After spending several weekends down South, Penn State is set to take off to the West Coast for a group of games in the Beaver State. The Nittany Lions will face Oregon State for a midweek matchup before heading to Eugene for their first Big Ten series against No. 21 Oregon.
The blue and white stand at 18-6 on the season following a 2-2 weekend at the Hokie Invite in Salem, Virginia.
Oregon State
Penn State will face the Beavers at 8 p.m. Wednesday in the fifth all-time meeting between the teams. Oregon State has won every matchup against the Nittany Lions, though the teams haven’t met since 2014.
The Beavers are 10-17 in 2026 and most recently went 1-5 at the Jane Sanders Classic last weekend. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions dropped their last two games at the Hokie Invite and hope to get back on track.
Oregon State holds a .288 team batting average, with five players hitting above .350, led by Jaeya Butler’s .426. The junior infielder leads the Beavers in every offensive category with 36 RBI, 10 doubles, 94 total bases and 14 home runs, the third most in the nation. Butler is difficult to pitch around, recording 40 hits with just two walks.
The Beavers’ average isn’t far behind Penn State’s .311. The Nittany Lions have their own standout slugger in freshman infielder Allison Oneacre.
Oneacre has started her rookie season strong, leading Penn State with a .394 batting average, 37 RBI and 10 home runs. She also ranks second on the team with 28 hits and six doubles.
While the offenses are similar, there is a disparity in the circle. Oregon State relies more on its bats, as the Beavers pitching staff has a 5.27 ERA, while Penn State’s sits at 2.47.
Oregon State’s best pitcher has been Bailey Murray, who leads the team with a 4.23 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 54.2 innings. The freshman mostly works in relief, making 23 appearances and six starts.
Oregon
Penn State opens Big Ten play with a weekend series at No. 17 Oregon, starting Friday at 9 p.m. This is the teams’ first meeting as conference foes, but the Ducks hold a 6-0 all-time edge, with the last matchup in 2022.
Oregon is 18-7 after a 4-1 weekend. Statistically, the Ducks post numbers similar to Penn State, making this a matchup to watch.
Oregon’s .320 batting average is slightly above Penn State’s, with three players hitting over .400, led by Cal transfer Elon Butler.
Butler is the pioneer of the Ducks’ offense, leading the team with a .440 batting average, 28 RBI, 33 hits, 11 doubles and six home runs.
Aside from Oneacre, another bat that’s been producing for the Nittany Lions is junior utility player Brooke Klosowicz, who owns a .370 batting average and 23 RBI.
In the circle, Penn State has the edge over Oregon’s 2.97 ERA. The Ducks’ top arm is right-hander Lyndsey Grein, who has a 1.98 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 60 innings.
The Nittany Lions have found success in the circle by relying on five arms consistently. No pitcher has recorded more than 34 innings this season.
So far, left-hander Mackenzie Duncan has Penn State’s best numbers in the circle with a 1.14 ERA and 44 strikeouts.
Against Oregon’s competition level, the Nittany Lions will likely need all hands on deck in the circle.
A strong showing in Eugene against an evenly matched team could set the tone for Penn State’s Big Ten campaign.
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