CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State baseball team is working out on a daily basis at Goss Stadium, getting ready for the start of the season that is now less than a week away. OSU opens its 2011 campaign Saturday against Gonzaga, in Fresno, Calif.
The official online home of Oregon State Athletics, osubeavers.com, would like to help you get prepared for the 2011 campaign with the Oregon State baseball preview. We’ve had Q&A’s with selected student-athletes and previews over the last week.
Today, we look at the team’s pitching. The Beavers have a balanced pitching staff returning this season despite losing five pitchers to the MLB First-Year Player Draft after last season. Sam Gaviglio highlights the staff and is the lone starter returning in 2011.
At their disposal, the Beavers will have senior James Nygren, sophomore, and former Freshman All-American Matt Boyd, sophomore Tony Bryant, junior Ryan Gorton and senior Dylan Jones as returners from a year ago. Boyd, Bryant and Gorton each started at least one game in 2011, proving they have the capability to do so but also remain as potent relievers.
Oregon State pitching coach Nate Yeskie is also going to be buoyed by the expected returns of juniors Josh Osich and Taylor Starr, who missed last season due to injury. Both ended up redshirting last season and are expected to be a key core of the team’s staff in 2011.
Of course, the Beavers have a very talented group of newcomers to the program. OSU gained the services of six right-handers – of whom five are freshmen – and two left-handed pitchers, who are all expected to make an impact for OSU in 2011.
Of the eight new pitchers to the staff, three were selected by MLB clubs over the summer; Ben Wetzler went in the 15th round to Cleveland, Adam Duke was a 16th-round selection by Boston and Dan Child was taken by San Diego in the 48th round.
Four of the eight newcomers hail from the Pacific Northwest – Cam Booser, Scott Schultz, Wetzler and Tom Zarosinski. Right-hander Cole Baylis hails from Los Altos, Calif., while Child is from Rocklin and attended the same high school, Jesuit, as teammates Andrew Susac and Danny Hayes.
The team’s lone pitching transfer is right-hander Harmen Sidhu, a native of Pleasant Hill, Calif., who joins the club after posting a 7-2 record at Diablo Valley College in 2010.
Duke rounds out the five and comes to Corvallis after a stellar career at Spanish Fork High School in Utah. He finished his high school career with a 31-6 record after tallying an 11-0 record as a senior.
Scroll below to hear what Yeskie thinks about the team’s 2011 staff and scroll further to see Baseball Webisode No. 2 featuring the club’s pitchers.
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