Koa Kahalehoe
The 2009 Oregon State baseball season opens on Friday when the Beavers visit Tennessee.
With the season less than a week away, here’s a look at the club’s outfield as it prepares for the upcoming campaign. This is the fourth of a four-part look at the Beavers.>
Oregon State will have an eclectic group of players in the outfield in 2009. The Beavers don’t return much in experience this season, but what they lack in that category, they certainly make up for in talent.
John Wallace is one of three starters returning to the Beavers in 2009 and comes back for his senior year as one of the leaders of the club. He has the ability to play all three outfield positions and will be relied upon to bring a steady influence to the lineup. He is perhaps one of Oregon State’s most balanced players.
Koa Kahalehoe is another of the seniors who will patrol the outfield this season. Kahalehoe is considered Oregon State’s fastest player and has great range in the outfield. He is expected to play a big part in 2009 and roam center field.
Logan Boyd returns for his senior season as well, but played sparingly in 2008. Boyd brings a left-handed bat to the lineup and has the potential to bring power to the middle of the lineup. He will challenge for a starting spot in right field and potentially at designated hitter.
From that point on, the Oregon State staff will see what players can emerge from a mix of freshmen to those who have yet to see much collegiate experience. Two players, Brett Casey and Rob Folsom, will see more time in the outfield this season. Casey makes the move after spending the past couple seasons in the infield and could truly be considered a utility player. Folsom, meanwhile, played a few innings in the outfield last season but spent more time working out at catcher.
Michael Miller is another returner for the Beavers after having just a couple at bats as a freshman last season. But Miller, a left-handed bat from Cashmere, Wash., played a bigger role in the fall and impressed.
That group will be joined by four newcomers. That group includes junior Logan Lotti, a strong-armed and highly intense native of Chico, Calif. He played right field for the Corvallis Knights this past season to get used to Goss Stadium, an advantage for any newcomer to Oregon State’s home field.
Brent Warren, Ryan Gorton and Blake Gibbs are the three freshmen who will challenge for time this season. Warren is a 6-foot-2 native of Robins, Iowa who improved as the fall went on. Gorton, meanwhile, comes in as an Oregon talent after playing at Tigard High School. He also has the ability to pitch — as does Warren — and spent time at catcher in the fall. Gibbs, meanwhile, joins the Beavers after starring at Newport High School in Bellevue, Wash.
Head Coach Pat Casey’s take on the 2009 Oregon State outfield
“John Wallace is a guy who has played the most, and he’s one of our best defenders in the outfield. It’s the first time in a while we haven’t had a guy returning in center field so we will be excited to see who emerges in that position. There are a lot of candidates who can do that.
“We had a lot of guys play well in the fall. Due to some injuries in the fall, not everybody got to play as much as we would have liked, but I do think we have some versatility in the outfield. The only guy who really has a lot of playing time in the outfield here at Oregon State is Wallace. Obviously, Koa Kahalehoe has played some, but I think there is a big push out there to find who is going to play. There will be days, I think, where who we play depends on who they throw.”
