Fun-loving Oregon State hopes to keep the good times going Thursday at Women’s College World Series

OKLAHOMA CITY — Too younger to know any higher?

That might be stated about Oregon State and its stunning look within the 2022 Girls’s Faculty World Sequence. The freshman-laden Beavers, with 14 of twenty-two gamers of their first yr with OSU, open the eight-team match at 4 p.m. Thursday towards Florida at OGE Power Discipline.

Possibly the second will get too large for Oregon State (39-20) this week in Oklahoma Metropolis. Oddsmakers have OSU at 20-1 to win the match, co-longest within the subject with Arizona. Thus far, the Beavers have shrugged off each scenario that ought to simply derail a crew with 12 freshmen.

To achieve the WCWS, Oregon State merely needed to:

• Overcome a 10-game shedding streak late within the season, forcing a must-win collection over Utah to achieve postseason play.

• Win three elimination video games on the Knoxville Regional, together with two on a Sunday towards host crew Tennessee.

• Beat Stanford on its house subject within the tremendous regional to earn the college’s second WCWS look in OSU historical past.

“I don’t assume it’s hit me but,” first baseman Frankie Hammoude stated. “I nearly really feel like I’m simply right here spectating. It has not hit me that I get to play in OKC with my crew and have all these cool recollections to share down the street.”

Oregon State coach Laura Berg laughed when requested if her crew is simply too younger to know {that a} determined underdog just like the Beavers in all probability shouldn’t be on the WCWS. And but, right here they’re, for the primary time since 2006.

Not overthinking issues had quite a bit to do with Oregon State’s success in latest weeks.

“It’s only a recreation. You play catch, you see ball, hit ball, you run 60 ft and switch left,” Berg stated. “That’s form of what our philosophy has been, going from regionals to tremendous regionals to now.”

For many who have been round this softball crew, they understand it’s that straightforward. Enjoyable has been on the heart of this crew from the time it first assembled for drills final fall. Most of the freshmen introduced a light-hearted method to the sport, and the returning gamers purchased in.

“We positively clicked like we’ve been enjoying collectively for some time. It doesn’t really feel like that is our first yr,” sophomore outfielder Jade Soto stated.

It reached an apex throughout tremendous regionals at Stanford, when ESPN cameras caught Oregon State gamers dancing at full throttle within the dugout. By no means thoughts OSU had solely a 2-0 lead within the latter phases of the sport. Win or lose, the Beavers had been going to have enjoyable.

Soto and outfielders Erin Mendoza and Kristalyn Romulo head up the dance strikes, whether or not it’s the Wu-Tang or choppin’ wooden. Among the strikes come from Zumba exercises during which Soto and different gamers participate.

“It’s not like we plan something out. It’s simply form of the very first thing the pops in our head. Let’s do that. That is cool,” Soto stated.

Freshman pitcher Sarah Haendiges stated she’s impressed watching her teammates within the dugout.

“Every time I’m pitching, it’s nice to look and see that and know that even when they’re not on the sector, they’re placing a lot into it within the dugout,” Haendiges stated.

Soto is satisfied carefree spirit is what drove Oregon State via the 10-game shedding streak and into the postseason and a historic run to the WCWS.

“100%. Us enjoying free has confirmed in our efficiency,” she stated.

Berg has by no means requested the Beavers to dial it again.

“I don’t assume she minds so long as we’re being energized and having enjoyable,” Soto stated. “We’re not enjoying with lots of strain on us, and I feel that’s our benefit proper now.”

Taking part in free solely takes a crew to date, although. Oregon State landed in postseason play for the primary time since 2018 as a result of it has the expertise to match the enjoyable. Pitcher Mariah Mazon has been a tour de power this season, and significantly within the playoffs. Mazon is OSU’s go-to pitcher who, towards Stanford, grew to become the college’s all-time strikeout chief. Mazon can also be a prolific hitter, as she leads the Beavers with 40 RBI.

“It’s a really uncommon accomplishment to be a No. 3 with (12) house runs and being clutch, after which coming into the circle and do the identical factor,” Florida coach Tim Walton stated of Mazon.

“She touches each spot within the zone. She doesn’t simply dwell on one pitch. She includes a repertoire that’s fairly good.”

Whereas that is Oregon State’s first WCWS expertise for the gamers, Berg is a reputation model in Oklahoma Metropolis. She took half in three Girls’s Faculty World Sequence as a participant at Fresno State, together with a championship crew in 1998. When the Beavers toured the Nationwide Softball Corridor of Fame on Wednesday, the gamers had been amazed to see greater than 100 pictures of their coach in motion.

Some 24 years later, Berg stated that is higher than that.

“This in all probability ranks on the high … to have the ability to get a gaggle of unbelievable younger girls from 18 to 22 on the identical web page, in the identical boat, rowing in the identical course,” Berg stated.

— Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel