Oregon State opens the NCAA Eugene Regional against Washington State at noon Friday at PK Park, the first postseason step for a team that wanted to host in Corvallis but was sent up the road instead. The Beavers will play in Eugene rather than at Goss Stadium, with the regional scheduled to run through Monday.

That placement makes the matchup matter right away. Oregon State finished the regular season 43-12, split two games with Washington State and split two more with Oregon, and it beat Oregon on March 3 at PK Park. On Tuesday, Easton Talt said the short trip was one less thing to worry about, while Eric Segura joked that Eugene is “Goss South” and said the Beavers plan to bring a sea of orange.

The draw also gives Oregon State a familiar road. Oregon, the No. 11 seed and a 40-16 team, will meet Yale at 5 p.m. Friday, and the Beavers have reason to feel comfortable away from home after going 22-6 in true road games and 15-2 in those contests. Mitch Canham said the group has played well on the road and noted that once the game starts, the noise either gets to a team or it doesn’t.

Still, the biggest question inside the Oregon State dugout is the status of second baseman Cooper Vance. He is dealing with a sore hamstring and remains day-to-day, and Nyan Hayes has been practicing at second base this week in case Vance cannot play. Canham said Vance has been in and out of the training room trying to give himself the best shot to return, but the coach stopped short of calling him ready.

The regional is another postseason marker for a program that has made the tournament in all six of Canham’s seasons and has reached the postseason every year but 2008 and 2016 since 2005. Oregon State won national titles in 2006, 2007 and 2018, and this weekend is the next chance to keep that streak moving. For now, the Beavers know the path: Washington State first, Eugene instead of Corvallis, and a lineup decision that may not come until closer to first pitch.