The Barometer Online

Issue date: 2/16/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jeff Wick Senior John Wallace takes a cut in an intersquad scrimmage last Wednesday. Wallace enters the 2009 season with a .313 career batting average.

If one word was needed to summarize Oregon State baseball over the past year and a half, it could only be construction.

With roots set deeper then any other facility on campus, Coleman Field at Goss Stadium has transformed from a good ol' boy ballpark to a baseball cathedral. Adding more than 1,000 seats including the likes of a luxury suite, academic room, players lounge and laundry facility, Goss Stadium plays a perfect portrayal of the Beavers' expectations.

Refusing to stop there, head coach Pat Casey and his staff of "architects" has spent the entire off-season constructing their own masterpiece. Working with a recruiting class influenced by the likes of two National Championships, an array of new faces look to add their names to the list of Oregon State greats. Starting at the 400-foot sign in centerfield, the task has been harder than many imagined, returning only one everyday starter in senior John Wallace to the Beavers outfield.

"Wallace has had success here over a three-year period," Casey said. "He is a guy that has to play well for us; every other spot we have is open."

Wallace returns to the Beavers for his fourth season, recording 32 starts in 2008. An asset to the offense since walking onto Coleman Field his freshman year, the Reno native has a career .313 batting average, a mark he hopes to build on in 2009. Starting in 90 of 140 possible games while wearing orange and black, Wallace's experience will play a huge role in the outfield's success.

"Wally's a cat in the outfield," Sierra Junior College transfer Logan Lotti said. "The guy's a speed demon and unbelievably quick. He seems to have no problems at the plate and should record a lot of base hits for us. He has helped me out a lot and I look up to him for that."

Other than Wallace, only three other outfielders have had their names read in the OSU lineup by Casey: Koa Kahalehoe, Rob Folsom and Logan Boyd. Kahalehoe has started in 39 games since 2006, and is the only one with significant playing time. Joining Wallace as the only other senior in the outfield, Kahalehoe is the only current Beaver to have ever started a game in centerfield. Recording two hits on 20 at bats in the 2008 season, the lefty from Honolulu hopes to capitalize on a wide-open line up.

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