OSU Sports- Notes From The Inside

Salem-News.com Sports

CORVALLIS - FAST FACTS: No. 7 ranked Oregon State has been ranked in the nation`s Top-10 for 11 consecutive weeks...The Beavers had their 28-game winning streak snapped with a 3-2 8-inning loss to No. 9 ranked Arizona State on April 1...OSU`s school record 28th consecutive victory came in a 2-1 win over No. 3 Arizona in the Mar. 31 Pac-10 opener.

BEAVERS AND SUN DEVIL SERIES NUMBERS: No. 9 ranked Arizona State leads the all-time series with Oregon State, 57-24, but the Beavers are 19-23 against the Sun Devils under head coach Kirk Walker. Oregon State has won three straight games played in Tempe and six out of the last eight games at Farrington Stadium in the series.

BEAVERS AND WILDCATS SERIES NUMBERS: No. 3 ranked Arizona leads the all-time series with Oregon State, 69-10, and the Beavers are 6-35 against the Wildcats with Kirk Walker at the helm. Oregon State broke a 16-game losing streak against Arizona and won two of three games against the Wildcats during the 2005 campaign, marking the first time in program history that the Beavers won the season series.

DID YOU KNOW: No. 7 ranked Oregon State`s 2-1 victory over No. 3 ranked University of Arizona in the Mar. 31 Pacific-10 Conference opener marked the first time in program history that the Beavers have beaten the Wildcats in consecutive games. OSU topped UA, 4-0, in the 2005 home finale.

NOT A GREAT FINISH SINCE FELDT`S FINALE: Oregon State has lost four consecutive regular season finales. The last time the Beavers won the final game of the regular season was when current Beaver assistant coach Shawna Feldt scored the game`s lone run in the 9th inning to help OSU beat No. 6 California, 1-0, on May 12, 2001. The run was Feldt`s 100th of her career - making her Oregon State`s all-time leader in her final game at the OSU Softball Complex.

NCAA SELECTION SHOW SUNDAY: The NCAA Selection Show will air Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on ESPNews. Oregon State will watch the show at the Hilton Garden Inn next to the OSU Softball Complex. Players and coaches will be available for interviews after the announcement of the 2006 tournament field.

GO VIKINGS GO: Oregon State`s chances of hosting the NCAA Regional Tournament rise if Portland State sweeps Loyola Marymount University this weekend to win the Pacific Coast Softball Conference. If the Vikings receive the PCSC`s automatic NCAA bid, Corvallis would be an ideal spot for the NCAA committee to bus PSU to, leaving just two teams to fly to Portland or Eugene. OSU`s high RPI (#6) and ranking (#7) give the Beavers a legitimate chance for hosting a postseason game.

LOOKING LONG: The final week of the regular season pits three of the top four home run hitting teams in the Pac-10 against each other. Arizona State is tied for first in the conference with 54 home runs, while Arizona and Oregon State are tied for third in the Pac-10 with 49 home runs on the year. Beaver sophomore Cambria Miranda currently ranks second in the conference for home runs with 14, one shy of Arizona State`s Mindy Cowles` 15 dingers.

HOLDING TRUE TO LAST SEASON: Oregon State`s current 37-10 overall record matches the Beavers` record after 47 games last season.

THIS IS WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE: Oregon State`s current .300 team batting average is the highest in program history since joining the Pacific-10 Conference in 1987. The Beavers finished the 2003 campaign with a .274 clip from the plate. Oregon State currently has nine players on its roster batting over .300.

THERE IS NO “I“ IN TEAM: Oregon State currently ranks third in the Pacific-10 Conference for team batting average with a .300 clip from the plate. However, no individual Beaver players rank in the conference`s Top-10 for batting average.

FROM THE BATTERS BOX: Oregon State enters the week with an amazing nine different players on the roster batting above .300 - The Beavers boast the Pac-10`s third-best batting clip with a team average of .300. Junior shortstop Mia Longfellow leads the team with a ..351 (54-for-154) clip from the plate to go along with a team-leading 13 doubles. Freshman DeAnn Young ranks second on the squad with a .333 (40-for-120) average. Young has hit above .300 throughout the season and ranks third on the team in home runs (7) and slugging percentage (.583). Sophomore utility player Cambria Miranda is batting .327 (51-for-156) and leads the team with a ..352 (19-for-54) batting average during Pac-10 games. Miranda has scored an OSU single season record 46 runs and leads the squad with 14 homers. Beaver pitcher Brianne McGowan boasts a .321 (34-for-106) batting average to go along with eight home runs, while senior outfielder Adrienne Alo is hitting a career-best ..319 (46-for-144) with 26 runs scored and a team-best 32 RBI.

FROM THE CIRCLE: Beaver junior pitchers Brianne McGowan (23-4) and Ta`Tyana McElroy (14-4) combined to win 28 consecutive appearances before Oregon State dropped its 3-2 8-inning contest against No. 9 Arizona State on April 1. McGowan has amassed 191 strikeouts in 196.1 innings of work, while McElroy has 88 K`s in 114.0 innings of action. McGowan has totaled 620 career strikeouts - the fourth highest total of any pitcher in OSU history.

ERROR FREE: Oregon State`s current .974 fielding percentage ranks third in the Pacific-10 Conference and 13th in the nation. The Beavers have committed just 35 errors on the season - the OSU single season record for miscues is 42, set in 2005.

THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY: Oregon State entered the week ranked 10th in the nation in home runs per game with a 1.04 average.

THIS, THAT, AND THE OTHER: Oregon State has outscored its opponents 21-2 in the second inning...Shortstop Mia Longfellow is the only player to start every game of the season in the same position...OSU is 6-0 on the season in night games...Cambria Miranda ranks second in the Pac-10 lead in runs scored with 46 and in home runs with 14...Mia Longfellow ranks second in the Pac-10 with 13 doubles...Junior Brianne McGowan has tallied 16 RBI with 2-outs...Oregon State is 28-1 when scoring first...The Beavers are 25-1 on the season when tallying more hits than their opponent.

BEAVERS IN THE TOP 25: Oregon State dropped two spots this week to a No. 7 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll. Seven Pacific-10 Conference squads currently rank in the Top 25; 1. UCLA, 3. Arizona, 6. California, 7. Oregon State, 9. Arizona State, 10. Stanford, 17. Washington. The Beavers are ranked No. 6 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll. Last week OSU posted a program-best No. 5 ranking in both polls.

FACING THE BEST: The No. 5 ranked Beavers hold a 12-9 record this season against teams ranked in the Top-25. The Beavers finished the 2005 season with 16 victories against opponents ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 Poll. Of Oregon State`s 59 games on the season, the Beavers faced ranked opponents on 26 occasions OSU moved as high as No. 6 nationally during the 2005 campaign.

BEATING THE COMPETITION: Oregon State has an advantage over its opponents in several statistical categories:

- Batting average: ..300-.225

- Runs scored: 239-96

- RBI: 218-86

- Home Runs: 49-19

- Total bases: 592-375

- Slugging percentage: ..476-.312

- Earned run average: 1.76-4.47

THE WINNING STREAK: No. 7 ranked Oregon State reeled off a school record 28 consecutive victories from Feb. 11-Mar. 31. The winning streak was the longest in the nation this season and marked the longest in Division I softball since University of Arizona won 32 in a row in 2002. The 28-game streak ranks in a tie for 16th place all-time in the NCAA Division I record book. Oregon State became one of just 11 teams in NCAA history to win 28 straight games.

THE NUMBERS BREAKDOWN: Oregon State returns 13 players from last season`s squad that finished with a 43-16 overall record and earned a share of the Pacific-10 Conference championship (the first regular season Pac-10 championship for any women`s sport in Oregon State history). OSU earned the Pac-10`s automatic berth to the NCAA Regional Tournament as the Beavers made their seventh consecutive postseason appearance. The Beavers reached the Regional Tournament championship game for a fifth time in the last seven years, before falling to DePaul University. The Beavers return eight defensive starters from a year ago, as well as three pitchers - including Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year and first team All-American Brianne McGowan.

OSU SOFTBALL COMPLEX: Oregon State currently holds a 55-34 all-time record in games played at the OSU Softball Complex. The Beavers boast a 21-30 mark against opponents ranked in the Top 25. OSU finished the 2006 regular season campaign with a 12-5 mark in Corvallis.

PAC-10 COACHES POLL: In a preseason poll voted on by the Pac-10 coaches, Oregon State was tabbed to finish fifth in the conference. Last year`s defending national championship runner-up, UCLA, was picked to finish first. The Beavers were predicted to finish seventh in the 2005 poll but won a share of the Pac-10 title and earned the conference`s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

PAC-10 POWER: 2005 marked the fourth time in conference history that all eight Pacific-10 Conference teams reached the NCAA Regional Tournament. Three squads reached the Women`s College World Series and last year marked the 22nd time in 24 years that the Pac-10 sent at least one team to the WCWS championship game. The Pac-10 has had a pair of teams face each other for the national title on 11 occasions. The Pac-10 has won 17 NCAA softball championships since 1982 - more than any other conference.

2005 PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE CO-CHAMPIONS: Oregon State earned a share of the 2005 Pacific-10 Conference championship - the first regular season Pac-10 title for any women`s sports team in Oregon State history. OSU, Arizona, California, and Stanford all finished with 13-8 records in conference play. The Beavers won the tie-breaker to earn the Pac-10`s automatic berth to the NCAA Regional Tournament. For the first time in program history, Oregon State won the season series against five conference opponents (Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Washington).

IN THE DUGOUT: Crissy Buck, a former player for the 1999 NCAA Champion UCLA Bruins, enters her fourth season at Oregon State. Buck was promoted to the first assistant position in September of 2004. A four-year letterwinner, Buck graduated from UCLA in 2002. Former OSU standout shortstop Shawna Feldt joins Oregon State for her first season as an assistant. A three-time All-Pacific-10 Conference honoree, Feldt helped lead the Beavers to three straight NCAA Regional Tournament appearances before graduating in 2001. She dominates the OSU record book with her name dotting eight different career batting categories. Former Beaver player and assistant coach Heather Smith moves into the newly created position of Director of Softball Operations. Smith spent four seasons as an assistant. The first recruit to sign a letter of intent to play for Kirk Walker, Smith, was a member of OSU`s squad from 1995-99 and helped the Beavers make their first NCAA Regional Tournament appearance.

THE WORD ON WALKER: Head coach Kirk Walker is in his 12th season at the helm for the Beavers. Walker, a graduate of UCLA, has turned around Oregon State`s softball program to make it a contender on a national scale. Walker has led the Beavers to seven consecutive NCAA Regional Tournament appearances. The winningest coach in program history, Walker, has an overall coaching record of 415-318-3 and a 90-186 mark in the Pacific-10 Conference. Walker guided the 2005 Beavers to a share of the Pacific-10 Conference title and earned Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his career. Walker and his staff were honored as the Speedline Pacific Region Coaching Staff of the Year after their efforts in 2005. He earned his 400th career victory earlier this season when Oregon State rallied for a 2-1 8-inning win against BYU in the home opener on Mar. 25, 2006. Walker was selected as one of just 12 coaches named to the USA Softball National Team Coaches Pool, and serves as an assistant coach for the USA Elite Team. Prior to his arrival at Oregon State, Walker spent 11 seasons at national powerhouse UCLA as a manager and assistant coach. During his time in Westwood, the Bruins won six NCAA titles and made 10 appearances in the College World Series.