Oregon State
20-5
Mercer
21-6
Oregon State Clinches Series With 19-2 Win Over Mercer
March 28, 2026 | Baseball
The 16th-ranked Beavers extended their win streak to six games by collecting 13 hits while drawing three walks and eight hit by pitches, just two off the NCAA Division I record. Every Oregon State (20-5 overall) batter reached base at least one, and 10 different Beavers totaled at least one hit.
Cooper Vance, Josh Proctor and Paul Vazquez all recorded two hits. Eight different players totaled at least two RBI, led by Vance and AJ Singer, who drove in three apiece.
Josh Nati, in just his second collegiate at bat, hit an eighth-inning home run to cap Oregon State's offensive output.
The Oregon State pitching staff, led by starter Ethan Kleinschmit, tallied 18 strikeouts a day after opening the series with 19. Kleinschmit, in his seventh start of the year, tied a career-high with 12 strikeouts in just five innings of work.
He scattered three hits and two runs for his fourth win of the season.
Kleinschmit got the win thanks to a two-run fourth inning. Mercer, which scored both of its runs via home runs, led entering the bottom half of the inning, gave way in the frame on a Singer sacrifice fly and Vazquez RBI single.
The Beavers poured it on with a six-run fifth inning, giving OSU a comfortable lead. The Beavers also scored eight in the seventh, an inning that saw Oregon State batters hit by a pitch five times, two shy of Santa Clara's NCAA record in 2018 against Boston College.
Vance doubled in two runs to highlight the fifth, while Talt, Bryce Hubbard and Ryan VandenBrink all drove in two in the seventh. Talt and Hubbard's came on singles while VandenBrink drove a pinch-hit double down the right field line.
Mercer's (21-6) starter Miguel Hugas took the loss to drop to 6-1 on the year. He gave up four hits and six runs in four innings of work.
Kleinschmit was backed by Zach Kmatz, Trey Morris and Tanner Douglas. The trio combined for four scoreless innings of relief, scattering one hit and three walks with six strikeouts.
The teams conclude the three-game series Sunday at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. PT.
Seats are available and can be purchased by visiting BeaverTickets.com.
Follow Us On Social
For more information on the Oregon State baseball team, follow the club's official X account at X.com/BeaverBaseball, by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateBaseball, at BeaverBaseball.OSUBeavers.com on BlueSky or on Instagram at Instagram.com/BeaverBaseball.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kleinschmit, Ethan (4-2)
L: Hugas, Miguel (6-1)
Batting:
2B: Johnson, Drew 1
HR: Kamaka, Titan 1 ; Baughcum, Brant 1
RBI: Kamaka, Titan 1 ; Baughcum, Brant 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kamaka, Titan 1 ; Baughcum, Brant 1
SB: Rowland, Nathan 1
CS: Katz, Chris 1
HBP: Huffman, Kaleb 1 ; Rowland, Nathan 1
Batting:
2B: VandenBrink, Ryan 1 ; Galloway, Jacob 1 ; Glassco, Bryson 1 ; Vance, Cooper 1
HR: Nati, Josh 1
RBI: Singer, AJ 3 ; Vazquez, Paul 2 ; VandenBrink, Ryan 2 ; Talt, Easton 2 ; Hubbard, Bryce 2 ; Nati, Josh 2 ; Proctor, Josh 2 ; Vance, Cooper 3
SF: Singer, AJ 1 ; Vance, Cooper 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Singer, AJ 1 ; Haight, Adam 2 ; Vazquez, Paul 1 ; VandenBrink, Ryan 1 ; Talt, Easton 2 ; Hubbard, Bryce 2 ; Galloway, Jacob 3 ; Glassco, Bryson 2 ; Nati, Josh 1 ; Proctor, Josh 2 ; Vance, Cooper 2
SB: Talt, Easton 1
HBP: Haight, Adam 2 ; Vazquez, Paul 1 ; Hubbard, Bryce 1 ; Galloway, Jacob 1 ; Glassco, Bryson 1 ; Proctor, Josh 1 ; Vance, Cooper 1
