good opponent have undoubtedly helped, but the Bears have also been assisted by their health. They started the season at full strength after eight season-ending injuries last season, which caused 17 players to miss at least one game.
Another upside has been the lineup, which is scoring 7.8 runs per game on average. The Bears are ranked 13th in on-base percentage (.462), 25th in hits (90), and 14th in batting average (.342) going into the weekend. Right fielder Enzo Apodaca is hitting.357 with 10 RBIs and 10 runs scored, while senior left fielder Wesley Jordan, who was selected for the preseason all-conference team, is batting.452 with three doubles, a triple, a home run, and 10 RBIs.
Baylor’s pitching, which is 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA and ranks 10th in the country with an ERA of 2.15, has also been strong, largely due to star Ethan Calder. In his first two games of the season, the junior left-hander, who will take on Oregon State, has struck out 15 batters while giving up just six hits and one earned run.
A LOOK AT AUBURN
Oregon State is familiar with Auburn, which defeated the Beavers two out of three games in the 2022 Corvallis Super Regional to get to the College World Series. Over the first two weeks of the season, the Tigers have dominated a cupcake schedule, outscoring teams like Wright State, Holy Cross, and North Alabama by a total score of 79-32 to establish an 8-1 record.
The Tigers, who debuted at No. 25 in the Perfect Game Top 25 this week and are among the teams collecting votes in other polls, may do better than anticipated despite being predicted by SEC coaches to finish 12th in the preseason. The nation’s fourth-highest transfer portal haul and a recruiting class that ranked as high as No. 3 strengthened the roster during the offseason.
The lineup of the Tigers is strong, with six regulars hitting.300 or higher. In addition to being 12th in batting average (.345), 15th in slugging percentage (.561), and 10th in home runs (15), Auburn has scored in double figures in four of nine games. Those who have gotten off to a strong start include Cooper McMurray (.469, two home runs, five doubles, and 11 RBIs), Deric Fabian (.419, two home runs, 13 RBIs), and Erick Snow (.406, seven RBIs, 12 runs scored).
The Tigers have utilized two different Saturday starters this season: Dutton and Alex Petrovic. Their weekend rotation includes two transfers, Cade Fisher and Samuel Dutton, as well as a highly-regarded freshman, Christian Chatterton. Dutton started the season in that position, but due to Friday starter Cade Fisher’s slight injury, he was promoted a day last week. Although the opponent for Saturday’s game against the Beavers is unknown, Dutton, a 5-foot-11 right-hander who attended LSU for his first three years, is 1-1 with a 0.90 ERA after two starts. In 14 innings pitched against Wright State and Holy Cross, he has recorded 14 strikeouts and given up just one earned run and 12 hits.
A LOOK AT THE STATE OF OHIO
Under first-year coach Justin Haire, the Buckeyes have only won once in their first six games, but their record is deceptive. In addition to suffering two unfortunate losses of two runs each to Alabama (after blowing a 10-run lead) and Coastal Carolina (in 11 innings), Ohio State began the season with back-to-back one-run losses to Arizona State.
Third baseman Tyler Pettorini (.360, two homers, two doubles, seven RBIs) and center fielder Reggie Bussey (.333, six runs scored) have had strong beginnings to the season despite the Buckeyes being outscored 58-50 and only hitting.250.
Jake Michalak, the starter on Sunday (0-1, 11.12 ERA), has been inconsistent in his previous two appearances and has failed to get past the fourth inning. In 5 2/3 innings, the 6-3 sophomore right-hander has given up seven hits and nine walks while striking out five. He also gave up six walks during the Buckeyes’ defeat at the hands of Alabama.
ARQUETTE GOT A HOT START AWARD
Over the course of two weeks, Aiva Arquette, the Beavers’ power-hitting, slick-fielding transfer shortstop, has lived up to the hype. Additionally, the College Baseball Hall of Fame honored his incredible performance in Round Rock.
The 6-5 junior was selected the Brooks Wallace Award Player of the Week, which is presented weekly to the best shortstop in the country. He was also on the Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list.
In Round Rock, Arquette played perfect in the field and hit.333 with two home runs, a double, six RBIs, three runs scored, and two walks. It contributed to Arquette’s incredible start to the season, as he is currently hitting.444 with three home runs, ten RBIs, and eight runs scored.
DALLAS DUE?
With standout performances from Gavin Turley and Trent Caraway, multi-homer games from Jacob Krieg, award-caliber play from Arquette, and welcome-to-the-Beavers tirades from transfer AJ Singer, Oregon State has benefited greatly from contributions from players up and down the lineup.
However, Dallas Macias, a veteran, has been conspicuously missing from the entire production. The junior center fielder has struggled right away despite being ranked as one of MLB.com’s top prospects in the 2025 draft and being expected to have a breakout season by multiple coaches. Macias enters the weekend with a.125 batting average, having only managed two hits and two RBIs in 16 at-bats.
Coach Mitch Canham has given Macias two days off throughout the first seven games due to the chilly start, the most recent of which occurred during the Beavers’ defeat to Minnesota last Sunday.
However, in the OSU clubhouse, a few days off does not equate to concern. It’s just a matter of time till Macias gets out of his funk, Canham stated earlier in the week.
According to Canham, Dallas is currently closed. I am aware that even if you look at the figures or anything else, he continues to draw walks. It’s close in terms of timing and swing route. Right now, it’s just a bit off.
Macias had, in fact, drawn seven walks. Additionally, he earned several hard-luck outs last week by repeatedly stunging the ball at defenders. However, he keeps working behind the scenes and might be about to have a breakthrough performance.
Canham remarked, “I don’t think anyone spends more time in the cage or the weight room than that man.” He will so make the necessary changes.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Baylor vs. OSU, Friday, 5 p.m.
LHP Ethan Calder (2-0, 0.75 ERA) vs. OSU’s Nelson Keljo (0-0, 2.25 ERA)
Saturday | OSU vs. Auburn, 5 p.m.
OSU RHP Dax Whitney (1-1, 4.32 ERA) vs. TBA
Sunday | OSU vs. Ohio State, 9 a.m.
OSU LHP Ethan Kleinschmit (1-1, 1.64 ERA) vs. RHP Jake Michalak (0-1, 11.12)
TRIVIA ANSWER
Kevin Gunderson. The Beavers’ legendary closer, who held the program s all-time record for saves untilJake Mulholland broke it in 2021, took a hard-luck loss in the team s only meeting against Baylor.
Gunderson entered the elimination game with two outs in the sixth inning and pitched strong, striking out four and allowing three hits over 4 1/3 innings. But the three hits all singles came in the top of the 10th inning, including a go-ahead, two-out blooper by Mike Pankratz.
He muscled an 0-1 pitch off the handle, sending a doinker over first baseman Andy Jenkins and just out of the reach of second baseman Chris Kunda. The hit Pankratz s first in nearly two months gave Baylor a 4-3 lead and, ultimately, the victory.
Joe Freeman|[email protected]| 503-294-5183 |@BlazerFreeman|@freemanjoe.bsky.social| Get the newest news and the best stories by subscribing to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts.
