Vanderbilt will throw Sonny Gray (11-3, 2.01 ERA), Grayson Garvin (13-1, 2.37) and Taylor Hill (5-1, 2.84) at the Beavers this weekend. The Beavers will throw…Sam Gaviglio…either Friday or Saturday, depending how his arm feels. That's all we know right now, with the biggest series a few days away. This is the downside of Gaviglio starting Saturday's game and throwing 136 pitches.

Man, the Josh Osich charade couldn't have come crashing down at a worse time. Bite my tongue or go on an Osich diatribe? Hmm. *Bites hard*

At this point, I think we all agree Casey went way too long with Osich [in the rotation], but he has also pitched Schultz just enough where everyone has confidence he can step in and keep us in one of these games. We'll probably see the same strategy as last week, where Osich starts but is on a short leash.

Can they get away with it for one more weekend?

Really tough call. The Beavs play best as scrappy underdogs. All the pressure is on Vanderbilt. Beavs have beaten the #1 and #3 draft picks. Yada yada. From what I saw last weekend, I thought this game would come down to something nobody's been discussing: umpiring. Anyone watch the Vandy series last weekend? They got every borderline call. However, after doing some research, I found out last weekend's crew chief will be in Gainsville on Friday. Whew. Still, it made me want to look into these guys' allegiances:

Crew Chief, Mark Ditsworth: He is currently on the staffs of the Big Ten, Big East, Atlantic Ten and Mid-American Conferences.

Chris Coskey: not much information, but he runs an umpiring school in Missouri.

Philip Benson: As of 2009, worked the Pac-10. Cannot find any updated information.

Daniel Collins: ACC umpire.

I know it's beyond lame to preemptively blame loses that haven't yet happened on umpires. Trust me, I get it. But they were so bad last weekend it has left that strong an impression in my mind. Even with different guys, I can't shake the idea that something's amiss in Nashville.

Prediction: This is impossible without knowing our rotation, but I'll give it a shot. Beavs play well, but lose both games. Beaver fans will be left pulling out their hair (do 70 year old dudes have hair?) and cursing off umpires. Angry bloggers will be left writing petitions to the NCAA.

Game 1: 4-2, Vandy

Game 2: 6-2, Vandy

If the men in blue don't cold deck the boys in orange, I think this series goes three games and then all bets are off.
 

For those interested, mlb.com is airing the draft live.

You can see it here.

Gerrit Cole went #1 overall, Bauer #3. Nice to see two of the top three picks from the Pac-10.

Since there are a few Beavs rumored to be 1st round talent, I thought some of you would be interested in this. Personally, I don't see Osich going that high. Being a southpaw will probably get him selected in the 2nd round, but if he were right-handed he wouldn't be drafted until much later.

Bottom line? Whichever GM drafts Osich will get majorly trout-slapped.

Georgia wins 5-4 in 11 innings.

Tonight's pitching match up is Josh Osich (6-4, 3.57) vs Blake Dieterich (3-3, 3.43). Whatever pitching Georgia had is being taxed. Rumor has it Hershel Walker was warming up in the bullpen…lol.

The Beavers will be the away team tonight. If they lose, they'll be the home team tomorrow.

I don't know about you guys, but I wasn't impressed by Georgia or Creighton. The Bulldogs pass my "eye test", and I keep hearing they're battle tested, having played the toughest schedule, and come into this tournament with momentum. Yada yada. All that might be true, but what I saw this afternoon was an average team.

The only way I see the Beavers losing this game is if Josh Osich gives it away. The offense should be good for at least 5 runs.

Prediction: This is a tough call. On one hand, I feel the Beavers should win this game somewhere in the 5-3 neighborhood. On the other, I can't stand Josh Osich and have no faith at all in him. It's easy to envision him throwing this game away and putting the team in a bind come Monday. Which do I go with? Well, I am going with what I expect to happen. And that is the better team finds a way to win. Pat Casey, please have a short leash.

5-3, Beavers

Stream: ESPN3

This post is essentially a placeholder for comments on today's game with Creighton.

Game time is 6pm, and the Pitching match up:

Sam Gaviglio (11-1, 1.95) vs Ty Blach (10-2, 2.72).

Like yesterday, the game is streaming on ESPN3.

Creighton has a good club. They're fundamentally sound (.980 fielding %, which is 5th in the nation), have a legit Friday and Saturday starter, have a deep bullpen, and can execute small ball. In fact, they're much like the Beavers…probably a bit more fundamentally sound, but with slightly less raw talent. It's that match up of talent vs sound play, within the framework of a similar overall style, that makes this game intriguing.

My main concern as a Beaver fan: will the offense be able to hit Blach. I think Gaviglio throws a good game and will keep Creighton under 4 runs. Then it's on the bullpen to hold them there. If that happens, I think the Beavers eek out four runs and steal this one. Don't be surprised if the home crowd gets to see free baseball. Load up on the Inderal, boys.

Prediction: 4-3, Beavers.

There's a cliche in sports that it's not what happens, but how you react to what happens. With that in mind, it's time to begin our second season.

Game time is 6pm, and the pitching match up is as follows:

James Nygren (8-3, 3.18) vs Travis Henke (1-5, 5.12)

ALR went 18-32 during the regular season. They pitch to a 5.84 team ERA (247th nationally). The short of it is that ALR is not a very good team. They caught a fire late and won the Sun Belt Conference tournament, earning the automatic bid as an unprecedented 8 seed. Now, they did beat some decent teams in Florida International (#27), Troy (#50), and Florida Atlantic (#51). So, they are likely riding that high and feeling a mix of confidence and "nothing to lose" swagger.

Even so, I am not concerned about this game. ALR has earned respect, but there's no reason to fear them. The Beavers have a large talent mismatch, and I just have a sixth sense that things are going to click tomorrow. I'm more worried about Creighton…they've won 9 of 10 down the stretch, have two great arms at the top of their rotation, and a diverse, efficient offense.

Predictions: Oregon State 7, Arkansas-LR 1 | Creighton 6, Georgia 3

Video Stream: ESPN3