Post by schissler on Jun 18, 2021 18:34:26 GMT -8
I'm not much for posting, but this moves me to do so.
Val Mencas was a lefthander from North Medford High who lettered at Oregon State from 1995-98. The Beaver team of his last season was one that, in many ways, was a precursor to the level of success OSU has enjoyed the past few decades; in the first season the Pacific-10 Southern Division schools were made to schedule the Northern Division schools - and to come north for some of those games - the Beavers went 7-2 against their southern brethren, including sweeping home series against Arizona and UCLA and winning one of three games at eventual national champion Southern California. It was a team with a strong class of four-year seniors, all from Oregon high schools.
Of course, after that interdivision success, going 35-14-1 overall and finishing second in the Northern Division to a Washington squad that beat Stanford for the Pac-10 title for the second year in a row, the NCAA selection committee's infinite wisdom was to deny Oregon State a bid in the postseason.
Sadly, Val passed away this spring. Recently a Go Fund Me campaign began for a college fund for his three children. If you're interested in helping the family of a guy who battled for the Beavs, you can do so here:
gofund.me/e6034ec2
If you want to know more about that 1998 team, you can find it here:
www.journalgraphicsdigitalpublications.com/epubs/OSUALUMNIASSOCIATIONINC/OregonStaterSpring2018/viewer/desktop/#page/52
Thanks, Val, for all you put into Beaver baseball.
Val Mencas was a lefthander from North Medford High who lettered at Oregon State from 1995-98. The Beaver team of his last season was one that, in many ways, was a precursor to the level of success OSU has enjoyed the past few decades; in the first season the Pacific-10 Southern Division schools were made to schedule the Northern Division schools - and to come north for some of those games - the Beavers went 7-2 against their southern brethren, including sweeping home series against Arizona and UCLA and winning one of three games at eventual national champion Southern California. It was a team with a strong class of four-year seniors, all from Oregon high schools.
Of course, after that interdivision success, going 35-14-1 overall and finishing second in the Northern Division to a Washington squad that beat Stanford for the Pac-10 title for the second year in a row, the NCAA selection committee's infinite wisdom was to deny Oregon State a bid in the postseason.
Sadly, Val passed away this spring. Recently a Go Fund Me campaign began for a college fund for his three children. If you're interested in helping the family of a guy who battled for the Beavs, you can do so here:
gofund.me/e6034ec2
If you want to know more about that 1998 team, you can find it here:
www.journalgraphicsdigitalpublications.com/epubs/OSUALUMNIASSOCIATIONINC/OregonStaterSpring2018/viewer/desktop/#page/52
Thanks, Val, for all you put into Beaver baseball.