NCAA Baseball Tournament 2013 super regional preview: Corvallis

Oregon State, a program with a storied baseball history which includes multiple national championships, matches up with a Kansas State team playing in its first super regional. Don’t let that fool you, though. The Wildcats will attempt to make some history of their own this weekend.

* - National seed

Goss Stadium, Corvallis, Ore.
Saturday: 7 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
Sunday: 10 p.m. (ESPNU)
Monday (if necessary): 7 p.m. (ESPNU)

This is Kansas State’s first time in the super regional round, and its playing to advance to its first-ever College World Series. Oregon State has been here five times before, the last of which was in 2011. The Beavers last reached Omaha in 2007, when they captured a national title for a second consecutive year.

Oregon State moved through the regionals in three games, knocking off UTSA, UC Santa Barbara and Texas A&M on their way. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds though -- the Beavers squeaked out one-run victories in their first two games.

Kansas State started the tournament with an offensive explosion in its 20-11 rout of Wichita State, then handled Bryant 7-1 in the second game. The Wildcats had to fight back from an early three-run deficit to take down No. 2 seed Arkansas in the regional final.

K-State led the Big 12 with an impressive .324 team average and eight of its starters are hitting .300 or better on the season. Sophomore Austin Fisher and junior Ross Kivett lead the pack at .363 and the two combined for 45 extra-base hits.

Oregon State is hitting a solid .290 as a team and has dangerous batters near the top of the lineup in sophomores Dylan Davis and Michael Conforto. Davis is hitting .349 this season and leads the team with 55 RBI. Conforto provides the power, belting nine homers so far this year.

The Wildcats aren’t quite as strong on the mound as they are at the plate, falling in the middle of the pack in the Big 12 in terms of ERA. On Saturday they’ll throw senior right-hander Joe Flattery, who is 5-4 on the year. Watch out for Jake Matthys out of the bullpen -- the freshman has eight wins and nine saves in 32 appearances this season.

Oregon State will most likely matchup with Flattery on Saturday with All-Pac-12 pitcher Matt Boyd, who’s 10-3 with a 2.20 ERA. Boyd struggled just down the stretch in the Beavers’ win over UTSA, giving up a couple of late runs which made the game uncomfortably close. Andrew Moore and his 13-1 record will take the mound on Sunday.

It would be a great story if K-State could pull the upset and make it to the CWS, but Oregon State is just too solid. The Beavers take care of business early and efficiently.