Baseball Continues Pac-12 Play At USC
Oregon State (21-7, 7-5) vs. USC (17-9, 4-5)
April 8, 2022 • 6:00 p.m. PT • Los Angeles, Calif. • Dedeaux Field
LHP Cooper Hjerpe (6-0, 1.94) vs. LHP Isaac Esqueda (1-0, 1.35)
The Game
Oregon State returns to conference play Friday when taking on USC in the first of three games at Dedeaux Field. First pitch in Los Angeles is slated for 6 p.m. PT.
Radio
All games air on the Beaver Sports Network with pre-game 30 minutes before first pitch. Affiliates include KEJO 1240-AM (Corvallis), KKNX 840-AM (Eugene), KCFM 1250-AM & 104.1-FM (Florence), KLAD 960-AM & 93.3-FM (Klamath Falls), KTMT 880-AM & 96.1-FM (Medford, weekend games), KEX 1190-AM (Portland), 102.3 FM (weekday games prior to 5:30 p.m.), KSKR 1490-AM (Roseburg) and KBZY 1490-AM (Salem, weekend games).
Listen Online
Catch the game online by visiting osubeavers.com, and find the live broadcast on the Oregon State baseball schedule page. The games can be heard via the Varsity Network, which is available for users with smartphones and tablets. Download the free Varsity Network application for live games and archived broadcasts.
Television
The game will not be broadcast.
Live Video
A live stream will be available and produced by USC. Visit the baseball schedule page on osubeavers.com for the direct link.
Online
Live stats for the game can be accessed by clicking on the live stats link located on the baseball schedule page on osubeavers.com.
Last Game
Jaren Hunter tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings to send No. 5 Oregon State to a 5-1 win over Portland Tuesday night in front of 4,500 fans at Ron Tonkin Field. Hunter struck out five while limiting the Pilots to a hit and two walks in his fifth start of the season. He picked up the first win of his career, improving his season mark to 1-0 and 1-2 in two seasons as a Beaver. Hunter was backed by two runs batted in off the bat of Garret Forrester, who doubled home a run in the first before plating a run in the sixth on a bases-loaded single. Brady Kasper also drove in a run during the Beavers' three-run sixth, which saw OSU score its second run of the inning on a bases-loaded balk. OSU scored one more in the ninth.
Against USC
• Oregon State is making its first trek to USC since 2018 due to Covid-19 cancelling the 2020 series.
• Oregon State has won 14 games all-time at USC, with eight of those victories coming since the 2010 season. The Beavers have won three of the last five series between the teams in LA, including 2016 and 2018.
• OSU claimed the 2021 series in Corvallis, winning the first two games before USC took the finale.
Oregon State Notes
• Cooper Hjerpe has been named the National Pitcher of the Week by Collegiate Baseball, Perfect Game, D1Baseball.com and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). He tied an OSU record with 17 strikeouts against Stanford last Friday.
• Hjerpe, who was also named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week, was also named to the Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list. He was named along with outfielder Jacob Melton.
• Wade Meckler carries a nine-game hit streak into Friday's opener. He is 17-for-39 (.436) during the streak.
• Oregon State's pitching staff has struck out 53 batters in just 39 innings in the month of April.
• The Oregon State offense, away from home, has drawn 103 walks in 16 games, an average of nearly 6.5 per game. It has struck out just 122 times away from home, an average of 7.6 per game.
• OSU is tied for the Pac-12 lead with a .319 batting average. The Beavers are also first with 251 runs, second with 40 stolen bases and third with 62 doubles.