Here's a breakdown of the Beaver Baseball 2024 Season and predicted outcomes. Remember, these are just my opinions and are to be taken as such. Hope you enjoy the read!
(Photo Credit to @BeaverBaseball and OSU Athletics Office)
By Mark Garland
As the college baseball season for 2024 is upon us, we take a look at the Oregon State Beavers, and I will break down the schedule with my best predictions for the upcoming season! There is excitement in the air looking at this team, and the folks in Corvallis who fill Goss Stadium have a feeling this could be a special year!
February (7-1) Month (7-1)Overall, (0-0) Pac12
Traveling to Surprise, AZ, the Beavers take on New Mexico, Cal State Bakersfield, and Minnesota twice. I see a 4-0 start, and lots of innings for a plethora of pitchers.
Next up is the Tourney at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX, with Texas Tech, Arkansas, Michigan, and Oklahoma State. Listen, these are four very good teams who should all battle for spots in the NCAA field of 64! I feel a 3-1 record here would be great. I also think Arkansas is the toughest matchup, and I wouldn’t be shocked if the Beavs lost a great game to another of these teams, but I’m sticking at 3-1.
March (15-3) Month (22-4) Overall, (7-2) Pac12
Even though it’s actually starting February 29, I’m throwing Leap Day into March, as the Beavers take on North Dakota State in a four-game set home opener. This feels like a great opportunity for the pitching staff to eat up some innings, so I'm going sweep here, 4-0. Right behind that is another four-game home set, with Cal State Northridge! Again, I’m going sweep, thinking it’s another good home series for the Beavers to go 4-0!
The next series is on the road, at Utah, to start PAC-12 play. While the Utes have struggled in conference play in years past, they have some talent on offense this year! It's a big ball park and a road test for the Beavs, so I say 2-1, with a let-down game when the Utah offense comes through for them. Then, Tuesday at University of Portland, and I’m taking the Pilots at home, 0-1.
Then, it's back home for a series against Washington, and the Beavers take it to the Huskies at home with a 3-0 sweep! Headed in to the last series in March, the Beavs travel south to face USC, a team on the rise. I think the Beavers face a great road test against the Trojans but battle their way to a 2-1 weekend series win.
April (12-7) Month (34-11) Overall, (14-7) Pac12
Starting off on April 1-2, OSU faces Gonzaga at home and takes both games, 2-0. Next up is a home series with Arizona State. The Beavers owe ASU a little revenge after losing two of three in Phoenix last year (on my bachelor party weekend, too), so I see them flipping this year's series for a 2-1 advantage.
A Tuesday game at home vs Portland follows and is a revenge win for the loss at UofP, 1-0. The Beavs remain at home for a series versus Stanford, where they take two from a struggling Cardinal team that is just trying to find its footing, 2-1.
A Tuesday-Wednesday series against Nevada ends in a split for the midweek opponent, 1-1. Following that is a challenging road test at Cal, a squad much better this year than some people give them credit. Accordingly, I have this as the first losing series for the Beavs, as a battling Golden Bears team takes two of three, 1-2.
Tuesday brings a third game versus Portland at neutral site Ron Tonkin Field, and the Beavs rise up to take the season series with a win, 1-0.
Finally, we end April with a battle against the Oregon Ducks at Goss Stadium. Last time the Ducks visited, we were welcomed to Goss by a brutal rain storm, and a couple huge finishes, as the Beavers swept. I see a 2-1 series win this year, however, as I think the Ducks can pull out one game, 2-1. That's followed by a Tuesday game at U of O in PK Park, and I think the Ducks take the home game, 0-1.
May (12-2) Month (46-13)Overall, (21-9) Pac12
The Beavers begin May by heading to Pullman to take on PAC-12 opponent Washington State. I think Oregon State owes the Cougs a sweep, and I think the bats show up, 3-0.
Then, a Monday game at Gonzaga. I think it’s a good game, but I’m taking the Beavers, 1-0. A home series with UCLA follows, and I think the Beavs lose just their second series of the season, taking just a single game from a streaky Bruins team, 1-2! They bounce back, though, finishing up the season with a sweep at Arizona that locks up first place in the PAC-12. I think by this time, the Wildcats are in full rebuild mode, 3-0!
PAC-12 Tourney
I think the Beavers give it a run and reach the Championship Game, ultimately defeating ASU or USC in a great game for a 4-0 run.
NCAA Tourney
Overall, I see the Beavers getting a National Seed this season and going on to host a regional in Corvallis. I really love the make up of this roster and the job this coaching staff has done to prepare these young men! The players aren’t looking to the rankings as much as they look to who they are facing in the current situation. That leads me to think this might be one of those special seasons! I know all of you in Beaver Nation also can’t wait to see what 2024 brings!
As always #GoBeavs!
*****
Comentarios