OMAHA, Neb. -- The biggest game of the season rests on the shoulders of two unlikely pitchers.

Drew Rasmussen will start for Oregon State on Saturday against LSU at the College World Series. The Tigers will counter with Caleb Gilbert. The winner advances to Monday's CWS finals, and the loser is eliminated.

Rasmussen has made four starts this season, and appeared in seven games. In his starts he's been dominant, allowing one earned run in 18 2/3 innings. Despite a limited season, he's been in pressure situations. His last start was the Beavers' regional-clinching win June 4 against Yale. Rasmussen gave up one run in four innings while striking out five. His only appearance in Omaha was a perfect ninth inning in last Saturday's 6-5 win against Cal State Fullerton.

"I watched the inning he threw the other day against Fullerton and, man, that ball was jumping out of his hand," Tigers coach Paul Mainieri said. "He was outstanding coming out of high school. I know he hasn't pitched as many innings as he would have pitched because of the rehabilitation, but when he does throw it's electric."

Rasmussen threw a perfect game in 2015 -- the first in Oregon State history -- but shortly thereafter left a game against California with an arm injury that proved to be a torn elbow ligament. One Tommy John surgery and 13 months later, he returned in late April against USC. He's been used judiciously since. Coach Pat Casey said after the Fullerton game he didn't want to use Rasmussen as a closer -- hoping instead to start him in the Beavers' next game -- but the situation dictated the decision.

That inning could be valuable Saturday as Rasmussen now knows what it's like to pitch at TD Ameritrade Park.

"That was a great experience," Rasmussen said. "The atmosphere was incredible and I'm excited to get that opportunity again."

The Tigers have scored four runs in two games against Oregon State at the CWS, but Rasmussen is still wary of their lineup.

"They battle; there's no easy outs," he said. "You've got to make them hit pitcher's pitches because they hit mistakes pretty well."

While Oregon State adjusts to the absence of pitcher Luke Heimlich, LSU is in a similar spot. Tigers right-hander Eric Walker started Monday against the Beavers, and was strong through the first two innings. Then he felt pain in his right forearm and left the game mid-at-bat in the third.

It was the flare-up of a similar malady he felt after throwing 70 pitches in a simulated game prior to the CWS. He won't pitch the rest of the way.

"I can't take any chances," Mainieri said. "We're going to get him to a doctor once we're back to Baton Rouge."

Instead, LSU will turn to Gilbert, who gave up four hits and two unearned runs in Oregon State's 13-1 rout of the Tigers on Monday.

"I know Caleb's going to pump a lot of strikes," Mainieri said. "He's got good stuff. I don't know how far he'll be able to go; somebody else will have to step up out of the bullpen for us."

OSU outfielder Trevor Larnach is confident his team will rebound from a two-hit effort -- its lowest output of the season -- in Friday's 3-1 loss to LSU.

"We're going to come out like a bat out of hell," Larnach said. "They're going to have to take the jerseys off our backs."

Notes: Catcher Adley Rutschman continued his strong defensive play, throwing out two base stealers and catching an errant bunt. Josh Smith's attempted sacrifice in the ninth looped behind home plate, and Rutschman, after brushing up against home plate umpire Mark Winters, snared the low-hanging popup. "That was a great play," Mainieri said. ...

(Per oregonlive.com)

In 2014, the Diamondbacks took a flier on Drew Rasmussen, knowing there was a slim chance of signing him away from Oregon State in the 39th round. In 2017, teams will once again likely take a flier on one of the top college arms in the nation. If not for a torn ulnar collateral ligament, Rasmussen would be the key focus of the Pac-12. The injury and Tommy John surgery will leave the Oregon State pitcher sidelined for the majority, if not the entirety, of his junior season.
Rasmussen was the highlight piece in one of the Beavers most historic moments as a freshman, when he hurled a 103 pitch perfect game - the only in school history - while striking out 10. The masterpiece was one of multiple marks in his first two years at Oregon State, where his performances were among the best in the nation. Though numbers are hardly a key to the draft, there are two glaring numbers when it comes to Raz - .211 opposing average and .277 opposing slugging percentage. Guys just don't hit against the Beavers' ace.
Despite not having the height of most star prospects at six-foot-one, Rasmussen has always been considered a big-bodied pitcher with his broad shoulders and muscular build. A real competitor, he attacks with his mid 90's fastball that ranges 90-96 that shows sink, and has been upwards of 97 in relief roles. The bread-and-butter of Rasmussen's arsenal is his ability to mix and find the right timing to utilize his changeup, which dives to the bottom of the zone. His slider flashes plus at times, and he's learning to throw it to both sides of the plate giving it signs of being an above-average swing-and-miss offering. Rasmussen throws a high amount of strikes, but is still learning to improve the command of his off-speed offerings.
After throwing three innings against Cal in late March, Rasmussen left the game with what was considered back pain - something he'd been dealing with the entire week. The result ended up being a ligament tear in his throwing elbow, which put him in the scenario of missing the rest of the year due to Tommy John surgery. There had been no prior concerns or history regarding his arm, and was a shock to many. If Rasmussen doesn't pitch this year, scouts and organizations will have to rely on past reports and his draft stock will fall quickly. If he does pitch and shows that his development is still on pace, teams may see exactly what they saw last, and he could jump into the first round with ease.

(Scout.com)