Oregon State Baseball
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Papé Grand Slam is back for two more years.
The Oregon State baseball team will host perennial Midwest power Missouri State in a three-game series at the second annual Papé Grand Slam next season to highlight the 2009 schedule that was announced Wednesday by head coach Pat Casey. The Papé Grand Slam will be played March 13-15 at PGE Park in Portland. The Beavers plan on playing Tennessee in the 2010 Papé Grand Slam.
“We are excited once again to have a very competitive schedule and have the opportunity to play in front of our fans in Portland,” Casey said. “Last year was a great experience for our team in Portland and we look forward to another great series. Overall, we have a very balanced schedule and are excited to get more games at Goss Stadium.”
The Papé Grand Slam returns to PGE Park after a successful first year last season. Oregon State took the series from Georgia, which finished second in the College World Series, 2-1, and in the process, drew 29,332 fans to the Triple-A ballpark. The series finale between Oregon State and Georgia attracted 11,166 fans, which stands as the Pacific-10 Conference single-game record for a contest not played in Omaha.
Missouri State finished the 2008 campaign with a 40-17 record, including an 18-6 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. In 2003, the Bears, then known as Southwest Missouri State, advanced to their first College World Series after winning both the NCAA Lincoln Regional and the NCAA Columbus Super Regional. Missouri State lost both of their games in Omaha, against Rice and Miami, but by just a combined four runs.
Times and ticket information will be announced at a later date for the Papé Grand Slam and will be listed on osubeavers.com.
One of the many aspects that made the 2008 Papé Grand Slam successful was PGE Park, home to the Pacific Coast League’s Portland Beavers. PGE Park has served as home to the Portland Beavers since the 2001 season – after a $38.5 million renovation — when the club rejoined the Pacific Coast League after a seven-year hiatus. The stadium, which has stood since 1926, seats 19,566, making it the second-largest Triple-A ballpark – the largest being Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium, also the home of the College World Series. PGE Park will be the site of the 2009 Cricket Wireless Triple-A All-Star Game, featuring the best of the Pacific Coast and International Leagues.
Oregon State will open the 2009 season Feb. 20-22 against Southeastern Conference powerhouse Tennessee, before visiting Tempe, Ariz., in a tournament hosted by Arizona State. The Beavers are slated to play in the tournament Feb. 26 to March 1.
The Beavers will be the host of a four-day, six-team tournament scheduled to take place in Palm Springs, Calif., from March 5-8 at Palm Springs Stadium.
The Beavers will be one of the six teams at the tournament, which will also include Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Gonzaga, San Francisco and UC-Riverside. Each team is scheduled to play four games over the four days. The Beavers will open with Gonzaga on March 5 at 7 p.m. PT. Oklahoma State is Oregon State’s March 6 opponent, with that game also starting at 7 p.m.
The Beavers will play UC-Riverside on March 7 at 7 p.m. before concluding the tournament on March 8 against Texas Tech at 1 p.m. The Red Raiders are coached by former Oregon State associate head coach Dan Spencer.
Tickets to the tournament will be made available to the public beginning August 1. A tournament pass will cost $50, and will allow fans to see all 12 games at the tournament. All-day passes are also available for $20, and are good for any tournament date. To order tickets, call 760-778-HITS (4487). More information on the tournament can be found by visiting www.pspbb.com.
Oregon State opens Pacific-10 Conference play against Oregon from March 27-29. Home Pac-10 series for Oregon State in 2009 are Arizona State (April 3-5), California (April 17-19), Washington State (May 1-3) and USC (May 15-17).
Other road Pac-10 series for Oregon State include Arizona (April 10-12), Washington (April 24-26), UCLA (May 8-10) and Stanford (May 22-24).
The Beavers will host both Utah Valley and St. Mary’s from March 19-22. The Beavers will also see Hawaii, BYU, Oregon and Portland as non-conference games at Goss Stadium next season.
The Beavers also announced Wednesday that Tennessee will be OSU’s 2010 Papé Grand Slam opponent, with those dates still to be announced. The series will be a return trip for the Volunteers as Oregon State opens its 2009 campaign against Tennessee in Knoxville, Feb. 20-22.
The Volunteers are one of the most successful programs in the SEC, making nine NCAA Regionals and two NCAA Super Regionals. The Vols have appeared in the College World Series four times, the last coming in 2005. That College World Series appearance coincided with Oregon State’s first of three straight trips to Omaha. As a coincidence, each team went 0-2 in 2005, but the Beavers went on to win the national title in 2006 and 2007.
For more information on Oregon State baseball, visit osubeavers.com. Available online are archived game notes, a 2008 season in review, final statistics, player biographies and photo galleries.
For the Full Schedule- OSU SCHEDULE
