After a monthlong hiatus, the Oregon State Beavers have finally returned to the college baseball national rankings.
The Beavers on Monday surged into four of the six major polls, fueled by a hot streak that has seen them win six in a row and 12 of the last 15.
Oregon State is ranked 19th in the Baseball America Top 25, 21st in the D1Baseball Top 25, 25th in the USA Today Coaches Poll and 27th in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 30. The Beavers also were among the teams “considered” for the Perfect Game Top 25. The Oregonian/OregonLive uses the D1Baseball poll for its rankings.
After a steady climb in the national polls throughout the early part of the season — when they ascended as high as No. 15 — the Beavers dropped out of all six on March 20 after suffering a sweep at the Stanford Cardinal. It was the first time in nearly two years the program had been unranked in every major national poll.
But Oregon State (24-11, 10-8 Pac-12) has enjoyed a renaissance over the last month, winning 9 of its last 12 conference games and claiming four consecutive series victories in Pac-12 play. The last two series wins have been especially impressive, as the Beavers won two of three games at No. 23 Oregon and earned a three-game sweep over then-No. 23 USC.
After the Stanford sweep, the Beavers were tied for last place in the Pac-12 with a 1-5 record. But their turnaround has nudged them up to sixth, with a crucial series against first-place Arizona State (25-10, 11-3) looming this week.
“Obviously it wasn’t great,” right-hander AJ Lattery said of OSU’s early-season woes. “We always compete for the Pac (championship) and that’s the standard that we’ve set. But after getting swept by Stanford, we weren’t down. We knew that we could only go up.
“You can’t get much worse than that. That was tough. But the biggest confidence booster ever is getting back on the right track, scoring runs, putting up zeros and winning baseball games.”
Oregon State has done all three in April, when they’ve won eight of 10 games to turn the season around. At their lowest point of the season, the Beavers were batting .191 in Pac-12 play. But the team batting average has steadily climbed since, rising to .261 after the USC series. The Beavers have scored 46 runs and mashed 55 hits in the last five games.
All the while, the pitching staff has been steady, if not exceptional. Oregon State leads the Pac-12 in ERA (3.14) and strikeouts (347) and ranks second in hits allowed (255). The bullpen, in particular, has been dominant in April, going 5-1 with a 1.88 ERA, 51 strikeouts and three saves in 52 2/3 innings.
And after a miserable March — during which it went 3-7 — the starting pitching staff has rebounded, too. Oregon State’s starters are 3-1 with a 3.20 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings in April. The Beavers have allowed three runs or less in eight of 10 starts this month.
“Our starting pitching has been solid,” Lattery said. “Bullpen has been amazing. We have shut everybody down and that’s all you can ask.”
The Beavers host the Seattle Redhawks (11-21) Tuesday night in a midweek matchup at Goss Stadium, then visit No. 19 Arizona State for a three-game series that starts Friday.
— Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
