Oregon Institute of Technology Athletics

COMING UP: at Eastern Oregon (DH), Saturday (in Milton-Freewater), 12 p.m.; at Eastern Oregon (DH), Sunday (in Milton-Freewater), 12 p.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
WATCH LIVE / LIVE STATS: The 4-game series at Eastern Oregon will be streamed through the Mounties Sports Network, with Live Stats available online through the OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
VENUE SHIFTED TO MILTON-FREEWATER: Eastern Oregon was hopeful the 4-game series will be played at Optimist Field in La Grande, however, the Mountaineers have yet to be able to utilize the facility due to weather. After consideration, the series was shifted to a Saturday-Sunday event and moved to Milton-Freewater - to be played at McRae-Yantis Field.
 
ROAD WARRIORS: Playing away from the Basin is nothing new for the Owls, as OIT will spend the first 26 games of the 2023 away from the friendly confines of Steen Sports Park. Tech will return home on March 25, opening a 4-game conference series with College of Idaho. Tech will also host Corban, UBC and Simpson as part of a limited 14-game home schedule. The 26-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.
 
MARATHON GAME: Game 2 of the series at Bushnell was an all-timer in OIT history – a 14-inning, 4-3 loss to the Beacons – just the third game the Owls have played that extended to 14-or-more innings. Tech played a 15-inning game at Concordia-Portland during the 2013 season and equaled the 14-inning mark during the 2018 season against British Columbia. Tech has played four 13-inning contests – a 2011 game at Patten, a 2021 game vs. Corban, a 2013 game at Concordia-Irvine and a 1984 game at Judson Baptist.
 
RECORDS MATCHED: Both Korrey Siracusa and Julien Jones tied the single-game record with seven at-bats in the 14-inning game – the tenth and 11th players to do so in OIT history. The 51 at-bats, the 62 defensive chances and the 41 putouts by the Owls each rank No. 2 in a single-game in program history.
 
HISTORY IN EXTRAS: Since 2003, OIT has a 28-47 record in extra-inning games – playing eight extra-inning games during both the 2004 and 2013 seasons (the Owls were 5-3 in extras during the 2013 campaign). Tech is 16-20 all-time in 10-inning games, 7-11 in games doing to 11 innings, are 5-6 in 8-inning extra inning games, 0-2 in 9-inning extra inning games, while recording an 0-8 mark in extra inning games that work into the 12th inning or longer.
 
BELLUM HAS STELLAR OUTING: Tech could not have stayed in the 14-inning marathon game without the effort of Braeden Bellum – as the righty logged a season-high six innings in the contest. Bellum allowed just four hits and fanned two – the third time in his OIT he has thrown 6-plus innings – keeping Bushnell off the board throughout.
 
TALONEN POSTS STRONG APPEARANCE: Right-hander Brendan Talonen made the most out of his first relief appearance of 2023 – tossing four shutout innings in earning his third win of the year in Game 3 of the BU series. Talonen limited the Beacons to four hits, walking just one batter and striking out three – improving his ERA to 2.31.
 
LIVING ON BASE: Utility player Korrey Siracusa continues to be a thorn in the side of opponents – taking a 4-game hit streak into CCC play. The transfer reached base in 7-of-15 plate appearances at Bushnell, while scoring three runs. Siracusa has a team-high .483 on-base percentage – aided by 13 walks and eight hit-by-pitches.
 
JONES CONTINUES HOT START: For the second-straight series, Julien Jones paced the OIT attack – recording five multi-hit games over his first seven contests in an OIT uniform. The outfielder was 5-for-16 with three runs scored at Bushnell and boasts a team-best .394 batting average.
 
STREAKING: Multiple players head into conference play on various streaks – including Ka'ala Tam, riding a 15-game on-base streak, dating back to the second game of the 2023 season. Dane Bradshaw has reached base in 7-straight games, rebounding from a 2-for-25 start at the plate to post a .452 on-base percentage over his last seven games – going 7-for-22 at the plate, along with four walks and three hit-by-pitches. Sean Tobin hit safely in all three games of the Bushnell series – combining to go 5-for-14 in the set.
 
CONFERENCE SEASON OPENS THIS WEEK: The 7-week, 24-game Cascade Conference schedule begins this weekend – as the seven teams will play three home and three road match-ups over the course of the schedule. Each team will be given a bye weekend (due to the odd number of teams in the CCC), with Tech closing the year with the bye – hosting Simpson for Senior Day. The Top-4 teams in the final standings will qualify for the CCC Championships (with the regular-season champ to host), with the tourney champion earning an automatic bid to the NAIA Championships.
 
LONG HISTORY BETWEEN OIT AND EASTERN: Though both Oregon Tech and Eastern Oregon have had a stoppage of the program, the two teams have met on the diamond every season since 1979 that the clubs have sponsored the sport. OIT and EOU were conference mates in the Evergreen Conference, the Timber-Prairie Athletic Conference and now the CCC, with Tech holding a 43-39 series edge since 1979 – including a 15-game win streak dating back to 2006.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – EASTERN OREGON: It has been a strange start to 2023 for the Mountaineers (1-14), who look to snap an 11-game losing streak. EOU head coach Mike McInerney resigned abruptly prior to the season, with the Mounties finally naming Kyle Treadway the skipper in early February. His club has struggled offensively, hitting .190 as a group, scoring less than three runs per game, while the pitching staff has an 8.52 ERA - walking more batters (80) than posting strikeouts (74). The trio of Mario Landeros (.367 0 HR 6 RBI), Youhyeon Choi (.313 0 HR 4 RBI, 8 SB) and Joey Freitas (.256 1 HR 6 RBI) have been the offensive standouts, Shane Sinclair (0-0 4.82 ERA) and Bennett King (0-2 7.85 ERA) have been the top two starting pitchers, with Alex Farnsworth (0-2 6.57 ERA) the top bullpen option.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: College of Idaho completed a solid preseason, sweeping a 4-game home series vs. Eastern, while UBC traveled to the Willamette Valley and took 3-of-4 from Corban. Along with OIT's trip to EOU, UBC continues their road trip, opening CCC play at C of I, Corban travels to Lewis-Clark State, while Bushnell plays a non-league series vs. Lewis & Clark.
 
RECORD BOOK: Three players are currently ranked among the Top-25 in the OIT career record book. Patrick Arman sits at No. 5 all-time in strikeouts (161), No. 6 in pitching starts (30) and in wins (13), No. 7 in innings pitched (201.1) and No. 20 in complete games (4), Cody Dubray is No. 8 in strikeouts (130), No. 19 in wins (9) and No. 21 in pitching appearances (36), with Riley Cronin No. 6 all-time in saves (4).
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Owls are hopeful to open their home schedule next weekend, playing host to College of Idaho in a 4-game series at Steen Sports Park (March 25-26).