With Rich Dorman, talking OSU pitching on eve of Fort Worth Regional

If Oregon State is to rise up and claim the Fort Worth Regional, its pitching will have to be a major part of the story.

Statistically, at least, the No. 2 seed Beavers (34-22 overall, 16-14 in Pac-12 action) take the league’s best pitching staff into Friday’s 11 a.m. Regional opener against No. 3 Dallas Baptist (37-15).

“As a whole, we competed pretty well and gave ourselves a chance to win a lot of games,” pitching coach Rich Dorman said Thursday night on the eve of the Beavers’ opener in Fort Worth. “At times we did a really good job, and at times we didn’t.”

OSU led the Pac-12 in most pitching categories through the regular season, including ERA (3.42, eighth nationally), opponents’ batting average (.217), walks and hits per innings pitched (1.2, eighth nationally), hits allowed per nine innings (7.1, fifth nationally) and strikeouts per nine innings (10).