The best player for Oregon State will not be playing against Auburn in Game 1 of the Super Regional.
Oregon State pitcher Cooper Hjerpe, one of the best pitchers in the country, will miss the game with an undisclosed illness, the team announced. He was scheduled to start Saturday’s game.
The Beavers will now turn to Jake Pfennings. He has made 10 starts with a 4-0 record and a 2.94 ERA.
Hjerpe has a 10-2 record and a 2.40 ERA. He leads the nation with 155 strikeouts and is averaging 14.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
Oregon State has not yet announced if he will be available later in the series.
Trace Bright will start the game for Auburn, which will start Saturday at 9 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
[mm-video type=video id=01g3sqrf92g55e92cma7 playlist_id=01eqbyzb4ahnasj2m3 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g3sqrf92g55e92cma7/01g3sqrf92g55e92cma7-4363ac1e3cfbd85f31ace419fc82ebc7.jpg]
[vertical-gallery id=48649]