CORVALLIS — The All-American had another two-hit day, the No. 3 hitter mashed a pair of hard-hit doubles and the future first-rounder quietly boosted his batting average to .370.
But dig deeper into the box score of the Oregon State baseball team’s 9-2 victory over Cal State Northridge on Thursday night at Goss Stadium and you’ll unearth the Beavers’ secret sauce.
Depth.
Lots and lots of depth.
“There’s so much depth on the bench,” freshman Levi Jones said. “You never really know (who’s going to play) at this point. I’m always just trying to stay ready.”
The sixth-ranked Beavers (12-1) have won seven in a row and surged to their best start since 2019, even though an assortment of key contributors have missed time with minor ailments this season.
Starting outfielders Micah McDowell and Brady Kasper have been sidelined a combined eight games. Ace Aiden May will skip his second consecutive start this weekend. Closer Kyle Scott has made just one appearance. And, to make things more interesting, freshman phenom Trent Caraway came down with a bug Thursday and was ordered to stay away from Goss Stadium.
Ho-hum. The Beavers continued their early-season assault anyway, pounding out 13 hits, including a home run, two doubles and a triple, to end the Matadors’ eight-game winning streak and breeze to another convincing win.
Oregon State’s star-studded roster has carried them to many a victory over the first 13 games and, to be sure, the stars showed up Thursday. Mason Guerra went 2 for 5 with two doubles and two RBIs. Travis Bazzana had two hits and scored two runs. Gavin Turley went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
But the Beavers’ unheralded players delivered as well.
Jacob Krieg crushed a two-run homer to deep center field in the seventh to all-but put the game away. Easton Talt went 2 for 4 with an RBI. And Jones drove in a pair of clutch runs with a pinch-hit single in the sixth inning, when the Beavers broke open a tie game with a five-run outburst.
Jones’ hit was especially memorable. Not only was it the first of his career, but it came rather harried, after coach Mitch Canham sent him to the plate without so much as a practice swing in the on-deck circle. With the bases loaded, Jones coolly ripped the first pitch he saw to right field, scoring Tanner Smith and Talt, as the Beavers opened up a 5-1 lead.
Dallas Macias has emerged as a dependable force while filling in for Kasper. Canon Reeder smacked a couple key hits during unexpected starts last weekend. Talt has four hits in the last two games. And Jabin Trosky has driven in six runs in limited duty.
Jones, a freshman from Jesuit high School, was merely the latest talented young OSU player to deliver when unexpectedly thrust into action.
“I think the guys have built an identity that they’re always ready and they’re going to continue to push,” Canham said. “It was nice to see Jonesy drive one right there and go up there with confidence and all the guys’ rally around him there, too, regardless of what the outcome would be.”
Jones was actually one of five players to occupy the two hole for the Beavers against the Matadors (9-3), as Canham employed an unorthodox strategy to sneak his on-the-mend veterans an at-bat. He sent McDowell and Kasper to the plate in the first and fifth innings, respectively, in the designated hitter spot, then pulled them for pinch runners when they reached first base. McDowell had an infield single and Kasper drew a walk.
“I let them know, ‘Hey, if you reach base, don’t be surprised if I have someone run for you,’” Canham said. “They both joked, ‘If I hit a homer, can I jog the bases and continue to hit?’” I guess it’s a different way to look at it, especially when you have larger rosters and you’ve got a lot of speed behind them.”
And a lot of depth.
Oregon State practices have often been more competitive than games this season. Just the other day, Canham said, Reeder was so hell-bent on winning an end-of-practice competition, he laid out trying to make a diving catch on a ball hit in the gap.
This behind-the-scenes competitiveness, which is basically a daily occurrence, is pushing everyone — even the starters — to be better.
“Love the competition,” Canham said. “Don’t think of it as a confrontation. It’s conversation. Don’t think of it as a threat. It’s opportunity. And I tell them from Day 1, whoever is not on the first spot on the depth chart, I want you to take that guy’s spot. And those guys should want you to do that, too. It’s going to make you better. Rather than getting complacent, sometimes it’s having those guys underneath you that’s going to help us all rise to the top.”
There aren’t too many teams that can lose their ace, closer and a pair of starting outfielders for multiple weeks and live to tell about it. But these Beavers, it seems, are not a normal team.
“There’s a lot of guys coming in and out right now,” Jones said. “But it’s truly mind blowing to me how many guys we have.”
Next up: The Beavers and Matadors continue their four-game series Friday at 4:05 p.m. at Goss Stadium.
— Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.