Oregon State Heads to Arizona for Wildcat Invitational
CORVALLIS, Ore. - The Oregon State softball team will continue the 2021 season with the Wildcat Invitational. The invitational will start on February 25 with the Beavers beginning competition on the 26th.
GAME INFORMATION
Wildcat Invitational - Feb. 25-28
SITE: Hillenbrand Stadium - Tucson, Ariz.
RECORDS:
OREGON STATE: 5-0, 0-0 Pac-12
#3 ARIZONA: 5-0, 0-0 Pac-12
BYU: 5-4, 0-0 West Coast
COLORADO STATE: 1-4, 0-0 Mountain West
SEATTLE: 4-6, 0-0 Western Athletic
SERIES RECORDS:
#3 ARIZONA: Arizona leads, 106-16
BYU: Oregon State leads, 11-5
COLORADO STATE: Oregon State leads 7-2
SEATTLE: Oregon State 10-2
STATS: ArizonaWildcats.com
STREAM: ArizonaWildcats.com
Oregon State vs BYU
DATE: Friday, February 26
TIME: 11:00 AM PT
Oregon State vs Seattle
DATE: Saturday, February 27
TIME: 8:00 AM PT
Oregon State vs #3 Arizona
DATE: Saturday, February 27
TIME: 11:00 AM PT
Oregon State vs Colorado State
DATE: Saturday, February 28
TIME: 8:00 AM PT
*records as of 2/24/21
Oregon State notes | #3 Arizona notes | BYU notes | Colorado State notes | Seattle preview
ABOUT THE BEAVERS
• Oregon State opened the season with five straight wins.
• The Beavers won all four of their games at the Easton Invitational (Feb. 12-13) with their final win coming against Loyola Marymount on Feb. 15.
• Sophomore Frankie Hammoude leads the team with a .438 batting average.
• Freshman Madison Simon and Hammoude have each earned seven hits to lead the team.
• After one weekend of play, junior Missy Nunes leads with eight RBIs and four home runs.
• Hammoude, freshman Charity Sevaaetasi, and senior Fallon Molnar round out the Beavers seven home runs with one each.
• In the field, redshirt-sophomore Rylee Maston leads with 29 putouts for a .971 fielding percentage.
ON THE MOUND
• Junior Mariah Mazon has won three games for the Beavers with seniors Nerissa Eason and Trystan Melancon each earning one win.
• Earning the team's first shutout of the season, Mazon also pitched her first no-hitter of the season against Utah State (2/13).
• In 21 innings pitched, Mazon has notched 27 strikeouts from 78 batters.
• Melancon follows with six innings pitched for a 1.17 ERA with nine strikeouts from 19 batters.
• Eason pitched for an 11-0 victory over Cal State Fullerton (2/13). In five innings, Eason allowed just three hits and made five strikeouts from 16 batters.
• Freshman Xiao Gin pitched one inning over the weekend, striking out one batter while pitching to four batters.
PAC-12 TEAM RANKINGS
After the first week of games, Oregon State ranks:
• 2nd; 8.91 in strikeouts/seven innings
• 4th; 1.27 ERA
• T-4th; 3 double plays
PAC-12 INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS
Nerissa Eason
• T-1st; 0.00 ERA
Xiao Gin
• T-3rd; 4 doubles
Frankie Hammoude
• T-13th; .438 batting average
• T-20th; 7 hits
Rylee Maston
• 8th; 29 putouts
Mariah Mazon
• T-4th; 3 pitching wins
• 5th; 27 strikeouts
Trystan Melancon
• T-11th; 1.17 ERA
Missy Nunes
• T-3rd; 4 home runs
• T-14th; 8 RBIs
• T-13th; 7 runs
Madison Simon
• T-20th; 7 hits
THE ROSTER
• Due to the shortened season of 2020, all members of the 2020 softball team have received another year of eligibility. Each of the members of the 2020 team has kept their athletic years from last season.
• All but one member of the senior class will be returning. Trystan Melancon, Fallon Molnar, and Nerissa Eason will play for Oregon State in 2021 while Karla Calderon graduated in 2020.
• All but two members, Paige Goodrich and Izzy Owen, of the rest of the team have chosen to return for the 2021 season.
• The fall of 2020 brought four new additions to the team: Charity Sevaaetasi, Jade Soto, Katie Hicks, and Madison Simon are all the newcomers for the 2021 season.
• Though 2020 was cut short, the Beavers were able to play 26 games. Four student-athletes - Xiao Gin, Mariah Mazon, Grace Messmer, and Missy Nunes - all started in all 26 games while Morgan Allen missed just one game and Ashton Zeiher and Maia Rader missed two games.
• 12 of the 16 returning softball players on the 2021 team competed in at least five games for the Beavers last season with six of those returning from 2019 seeing action in at least a third of the last full season's games.
• The Beavers have one player that hails from the state of Oregon, Ashton Zeiher (Scio), with one player that comes from outside the United States, Grace Messmer (British Columbia).
• California is the highest represented state on the 2021 Oregon State softball team with 13 student-athletes coming from the state to our south. Two players come from Washington with one student-athlete from Florida, Nevada, and Texas.
LAST SEASON
• Despite the 2020 season being cut short, the Beavers were able to play 26 games for a record of 17-9 record. The team was unable to start conference play before the season ended.
• Eight players participated in at least 75 percent of the games, with seven returning to the team in 2021. Mariah Mazon, Xiao Gin, Missy Nunes, and Grace Messmer started all 26 games with Morgan Allen starting 25 and Maia Rader and Ashton Zeiher starting 24.
• Nunes led the team with five home runs and 22 RBIs.
• Mazon and Fallon Molnar followed Nunes with four home runs. Mazon notched 15 RBIs while Molnar earned 11.
For those who competed regularly, Mazon's .377 batting average (29 hits, 77 at bats) led the 2020 squad.
• In the field, Morgan Allen led the team with 144 putouts while Nunes followed with 121.
• Allen and Grace Messmer both contributed to five double plays while Messmer led the team with 46 assists.
ON THE MOUND
• All four pitchers who saw action on the mound in 2020 will return for 2021.
• Mariah Mazon, returning to complete her junior season, was the leading pitcher in 2020. Mazon recorded a 1.18 ERA with 10 wins in 20 appearances.
• She pitched a total of 113 innings, 14 complete games, and six shutouts while striking out 130 batters.
• Mazon returns after being named to Softball America's All-America Third Team.
• Second to Mazon was Trystan Melancon, a graduate transfer from the University of Houston. With 11 appearances in 2020, Melancon notched a 1.81 ERA with five wins and three complete games. She earned one shutout and pitched for 67 strikeouts.
• Rounding out the 2020 pitching squad was freshman Xiao Gin and senior Nerissa Eason. Gin earned two wins with a 3.28 ERA and nine strikeouts while Eason pitched for a 1.75 ERA and three strikeouts.
A LOOK BACK AT 2019
• The Beavers finished the 2019 season with 26 wins and 19 losses with an 8-14 record in the Pac-12.
• Frankie Hammoude and Missy Nunes served as a large portion of Oregon State's offensive power, starting all 45 games on the season.
• Hammoude led the squad with 11 home runs and 36 RBIs. She earned 34 hits in 120 at bats for a .283 batting average.
• Missy Nunes followed Hammoude's lead with seven home runs and 27 RBIs. She earned 36 hits in 132 at bats for a .273 batting average.
• In the field, Hammoude led the team with 300 putouts while Nunes was the runner-up with 67 assists, and serves as the returner with the highest assists.
• Hammoude contributed to 12 double plays while Maia Rader helped in eight.
• Radar is the final returner who played in at least 75 percent of 2019's games. She made 38 starts at shortstop and was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.
ON THE MOUND
• The Beavers returned three pitchers from 2019 to the 2020 season.
• Mariah Mazon was the leading returner for the Beavers. She recorded a 2.70 ERA, posting 17 wins in 30 appearances. She pitched 174 total innings, 20 complete games, and four shutouts while striking out 166 batters.
• Mazon was named to the NFCA All-Region Second Team and Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team in 2018 with a third-team conference nod in 2017, as well as being named to the conference all-freshman team.
• Nerissa Eason posted three wins in 10 appearances in 2019. She pitched 34.1 innings, recording 33 strikeouts, two complete games, and one shutout.
• Sophomore Payton Goodrich, who will not return for 2021, and freshman Xiao Gin rounded out the 2020 pitching lineup.
ABOUT BYU
• Brigham Young opened the season at the Kajikawa Classic (Feb. 11-13) before playing at the St. George Classic (Feb. 18-20).
• The Cougars enter the Wildcat Invitational with a 5-4 record.
• Rylee Jensen-McFarland leads the team with five home runs and nine RBIs while Violet Zavodnik follows closely with four homers and nine RBIs.
• Both Zavodnik and Jensen-McFarland have 14 hits so far with Zavodnik leading the team with a .538 batting average.
AGAINST THE COUGARS
• Oregon State leads the all-time series, 11-5.
• The Beavers last saw the Cougars at the 2018 Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. OSU beat BYU, 14-9, with Nerissa Eason pitching 3.2 innings. Of those who are still on the team today, Missy Nunes, Fallon Molnar, Chance Burden, and Nerissa Eason saw play in 2018. Nunes led with two hits for a double while Molnar earned an RBI during her one at-bat and Burden notched an RBI from her one hit, a double.
ABOUT SEATTLE
• Seattle opened the season at the Kajikawa Classic (Feb. 12-14) with five losses.
• The Redhawks followed with a 4-1 record at the Hillenbrand Invitational (Feb. 19-21).
• Ally Coate leads the team with 15 hits, including two doubles.
• Cherise Silvan and Bailey Thompson ranked at the top of their team with eight RBIs each.
• Madison Cathcart, Thompson, and Silvan each have one home while Olivia Viggiano hit the only triple on the season.
AGAINST THE REDHAWKS
• Oregon State leads the all-time series, 10-2.
• The Beavers last saw the Redhawks in Hawaii in 2020. OSU played two games against Seattle for one loss and one win.
• Oregon State won the first game with one run in the eighth inning. Mariah Mazon reached on a fielder's choice and Maia Rader scored the winning run on an error by their second baseman.
• The second game saw a 6-1 Redhawk win. Grace Messmer hit a home run in the seventh inning to get the Beavers on the board but Seattle held on to the win.
ABOUT NO. 3 ARIZONA
• Arizona was supposed to open the season at the Texas Classic (Feb. 11-13) but when it was canceled the Wildcats began their season at the Hillenbrand Invitational (Feb. 19-21) with five wins.
• Dejah Mulipola leads the team with 10 RBIs while Malia Martinez leads with three home runs.
• With five hits from six at bats, Janella Meono holds a batting average of .833 to lead the team.
• Throughout the first weekend of play, the Wildcats hit 11 home runs.
• Alyssa Denham leads the pitchers with 11 innings pitched for a 0.00 ERA with 13 strikeouts.
AGAINST THE WILDCATS
• Arizona leads the all-time series, 106-16.
• The Wildcats last saw the Beavers in 2019 for Pac-12 play. Arizona took all three wins.
• Throughout the weekend in March, OSU scored five runs. Missy Nunes earned the sole Beaver run in the first game of the series with Frankie Hammoude hitting a grand slam for OSU's four runs in the second game.
• The Beavers last earned a win against the Wildcats on May 7, 2016. OSU beat Arizona, 2-1.
ABOUT COLORADO STATE
• Colorado State opened the season at the Texas A&M Invitational (Feb. 20-22) with a 1-4 record. The Rams were scheduled to start at the Texas Classic but it was canceled.
• Corina Gamboa leads Colorado State with four hits, a .250 batting average, three RBIs, and the lone home run on the season.
• Jordan Acosta follows closely with four hits, a 250 batting average, and two RBIs.
• Jessica Jarecki leads on the mound with two games started for a total of 15 innings pitched. Throughout the team's five games, Jarecki has earned 18 strikeouts.
AGAINST THE RAMS
• Oregon State leads the all-time series, 7-2.
• The Beavers and the Rams last met in March of 2018 for the San Diego Classic. OSU took the 1-0 win with Chance Burden scoring the winning run.
NCAA TOURNAMENT
• The Beavers have reached the NCAA Tournament four times under the direction of head coach Laura Berg. As a program, OSU has made a postseason appearance 13 times.
• The Beavers are 30-22 all-time in their 13 tournament appearances following two wins and two losses at the Tuscaloosa Regional in 2018.
• The last time OSU won a regional was in 2006 when it played Nevada and No. 19 Baylor twice. OSU went on to play in the Women's College World Series that year.
• Berg and former head coach Kirk Walker (1995-2012) are the only head coaches in program history to reach the NCAA Tournament.
NATIONAL SOFTBALL
• Head coach Laura Berg is the most decorated USA Softball Olympic Athlete after joining the national team in 1994. Berg won three gold medals for the United States (1996 - Atlanta, 2000 - Sydney, 2004 - Athens) and one silver (2008 - Beijing).
• Berg joined the Women's National Team coaching staff in 2012 and has served as an assistant before being named the head coach for the Junior WNT in 2017. Most recently, Berg was an assistant coach with the WNY that won Gold at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
• On November 14, 2019, Berg was named an assistant to the 2020 WNT's coaching staff.
• Junior Frankie Hammoude made her National Team debut in the summer of 2019 after trying out and making the Junior Women's National Team.
• Hammoude helped the JWNT become the 2019 U-19 WBSC World Cup Champions after hitting a three-run home run to tie things up in the championship game against Japan. The USA went on to capture the title.
• Sophomore Grace Messmer helped Canada to a Bronze Medal finish at the WBSC World Cup after recording a sac fly against Australia.
ABOUT THE OREGON STATE COACHING STAFF
• Head coach Laura Berg hung up her cleats after nearly 20 years of playing softball and spent a year with the LAPD in 2010-11 before returning to the game as an assistant coach for the 2012 season at Oregon State.
• Berg enters her ninth season at the helm of the Oregon State program, recording four NCAA Tournament appearances. Read more about the Beavers' head coach on the attached game notes.
• Associate head coach Marcie Green also has experience with law enforcement. Green studied criminology at Fresno State and spent five years as a prison guard at Corcoran State Prison in California following graduation before starting to coach. Green works primarily with the pitchers.
• Assistant coach Eric Leyba returns for his third season on staff, working with the infielders and batters. Under his first season with the infielders, Leyba coached Hammoude and Rader to All-Freshman honors at first base and shortstop.
• Volunteer assistant coach Shelly Prochaska is entering her second straight season with the Beavers. Prochaska, a member of the softball team from 2000-03, served as an undergraduate assistant in 2004. Before coming to Oregon State, she was an assistant coach for the Sonoma State softball program during the 2018-19 season.
• Heather Smith also returns for her 20th season as the Director of Operations.
UP NEXT
• Following the completion of the Wildcat Invitational, the Beavers will head to Greeley, Colo. for the Northern Colorado Tournament on Mar. 5-7.
For more information on the Oregon State softball team, visit OSUBeavers.com or follow the team on Twitter and Instagram, @BeaverSoftball.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).