CORVALLIS — 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.
The insult sparked a season-long rallying cry dubbed “Bad news” by the players, who break huddles and meetings by bellowing the two words every day, a not-so-subtle reminder to opponents about what’s coming their way. The Tigers even hang a Bad News Bears jersey in the dugout and clubhouse.
Meanwhile, the Oregon State Beavers, who proclaimed in January that “anything short of Omaha is a failure,” haven’t been an underdog since the mid-2000s.
“It’s an expectation that we’d be here,” Beavers coach Mitch Canham said of the NCAA super regionals. “Our expectations are high and we want it for one another, we want it for this university. It’s just kind of demanded.”
MORE: Corvallis Super Regional info | Full super regionals schedule
But when the third-seeded Beavers and 14th-seeded Tigers meet this weekend at the Corvallis Super Regional, with a berth in the College World Series at stake, it won’t merely be preseason expectations separating the programs. The best-of-three series will feature contrasts in a variety of ways, from the teams’ cultures to their styles to their strengths.
It’ll be the Northwest versus the South. The Pac-12 versus the SEC. A three-time national champion versus a program seeking its first.
The Tigers breezed through their regional in impressive fashion, cruising to a stress-free sweep. The Beavers needed extra innings to beat New Mexico State in their regional opener, lost on Sunday, then survived a scare in a Monday elimination matchup, rallying for a dramatic one-run victory against Vanderbilt.
The foundation for the Oregon State program was built on pitching and defense. The Tigers scored a whopping 51 runs in their regional, averaging 17.0 runs, 16.3 hits and 3.7 home runs over three games.
“Their offense right now, as everyone has seen, is on fire,” Canham said. “They’re getting guys on base, they’re driving them in. … They also take their walks. They’ve got a big power hitter, he’s got 20 homers. They’ve got some guys that will run the bases spread throughout the lineup. There’s some tough outs. They hold their ground in the box. And just like we see with our guys, momentum is big, energy is big. And when you’re on a roll, that provides a lot of strength.”
A decent chunk of the Tigers’ strength comes from cleanup hitter Sonny DiChiara, a transfer first baseman from Samford. The SEC Co-Player of the Year enters the series batting .397 with 20 home runs and 55 RBIs, while leading the nation in on-base percentage (.565) and ranking sixth in slugging percentage (.804). He was nearly impossible to get out last weekend, finishing 9 for 15 with two home runs, seven RBIs and eight runs scored.
When the Beavers gathered for a Wednesday afternoon practice at Goss Stadium, the players had not yet scouted Auburn — Tuesday was a day off for the team — but they were well aware of “Sonny D.”
“I actually just looked up their stats last night, just to see what they’re like,” first baseman Garret Forrester said. “And I know Sonny can hit some home runs. That’s about it.”
When they finally delve into the scouting, the Beavers will learn that the Tigers also have a talented leadoff hitter (Blake Rambusch) batting .353 with 12 doubles and 16 stolen bases. And a slick-fielding shortstop (Brody Moore) who earned regional MVP honors after hitting .533 with six RBIs, six runs and a homer. And a second baseman (Cole Foster) who, last week, hit two home runs in the same inning from both sides of the plate. Auburn is batting .292 as a team this season.
Oregon State features plenty of offense, as well, but the foundation of the program is — and always has been — built on pitching and defense. The Beavers’ defense has revealed a few warts the last two weeks, but it still remains one of the nation’s best, entering the super regionals ranked sixth in fielding percentage (.982) after ranking first most of the season.
And OSU’s pitching is as exceptional as ever, ranking among the nation’s best in ERA (4.19, 25th), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.39, fourth) and WHIP (1.28, eighth).
Just as the Beavers have heard of “Sonny D,” the Tigers are no doubt familiar with “Coop.” Oregon State ace Cooper Hjerpe, a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, is 10-2 with a 2.40 ERA and 155 strikeouts — most in the nation. The 6-foot-3 left-hander anchors a starting trio that also includes Jake Pfennigs and Jacob Kmatz and has combined for a 22-4 record this season.
“Our staff, they’ve been unreal,” outfielder Justin Boyd said. “I mean, they’ve had some slumps here and there, but they’ve been unreal pretty much all year and done their thing. It’s hard to hit Cooper, Pfen and Kmatz all in one weekend. And then we’ve got a bunch of arms out of the bullpen that are ready to go.”
And while Auburn, perhaps the hottest team in the country, will bring a mound of momentum into Corvallis, the Beavers insist their regional adversity was actually a blessing.
As the Tigers yawned their way to the supers, outscoring Southeastern Louisiana, Florida State and UCLA 51-18, the Beavers had to fight and claw their way to an extra-inning win and a come-from-behind nail-biter in an elimination game. As a result, they say, they’re more battled tested and prepared for the “Bad news” coming their way.
“They didn’t really face any adversity and we had our backs against the wall,” Boyd said. “So I feel like that’s a little bit of an advantage for us, having that elimination game and facing the Pac-12 tournament, too. I think it prepared us for this moment and we’re ready to go.
“This has been our goal since Day 1 — get to Omaha — so it’s just another weekend for us.”
— Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.