The Barometer Online

Issue date: 5/1/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Cory Reed Sophomore outfielder Michael Miller dives safely into second base in Oregon State's 10-2 win over Oregon on Tuesday night. Oregon State hosts the Pac-10's top team in Arizona State this weekend beginning at 5 p.m. tonight.

As the month turns to May and April becomes only a thing of the past, the Oregon State Beavers (25-11, 9-6 Pac-10) prepare for the tail end of their season, a three-week finale that encompasses the likes of four conference match-ups.

It is a conference that has proven anything to be possible; the front running No. 3 Arizona State Sun Devils (32-9, 15-3) come to Goss Stadium this weekend in search of their seventh series victory in the Pac-10 this year.

In the month of April the Sun Devils were 11-2 against Pac-10 opponents, and most recently slaughtered the University of Arizona in a 20-3 routing, a game in which they tallied 13 runs in the ninth inning.

"There is nothing bigger than ASU coming up, and they are the team we want in our yard," junior shortstop Joey Wong said. "They beat us early in the year and that makes us hungry. We're going to go right at them."

Wong enters Friday night's game as one of the few veterans to have played in the rival series. One of only three players to start every game this year, the junior middle infielder is batting .288 while manufacturing 23 runs batted in.

Entering the series with a career batting average of .333 when facing ASU, Wong plans to stay hot. He has been able to create four hit streaks in the season, each a minimum of five games.

The Oregon State offense as a whole will need to show up this weekend if they have any hope of coming out on top. Playing the role of poster child for both his team and the Pac-10, Friday night starting pitcher Mike Leake will bring to Corvallis what no other opposing starter has shown thus far.

"They're number three in the country and they got one of the best arms in the nation," head coach Pat Casey said. "You come here and want to see a guy who throws the ball and gets after some people, you come watch Michael Leake on Friday night - that guy is electric!"

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