The NCAA Division I baseball tournament begins Friday, and the entirety of the Snohomish County presence in this year’s tournament resides in Corvallis, Oregon.
Four players who graduated from Snohomish County high schools are on the rosters of the 64 tournament teams, and all four play for the Oregon State University Beavers. Oregon State is the defending national champion, and the 16th-seeded Beavers (36-18-1) are hosting a regional this weekend. One team will emerge from the grouping of Oregon State, Creighton, Michigan and Cincinnati and advance to Super Regionals.
The Beavers open the regional at 7 p.m. Friday against Cincinnati. The regional is a double-elimination tournament that continues through Monday.
Here’s a capsule look at the four locals who play for the Beavers:
1. Jake Mulholland
Position: Relief pitcher
Year: Junior
High school: Snohomish
Stats: 3-2, 1.81 ERA, eight saves
The lowdown: Mulholland is in his third season as Oregon State’s closer. The left-hander played a crucial role in the Beavers’ championship run last year, making four appearances at the College World Series in Omaha and picking up a win and a save. He’s picked up right where he left off last season as he leads Oregon State in pitching appearances (26) and saves, and he ranks second on the staff in ERA among players with at least 25 innings pitched.
2. Ryan Ober
Position: First base
Year: Sophomore
High school: Glacier Peak
Stats: .271, three home runs, 22 RBI
The lowdown: After being a bit player for the Beavers as a freshman, Ober has started the majority of the games at first base for Oregon State this year, spending part of the season as the cleanup hitter, and he ranks fourth on the team in batting average, homers and RBI. Among his highlights was belting a grand slam for his first collegiate home run in a 10-5 victory over fellow NCAA tournament team California on March 24.
Ober unleashed one over the left field fence. Big-time blast! #GoBeavs pic.twitter.com/69BtQK4DnW
— Oregon State Baseball (@BeaverBaseball) March 24, 2019
Kyler McMahan
Position: Outfield
Year: Sophomore
High school: Lynnwood
Stats: .246, 10 doubles, 14 RBI
The lowdown: McMahan, like Ober, played sparingly last year as a freshman, but has started the majority of Oregon State’s games this season, primarily in center field, though he’s also seen starts in right. This was after McMahan was recruited as a shortstop out of high school and played second base for OSU as a freshman. He’s been deployed all over the batting order.
Carter Booth
Position: Outfield
Year: Freshman
High school: Jackson
Stats: none
The lowdown: Booth has not appeared in a game for Oregon State this season.
Oregon State’s Kyler McMahan high-fives coaches and teammates before the start of the Beavers’ March 10 game against Coastal Carolina during the Seattle Baseball Showcase at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Oregon State’s Ryan Ober runs toward home plate during an April 26 game against Washington State in Corvallis, Oregon. (AP Photo/Chris Pietsch)
