THEY CAN SCORE IN CLUSTERS . . . BUT ARE THEY REALLY THE BIG-INNING BEAVERS?

HISTORY OF NOTORIUS STRATEGIC ATTACKS
General George Armstrong Custer and the U.S. Cavalry liked to attack at daybreak. The Sioux Nation named him, "son of the morning star"
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and the Japanese Imperial Navy attacked Pearl Harbor at dawn - his Zeros were airborne with the rising sun.
Field General Mitchel Canham's Beaver baseball juggernaut uses a different strategy. They attack early and often, randomly striking in all nine innings of their 3+ hour ball yard wars.

FREQUENCY OF BIG INNINGS
Oregon State's potent offense has plated 270 runs in 31 games to date. The Beaver scoring machine has scored in 118 of the 284 innings they have taken their at bats (40.8%). They have averaged .95 runs per every inning at bat, or 8.71 runs per game. Can the Beavers be considered a "big inning" team? What constitutes a "big inning"? Generally, scoring 3 runs or more can be considered having a big inning. Using that definition, the Beavers have had 39 big innings over the course of 31 games, or in 13.7% of their 284 innings at bat. If you subscribe to the "crooked number" definition of a big inning, you may wish to include the 23 times the Beavers have scored 2 runs in an inning this season. That would raise the total of multi-run innings from 39 to 62. Let's break down OSU scoring by inning, including those 39 occurrences of big innings.

A 1 run inning – 56 occurences
A 2 run inning – 23 occurences
A 3 run inning - 15 occurences
A 4 run inning - 10 occurences
A 5 run inning - 8 occurrences
A 6 run inning - 4 occurrences
An 8 run inning - 1 occurrence
An 11 run inning - 1 occurrence
By definition, the Beavers produce a big inning every 7.28 innings they bat.
OSU’s average big inning is 4.3 runs.

FAQ:
Q: What innings do the Beavs score 3 or more runs most often?
A: The 1st (17 times) and the 8th (16 times) he 1st and 6th.

Q: What innings do the Beavs score 3 or more runs least often?
A: The 4th (9 times) and *9th (8 times). Note that OSU has only batted 19 times in the 9th inning.

Q: What inning do the Beavs score the most runs?
A: The 8th (43 runs) and the 1st (38 runs).

Q: What inning do the Beavs score the least runs?
A: The 4th (23 runs), the 6th (23 runs) and the *9th (21 runs) batting in only 19 games)

Q: The Beavs have generated the most "big" innings (3+ runs) in what inning?
A: The 3rd (6 times) and the 8th (6 times)

Q The Beavs have the least "big" innings (3+ runs) in what innings?
A. The 4th, 6th and 9th (tied with 3 times)

SCORING FREQUENCY-RUN TOTALS-BIG INNING OCCURANCES
1st inning: 17 times / 38 runs / 5 Big innings
2nd inning: 11 times / 25 runs / 5 Big innings
3rd inning: 13 times / 35 runs / 6 Big innings
4th inning: 9 times / 23 runs / 3 Big innings
5th inning: 14 times / 33 runs / 4 Big innings
6th inning: 14 times / 23 runs / 3 Big innings
7th inning: 13 times / 28 runs / 4 Big innings
8th inning: 16 times / 43 runs / 6 Big innings
9th inning: 8 times / 21 runs / 3 Big innings (batted only 19 times in 31 games)
10th inning: 1 time / 1 run / No Big innings
11th inning: 1 time / 1 run / No big innings

SUMMARY:
According to NCAA statistics, through 31 games this season, Oregon State has been one of the 15 most potent offensive teams in college baseball Their 31 game slash line is, 312/ .420/ .466 with an OPS of 886. Are they also one of the best BIG INNING teams in the nation? That is a question we are asking here. Without any comparative data available from the NCAA, it is an interesting question. The Beavers are an opportunistic team that capitalizes on defensive lapses, pitching mistakes, and superior base running. Opportunity stats demonstrate the Beaver’s proficiency at taking advantage of offensive opportunities that present themselves during the games. They have stroked 349 hits (105 XBH), drawn 182 base on balls, been hit by pitch 38 times, capitalized on 35 opponent errors, induced 7 balks, advanced on 41 wild pitches and stolen a base on 44 of 52 attempts. Simply put, the Beavs generate a healthy amount of offense from a variety of sources, and with their aggressive, hustling style of play, and pressuring their opponents to generously contribute to their cause as well.

SOME THOUGHTS AND CONSIDERATIONS ON BIG INNING PRODUCTION:
By NCAA standards, the Beavers are productive offensively. They generate a large amount of offense at the plate. Their offensive team stats support that fact.

The Beavs are capable of scoring runs in clusters but can they legitimately be considered a big inning team? In 31 games, they have engineered multi-run innings 62 times.

OSU has only a modicum of power - 27 home runs in 31 games is relatively modest production. The threat of the HR is present throughout the lineup but this Beaver team is not dependent upon it. The HR has been a contributing factor in several big innings but it should generally be considered somewhat of an outlier for this team.

The Beaver’s all field hitting approach is contact based and should produce a husky team BA and with a reasonable strikeout rate, which is currently at 8.52 K’s per game. Reducing the whiff rate, and K frequency by 20% would be difficult but worthwhile.

Influenced by an excessive number of free passes (BB + HBP) OSU’s current BB:K ratio of 1:1.44 is excellent and presently ranks number 3 in the nation. Still, it can be improved with fewer K’s and putting more balls in play which might lead to more big innings.

Cutting down the strikeout totals would mean more BBIP and more base running opportunities. OSU currently enjoys a .405 BABIP. Increased focus, plate discipline, getting your pitch, and eliminating any chasing out of the zone is one of the answers to that one.

The Beavers have excellent team speed. With 5 or 6 base stealers in the lineup, OSU has been successful on 85% of their SBA. In 31 games, the Beavs have advanced a runner 44 times with a steal. OSU can be considered to be a low-risk and conservative SB team. Our 44 steals does not rank in the top-50 nationally. A strategic stolen base can open the door to a big inning.

A major consideration in making any offensive determination is strength of schedule and quality of pitching we face. For example, the nation’s top ranked team has amassed some eye-popping stats playing an out of conference schedule that includes Iona, Belmont, Bellarmine, Georgia Southern, UNC-Ashville, East Tennessee State, David Lipscomb, Rhode Island, Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee Tech, Butler, and Western Carolina. There are no GCU, UC-Irvine, LBSU, and Gonzaga’s in that group.

GO BEAVS - OMAHA OR BUST!