Oregon Institute of Technology Athletics

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

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
WATCH LIVE / LIVE STATS: An online broadcast of all four games of the series at Jessup will be available on the GSAC Sports Network. Live Stats for the series will be available online through the OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
SEASON OPENERS: Since the 1979 season, the Owls are 10-24 in their season opening game – winning back-to-back games during the 2006-07 and 2017-18 seasons. From 1979-86, Tech began the year exclusively against NCAA Division I competition, including a 6-5 victory over Oregon State in 1986.
 
ANOTHER FEBRUARY, ANOTHER TRIP TO CALIFORNIA: February games in California is a staple for the OIT squad, as the Owls have made the trip south for 27-straight seasons (1986-91, 2002 to the present). It marks the 17th-straight year that the Owls season opener is in the Golden State, including the 2017 season in which Tech played their first 19 games south of the Oregon border. During the last 26 years, the Owls have played a combined 309 games in California, recording a 115-194 overall record.
 
EARLIEST OPENING DAY?: For the first time since 2014, the Owls will open the baseball season in the month of February. Last season, OIT began the year on Jan. 29 at Simpson, while during the 2018, Tech recorded their earliest first pitch, playing at Menlo on Jan. 18.
 
GOODBYE TO WILLIAM: Tech begins their season against a familiar foe, but a team with a new name. Last week, William Jessup University rebranded their identity to Jessup University – but will retain the Warriors as the institution's mascot. It is the second name change for JU in the last 20 years, as San Jose Christian became William Jessup in 2004 after the school moved from San Jose to Rocklin.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – JESSUP: The Owls open the season at McBean Park for the third-straight season, squaring off against a Warriors (1-2) team looking improve on a 28-26 season. JU closed the 2022 season with a flurry, winning 4-straight elimination games in the Golden State Athletic Conference tournament, before dropping the title game to Hope International – as the team searches to rekindle the magic from the 2018 and 2019 seasons where they advanced to the NAIA National Tournament. The Warriors opened the 2023 season last weekend at home, dropping 2-of-3 to Antelope Valley – surrendering 30 runs in the 3-game set. The offense is paced by returning infielders Jaisten Cabatbat (.379 4 HR 32 RBI in 2022) and Dylan Cole (.284 7 HR 42 RBI in 2022), along with outfielders Dustin McElwain (.333 2 HR 30 RBI in 2022) and Kevin Gutierrez (.307 4 HR 33 RBI in 2022) – with Cabatbat going 5-for-9 and Cole driving in five runs in the series with UAV. JU lost their top two arms from 2022 (combining for 14 wins), but lefty Max Moreno (2-3 7.01 ERA in 2022) was sharp last weekend, allowing just two hits in a 10-2 win. Right-hander Caleb Markwith (3-2 6.86 ERA in 2022) adds a veteran arm to the rotation. The two teams have met 18 previous times, all on the Warriors home diamond, with JU holding an 11-7 series edge.
 
AGAINST THE GSAC: Over the years, OIT has played non-conference games against seven of the nine current members of the Golden State Athletic Conference (along with two former members of the league), recording a combined 30-76 overall record. Menlo (49 games), Jessup (18 games) and Westmont (14 games) are the most common GSAC opponents of the Owls, while Tech has yet to face Hope International and OUAZ on the diamond.
 
HUSTLIN' OWLS PICKED FOURTH: The Hustlin' Owls were picked fourth out of seven teams in the 2023 Cascade Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, released in November. OIT received each of the seven fourth-place votes from the league coaches – trailing only Lewis-Clark State, British Columbia and College of Idaho. LCSC opens the season ranked No. 2 in the NAIA Top-25, with UBC receiving votes in the national poll.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: C of I was the first CCC team to make their 2023 debut, playing four games in Arizona – earning wins against Oklahoma Panhandle State, Benedictine-Mesa and Embry-Riddle. This week, Lewis-Clark State makes a long trip to Florida for five games, including dates against No. 1 Southeastern, No. 4 LSU-Shreveport and No. 8 St. Thomas. British Columbia heads to Arizona for a series with OUAZ; Corban travels to California for a series at Antelope Valley; while Park-Gilbert heads to C of I and Whitman makes the trip to Eastern Oregon.
 
ROAD WARRIORS: Playing away from the Basin is nothing new for the Owls, as OIT will spend the first 20 games of the 2023 away from the friendly confines of Steen Sports Park. Tech will return home on March 11, opening a 4-game non-conference series with Bushnell. Tech will also host College of Idaho, Corban, British Columbia and Simpson as part of an 18-game home schedule. The 20-game road trip is not the longest in program history, as the 2018 team played the first 35 games of the season on the road.
 
STREAKING: Two completely opposite streaks are in play as the Owls begin the 2023 season. OIT will open the year riding a school-record 105-game streak scoring at least one run in a game – dating back to the 2020 season. On the flip side, Tech will be searching to snap a 9-game losing streak, dating back to April 16 of last season.
 
MEET THE OWLS: Complete positional previews on the 36-man OIT roster can be found online – including previews of the catchers/infielders, outfielders and pitching staff.
 
COACHING NEWS: Head coach Jacob Garsez enters his third season at Tech, posting a career 53-50 record with the Hustlin' Owls and picked up his 200th collegiate win last season. The 2023 staff includes two returning coaches – Ricky Walker and Kevin Olmstead – while OIT has added three additional coaches – former All-CCC outfielder, Kaleb Keelean, along with student-assistants Cody Kemble and Manny Andrade.
 
RECORD BOOK: Two players enter the 2023 season ranked among the Top-25 in the OIT career record book. Patrick Arman heads into the year No. 6 all-time in strikeouts (134), No. 10 in innings pitched (171.2), No. 11 in pitching starts (25), No. 13 in wins (10) and No. 20 in complete games (4), with Cody Dubray No. 16 in strikeouts (103) and No. 19 in wins (9).
 
LOOKING AHEAD: Next weekend, the Hustlin' Owls head to the Pacific Coast, traveling to Santa Barbara, Calif., and a 4-game series at Westmont College.