Beavs v UCI Anteaters: Corvallis Regional 2024 CWS,Game 6

Probably Big Jim after he talked Mike off the ledge last night.

maybe super talented in some aspects of the game but they are a one trick pony. Measuring this team against what we could call the beavers standard, they are substandard in fielding, base running, defense, catching and the bullpen. I hope they go to Omaha and win it all but that doesn’t change those realities

Bullpen has been much much better of late. Looked great all regional long outside of an abnormally shaky outing from Mundt. And Bridger looked good in all 3 appearances

Calling this team a one trick pony is a little harsh in my opinion. This is a very good team, who has only lost two series all season (While also missing some major contributors for large chunks of the season due to injury, including our ace). The old Beaver “standard” is not the style of baseball that is around much anymore. Look at Arkansas this year, incredible pitching and D, but no offense. Teams that win the CWS can pitch and mash. We can do both. We are one of only 9 teams in D1 baseball with a team ERA under 4.00, and on the offensive side we are hitting over .300 as a team with 118 homers (about to move into 2nd all time pac 12 homers in a season). Our catching is very solid. Smith is an incredibly reliable defensive catcher and Weber brings the more consistent bat. I agree base running and defense needs to continue to improve and perform, but no team is perfect. We are 45-14 and once again in a super regional, while we have been ranked in the top ten all season. We also have, very possibly, the best player in the country who could go 1-1 in the draft. Not sure what your standard is for OSU, but I think most would say this has been a damn good season for a damn good team.

I loved their style of play, their attitudes and class. And I saw all their #s, but I really didn't see a punch throughout their lineup that was scary. I figured they'd need help to score big runs... and the BB and Es were kept to a minimum. Plus, even though the Pac12 was down, their #s were vs some very inferior opponents.

So, I though our pitching was good most of the time. But, couldn't tell if it was "us" or them??

Best team since 2018.  Lots of tricks.  

Fielding and defense feels like the same thing.  68 errors.  I think that that is the most to this point in the season since 2004.  Fielding and defense has been rough.  But you are only one error ahead of the 2013 team.  68-67.  So, it is not outlandish, especially when spread out over 59 games.  And that 2013 team was about a foot or two away from probably winning a National Championship.

We had some really bad catching teams over the years.  You can go back and read some of Mitchy Slick's stat lines.  Mitchy Slick was a converted first baseman, and he played like it at times.  No one is playing like Rutschman on the team, but Logan Ice did not play like Logan Ice, until his Junior year.  Even Rutschman was pretty mediocre in 2017 before coming back in in 2018 and blowing everyone's mind.  Heck, look at that 2013 team again.  Nate Esposito caught 13 games.  Nate Espisito!  JRod caught 57 games, splitting time with second and third.  

We had some awful bullpens over the year, too.  Mully blew saves, lots of them.  Just to keep piling on that 2013 team, Taylor Painton, Brandon Jackson, Dan Child, Cole Brocker, Taylor Starr, Clay Bauer, and Zack Reser combined to throw 116 innings, almost 20% of the innings in 2013, more than Ben Wetzler!

And that was probably the fifth-best Oregon State team of all time.  

Are the Beavs perfect?  Hell no, but Oregon State has never been perfect in baseball.  Are the Beavs great?  Absolutely!  Let's not pretend that they are not great. 

Let's not get too bogged down with this, though.  Let's go out there and kill some Wildcats this weekend!