A hot start has spurred a mild climb for the Oregon State baseball team.
The Beavers moved up in two of the five major college baseball polls after the first week of the season, reinforcing their status as one of the nation’s best teams.
Oregon State is ranked No. 6 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Poll, No. 7 in the D1Baseball Top 25 and No. 9 in the Perfect Game Top 25 and Baseball America Top 25. The USA Today did not release an updated coaches poll.
The Oregonian/OregonLive uses the D1Baseball poll for its rankings.
The Beavers (4-0) were dominant in their first action of the season, cruising to four wins over four days by a combined score of 48-9. It was only four games in a long and grinding season, but it would be difficult for a team to have a better start.
The lineup was aggressive and impressive, the pitching staff was overpowering and the defense was suffocating, strengthening the internal belief that OSU is a championship contender.
Perhaps the biggest question mark about OSU entering the season surrounded its pitching staff, which is long on talent and potential but short on experience. But it passed the early-season test emphatically.
The weekend rotation was practically unhittable, as junior Nelson Keljo, freshman Dax Whitney and community college transfer Ethan Kleinschmit combined to toss 15 scoreless innings in wins over Indiana, Xavier and UNLV. The trio allowed just five hits, recorded 18 strikeouts, and carried a staff that boasts a 2.12 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, while holding opponents to a .165 batting average.
Whitney and Kleinschmit were particularly dominant in their OSU debuts. Whitney, a 6-foot-5 freshman right-hander, dazzled in his first college start, striking out eight over five scoreless innings in a win over UNLV. He was named Perfect Game’s National Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday. And Kleinschmit, a sophomore left-hander, followed with six no-hit innings, during which he recorded five strikeouts to beat Indiana.
Oregon State had a 19-inning scoreless streak and tossed two shutouts during the four-game season-opening series in Surprise, Arizona.
Of course, it’s always easier to pitch with a big lead and the Beavers’ offense provided plenty of cushion.
The Oregon State lineup mashed 51 hits, drew 31 walks and sprayed the ball all over Surprise Stadium, belting seven home runs, seven doubles and a triple. Eight OSU starters left Arizona with a batting average north of .300, including shortstop Aiva Arquette (.538, one homer, four RBIs, five runs scored), third baseman Trent Caraway (.471, two doubles, three RBIs, six runs scored) and designated hitter Tyce Peterson (.455, one homer, one triple, four RBIs, seven runs scored).
First baseman Jacob Krieg leads the Beavers in homers (three) and RBIs (nine) and Gavin Turley is hitting .364 with a home run and seven RBIs.
But the Beavers’ hot start will be tested this week, when they travel to Texas to play seven games in 12 days against high-level competition. The stretch, which includes matchups against No. 2 Virginia, Oklahoma, Auburn and Auburn, opens Wednesday with an 11 a.m. outing against Houston in Round Rock, Texas.
— Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | @freemanjoe.bsky.social | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
