Auburn-Oregon State battle for CWS berth in epic Super Regional matchup
Much is on the line this weekend in Corvallis, Ore.
Five times in its history, Auburn baseball has advanced to the College World Series. By winning a best-of-three Super Regional at Oregon State that begins 9 p.m. CT Saturday night at Goss Stadium, the Tigers can make it six.
““Most of our talks will be about doubling down on our identity, who we are,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said via a Tigers release. “We can’t play better than we did last weekend. The biggest challenge for us is trying to maintain and stay there. The score will take care of itself, and this will come down to execution, whether we’re playing at Plainsman Park or a 41-hour drive away, this thing will come down to execution.”
Taking down the Beavers figures to be no simple task.
But Auburn, ranked No. 14, comes in hot against No. 3 Oregon State.
(NOTE: The games will be broadcast on the Auburn Sports Network, can be heard locally on 93.9 FM and will be on Sirius XM channel 374. The Saturday and Sunday games will air nationally on ESPN2).
The Tigers were dominant in regional play
The Tigers, now 40-19, were resoundingly and stunningly dominant at the four-team regional they hosted last weekend. There, they outscored Southeastern, Florida State and UCLA by a combined 51-18 over three games. That is the most runs by an SEC team in the first three games of a regional since, well, ever.
Auburn hitters batted 395. No, that’s not a typo. Meanwhile, the pitching staff produced an ERA of 3.86.
The Oregonian, which many consider the paper of record in the state of Oregon, said the following: “It’s hard to fathom based on what happened last weekend in the Auburn Regional, but the Auburn Tigers entered the season overlooked and disrespected, widely considered an underdog in the mighty Southeastern Conference. They were picked by SEC coaches to finish last in the SEC West and second-to-last in the conference, edging out last-place Missouri by a measly two votes.”
This is Auburn’s third super regional in four seasons (2018, 2019, 2022). The Tigers are 3-5 all-time in super regionals, 3-3 under Thompson.
The Beavers are one of baseball’s powerhouse programs
Although Oregon State’s baseball program has played in the College World Series seven times, six of those appearance have come since 2005. The Beavers have been one of college baseball’s top programs period over the past two decades, having won national championships in 2006, 2007 and 2018.
So while Auburn expects to compete at the highest level year in and year out, so does Oregon State.
“It’s an expectation that we’d be here,” Beavers coach Mitch Canham told The Oregonian. “Our expectations are high and we want it for one another, we want it for this university. It’s just kind of demanded.”
The Beavers (47-16) are built on pitching and defense. The staff has a 4.19 ERA, led by Golden Spikes Award finalist Cooper Hjerpe. He’s 10-2 with a 2.40 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 97.2 innings. At the plate, Pac-12 Player of the Year Jacob Melton (.360 average, 21 doubles, 16 homeruns, 81 RBI) is the main man with whom Auburn must contend.
Auburn counters with several talented players of its own, notably first baseman Sonny DiChiara, the SEC Co-Player of the Year who is batting .397 with 20 home runs and 55 RBIs and went 9 of 15 with two homers last weekend.
To sum it up, it’s a series full of intrigue. And one heck of a prize will go to the winner.
Probable starting pitchers (Per Auburn Sports Information)
Saturday – Jr. RHP Trace Bright (4-4, 4.80) vs. So. LHP Cooper Hjerpe (10-2, 2.40)
Sunday – So. RHP Joseph Gonzalez (7-2, 2.90) vs. Jr. RHP Jake Pfennigs (4-0, 2.94)
Monday – Jr. RHP Mason Barnett (3-2, 4.13) vs. Fr. RHP Jacob Kmatz (8-2, 4.19)
