Oregon Institute of Technology Athletics

COMING UP: at Menlo (DH), Friday, 11 a.m.; at Menlo (DH), Saturday, 11 a.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
LIVE LINKS: Live Video and Live Stats will be available for the 4-game series at Menlo, with Live Video via the GSAC Sports Network and Live Stats through GSAC Stats.
 
FINAL NON-CONFERENCE SERIES: The Owls will play their final non-conference series of the 2022 season, traveling to the Bay Area for a 4-game set against Menlo College. With the Cascade Conference featuring seven teams this season, one team will have a bye week during the 24-game, 6-week schedule. OIT has had a quality non-conference season, posting a 16-9 record.
 
AN OLD RIVAL: Tech heads to Cartan Field to meet a Menlo squad that was a staple on the Owls schedule from 2011-15. The Oaks were a part of the NAIA West Grouping for a 5-year period, including one year as South Division rival with OIT, Simpson and Patten, all eight members of the league played a single round-robin schedule. In 2016, Menlo left the scheduling pool to become members of the Golden State Athletic Conference.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – MENLO: The Friday-Saturday series will feature a Menlo team that is looking to snap a 4-game losing streak, as the Oaks (11-19-1) have dropped 6-of-7. The Bay Area school is paced offensively by first-baseman Christopher Lopez (.315 7 HR 22 RBI), outfielder Donny Bendo (.308 3 HR 13 RBI) and second-baseman Dane Anderson (.303 0 HR 7 RBI), part of a collective group that is hitting .248 on the year. The Oaks pitching staff has been solid, with Sean Riley Moran (4-3 3.60 ERA) leading the team in wins, while relievers Chase Barsotti (2-1 0.41 ERA) and Ryan Inouye (0-1 1.37 ERA, 4 saves) are each holding opposing hitters under .200.
 
BEST START SINCE BASEBALL RETURNED: With their win over Simpson, OIT improved to 22-13 on the season – their best 35-game start since baseball returned to the Klamath Basin in 2002. The current record surpasses the 20-15 mark the 2010 posted, en route to a berth in the NAIA West Tournament.
 
20-WIN SEASONS: Tech has secured their ninth 20-win season since 2002 and on pace to record their first winning season since 2009. OIT won 23 games during the 2005, 2006 and 2021 seasons; posted 24 wins in 2018; 27 wins in 2010; and 33 victories in 2009 – winning the NAIA West South Division title.
 
NEW HOME DIGS: After spending the last 20 seasons at historic Kiger Stadium, the Owls have moved home venues in 2022, training and playing games at Bocchi Field, part of Steen Sports Park. The move has proved dividends for OIT, as the Owls are a combined 11-2 on their own diamond this season and have won 6-straight home contests.
 
PETERS CONTINUES BIG YEAR: Junior Ian Peters is making the most of his opportunity this season as the Owls designated hitter, leading the club with a .385 batting average. Peters, who saw action in just 21 games during his first three seasons in the program, has reached base in 16-straight games, has hit safely in 20-of-27 games this year and is riding a team-best 5-game hitting streak. During the five games last week, Peters was a combined 8-for-18 with a double, home run and four RBI.
 
DAILY POWER SURGE: Slugger Dalton Daily continues his assault on the OIT home run record, blasting his 11th and 12th long balls of 2022 in the series at College of Idaho. The senior, who tied Ryson Mauricio's school record of 14 home runs last season, is the only player in program history to record two seasons with double-digit homers, with his 26 career dingers ranking third on the all-time list. Daily ranks second in the CCC in both home runs and RBI (38).
 
KEY AT THE TOP: Second-baseman Matthew Ortiz has taken over the leadoff spot in the Tech order and has proven to be a tough out, posting a .424 on-base percentage and a team-best 13 stolen bases. The true freshman heads into the weekend, hitting .357, picking up his eighth 3-hit game of the season on Sunday at College of Idaho.


KEELEAN LEADS WAY VS. SIMPSON: The Owls got a huge lift in Tuesday's win over Simpson from right fielder Kaleb Keelean, as the senior recorded a pair of extra-base hits and knocked in the go-ahead run. Keelean roped his team-leading fifth triple of the season – ranking No. 2 in the CCC – as he logged his ninth multi-hit game of 2022, while becoming the second OIT player to record 30 RBI on the season.
 
BELLUM IN LONG RELIEF: Freshman Braeden Bellum has been key for the Owls out of the bullpen this season – including two outstanding long-relief appearances over the past two weekends. The right-hander tossed five innings of 2-hit ball in a home win over Eastern Oregon, following it up with a career-high seven inning stint at College of Idaho, allowing just one earned run on six hits. Over the 12 innings, Bellum walked just one batter and struck out 11, lowering his ERA to 2.90.
 
SLAMMING THE DOOR: Head coach Jacob Garsez has utilized Brodie Maloney in the closer role this season – with the hard-throwing right-hander providing immediate dividends. The sophomore picked up his fourth save of the season in Tuesday's win over Simpson, tossing a 1-2-3 inning, allowing just one hit and striking out seven over his last four innings of work. For the season, Maloney
 
GOING THE DISTANCE: For the first time this season, an OIT pitcher tossed a complete game, as Patrick Arman threw eight full innings in Game 2 at College of Idaho. Arman allowed four runs on seven hits, striking out six – but despite the quality start, took the loss in a 4-1 setback. It marked the third career complete game for the right-hander, as Arman posted the last complete game by an Owl last season – also against C of I on April 17, 2021. For the season, the sophomore is 4-2 with a 3.62 ERA.
 
SOLID DEBUT: Earning the victory Tuesday against Simpson was Cade Sheets, who made his OIT debut – throwing three innings of shutout ball. Sheets limited the Redhawks to just two hits and worked around three walks to pick up the win.
 
STRIKEOUT MACHINES: The OIT single-season strikeout record is in jeopardy, as a pair of Owls are on pace to shatter the mark of 75 K's set by John Schulz in 2019. Cody Dubray heads into the weekend with 59 strikeouts on the season – ranking No. 2 in the CCC – posting four appearances this season with 8-or-more strikeouts. Right behind Dubray is Dylan Grogan, who pitched three shutout innings vs. Simpson on Tuesday, striking out five – his eighth game with 5-or-more strikeouts, pushing his punch-out total to 56.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE: Lewis-Clark State continues to be the class of the CCC, riding a school-record 27-game win streak into weekend games at Corban. Both College of Idaho and Bushnell sit at 6-2 in conference play, with the two teams set to meet this weekend in Eugene, while British Columbia and Eastern Oregon, each 2-6 in the CCC, meet in La Grande. As a team, the Owls rank in the Top-3 in batting average (.280), ERA (4.51) and fielding percentage (.965).
 
LOOKING AHEAD: Tech returns home next weekend, welcoming Bushnell University for a 4-game series.