FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Nate Yeskie is in his first season as Oregon State's pitching coach
The Oregon State baseball team opens its 2009 season at Tennessee on Feb. 20. That’s almost nine months after the Beavers’ last game of 2008 — May 25 against Pacific.
Since that time, head coach Pat Casey and his assistants have gone about piecing together a club that will be charged with making a run at the team’s fourth trip to Omaha in five years.
The Beavers certainly have the talent. They definitely have the desire. And the pieces are there, ready to be fit together.
If those pieces fit smoothly, there could be a very magical season in Corvallis in 2009.
Oregon State has a balanced club as it gets into the 2009 season. Based on a 2008 recruiting class heavy on pitching, Oregon State will have one of the best staffs in the Pacific-10 Conference. Those pitchers have matured after their freshman season and are ready to keep opponents on their heels. Those sophomores have learned from holdover Jorge Reyes who is ready for a revamped campaign.
Casey retooled the team’s hitting and defense, bringing in a talented recruiting class that is nicely balanced by freshmen and junior college transfers. He already had the likes of Ryan Ortiz, Joey Wong and John Wallace to set fine examples of how to play Oregon State baseball. Now, they’ll be joined by newcomers by the names of Stefen Romero, Carter Bell, Jared Norris, Logan Lotti, Adalberto Santos and more.
The 2009 recruiting class was based heavily on experience and maturity and is expected to play a big role in the team’s successes this season.
The team’s defense, under the primary guidance of assistant coach Marty Lees, is expected to be as strong and steady as usual. Casey’s clubs have been successful by playing fundamental baseball and defense is at the forefront.
The Beavers also return assistant coach Pat Bailey for his second season. Bailey brought championship credentials to Corvallis in 2008 and is truly a teacher of the game.
Oregon State fans will see a new face in the dugout in 2009 in the form of Nate Yeskie, the team’s pitching coach. Formerly of UNLV, Yeskie brings a pro background to Corvallis after pitching for five years in the Minnesota Twins organization, reaching as high as Double-A New Britain.
Head Coach Pat Casey’s take on the 2009 Oregon State baseball team
“It’s a team, that we as a coaching , all would agree is the most wide open we’ve had in a couple years. There are not many guys who have a lot of playing experience, therefore the positions are wide open. It’s going to be nice having those pitchers who were freshmen last year now be sophomores.
“We feel like we have good arms; we have strength in our pitching staff in terms of depth. In terms of who is going to play where, that’s one of the nice things about this club. There was a lot of competition in the fall and I don’t see a lot of positions solidified as of yet.”
