KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona shortstop Brad Hassey (10) beats a throw to second base earlier this season in intrasquad play at Sancet Field. Hassey and the Wildcats open a three-game series against Oregon State today in Corvallis, Ore.

One of the few good things that came out of the baseball team's series against Arizona State last weekend is that the Wildcats had one less day to dwell on it.

Arizona (20-10 overall, 1-2 Pacific 10 Conference) will take on Oregon State (15-9) on the road today. The series begins today instead of tomorrow - the regular series start - so that the third game will not fall on Easter Sunday.

OSU comes into its conference opener having won 11 of its last 14 games at home during its pre-conference schedule. The Beavers hope to finish installing lights at their home field, Goss Stadium, to play their first night game sometime in April for the first time in the school's 96-year history.

Third baseman Brian Barden is hitting .333 with 23 RBIs and 21 runs scored for the Beavers, both team highs. The cleanup hitter is a combined five for his last nine with three RBIs in his last two games.

Sophomore pitcher Ben Rowe, native to Perth, Australia, rolls into today's game with a 4-1 record and 24 strikeouts in eight starts.

Arizona heads to Corvallis, Ore., sporting a 1-6 road record with its only win against Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Feb. 13. The Wildcats have lost six straight away from Sancet Field, getting swept by Texas A&M and Long Beach State while getting shut out three times.

UA dropped two out of three to the Sun Devils last weekend. The pitching staff finished the ASU series having given up 17 of the total 20 runs.

"I don't think nerves are the problem because we weren't timid or afraid. The biggest thing we need to work on is holding a lead and putting up a zero after your offense scores," said sophomore pitcher Chris Goodman.

Senior shortstop Brad Hassey ended the weekend with four hits - good for a .364 average - but also made three errors. Overall, the team committed 11 errors in the series.

"The only thing that (head coach Andy) Lopez said is that we should just play catch and play to win," Hassey said.

UA left for Corvallis yesterday, catching a 6 a.m. flight. The team had one layover and didn't reach its destination until the evening.

"These types of trips are tough because we've got a lot of traveling to do. We've also got school to worry about, so it's a challenge to focus," Hassey said. "The best trip will be (on May 24) when we go to Washington because we don't have to worry about school."

UA's Sean Rierson (4-2, 60 innings pitched) will take on Rowe today, and Joe Little (5-2, 45 strike outs) will face off against Stephen Copeland (2-1, 6.63 ERA) tomorrow. Saturday, Marc Kaiser (5-1, 2.22), this week's Pac-10 Conference Pitcher of the Week, will take on Mark McLemore Jr. (1-1, 3.86).

Today and tomorrow's games start at 2 p.m., while Saturday's begins at 1 p.m.