The baseball team will face its stiffest — and most meaningful — test of the young season this weekend, when it welcomes the to Goss Stadium for a three-game series in Corvallis. It will be the Pac-12 opener for both teams. And it could be filled with fireworks. Washington State (11-1), which has been one of the early-season surprises in the conference, enters the weekend with a seven-game winning streak and ranked among the Pac-12 leaders in multiple offensive categories. Only four of their victories have been decided by fewer than six runs. Likewise, the No. 25 Beavers (10-2) have leaned on a prolific and versatile lineup to breeze through their nonconference schedule with very little resistance. The opener is scheduled to begin at 5:35 p. m. Friday. Here’s a primer on this weekend series: The Beavers continued their solid early-season play last week, taking three of four games at Cal Poly and easily against San Diego. The Beavers’ hot early-season play has in all six major college baseball polls, including as high as No. 15 in the Baseball America Top 25 and the Collegiate Baseball Top 30. Oregon State sits at No. 25 in the D1Baseball Top 25, which The Oregonian/OregonLive uses for its rankings. Washington State has been one of the surprises of the Pac-12 so far and is off to its best start since 1980, when the Cougars opened the season 18-0. A prodigious offense has been the catalyst. Washington State leads the Pac-12 in scoring (117 runs, 9. 8 per game), on-base percentage (. 439) and stolen bases (18), ranks second in triples (six) and sits fifth in batting average (. 304) and slugging percentage (. 501). The schedule has not been challenging, featuring the likes of Villanova, UNLV and Southern Indiana, but Washington State boasts wins over San Diego State and UC Riverside. Outfielder Jonah Advincula, who already owns one conference player of the week award this season, is batting . 438 with five doubles, 16 RBIs, 14 runs scored and six stolen bases. Sam Brown enters Corvallis on a tear, hitting . 438 with 10 RBIs and seven runs scored over the last four games. He has homered in all four outings. The Cougars’ pitching hasn’t been shabby either; the staff enters the series leading the Pac-12 in strikeouts per nine innings (11. 9). Saturday starter Caden Kaelber leads the conference and ranks ninth nationally in strikeouts (27). Former Oregon State utility player Greg Fuchs transferred to Washington State in the offseason and has started eight games this season, batting . 233 with six RBIs, six runs scored, three doubles and nine walks. The Beavers defeated the San Diego Toreros 9-4 Tuesday night, delivering Mitch Canham his 100th win as coach of the program. The offense scored at least eight runs for the seventh time this season, but it was the performance of a pitcher that was perhaps most noteworthy for the long-term success of the season. Preseason all-American made his season-debut, tossing two scoreless innings before giving way to the bullpen. The right-hander allowed two hits, recorded two strikeouts and threw 22 of 30 pitches for strikes, as he made his return from mononucleosis. As good as the Cougars’ lineup has been, it remains a notch below that of Oregon State. The Beavers lead the Pac-12 in batting average (. 321), rank second in homers (20), slugging percentage (. 532) and on-base percentage (. 435), and sit third in scoring (107 runs, 8. 9 per game) heading into the series. has avoided a sophomore slump — and then some. The Beavers’ starting second baseman is batting . 422 with 13 RBIs, 12 runs scored and a conference-best seven doubles. Bazzana brings an 11-game hitting streak into the series, during which he has produced 19 hits, including 10 for extra bases. … Freshman outfielder owns a 10-game hitting streak, during which he has clubbed four home runs, batted . 405, and produced 13 RBIs. … Leadoff hitter has recorded three hits in back-to-back games and ranks third in the Pac-12 with a . 444 batting average. The Beavers’ bullpen was expected to be a strength in 2023 and it has not disappointed over the first dozen games. Oregon State relievers have combined to go 7-0 with a 2. 32 ERA, 54 strikeouts and 39 hits in 50 1/3 innings. Friday: OSU RHP Trent Sellers (1-1, 1. 59 ERA) vs. WSU RHP Dakota Hawkins (1-1, 4. 15 ERA) Saturday: OSU RHP Jacob Kmatz (1-1, 2. 25 ERA) vs. WSU RHP Caden Kaelber (2-0, 2. 00 ERA) Sunday: OSU RHP Jaren Hunter (1-0, 4. 66 ERA) vs. WSU RHP Grant Taylor (1-0, 2. 13 ERA) This is the third year in a row the Beavers and Cougars have opened Pac-12 play. Oregon State has won all three series and five in a row overall. The Beavers are 24-8-1 in its last 33 games against Washington State, including 15-3 in its last 18 games at Goss Stadium. The Cougars are seeking their first series win against the Beavers since 2016 and first at Goss since 2009. Washington State owns a 232-213-3 all-time edge in the series, but is just 82-118 in Corvallis. — | | 503-294-5183 | | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive and for the latest news and top stories. .