Mike Stutes, a junior right-hander, is expected to fill a big void on the mound this spring for the Beavers.

After national championship run, Beavers reload

Defending national champion Oregon State picked to finish second in Pac-10 behind ASU after big losses on mound, infield

By: Casey Grogan

Posted: 2/7/07

According to the OSU baseball team, it's not a rebuilding year for the Beavers. Instead, the defending national champs have reloaded.

After a four-game sweep against Hawaii-Hilo, the No. 15 Beavers are set for a strong follow-up to their national title run a season ago. In addition to the national championship, Oregon State heads into the 2007 season as two-time defending Pac-10 champions.

"It brought a lot of confidence to the team and really helped us a lot," pitcher Eddie Kunz said. "A lot of guys came out and shined, and a lot of the pitchers went out and shoved it up their butts like we needed to."

With great success comes the loss of key players from the national title run. The Beaver infield was picked dry by the Major League draft, leaving shortstop Darwin Barney as the sole returning starter on the infield.

"It's good and bad," Barney said. "That team last year was special, and you're never going to forget it. This year I like what I see. I like our team chemistry, and I like how we are all coming together. Hopefully I can help those guys out there as much as I can."

Barney will be joined in non-conference games with a carousel of infielders at first, second and third. Transfer Jordan Lennerton figures to see time at first base after hitting .426 against Hilo. The rest of the infield is up in the air, as transfers Jason Ogata and Drew George will compete with freshman Joey Wong in addition to returning Beavers for the other spots on the infield.

Major League teams also snagged two starting pitchers and Beaver closer Kevin Gunderson, bringing urgency to reform the OSU pitching staff. Waiting in the wings were many capable arms, ready to replace last year's losses, as Mike Stutes made his way from Sunday starter to Friday starter. Daniel Turpen's gutsy performance in the College World Series helped him move from being the team's spot-starter into the weekend rotation.

"It is something I've always worked for," Stutes said. "It's been a goal of mine, and it is nice to realize a goal. It just means I have more responsibility on the pitching staff, so I'm looking forward to it."

Just as the starting pitching rotation has reloaded, so has the bullpen. Kunz has first shot at replacing Gunderson as the team's closer and is expected to receive pressure from freshmen Jorge Reyes and Blake Keitzman.

"It is just a different mind mentality," Kunz said. "Being the set-up guy last year was 'get the three outs and make sure no one scores.' Now I'm the last guy, and nobody is behind me. I like it"

One of the only constants on the field for OSU will be behind the plate. Junior Mitch Canham turned down a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals in order to return to catch for the Beavers. Canham hit the ball extremely well at Hilo, returning to Corvallis with a .646 average.

"Canham and Barney are the only everyday starters we've got back," said head coach Pat Casey. "I expect leadership and production offensively and defensively. They need to be the heart and soul of our club."

Oregon State is set to play what could be a very tough non-conference schedule. OSU plays five returning NCAA tournament teams, as well as four teams ranked by Baseball America in the top 50.

"The schedule is going to be good," Stutes said. "Once we get into the Arizonas and USCs, we can look back and say 'Hey, we've already been to Georgia and Texas A&M. It's kind of comforting having teams like those under your belts before Pac-10."

The Beavers head to Athens, Ga., to meet the Bulldogs in a three-game set this weekend. The Bulldogs will be opening their season against the team that ended their season at the CWS in OSU. Georgia is led by closer Josh Fields.

"We expect a World Series-caliber club that has guys returning," Casey said. "It's a very big challenge with the kids we have returning. We expect a hostile environment. They've got Fields, one of the best closers in the country. I expect them to be strong."

The schedule does not get easier as the Beavers travel to Arizona to play Gonzaga, Arizona State and Missouri. The No. 16 Sun Devils will look to get a leg up on the Beavers before the two teams meet in Pac-10 play. Missouri is fresh off an appearance against Cal-State Fullerton in last season's Super Regional.

On March 8, Oregon State will finally play in front of a Goss Stadium crowd, as the Beavers will host the No. 21 Evansville Purple Aces. OSU will host San Francisco the following week as conference play nears.

Oregon State was picked to finish second by Baseball America and the Pac-10 coaches, behind the Sun Devils during conference play.

"We'll still have a bulls-eye on our back no matter what," Kunz said. "Regardless of whether we lost all those guys or not, we were still national champs last year - we're still going to have that big bulls-eye on our backs."

The national champions are making changes not only in who will take the field, but they are making many aesthetic changes as well. A new scoreboard resides in right field, and OSU will now play on a FieldTurf infield. And thanks to a deal with Nike and Wilson, OSU now has multiple uniform combinations, as well as new hats.

"We have like eight different uniforms this year," Kunz said.