Spring Break
Oregon State looks to bounce back at UCLA
No. 17 Beavers head to UCLA after series loss to USC Trojans in Corvallis last week; return home for Tuesday game with Ducks
Matt Wilhelmsen
Issue date: 4/24/09 Section: Sports
The Beavers are coming off a series loss to the University of Southern California in what feels like the baseball team's first letdown of the season. However, hopes remain high as the past is behind them and they prepare for a series on the road.
No. 17 Oregon State (23-9, 8-4) will go back to work this evening at Jackie Robinson Stadium, playing a rejuvenated UCLA Bruins squad that many had initially expected to win the conference.
Sitting in second place in the Pac-10 with a record of 8-4, the Beavers are currently tied with Washington State University. They are 3.5 games back from the league-leading Arizona State Sun Devil's. With five conference series remaining, including a highly anticipated home match-up against the front-running Sundevils, the Beavers are in no position to panic.
After dropping 11 of their first 14 games, the Bruins have fought back to nearly .500, winning three out of their five conference matchups. While playing on their home turf, the Bruins are 5-1 in the Pac-10 and 9-6 overall.
With a sweep over the University of Washington last weekend, UCLA remains competitive in the conference - they are in third place tie with cross-town rivals USC, and they are only a half game behind the Beavers.
In the 2009 season, Oregon State is 4-3 on the road and 9-3 while playing in night games. In order to be successful in L.A., the Beavers must be able capitalize when they have runners in scoring position, considering both losses this past weekend could be attributed to their inability to produce hits with runners on base.
One player doing his best to contribute is outfielder Michael Miller. Miller has one-third the amount of at bats that Oregon State's daily players have, and he has started in only 14 of 31 games. Proving his merit, the sophomore lefty is batting .340 with an on-base percentage of .475. During the recent five-game home stand, Miller batted .500 (7-14) with seven runs batted in.
While Miller will do all he can to remain productive, others players such as Adalberto Santos will need to fill holes in the Beavers' offense. Battling the tail end of an injury, Santos is batting .317 on the year while accumulating 26 RBIs.
No. 17 Oregon State (23-9, 8-4) will go back to work this evening at Jackie Robinson Stadium, playing a rejuvenated UCLA Bruins squad that many had initially expected to win the conference.
Sitting in second place in the Pac-10 with a record of 8-4, the Beavers are currently tied with Washington State University. They are 3.5 games back from the league-leading Arizona State Sun Devil's. With five conference series remaining, including a highly anticipated home match-up against the front-running Sundevils, the Beavers are in no position to panic.
After dropping 11 of their first 14 games, the Bruins have fought back to nearly .500, winning three out of their five conference matchups. While playing on their home turf, the Bruins are 5-1 in the Pac-10 and 9-6 overall.
With a sweep over the University of Washington last weekend, UCLA remains competitive in the conference - they are in third place tie with cross-town rivals USC, and they are only a half game behind the Beavers.
In the 2009 season, Oregon State is 4-3 on the road and 9-3 while playing in night games. In order to be successful in L.A., the Beavers must be able capitalize when they have runners in scoring position, considering both losses this past weekend could be attributed to their inability to produce hits with runners on base.
One player doing his best to contribute is outfielder Michael Miller. Miller has one-third the amount of at bats that Oregon State's daily players have, and he has started in only 14 of 31 games. Proving his merit, the sophomore lefty is batting .340 with an on-base percentage of .475. During the recent five-game home stand, Miller batted .500 (7-14) with seven runs batted in.
While Miller will do all he can to remain productive, others players such as Adalberto Santos will need to fill holes in the Beavers' offense. Battling the tail end of an injury, Santos is batting .317 on the year while accumulating 26 RBIs.
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