The No. 2 Oregon State Beavers visit the USC Trojans Thursday night at Cicerone Field in Irvine, California.
It’s the opener of a three-game series.
The Beavers swept their last series in lopsided fashion, outscoring the Washington Huskies 31-3 as they pounded out 31 hits, including seven home runs and 13 doubles. The dominant weekend was the latest — and perhaps greatest — display of force for an offense that ranks ninth nationally in batting average (.330), fifth in slugging percentage (.606) and on-base percentage (.451), and 15th in home runs (46).
Oregon State’s impressive 21-2 start to the season is the program’s best since 2017, when the Beavers won 28 of their first 29 games.
Here are details about Thursday night’s game:
No. 2 Oregon State Beavers (21-2, 5-1 Pac-12) vs. USC Trojans (9-15, 4-5)
When: 6:30 pm PT Thursday, March 28
Where: Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark, Irvine, California
TV channels: The game is not televised.
How to watch live stream online: The game will be streamed live by USC. Visit osubeavers.com and click on the baseball schedule for a direct link to the game. Pac-12 Network subscribers can also watch on the Pac-12 Now app.
Radio: All games air on the Beaver Sports Network. Pregame starts 30 minutes before the first pitch. Affiliates include KEJO 93.7-FM and 1240-AM (Corvallis), KKNX 105.1-FM and 840-AM (Eugene), KCFM 104.1-FM and 1250-AM (Florence), KLAD 104.3-FM and 960-AM (Klamath Falls) , KCFM 103.1-FM (Mapleton), KTMT 96.1-FM and 580-AM (Medford), KCMX 880-AM (Medford), KCMX 99.5-FM (Phoenix), KEX 1190-AM (Portland), KSKR 1490-AM ( Roseburg) and KBZY 1490-AM (Salem). You can also listen online via the Varsity Network app.
Probable starters: OSU RHP Aiden May (1-0, 2.92 ERA) vs. USC RHP Caden Aoki (2-3, 5.28)
This and that: May is making his fourth start of the season and second since being sidelined for three weeks because of tightness in his forearm. The 6-foot-2 junior had an encouraging return last week, tossing 2 2/3 scoreless innings against Washington. May entered the game restricted by a 45-pitch limit and ended up throwing 41, including 31 strikes, while striking out five and allowing just three hits. … Travis Bazzana was named the Pac-12 player of the week for the third time this season after hitting .500 with six home runs, 11 RBIs and 10 runs scored in four OSU wins. The junior second baseman has homered in five consecutive games, hitting leadoff homers in each of the last four, which is believed to be a school record. … Jabin Trosky, who has moved into the starting lineup due to injuries, has four multi-hit performances in his last five games. He’s 10 for 21 with six runs scored, three RBIs and two walks during the stretch. … Bazzana (.467) and Micah McDowell (.446) rank fifth and 14th, respectively, in the nation in batting average. … McDowell has recorded at least one hit in all but one game he has logged an at-bat this season. The senior outfielder is hitting .446 with three homers, eight doubles, 23 runs scored and 18 RBIs.
OSU’S STARTING LINEUP
1. Travis Bazzana, 2B
2. Micah McDowell, CF
3. Mason Guerra, 1B
4. Jacob Krieg, DH
5. Gavin Turley, RF
6. Dallas Macias, LF
7. Jabin Trosky, SS
8. Tanner Smith, C
9. Elijah Hainline, 3B
—Joe Freeman | [email protected] | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
