Spring Break
Baseball heads to Coca-Cola tournament
After sweep of Georgia, No. 15 Beavers will meet Gonzaga, No. 14 Arizona State and Missouri at Surprise Stadium in Arizona
The Daily Barometer
Issue date: 2/15/07 Section: Sports
Oregon State takes an unbeaten record to this weekend's Coca-Cola Classic baseball tournament, but the 15th-ranked Beavers (7-0 overall) will face three big challenges in the tournament at Surprise Stadium.
OSU, the defending national champion, will meet Gonzaga (1-5) on Friday at 2 p.m. PST, 14th-ranked Arizona State (5-1) on Saturday at 2 p.m. PST, and Missouri (3-0) on Sunday at 8:45 a.m. PST.
"We said before the start of the season that this might be our toughest schedule ever, and this tournament is one of the reasons why," said OSU head coach Pat Casey, who could record his 400th victory at Oregon State with a pair of wins this weekend. "These are three very good baseball teams that we're playing, and it's going to be another real test of where we are and where we're going as a team."
Arizona State is the preseason favorite to win the Pac-10 and Missouri came up with a sweep in its first weekend of play. Gonzaga has been the Beavers' nemesis at this tournament the past two seasons, beating OSU teams that wound up winning the Pacific-10 championship and advancing to the College World Series in 2005 and 2006.
Oregon State has won 9 straight games over the past 2 seasons, stretching back to the Beavers' wins over North Carolina in the final game of the championship series at the 2006 College World Series. That's OSU's longest winning streak since a 10-game skein near the end of the 2005 season.
OSU's 7-0 start matches the Beavers' best in the last 45 years; the Beavers also won their first seven games of the 2004 season. Oregon State's 1962 team started the season by winning its first 18 games.
For Oregon State, junior catcher Mitch Canham (.550, 1 home run, 8 RBI) has led the way at the plate. Sophomore outfielder Koa Kahalehoe (.417, 0, 5) has put together a five-game hitting streak, while junior infielder Drew George (.385), junior first baseman Jordan Lennerton (.333) and freshman second baseman Joey Wong (.333) have also contributed to the Beavers' fast start.
Gonzaga won one of three games at California-Riverside last weekend, losing 9-3 and 11-4 before winning the final game 3-2. The Bulldogs have been paced by senior shortstop Aaron McGuiness (.500) and sophomore first baseman Ryan Wiegand (.340, 7 RBI).
Arizona State took two of three games at the Houston College Classic last week in Houston, Tex., beating Texas A&M 5-4, losing to Vanderbilt 7-6 in 10 innings, and beating Houston 11-1. ASU has been led by junior outfielder Matt Spencer (.619, 4 home runs, 18 RBI), sophomore catcher Petey Paramore (.600), sophomore outfielder Ike Davis (.545, 11 RBI) and sophomore first baseman Brett Wallace (.519).
Missouri swept a series at Florida International last weekend, winning 12-6, 15-7 and 3-2. Top Tigers have been junior catcher Dan Pietroburgo (.600), junior infielder Brock Bond (.500) and freshman outfielder Aaron Senne (.417).
OSU, the defending national champion, will meet Gonzaga (1-5) on Friday at 2 p.m. PST, 14th-ranked Arizona State (5-1) on Saturday at 2 p.m. PST, and Missouri (3-0) on Sunday at 8:45 a.m. PST.
"We said before the start of the season that this might be our toughest schedule ever, and this tournament is one of the reasons why," said OSU head coach Pat Casey, who could record his 400th victory at Oregon State with a pair of wins this weekend. "These are three very good baseball teams that we're playing, and it's going to be another real test of where we are and where we're going as a team."
Arizona State is the preseason favorite to win the Pac-10 and Missouri came up with a sweep in its first weekend of play. Gonzaga has been the Beavers' nemesis at this tournament the past two seasons, beating OSU teams that wound up winning the Pacific-10 championship and advancing to the College World Series in 2005 and 2006.
Oregon State has won 9 straight games over the past 2 seasons, stretching back to the Beavers' wins over North Carolina in the final game of the championship series at the 2006 College World Series. That's OSU's longest winning streak since a 10-game skein near the end of the 2005 season.
OSU's 7-0 start matches the Beavers' best in the last 45 years; the Beavers also won their first seven games of the 2004 season. Oregon State's 1962 team started the season by winning its first 18 games.
For Oregon State, junior catcher Mitch Canham (.550, 1 home run, 8 RBI) has led the way at the plate. Sophomore outfielder Koa Kahalehoe (.417, 0, 5) has put together a five-game hitting streak, while junior infielder Drew George (.385), junior first baseman Jordan Lennerton (.333) and freshman second baseman Joey Wong (.333) have also contributed to the Beavers' fast start.
Gonzaga won one of three games at California-Riverside last weekend, losing 9-3 and 11-4 before winning the final game 3-2. The Bulldogs have been paced by senior shortstop Aaron McGuiness (.500) and sophomore first baseman Ryan Wiegand (.340, 7 RBI).
Arizona State took two of three games at the Houston College Classic last week in Houston, Tex., beating Texas A&M 5-4, losing to Vanderbilt 7-6 in 10 innings, and beating Houston 11-1. ASU has been led by junior outfielder Matt Spencer (.619, 4 home runs, 18 RBI), sophomore catcher Petey Paramore (.600), sophomore outfielder Ike Davis (.545, 11 RBI) and sophomore first baseman Brett Wallace (.519).
Missouri swept a series at Florida International last weekend, winning 12-6, 15-7 and 3-2. Top Tigers have been junior catcher Dan Pietroburgo (.600), junior infielder Brock Bond (.500) and freshman outfielder Aaron Senne (.417).
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