Beavers finally getting recognition

Saturday's game was not completed in time for this edition.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- The Northwest isn't known as a bastion of baseball talent, but don't tell the Oregon State Beavers that their state doesn't produce high-quality players.
"I think it's nice Oregon and the Northwest are finally get this type of recognition," OSU outfielder Cole Gillespie said. "'Cause they've got the same type of talent there as well."
The Beavers were leading 3-2 in the top of the sixth inning of Saturday's opener of the College World Series before the game was delayed by bad weather. The game resumed around 10 p.m. but was not completed in time for this edition.
In a conference with traditional powers USC, Arizona State, and Stanford, the Beavers rely heavily on homegrown talent.
Now they are the first team from outside the Sun Belt to play in the College World Series championship round since 1976. That's the year Arizona knocked off Eastern Michigan in a single-game final.
Bad weather early
Rain, as well as cold, often delay the start of the Beavers' season. Oregon State didn't play its first home game until March 3. North Carolina, the other CWS finalist, took the field in Chapel Hill in mid-February.
There have been more than 100 major leaguers who hail from the Beaver State. This year's Oregon State squad fields 24 in-state players, including five players taken in this month's draft.
OSU players say having so many players from the state adds to team chemistry.
"I liked the guys. I grew up with them all," OSU shortstop Darwin Barney said. "You saw the talent and knew that someday these guys were going to do something special."
That bond has helped lead the Beavers from the bottom of the Pac-10 in 1999 to a league championship this year.
Many Oregon State players are not buying into the underdog label this postseason, despite playing in the school's first national championship in any sport since winning the cross country title in 1961.
"I think it's all kind of overrated," said Barney.
Overrated, indeed. The Beavers have seemingly become Omaha's team in this year's College World Series. That's a role generally reserved for the most unlikely team in the tournament.
Pac-10 favorites
But the Beavers were preseason Pac-10 favorites, won the conference by a comfortable margin, swept through their super regional in Corvallis, and achieved a national ranking as high as No. 4.
All the accolades leave Barney and his teammates believing they can bring a national title back Corvallis this summer.
"It's just a matter of doing what we have to do to win a ball game," he said.
Not resting
North Carolina's players weren't used to having so many days off. The Tar Heels played only three games before the championship round; Oregon State played five.
The time off hasn't affected the players' concentration.
"It's weird, you know," UNC pitcher Rob Wooten said. "We're used to playing just about every day."
The Tar Heels kept busy during their time off, preferring not to sit around and wait on Saturday's opening championship-round game.
They traveled to local charitable organizations including Habitat For Humanity, and to the Children's Hospital in Omaha. They even took a trip to the banks of the Missouri River to relax.
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