Beavers Continue Play with Series at Stanford

CORVALLIS, Ore. - The Oregon State softball team will return to play in California this weekend. After a bye weekend, the team is ready to take on Stanford on the road.
 
Note: For all Pac-12 series, three of the four games will be included in the conference record. If all four games are played, the second game in the doubleheader will count as a non-conference game.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
Oregon State vs Stanford
SITE: Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium - Stanford, Calif.
RECORD: Oregon State 15-20, 3-12 Pac-12; Stanford 25-13, 5-7 Pac-12
SERIES RECORD: Stanford leads, 51-37
STATS: GoStanford.com
STREAM: GoStanford.com
 
Game One
DATE: Friday, April 30
TIME: 6:00 PM PT
 
Game Two
DATE: Saturday, May 1
TIME: 1:00 PM PT
 
Game Three
DATE: Saturday, May 1
TIME: 3:30 PM PT
 
Game Four
DATE: Sunday, May 2
TIME: 12:00 PM PT
 
*records as of 4/28/21
 
Oregon State notes | Stanford notes
 
ABOUT THE BEAVERS
• Before starting its conference series, Oregon State earned a 10-6 non-conference record. OSU now holds a 15-20 overall record with a 3-12 Pac-12 record.
• The Beavers opened the season with an undefeated weekend in the Los Angeles area (Feb. 12-14). They went on to garner a 3-5 record at the Wildcat Invitational (Feb. 26-28) and Colorado Classic (Mar. 5-7).
• For their first games at home, the Beavers defeated Sacramento State twice. Junior Mariah Mazon pitched for a perfect game before senior Trystan Melancon pitched her first no-hitter with OSU.
• Opening conference play with California at home, the Beavers won the series with a 3-1 record. On Friday, OSU won in a no-hitter shutout before splitting the doubleheader on Saturday and winning by one run on Sunday.
• After a full five weekends of conference play, the Beavers won the series against California, and have dropped the series against No. 9 Arizona, No. 3 Oregon, No. 6 Washington, and No. 2 UCLA. Though OSU fell in the overall series, the team was able to earn a win over the Ducks and the Huskies.
• Junior pitcher Mariah Mazon ranks third in the Pac-12 with 161 strikeouts. Of all the pitchers in the conference, Mazon has pitched for the second-most innings (148.0). 
• Sophomore Frankie Hammoude leads the team with both a .337 batting average and a .713 slugging average.
• Mazon, Hammoude, and junior Missy Nunes have combined for over half of the team's 128 RBI and 36 home runs. 
• Hammoude's 12 home runs are tied for third in the conference. Nunes and Mazon follow with eight and five homers, respectively. The sophomore also leads the trio with 28 RBI with the juniors following with 21 each.
• In the field, Hammoude leads with 219 putouts while freshman Xiao Gin has assisted the most outs (49). 
• Gin, Hammoude, junior Chance Burden, and freshman Grace Messmer have each played for multiple double-plays. Gin and Hammoude have played for five with Messmer compiling three and Burden bringing in two. Three other Beavers have contributed to a double play.
 
ON THE MOUND
• Junior Mariah Mazon has won 11 games for the Beavers while senior Trystan Melancon has tallied three wins and senior Nerissa Eason has won one game.
• Earning the team's first shutout of the season, Mazon also pitched her first no-hitter of the season against Utah State (2/13) before she pitched a perfect game in the Beavers' first game at home (3/12).
• On April 2, Mazon became the first pitcher of 2021 to hold the Ducks to just one run and the second to complete a win over Oregon this season (4/2). 
• In 148.0 innings pitched, Mazon has notched 161 strikeouts from 553 batters for a 2.36 ERA. 
• Melancon owns a 3.28 ERA with 41 strikeouts, from 138 batters, in 36.1 innings pitched.
• Eason follows with 27 strikeouts, from 160 batters, in 39.0 innings pitched.
 
PAC-12 TEAM RANKINGS
Pitching:
• 4th; 237 strikeouts
• 4th; 7.31 strikeouts/seven innings
• 5th; 189 hits allowed
• 5th; 29 home runs allowed
 
Fielding:
• 3rd; 681 putouts
• 4th; 232 assists
• 4th; 9 double-plays
 
PAC-12 INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS
Xiao Gin
• 11th; 49 assists
• T-11th; 5 double-plays
• T-23rd; 6 doubles
 
Frankie Hammoude
• 4th; 219 putouts
• 6th; 12 home runs
• 10th; .713 slugging percentage
• T-11th; 5 double-plays
• T-15th; 28 RBI
• 21st; .432 on base percentage
• 23rd; .337 batting average
 
Rylee Maston
• 19th; 91 putouts
 
Mariah Mazon
• 2nd; 148.0 innings pitched
• 3rd; 161 strikeouts
• 4th; 13 complete games
• 7th; 11 wins
• 10th; 7.61 strikeouts/seven innings
• 11th; 2.36 ERA
• T-22nd; 35 hits
• T-23rd; 33 assists
 
Bailey McLaughlin
• 23rd; 67 putouts
 
Trystan Melancon
• 8th; 7.90 strikeouts/seven innings
• 15th; 3.28 ERA
 
Grace Messmer
• 17th; 41 assists
• T-21st; 3 double-plays
 
Missy Nunes
• T-16th; 8 home runs
• 18th; 95 putouts
• 24th; .604 slugging percentage
 
Charity Sevaaetasi
• T-12th; 7 doubles
 
OREGON STATE CAREER RECORDS
Frankie Hammoude
• Needs three home runs to tie Missy Nunes for 10th place (26).
Mariah Mazon
• Ranks 5th in strikeouts (598) … Needs 97 more to pass Tara Beyster (1997-2000).
• Ranks 7th in wins (50) … Needs two more to pass Paige Hall (2009-12).
• Ranks 7th in complete games (64) … Needs four more to pass Joan Harvey (1982-85).
• Ranks 7th in complete game shutouts (17) … Needs 10 more to pass Crystal Draper (1999-2002).
Missy Nunes
• Ranks 10th in home runs (26) … Needs two more to pass Kelly Petersen (2002-05) for ninth place.
 
OREGON STATE SEASON RECORDS
Frankie Hammoude
• Ranks 7th in home runs (12); tied with five other seasons - Hope Brandner (2018), Lisa Allen (2005), Tarrah Beyster (1997, 1998, 1999) … Needs one more to tie Audrey Roderfield (2009) and Adrienne Alo (2005) for fifth place. 
Mariah Mazon
• Needs 31 more strikeouts to tie Kelly Dyer (2008) and Crystal Draper (2001) for ninth place (192).
 
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 STANFORD
• Stanford is 25-13 on the season with a Pac-12 record of 5-7. 
• The Cardinal opened their season with a three-game series against San Jose State for three wins (Feb. 19-20) and a two-game series against Santa Clara for one win and one loss (Feb. 21, 23).
• Stanford continued their non-conference season with the Stanford Invitational (Feb. 26-28) and the DeMarini Invitational (Mar. 4-7) for a total of seven wins and two losses.
• With just two weeks until the conference season started, and an 11-3 record, the Cardinal split a doubleheader against Saint Mary's (California) (Mar. 11), won both games in a doubleheader at Cal Poly (Mar. 14), and swept a three-game series against Loyola Marymount (Mar. 20-21). 
• Stanford found one final non-conference win against BYU (Mar. 24) before opening conference play with a four-game sweep at Utah (Mar. 26-28).
• The Cardinal continued in April with four losses to #9/8 Arizona (Apr. 1-3) before winning one of the four games at #13/14 Arizona State (Apr. 9-11). 
• With its series against California canceled, Stanford resumed play in Eugene on Apr. 23 against #6/7 Oregon. The Cardinal split the series, going 1-2 in the conference games and winning the second game of the doubleheader.
• Taylor Gindlesperger leads the team with a .363 batting average. She is also the only active player with a slugging percentage above a .500. 
• Teaghan Cowles follows in Gindlesperger's lead with a .342 batting average. Her 39 hits have led to 12 runs. With an on-base percentage of .454, Cowles has run through each of the bases for a total of 33 runs -  a team-high.
• Eleni Spirakis and Emily Young have hit for a team-leading 26 RBI each. 
• As a whole, the team has hit 20 home runs, 16 triples, and 44 doubles. Young leads with eight doubles while Spirakis has hit for a team-high five home runs and Gindlesperger ranks first in the Pac-12 with her six triples.
• In the field, Emily Schultz leads with 247 putouts while Young has the most assists (82).
• The Cardinal has a deep roster with a total of seven pitchers seeing time in the circle. 
• Alana Vawter and Regan Krause lead with the most time in the circle with Vawter pitching for 125.1 innings and Krause spending 83.2 innings on the mound. Facing 475 batters, Vawter has struck out 110 and allowed 22 earned runs for a 1.23 ERA while Krause owns a 2.51 ERA after facing 328 batters for 70 strikeouts and 30 earned runs allowed.
 
AGAINST THE CARDINAL
• Stanford holds the 51-37 lead in the all-time series.
• The Beavers last played the Cardinal in 2019 for the conference series. After falling in the first game, 3-2, the rest of the series was canceled. The first of OSU's runs came from a home run hit by Frankie Hammoude.
• In 2018, Oregon State swept the series with three wins from April 13-15. Allowing just three runs over the weekend, the Beavers scored a total of 20 against the Cardinal. 
• In game one on Friday (4/13), Missy Nunes and Hope Brandner hit a homer for three RBI in the second inning before Jessica Garcia hit a triple to bring home the final run in the 4-1 victory.
• Game two saw another 4-1 win for the Beavers. Alysha Everett notched a home run to take a 3-0 lead in the fifth before Brandner knocked another ball out of the park for their fourth run.
• In the final game of the weekend, OSU won a 12-1 victory. The scoring started in the second inning with the Beavers taking a 6-0 lead from four singles. They continued in the fourth inning with four more runs on a single and a Nunes home run. Oregon State sealed the deal in the fifth inning with a double from Camryn Ybarra for the final two runs.
 
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
• After their weekend series at Stanford, OSU will host Arizona State (May 7-9) for their final home weekend of the regular season.
 
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).