Baseball Finishes Season Against Beavers - Washington State University Athletics

May 17, 2000

PULLMAN, Wash. - Cougs season to come to a close this weekend against Oregon State: With two last at-bat wins in their last four games, the Washington State baseball team will look to end the 2000 season on a strong note with a three-game Pac-10 series at home against the Oregon State Beavers.

THIS WEEK:
Tuesday, May 16 - LCSC 11, WSU 14, Bailey-Brayton Field, Pullman, Wash.
Friday, May 19 - OSU at WSU, 3:00 p.m., Bailey-Brayton Field, Pullman, Wash.
Saturday, May 20 - OSU at WSU, 1:00 p.m., Bailey-Brayton Field, Pullman, Wash.
Sunday, May 21 - OSU at WSU, 1:00 p.m., Bailey-Brayton Field, Pullman, Wash.

THE PROBABLE COUGAR NINE (18-35, 4-17 PAC-10)

1B - Ray Hattenburg, Sr.
2B - Bookie Gates, So.
SS - Shawn Stevenson, Sr.
3B - Stefan Bailie, RS-Fr.
LF - Evan Hecker, So.
CF - Jordan Nilsen, Sr.
RF - Jason Grove, Jr.
C - Jon Baeder, Fr.
DH - Steve Curran, Sr.
LHP - Todd Meldahl, Sr.
RHP - Tyson Thompson, So.
RHP - Matt O'Brien, Sr.

AROUND THE HORN WITH COUGAR BASEBALL:

After a dramatic 14-11 win coming off a walk-off grand slam by Justin Williams against LCSC on Tuesday, the Cougars are 18-35, and 4-17 in Pac-10 play. They can play the spoiler role as they did last year, as the Beavers enter with a 27-25 record, 8-13 in league play and an outside chance of making the post-season tournament.
The two teams are now strangers, meeting already three times this year in Corvallis and all together 273 times in the all-time series. Despite losing the early series in Corvallis 2-1, WSU still maintains a commanding 208-164-2 record in head-to-head meetings.
The Cougars earned a dramatic win to open their weekend series against Cal State-Northridge when center fielder Jordan Nilsen hit a two-run, walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th inning to seal a 8-7 Cougar win. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak and a 12-game skid at home. WSU dropped the last two games of the series, before picking up their 18th win of the 2000 campaign Tuesday with the last at-bat win against LCSC.
The Cougars are riding the hot bat of Evan Hecker, David Perreira and Jason Grove. Hecker is 7-for-13 in his last three games (all multi-hit affairs) and Perreira has three home runs in his last seven starts. Grove is currently riding a 13-game hitting streak in which he is hitting .352 (19x54) with two home runs and nine RBI. Grove recently tied John Olerud on the all-time home run list at 33 with his solo home run last Friday.
On the mound the Cougs got a win out of reliever Matt O'Brien to improve his overall record to 8-5. O'Brien also took a loss in a complete-game outing, but still ranks seventh in the Pac-10 with a 3.46 ERA and with three saves has factored into 11 of WSU's 18 wins this year. Tyson Thompson continues to improve on the mound and gave his second solid outing in a row Friday vs. CSUN.
Thompson, who has a career 2.84 ERA vs. the Beavers, will start Friday and O'Brien will go on Sunday. Senior Todd Meldahl will make his 51st career start Saturday and conclude a string of four years as a Cougar hurler in which he never missed a week of pitching.
In the records department, Grove and leading hitter Ray Hattenburg continue to duel to stay on the all-time list for career batting average. Grove and Hattenburg are each hitting .351 for their respective careers. Senior shortstop Shawn Stevenson is on nearly every main career top 10 category, including sixth in games (208), first in at-bats (869), third in runs (198), third in hits (269) and second in assists (649). If you were to add up all the games played in Stevenson's career, he only missed four games.
The weekend of games will close the door on 105 years of Cougar baseball. Saturday's game will be televised on a tape-delay basis on Fox Sports Net Northwest and Sunday will be special Senior Day for the 11 Cougar seniors. Since they missed graduation for the UW series, they will receive their diplomas.

PROBABLE MOUND ROTATION FOR UPCOMING GAMES:

Date	Opp.	WSU Starter	OSU Starter
May 19	OSU	Tyson Thompson, RHP	Thad Johnson, RHP
May 20	OSU	Todd Meldahl, LHP	Scott Nicholson, LHP
May 21	OSU	Matt O'Brien, LHP	James Atwood, RHP

GROVE RIDING 13-GAME HITTING STREAK AS DRAFT MOVES CLOSER:
After two solid seasons during his freshman and sophomore campaigns, junior Jason Grove has earned national respect by being named to three preseason All-American teams. Grove was selected as a second-team pick by Collegiate Baseball and by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and was given a third-team award from Baseball America. The Outfielder, who has connected on 33 home runs and hit at a .351 clip in his two-plus seasons in a Cougar uniform, is also widely considered as a high college prospect in the nation for the 2000 draft. Earlier this year he was name the No. 28 prospect for the draft by Baseball America. Grove tied John Olerud for fifth place in the WSU record books with his 33rd career home run last weekend vs. CSUN. Grove is currently in 13-game hitting streak in which he is 19-for-54.

2000 and Career Statistics for Jason Grove:

	AVG	G/S	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI
1998	.323	45/42	161	39	52	13	2	7	32
1999	.393	41/41	173	54	68	10	1	18	61
2000	.323	28/26	99	21	32	9	1	3	16
vs. OSU	.472	10/9	36	10	17	5	0	5	10
Last 5	.353	4/4	17	3	6	1	1	1	1
Hit Streak	.352	13/13	54	11	19	5	1	2	9
Career	.351	195/173	706	140	248	55	5	13	124

BREAKING DOWN THE EXTRA BASE HITS:
With 73 extra base hits in his Cougar career, some may wonder where Ray Hattenburg ranks in the all-time record books at WSU. While it is not an official school record, Mike Kinkade amassed an amazing total of 112 extra-base hits in his career from '92-95. Shawn Stevenson (70), Jason Grove (66) and Steve Curran (48) have also tallied several extra-base hits.

THE LES McTAVISH WATCH:
With only three games remaining to be played in the 2000 season, senior relief pitcher Les McTavish needs to pitch in two more games to tie the all-time record for pitching appearances at WSU. McTavish has pitched saw one game of mound action vs. Cal State-Northridge to move closer to the record of 75 appearances set from 1983-86 by Tom Pellerin.

BAEDER'S AVERAGE ON THE MOVE:
Freshman catcher Jon Baeder was struggling with a .074 batting average after going 0-for-3 vs. UW on April 5. But in the last month Baeder has turned it up a notch to raise hit batting average all the way to its current mark of .212. Baeder, who managed only the .074 average through the first 16 games of his freshman campaign, has gone 12x39 since with all three of his multi-hit games. Baeder has two multi-hit games in his last four starts.

THE P-MAN:
Cougar senior utility player David Perreira (Ewa Beach, Hawaii) has been hot as of last while starting seven consecutive games. Perreira has a five-game hitting streak (7x19) with two home runs during that stretch of games. Perreira also has three home runs in the last seven games and has not made an error in those seven starts.

HECKER IS A HACKIN:
Sophomore outfielder Evan Hecker (Seattle, Wash.) has been hot with seven hits in his last 13 at-bats. Hecker is also in a streak in which he has three consecutive multi-hit games and has raised his batting average from .234-.259 during that stretch. Hecker is also a .385 career hitter vs. the Beavers. Hecker's strong finish is not by accident, as the then freshman completed the 1999 season with nine hits in his last seven games.

CAREER VS. THE BEAVERS:
The group of 11 seniors are a combined are a combined 9-17 vs. OSU since 1997 and 3-5 at home. Zach Bode (.310), Jason Grove (.472, 5 HR), Evan Hecker (.385), Matt O'Brien (2-1, 2.57) and Tyson Thompson (2.84) have all had success in their careers vs. OSU.

A NEW MILLENNIUM OF COUGAR BASEBALL:
The Cougar baseball team had a successful past millennium, ranking fourth in all-time NCAA Division I victories. The Cougars best decade in history was the 1980s when the Cougs posted a 391-186 record. Listed below is a breakdown by decade in the 20th century for the Cougar baseball program:

Decade	Record	Decade	Record
1900-09	89-53	1950-59	207-127
1910-19	99-54	1960-69	269-95
1920-29	147-75	1970-79	367-141
1930-39	154-93	1980-89	391-186
1940-49	181-98	1990-99	301-279

BAEDER MAKES MOST OF FIRST CAREER HIT:
Freshman catcher Jon Baeder admitted that even his grand slam home run vs. Gonzaga (2/13) surprised him, but he couldn't be happier that his first hit as a Cougar sailed out of Posse Stadium for a home run.

HATTENBURG CONTINUES TO SHINE:
Senior Ray Hattenburg has been a model of consistency in his Cougar career and 2000 is no difference. The utility player is hitting at a team-leading clip of .348 during his senior campaign. Hattenburg leads the team with 23 multiple-hit games. Hattenburg has also ranked in the top-10 in the conference this year in hits, batting average and doubles. An honorable mention All-American last year, Hattenburg is looking to repeat his national accolade. In his WSU career the senior switch-hitter is hitting .351. He has only failed to get a hit in 13 games this year and has recorded nine three-hit games. Here is a breakdown of his recent games and Cougar career:

2000 and Career Statistics for Ray Hattenburg:

	AVG	G/S	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI
1997	.339	45/42	161	39	58	9	2	0	17
1998	.279	36/27	104	26	29	10	1	2	20
1999	.398	53/53	221	41	88	20	1	7	59
2000	.348	52/52	210	34	73	16	1	4	28
vs. CSUN	.143	2/2	7	0	1	0	0	0	0
vs. OSU	.253	25/21	83	15	21	4	0	3	15
Pac-10	.378	21/21	82	14	31	8	0	1	7
Last 5	.278	4/4	18	3	5	0	0	0	3
Career	.351	195/173	706	140	248	55	5	13	124

MELDAHL AT-BAT:
If you looked at a box score from the April 2 game at Gonzaga, it wasn't a misprint. Pitcher Todd Meldahl did bat in the ninth inning in the Cougs 5-2 win over Gonzaga. Meldahl, who entered in relief in the eighth, was put in the game when designated hitter David Perreira moved to third base. After fouling off a pitch, the uneasy swinger struck out swinging on a nasty curveball from Matt Siwek. To his credit, Meldahl was a good hitter in his American Legion days, hitting .375 with eight home runs during his senior summer.

DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME:
The Cougs have won two of their last five games and are looking to spoil the Beavers chance of post-season play. While they are a long-shot for the Road to Omaha, OSU can help themselves with a sweep of the Cougs. WSU also played spoiler last year winning two of three at UW to keep the Huskies out of post-season play.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Les McTavish has 73 career appearances on the mound and needs only 2 more to tie the school record of 75.
WSU has the 22nd toughest schedule in the NCAA.
With his start last weekend against CSUN, Todd Meldahl now has 50 in his WSU career. He is now in second place in that category, 6 off the school record. He has not missed a week of pitching in his WSU career.
Mike Knight recorded a hit in his first WSU at-bat, joining Stefan Bailie, Justin Williams, and Wes Falkenborg who matched that feat this year.
Jason Grove needs just 7 more home runs to tie the school record of 40. He is currently tied for fifth place in WSU history with John Olerud (1997-89)
The 1999 edition of Cougar baseball had only 10 triples... the 2000 squad already has 15.
Shortstop Shawn Stevenson has 649 career assists, making him second in the WSU record books.
With 301.2 career innings now under his belt, Todd Meldahl is 5th in that category moving past current Seattle Mariner Aaron Sele ('89-91)
With his triple vs. UCLA, Shawn Stevenson now has 10 career and is 10th all-time at WSU in that category.
Shawn Stevenson recently played in his 208th career game as a Cougar. He has started 202 of those games. If you add up all the games WSU has played while Stevenson has been here, that means he has only missed four games in his WSU career.
With 9 home runs, freshman Stefan Bailie is only three off the freshman record of 12 set by Jason Grove (1998).

O'BRIEN HAS BEEN THE MAN ON THE MOUND IN 2000:
Senior lefty Matt O'Brien (Seattle, Wash.) continues to dominate on the mound in 2000. The Seattle native is 8-5 on the mound in 2000 with a team-leading 3.46 ERA. He has appeared in 21 games this year and has also recorded three saves. With his eight wins and three saves, he has recorded a decision in 11 of WSU's 18 wins. O'Brien made his first career start April 2 vs. Gonzaga and picked up the win by throwing seven strong innings of two-run ball. O'Brien held the nation's leading scoring team (ASU) to only three runs in a complete-game Apr. 15. He ranks sevneht in the league in ERA, ahead of top starters such as Arizona's Ben Diggins, UCLA's Josh Karp and USC's Mark Prior. He walks just 1.40 batters per game, which is best in the league. His three complete games is also tops of WSU hurlers. He struck out a career high eight batters last weekend vs. CSUN, shattering his old career mark of four.

2000 and Career Statistics for Matt O'Brien

	ERA	W-L	APP	IP	H	R	ER	SO
1999	7.76	6-5	26	31.1	38	38	27	23
2000	3.46	8-5	21	83.1	102	39	32	52
Pac-10	4.24	2-4	8	40.1	57	23	19	22
Last Weekend	5.23	1-1	2	10.1	16	8	6	11
Career OSU	2.57	2-1	5	7.0	10	4	2	7
Bullpen	3.00	6-1	15	36.0	32	13	12	27
Starts	3.80	2-4	6	47.1	70	26	20	25
Career	4.63	14-10	47	114.2	140	69	59	75

I'VE GOT THAT WALK-OFF FEELING:
The Cougars had gone since April 15, 1998 since Steve Curran hit a walk-off home run vs. the Washington Huskies. WSU had not won a game on a home run since that game. The Cougars have since notched two walk-off wins in the last four games. Friday vs. CSUN Jordan Nilsen hit a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th to give the Cougs an 8-7 win. Tuesday vs. LCSC Justin Williams hit a two-out grand slam home run to give WSU the 14-11 win.

STEVENSON-GATES-HATTENBURG:
The Cougar double play combo may not exactly be Tinkers-Evers-Chance, but much to the help of the trio the Cougs lead the Pac-10 in twin-killings. The Cougars tied a school record and came within one of tying the conference record with five double plays vs. LCSC on March 21. WSU has turned 67 double plays this year.

THE CAPE COD CONNECTION:
Over the past two years the Washington state Cougars Baseball team has been well-represented in the Cape Cod League with the Wareham Gatemen. Shawn Stevenson and Jason Grove have played in each of the last two years with the Gatemen. Stevenson had a banner year in the summer of 1998, earning team MVP honors and being named an all-star. Bookie Gates is being considered for the Gatemen roster in 2000.

AN ACADEMIC SALUTE:
As finals have recently passed, it should be noted that two Cougars were nominated for CoSida's all-academic baseball team. Todd Meldahl (3.32, mechanical engineering) and Shawn Stevenson (3.24, Marketing) hold their own in the classroom and on the field. Meldahl, along with Ray Hattenburg were Pac-10 All-Academic selections last year, and Stevenson was a second-team academic pick. Stevenson and Hattenburg were also selected as academic achievers for their on the field and off the field accomplishments by Eagle Hardware.

THREE-WAY RAY HATTENBURG:
Ray Hattenburg is not called a utility player for nothing. In his four years on the diamond at WSU, Hattenburg has played every position except shortstop, catcher and pitcher. Hattenburg vows he will see time at the No. 6 position before his senior campaign is over. The senior played three positions in April 28 game vs. UCLA (1B, 3B, LF). Hattenburg has started 23 games at first base, 18 at third base and six in left field.

STEVENSON ON FIRE IN THE FIELD:
Shortstop Shawn Stevenson has been as solid as they come at shortstop this season. With 168 assists he leads the Pac-10 and is closing in on the all-time lead at WSU with 632 in his career. Stevenson was voted as having the best infield arm in the Pac-10 by Baseball America.

ON THE TUBE IN 2000:
WSU has played three games on TV this year and will be playing one more in 2000. WSU is 0-3 on TV this year with one game remaining against Oregon State. WSU has been outscored 34-17 on televised games this year.

Date	Opponent	Air date/Result & Network
Apr. 15	Arizona State	Loss, 3-1
Apr. 28	UCLA	Loss, 14-10
May 7	@ UW	Loss, 17-6
May 20	OSU	Fox Sports NW (SDD)

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS:

2000 Record: 27-25
Current Ranking: NR
1999 vs. WSU: 3-3
2000 vs. WSU: 2-1

Head Coach: Pat Casey
Assistants: Dan Spencer, Gary Henderson, Billy Jones
All-Time vs. WSU: 164-208-2
1999 Post Season: N/A
Home Field: Goss Stadium at Coleman Field

Top Beaver Hitters 2000:

	AVG	G/S	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI
Brian Barden	.381	44/40	168	47	64	13	2	7	46
Drew Hedges	.373	47/40	161	47	60	11	3	7	33
Tim Dryden	.372	38/19	78	13	29	3	2	1	18
Joe Gerber	.362	52/51	196	46	71	19	0	9	67

Top Beaver Pitchers in 2000:

	ERA	W-L	Sv	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Thad Johnson	4.73	5-5	0	91.1	82	64	48	34	60
Scott Nicholson	5.07	7-7	0	97.2	117	70	55	34	76
Mark Newell	5.61	6-5	0	59.1	68	44	37	25	43

THE ALL-TIME SERIES:
The Cougars and Beavers have met 273 prior times with the Cougs holding a 208-164-2 advantage in the series. OSU is 17-9 against the Cougars since 1997 and 5-3 during that stretch at Bailey-Brayton Field.

EARLIER THIS YEAR:
The Beavers won two of the three non-conference games played in Corvallis. WSU won Sunday's game 11-6, but lost Friday's continued game 8-3 and Saturday's game 14-2. David Perriera was 2-for-2 vs. the Beavers and Evan Hecker was 5-for-9 in the series. The trip was the beginning of WSU's spring break to California.

NOTES ON THE BEAVERS:
OSU has won 10 of its last 18 games overall. The Beavers were swept in a Conference series for only the second time this year and first on the road. Of OSU's 25 losses, 14 were to teams who were either ranked or received votes in one of the national polls last week and the Beavers also own four wins over teams who were ranked or received votes. The eight Conference wins surpasses last season's mark and they have eight more overall wins than last season . . . Last week, Fr. 3B Brian Barden went 5-for-13 with two runs, a double, and a RBI. Over his last 22 games he is batting .402 (39-for-97) with 16 extra-base hits, including 10 doubles, and 33 RBI . . . Sr. 1B Joe Gerber hit two home runs last Saturday improving his total to nine for the season and his school record career total to 34. He is among the league leaders in several categories, including on-base percentage (.469, 5th), RBI (67, 5th), doubles (19, t4th), and walks (39, 4th). Gerber has already broken four school records for a career and is one double away from breaking single-season records.

ROSTER CHANGES:
Quick get out your media guides, because there have been some changes since the beginning of the season. Infielder Kevin Harasimowicz and freshman outfielder Collin Henderson left the team prior to the Cougs season opener at LCSC. Harasimowicz was a backup infielder who saw action in three games in 1999. Henderson was a highly acclaimed prep star from Puyallup, Wash. Henderson was a top receiver on the gridiron for the Cougs in the fall and will lift weights this spring. Garrett Alwert is still on the 2000 squad, but will not play as he is currently out with a health problem involving his colon.

COUGARS AND THE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES:
The WSU Cougars have appeared in four College World Series finals. The first came in 1950 when the Cougars placed second under the coaching of Buck Bailey. WSU returned to Omaha in 1956, with Bailey's squad finishing seventh. Bobo Brayton's 1965 club earned a spot in the final eight and finished third. WSU returned to the CWS with Brayton in 1976 and placed fifth.

JAMAAL GAINES TO PLAY PRO BALL:
Jamaal Gaines, one of WSU's top pitchers in 1998 and 1999 has signed a contract to play professional baseball this summer with the independent league Dubois County Dragons. The Dragons are part of the Frontier League, with teams in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Gaines was 4-4 in 1999 with a 6.29 ERA and was named the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week in May.

SCRAP IRON PHIL GARNER HAS PRAISE FOR COUGAR BASEBALL:
Detroit Tiger Manager Phil Garner was in attendance at the Spalding Fiesta Tournament in early February because his son, Ty, plays for the Texas A&M squad. Garner, who managed the Milwaukee Brewers in past years, was a guest during a radio broadcast of the WSU-A&M game. Garner had praise for the WSU Cougar baseball team saying: "they are an excellent hitting team who is a lot of fun to watch. They are going to surprise a lot of people in the Pac-10 this year."

TOURNAMENTS DOT COUGAR SCHEDULE:
An integral part of the Cougars non-conference preseason schedule has always been playing in several tournaments every season. In past years Cougar squads were fixtures at the Johnny Quick/Pepsi Tournament in Fresno, Calif., the California Riverside Tournament and the Bannana Belt Tournament in Lewiston, Idaho. WSU already traveled to New Mexico where they were 2-1 in the Spalding Baseball Fiesta. WSU traveled to Arlington, Texas in mid-February to play against Texas-Arlington, Nebraska and Arkansas. Here is a breakdown of how WSU has done in recent tournaments.

Year	Tournament	Record	Finish
1994	Pepsi/Johnny Quick (Fresno)	6-0	1st
1995	Husky Classic (Kingdome)	1-2	3rd
1996	Husky Classic (Kingdome)	1-2	3rd
1997	Bannana Belt (LCSC)	2-3	3rd
1998	Coors Desert Classic (LV)	2-3	5th
1999	Hormel Foods Classic (Minn)	1-2	3rd
2000	Spalding Baseball Fiesta	2-1	T-1st
2000	Arlington Morning News Invt.	1-2	T-3rd

FOLLOW SHAWN STEVENSON ON THE WEB:
Throughout the 2000 baseball season you can track the season and stories of senior shortstop Shawn Stevenson by viewing his weekly diary at www.wsucougars.com. A new diary will be posted each Wednesday, so keep posted on what is going on inside Cougar baseball from the world of Shawn Stevenson.

CAREER RECORD WATCH:
A check of the WSU record book showed the following players moved into Cougar Top-10 career lists:

HITTING:

Home Runs:
Jason Grove, 33, t-5th
Steve Curran, 26, t-9th
Triples:
Shawn Stevenson, 10, 10th
Strikeouts:
Steve Curran, 151, t-1st
Ray Hattenburg, 111, 7th
Jason Grove, 105, 8th
Runs Scored
Shawn Stevenson, 198, 3rd
Hits:
Shawn Stevenson, 269, 3rd
Ray Hattenburg, 248, 5th
Doubles:
Shawn Stevenson, 47, 8th
Ray Hattenburg, 55, 5th
At-Bats:
Shawn Stevenson, 869, 1st
Ray Hattenburg, 706, 6th
Batting Average
Jason Grove, .351, t-9th
Ray Hattenburg, .351, t-9th
Games Played
Shawn Stevenson, 208, 6th
Ray Hattenburg, 195, 10th

FIELDING:

Assists:
Shawn Stevenson, 649, 2nd
Errors:
Shawn Stevenson, 74, 2nd

PITCHING:

Runs Allowed:
Todd Meldahl, 290, 1st
Les McTavish, 168, 5th
Earned Runs Allowed:
Todd Meldahl, 244, 1st
Les McTavish, 130, t-6th
Losses:
Todd Meldahl, 26, 1st
Hits Allowed:
Todd Meldahl, 399, 1st
Saves:
Reggie Rivard, 9, tie-3rd
Games Pitched:
Les McTavish, 73, 3rd
Todd Meldahl, 63, 6th
Reggie Rivard, 62, 7th
Games Started:
Todd Meldahl, 50, 2nd
Innings Pitched:
Todd Meldahl, 301.2, 5th

JASON GROVE IS CHASING HISTORY:
Junior Jason Grove was well on his way to setting the career home run record at Washington State before breaking a bone in his right hand, but still has a chance to break the record. Grove has three home runs this season, and is now seven off the school record of 40 set by Jeff Hooper. In his freshman season he connected on 12 home runs and in his sophomore campaign he hit 18, despite missing more than a month with a broken thumb. Prior to the 2000 season Grove was named a preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America, and NCBWA. The Top-10 list of career home run leaders is listed below:

McTAVISH NEEDS THREE APPEARANCES FOR CAREER RECORD: Senior pitcher Les McTavish has been a mainstay in the Cougar bullpen and is inching his way toward the WSU career record in games pitched. In three-plus seasons McTavish has appeared in 73 games, ranking third in the record books. The senior right-hander needs to pitch in two more games to tie the school record of 75 games set by Tom Pellerin from 1983-86. The complete list is below. Reggie Rivard and Todd Meldahl are also ranked.

RIVARD CLIMBS TOWARD SAVES RECORD:
At the mid-season point in 1999, Reggie Rivard almost seemed to be a lock to move into second place as the all-time saves leader in WSU history. With nine saves, he needed only four more to move into second place, but was then converted to a starting pitcher where he has enjoyed some success. The all-time leader in saves for the Cougars is Reed Rainey, who logged 24 from 1983-85.

MAKING A FASHION STATEMENT IN 2000:
The Cougs took a step up in the fashion world in 1999 by adding two new uniforms. A gray sleevless jersey with "Cougars" in script has been added for a road uniform and a solid crimson button-up jersey can be used at home or on the road. The Cougars now have five sets of uniforms which include Sunday pinstripes, white home jersey, white sleeveless, home/road crimson and gray sleeveless. The Cougars will also be adding an alternate cap in 2000.

COUGAR BASEBALL IS TRADITION:
The Washington State baseball program is one filled with a history of success, pride, and achievements. Among the facts:

89 winning seasons
Only 15 losing seasons in 104 years
41 conference championships
Four College World Series appearances
22 NCAA appearances
24 no-hitters
Four coaches over the last 67 years
Nine first-team All-Americans
One college baseball player of the year
132 first-team all-league selections since '47

THESE 13 SENIORS HAVE BEEN THERE, DONE THAT:
If senior leadership counted for wins, then the Cougars would be off to a 13-0 start in 2000. Seven of those seniors, Zach Bode, Steve Curran, Ray Hattenburg, Todd Meldahl, Les McTavish, Ryan Smith and Shawn Stevenson are all in their fourth or fifth years with the WSU program.

2000 PAC-10 STANDINGS (as of 5/16/00)

	2000 Overall			2000 Pac-10
	W	L	Pct.	W	L	GB
UCLA	34	22	.607	16	5	--
ASU	40	12	.769	15	6	1.0
Stanford	40	12	.769	15	6	1.0
USC	35	18	.660	13	8	3.0
CAL	25	28	.472	11	13	6.5
OSU	27	25	.519	8	13	8.0
UW	26	26	.500	7	14	9.0
Arizona	25	28	.472	7	14	9.0
WSU	18	35	.340	4	17	12.0

THE CHAFFEY AND LANEY PIPELINE:
From a recruiting standpoint, the WSU Cougar coaches definitely know where to go when it comes to getting good players. In the past few years the Cougs have gathered several players from Rob Wilson's Laney (Calif.) College program, including current players Tony Dawson, Donny Davis and Mike Knight. From the prep baseball ranks, the Cougars have tapped into of the nation's premier summer baseball programs in Chaffey Construction. Several players on the WSU roster played for Chaffey in their prep careers, including Jon Baeder, Zach Bode, Steve Curran, Sean Donlin, Wes Falkenborg, Bookie Gates, Nick Kenyon, Ryan Smith and Tyson Thompson. WSU's links to Chaffey go even farther back as John Olerud played for the team during his prep days at Interlake High School.

ONE TOUGH SCHEDULE:
The NCAA doesn't officially compile a power ranking for college baseball until the end of the season, but a college baseball website has ranked WSU to have the 22nd toughest schedule in the nation...in all WSU has games scheduled against six teams in Baseball America's and Collegiate Baseball's national polls. The Cougars' schedule includes unanimous preseason No. 1 selection Stanford, UCLA, USC, Arizona and Arizona State. Here are their current rankings.

	Collegiate	Baseball	Baseball
Team	Baseball	America	Weekly
Arizona State	4	4	3
Arizona	NR	NR	NR
Stanford	2	2	2
Texas A&M	NR	NR	NR
UCLA	22	NR	NR
USC	18	18	16
Nebraska	7	10	15

*NR= Has Been Ranked in 2000 or ranking when WSU played them.

2000 HITTING LEADERS

Batting Average:
1. Ray Hattenburg .348
2. Jason Grove .323
3. Stefan Bailie .304
4. Jordan Nilsen .295
Hits
1. Ray Hattenburg 73
2. Shawn Stevenson 55
3. Stefan Bailie 52
Runs Scored
1. Shawn Stevenson 38
2. Ray Hattenburg 34
3. Stefan Bailie 32
4. Bookie Gates 28
Doubles
1. Ray Hattenburg 16
2. Jordan Nilsen 14
3. Stefan Bailie 11
Triples
1. Jordan Nilsen 4
2. Bookie Gates 3
3. Ryan Smith 2
Home Runs
1. Stefan Bailie 9
2. Steve Curran 6
3. Ray Hattenburg 4

2000 PITCHING LEADERS

Earned Run Average (Min. 5 Inn.)
1. Matt O'Brien 3.46
2. Zach Fisher 6.08
3. Todd Meldahl 7.32
Wins
1. Matt O'Brien 8
2. Zach Fisher 3
3. Lanakila Niles 2
4. Todd Meldahl 2
Strikeouts
1. Todd Meldahl 71
2. Matt O'Brien 52
3. Tyson Thompson 38
4. Zach Fisher 36
Innings Pitched
1. Matt O'Brien 83.1
2. Todd Meldahl 78.2
3. Tyson Thompson 66.1
4. Zach Fisher 50.1

2000 FIELDING LEADERS

Errors
1. Bookie Gates 17
2. Ray Hattenburg 15
3. Shawn Stevenson 12
Assists
1. Shawn Stevenson 185
2. Bookie Gates 154
3. Ray Hattenburg 82
Putouts
1. Ray Hattenburg 238
2. Stefan Bailie 201
3. Ryan Smith 161

COUGARS IN THE MINOR LEAGUES IN 1999:
During the 1999 professional baseball season, 19 former Cougars played at various levels of the minor league system. Robert Ramsay and Rob Ryan, both 1996 grads of WSU, received late-season call-ups with the Mariners and Diamondbacks respectfully. The following Cougars played at the minor league level in '99.

Todd Belitz P Orlando AA Tampa Bay
Ken Cameron OF Reno -- Independent
Burdette Greeny P Beloit A Milwaukee
Terrel Hansen 1B/DH Chico -- Independent
Mark Hendrickson LHP Knoxville AA Toronto
Jim Horner C New Haven AA Seattle
Kyle Kawabata P Reading AA Philadelphia
Casey Kelley 1B Boise A Anaheim
Mike Kinkade 3B Norfolk AAA NY Mets
Chad Miles P Jacksonville AA Detroit
Greg Mitchell 1B Tri-City -- Independent
Wade Parrish P Yakima R Los Angeles
Robert Ramsay P Tacoma AAA Seattle
Rob Ryan OF Tucson AAA Arizona
Jeff Scherer C Tri-City -- Independent
Mark Small P Ottawa AAA Montreal
Ole Vigeland P Charlotte A Texas
Dave Wainhouse P Colo. Springs AAA Colorado
Dave Wheeler P Kingsport R NY Mets

104 YEARS OF COUGAR BASEBALL:
The Cougar baseball team was the first competitive athletic team at Washington State when it debuted in 1892 with an 11-1 record. Since, in 104 years of Cougar baseball tradition, WSU has posted a career 2,226-1,201-17 record while notching 89 winning seasons. WSU has a career winning percentage of .649 and has won 41 conference championships, appeared in the NCAA playoffs 22 times and four College World Series.

COUGARS IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES IN 2000:
While eight players dotted the rosters of major league rosters at the end of 1999, five are in the majors this season. John Olerud and Aaron Sele have had success in their new Seattle Mariner uniforms as the M's are off to a hot start. Rob Ramsay was recently called up and is having success with a 0.64 ERA Scott Hatteberg has played sparingly as a backup to Jason Varitek for the Boston Red Sox. Dave Wainhouse is with a new team in the St. Louis Cardinals and has appeared in nine games.

2000 Stats	Pos	Team	Avg.	HR	G	H
Scott Hatteberg	C	Boston	.138	1	15	4
John Olerud	1B	Seattle	.310	3	36	40

2000 Stats	Pos	Team	W-L	ERA	G	SO
Rob Ramsay	LHP	Seattle	0-0	0.64	5	9
Aaron Sele	RHP	Seattle	3-2	3.98	8	19
David Wainhouse (DL)	RHP	St. Louis	0-1	9.35	9	5

BASEBALL COMPLEX RENAMED BAILEY-BRAYTON FIELD:
Buck Bailey and Bobo Brayton have 1,765 victories and have coached 65 of the 104 years of Cougar baseball. It is only fitting that the Cougar baseball complex which they both helped build be renamed to honor both of their distinguished names. Bailey Field was renamed Bailey-Brayton Field Jan. 22 as part of a "Celebration for the Ages." Numerous former Cougars, including John Olerud Sr. and Jr., Scott Hatteberg, and Robert Ramsay helped celebrate the renaming of the Cougar baseball Field.

2000 NATIONAL POLLS

Baseball America Top-25
1. South Carolina
2. Stanford
3. Arizona State
4. Baylor
5. Georgia Tech
6. Houston
7. Clemson
8. Florida State
9. LSU
10. Nebraska
11. Mississippi State
12. Texas
13. Miami, Fla.
14. Auburn
15. Wake Forest
16. North Carolina
17. Loyola Marymount
18. USC
19. Cal State Fullerton
20. Florida
21. Rutgers
22. Alabama
23. Notre Dame
24. Tulane
25. Nevada

Baseball Weekly Top 25
1. South Carolina
2. Stanford
3. Arizona State
4. Florida State
5. Baylor
6. Georgia Tech
7. Clemson
8. Houston
9. LSU
10. Mississippi State
11. Texas
12. Auburn
13. North Carolina
14. Miami, Fla.
15. Nebraska
16. USC
17. Cal State Fullerton
18. Alabama
19. Wake Forest
20. Notre Dame
21. Fresno State
22. Oklahoma
23. Florida
24. Loyola Marymount
25. Stetson

Collegiate Baseball Top-25
1. South Carolina
2. Stanford
3. Georgia Tech
4. Arizona State
5. Baylor
6. Clemson
7. Nebraska
8. Florida State
9. Houston
10. LSU
11. Mississippi State
12. Miami, Fla.
13. Texas
14. Wake Forest
15. North Carolina
16. Cal State Fullerton
17. Auburn
18. USC
19. Alabama
20. Loyola Marymount
21. Florida
22. UCLA
23. Central Florida
24. Nevada
25. Rice

PAC-10 FORMAT:
The 1999 season marked a new era in Pacific-10 Conference baseball as the disbanded the former North and South divisions to form one unified league. Portland State dropped its program following the '98 season leaving only three teams in the Northern Division. The Pac-10 baseball conference is made up of nine schools (Oregon does not have a team) with each team playing a 24-game schedule, with the regular season champion earning the conference automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. WSU will play Oregon State and UW twice, but only one of the series will count toward the league standings.

COACH FARRINGTON:
In his five years at the helm of the Cougar baseball team Farrington has posted a 136-187 record...in his first year with WSU his squad won the Pac-10 North crown and he was named the league coach of the year...before coming to WSU in the summer of 1994 oach Farrington spent 11 seasons as the coach of Lower Columbia College in Longview, Wash... at the JC level Farrington posted a 280-149 record, with three NWAACC titles...he was the National Junior College Coach of the Year in 1992.

THE COACHING STAFF:
Former Major Leaguer Russ Swan joined the coaching staff in 1998 and heads up the WSU pitching staff... Swan spent 11 seasons in the majors with Seattle, Cleveland, and San Francisco... he is joined by first-year assistant coach Ken Johnson... Johnson, who is in charge of recruiting, infielders and hitting, came to WSU after 10 successful seasons at Walla Walla Community College. Ray Walker is a volunteer assistant in 2000 and coaches the Cougar catchers.

COUGAR BASEBALL RANKS IN TOP FIVE IN ALL-TIME NCAA VICTORIES:
In a list compiled by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), Washington State University ranked fourth in all-time NCAA Division I baseball victories with 2,226. A list of the Top 5 baseball programs is listed below with their respective records and number of seasons played:

1. Fordham 3,088-1,423-39 (140)
2. Texas 2,571-785-26 (103)
3. Michigan 2,277-1,213-36 (132)
4. WSU 2,226-1,201-17 (104)
5. Stanford 2,178-1,414-32 (107)

WSU ON THE RADIO:
Most of the Washington State baseball games are broadcast by Broadcast Ink in Seattle, but a select few games will not be on air this year... games will be on the internet in the next month as designatd by Washington State Cougar Properties...airtime is usually set for 20 minutes before the start of the game...all games are scheduled to air on KCLX (1450 AM).

OLERUD RANKS SEVENTH AS "PLAYER OF THE CENTURY"
Washington State baseball great John Olerud was recently ranked seventh as college baseball's "Player of the Century" by Baseball America. The top 10 players of the century were voted on by fans, coaches, and baseball writers and are listed below:

1. Pete Incaviglia (Oklahoma State)
2. Bob Horner (Arizona State)
3. Robin Ventura (Oklahoma State)
4. Burt Hooten (Texas)
5. Dave Winfield (Minnesota)
6. Phil Stephenson (Wichita State)
7. John Olerud (Washington State)
8. J.D. Drew (Florida State)
9. Eddie Bane (Arizona State)
10. Derek Tatsuno (Hawai'i)