Oregon State Softball's Home Opener Caps Off Eight Game Stretch

THIS WEEK:
• No. 25 Oregon State (12-3) jets off to Riverside, Calif. for a five-game tournament at the Amy S. Harrison Classic before returning home for its home opener against Robert Morris on Monday, March 7. The doubleheader between the Beavers and Colonials in Corvallis will begin at 2 p.m. PT.
 
Friday, March 4
Oregon State vs. Sacred Heart – 9:00 a.m. PT
Oregon State vs. UC Riverside – 2:00 p.m. PT
 
Saturday, March 5
Oregon State vs. CSUN – 10:00 a.m. PT
Oregon State vs. California Baptist – 12:30 p.m. PT
 
Sunday, March 6
Oregon State vs. North Dakota State – 10:00 a.m. PT
 
Monday, March 7
Oregon State vs. Robert Morris – 2 p.m. PT
Oregon State vs. Robert Morris – 4 p.m. PT
 
FOLLOW THE BEAVS:
• Links (if available) to livestreams and live stats will be available on the softball schedule page at OSUBeavers.com
• Follow @BeaverSoftball on Twitter for the most up-to-date news on all things Beaver Softball.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW:
• Season and single game tickets for the 2022 Oregon State softball season are available for purchase via BeaverTickets.com and 1-800-GO-BEAVS.
 
PAC-12 WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS:
• Through three weeks of play, the Beavers have collected three different conference weekly awards in just three weeks.
• Junior Frankie Hammoude got things started in the first week, being named Player of the Week. She reached base in all five games in the weekend opener, producing 10 hits (10-for-16) with five home runs, 10 runs batted in, one walk and five runs scored.
• Newcomer Kiki Escobar garnered Freshman of the Week in the second week for her conference nod of her early Beaver career. Escobar reached base in all five games, producing a team-high nine hits and went 9-for-19 (.474) with two doubles, six RBIs, one walk and three runs scored.
• On Tuesday, the conference announced that senior Mariah Mazon took home Oregon State's second Player of the Week honor of the season after her record-breaking performance at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
 
MIGHTY MAZON:
• Senior Mariah Mazon is dominating both in the circle and at the plate for the Beavers.
• After her performance last week in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Mazon was named Pac-12 Player of the Week and D1 Softball Player of the Week.
• She struck out a combined 27 batters in three appearances (17.2 IP), collecting three wins in the Beavers' five games. Mazon surrendered just eight hits and four walks over the MNCC weekend, giving up just one earned run
• The seniors also threw her first no-hitter of the season and sixth of her career against CSUN, tying a career-best 13 strikeouts. Mazon also shut down No. 17 Tennessee and earned her other win against Baylor.
• Offensively, Mazon led all players in the tournament in total hits (11), RBIs (13) and doubles (4) while finishing second with eight runs scored. Mazon also led the team with two home runs and slugged an exceptional 1.150, registering 23 total bases.
 
HAMMOUDE - WHERE SHE LEFT OFF:
• After breaking the OSU single-season program record for home runs last year, junior Frankie Hammoude has started the 2022 campaign right where she left off. The first baseman has produced 21 hits, going 21-for-42 (.500) with a team-high seven home runs, 116 runs batted in, 13 walks and 12 runs scored.
• At MNCC last weekend, the first baseman was second on the team behind Mazon with seven hits, including a home run and a double. She added five RBIs and scored on four different occasions.
• With her threat at the plate, Hammoude was also walked a team-high five times in five games.
 
FROM THE CIRCLE:
• The Beavers return one pitcher to the 2022 roster from last season in veteran Mariah Mazon.
• New to the pitching staff and joining Mazon are four new faces, including one transfer Tarni Stepto who was a member of the Australian National Team and helped the team win a bronze medal this past summer in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Rounding out the freshmen pitching class includes Morgan Flesland, Ainsley Lambert and Sarah Haendiges.
• Mazon leads the team with five wins, including three last weekend that was highlighted by her no-no against CSUN. She has tossed a total of 51.2 innings, giving up just seven earned runs and has walked six. Mazon maintains a 1.22 ERA in eight appearances.
• In her third weekend of work, Haendiges (3-0) earned her third career Beaver victory in dominating fashion with a no-hitter performance against Southern Utah. The freshman worked 5.0 frames, striking out four and walked just one batter. She maintains a 0.76 ERA in 23.2 innings and has a total of 28 strikeouts.
• Stepto (4-0) earned a win last weekend in the MNCC against UC San Diego after tossing a career-high 7.0 innings. The sophomore transfer allowed just four hits in the complete game shutout. The Aussie is third on the pitching staff with 22.2 frames pitched, allowing 17 hits having struck out 30 after facing 85 batters.
 
KIKI (WE LOVE HER):
• Freshman Kiki Escobar has secured her spot in the Beaver lineup, serving as the leadoff and shortstop for the Orange & Black. With an injury to the OSU lineup at the MNCC, the versatile freshman has now started at second base for the Beavs.
• Last weekend, she registered four hits, seven runs and an RBI.
• Escobar is one of three different Beavers with 21 hits on the season, joining good company of Frankie Hammoude and Mariah Mazon. She is also tied for second amongst all Beavers this season with 13 runs scored
 
ISRAEL GOT(TLIEB) A GOOD ONE:
• Shortly after being announced to the Israeli National Team, freshman Eliana Gottlieb has gone 17-for-50 (.340) with 13 runs, 8 RBIs, and five extra base hits.  
• At the prestigious Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, she registered seven hits, two RBIs, a walk and her fourth double of the season.
• Gottlieb started in all 15 games in the outfield for the Orange & Black.

KEY RETURNERS:
• Grace Messmer returns for her sophomore season after starting 44 games at third base or shortstop for the Beavers. Messmer finished second on the team with six doubles, fourth with 32 hits and fifth with 12 RBI. Messmer has started in all 15 games for the Orange & Black.
• In the field, Messmer ranked second with 69 assists and third with five double-plays last season and was third on the team last weekend with six assists. Behind the plate last weekend, Messmer collected four hits, including a double, with three RBIs and runs scored.
• Sophomore Charity Sevaaetasi returns in 2022 after starting 43 games as a utility player for head coach Laura Berg. Sevaaetasi led the team with 10 doubles and was ranked fourth in RBI (16) and tied for third in home runs (5). Last weekend, Sevaaetasi was called upon after an injury to the Beaver lineup and started in two of four appearances. She was one of five different players to collect a home run and went 4-for-6 in total.
• Gin Xiao started in 45 games at second base in her COVID freshman season. Xiao ranked third on the team with six doubles after finishing the season with 24 hits to go along with five RIB, six doubles, one triple and five runs. She has started at second in the first 12 games but suffered a season-ending injury at the MNCC last weekend.
• Madison Simon returns for her COVID freshman season after starting 45 games in both the outfield and the infield. Simon was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week (Feb. 16) after totaling seven hits in four games during the first weekend of the season. She finished with 26 hits, 10 RBI, four doubles, one triple, three home runs and 20 runs scored. Last weekend, Simon had three RBIs and six hits for the Orange & Black.
 
NEW FACES:
• The Beavers signed 15 newcomers to the 2022 roster, including 12 freshmen and three transfers.
• The transfers include Australian National Team pitcher and bronze medalist Stepto, Arizona State catcher Harleigh Braswell and Utah infielder Savanah Whatley.
• Freshman Eliana Gottlieb was recently named to the Israeli National Team and comes in with 11 other freshmen in Des Rivera, Erin Mendoza, Kaylah Nelson, Anna Carreon, Flesland, Kiani Nakamura, Lambert, Kiki Escobar, Haendiges, Lici Campbell and Kristalyn Romulo.

COACHING PROFILES:
• 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 tenth season at the helm of the Oregon State program, recording four NCAA Tournament appearances.
• 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 fourth season on staff working with the infielders and batters.
• Volunteer Assistant Coach Shelly Prochaska is no stranger to the Orange & Black. Prochaska played for former Beaver head coach Kirk Walker from 2000-03 before becoming an undergraduate assistant in 2004. Prochaska is entering her third season under coach Berg.
• Sarah Hoechlin begins her first year as the Director of Operations.
 
NATIONAL SOFTBALL:
• Coach 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 two silver (2008 – Beijing, 2020 - Tokyo).
• 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 with the WNT that won silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games after softball returned to the Olympics.
• Junior 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 to 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. USA went on to capture the title.
• Sophomore Messmer was a member of the Junior National Canadian Team in the summer of 2019.
• Messmer helped Canada to a Bronze Medal finish at the WBSC World Cup after recording a sac fly against Australia.
• Freshman Gottlieb recently became a member of the Israeli National Team this past winter. 
• Newcomer Stepto helped the Australian National Team win a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo as a pitcher/hitter.
 
NCAA TOURNAMENT:
• The Beavers have reached the NCAA Tournament four times under the direction of head coach 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.
 
KNOW WHAT IT TAKES:
• Oregon State's coaching staff is no stranger when it comes to the NCAA Tournament and WCWS.
• Both Berg and Green played at Fresno State in the '90s and gained plenty of experience in the path to the WCWS.
• Coach Berg played from 1994-95 and 1997-98 making it to the WCWS three times and won the national championship in '98.
• Coach Green played from 1990-93 and appeared in three WCWS, including a runner-up finish in 1990.
• Volunteer assistant coach Prochaska made a NCAA Regional appearance in all four seasons at Oregon State.
For more information on the Oregon State softball team, visit OSUBeavers.com or follow the team @BeaverSoftball on Twitter and Instagram.

OUR MISSION:
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).