Baseball America dubbed Oregon State the nation’s surprise team in a recent midseason report.

To some, maybe, but not to Ryan Gipson and the rest of the Beavers.

Gipson, a former all-league player for Crater High, joined the OSU program this year and has been a big part of the Beavers’ climb to prominence.

"As for the team, I knew we’d be good," says Gipson, who arrived for the start of fall practice after spending three years at Shasta Junior College in Redding, Calif. "Just because of the returning pitching we had and how we strengthened the lineup, after the fall, I expected us to do real well."

Oregon State, with Gipson playing a large role at second base and in the batting order, has, nevertheless, gone above and beyond what many projected.

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The magazine ranks the Beavers ninth in the nation, the first time in more than 40 years OSU has made the top 10 in a national publication.

Oregon State is 27-7 overall and 6-3 in the vaunted Pac-10 Conference. It’s tied for second place with Southern Cal, 2½ games behind first- place and sixth-ranked Arizona.

In its most recent games, OSU visited Arizona last weekend and sandwiched two losses by a total of three runs around a 17-1 whipping of the Wildcats.

The Beavers are host to Washington State for three games this weekend.

Entering the season, OSU returned 10 starters, but five were pitchers. Strength on the mound threatened to be offset by inexperience at other positions.

"I liked our club," says 11th-year coach Pat Casey, "but I wouldn’t have put us where we’re at now."

He credits the superb pitching and a teamwide work ethic and chemistry for the Beavers’ emergence.

Three hurlers — Jonah Nickerson (1.26), Buck (1.87) and Kevin Gunderson (2.75) — are Nos. 1, 3 and 4 in the Pac-10 ERA rankings, and OSU is 10th nationally in that category.

The hitters have gotten into the act, too, ranking 12th in the NCAA in batting average at .327.

"We’ve ridden our pitchers," says Rob Folsom, a freshman from North Medford who has seen limited action. "They deserve a lot of the credit because they’re almost unhittable. But lately, our bats are catching up."

Gipson has been right in the mix, having started 22 of the 26 games he’s played and crafting a .313 batting average.

With 17 walks, he ranks behind only preseason All-American teammate Jacoby Ellersby in the Pac-10 in on-base percentage. Ellersby is at .547, Gipson .514.

There was no guarantee Gipson would make an impact. The Beavers returned starting second baseman Chris Kunda, and Gipson was moving over from shortstop.

Casey made no secret of the fact he wanted more offense out of the position than the Beavers got last year, giving Gipson all the opening he needed.

"Ryan came in at a tremendous time for this opportunity," says Casey. "His competitiveness really stood out for me. He’s so much better defensively than he was in the fall, and he has a knack for getting on base. He really has a willingness to get after it. He’s been a real pleasant surprise for us."

The junior college route prepared Gipson. He was academically ineligible to play his first year but still worked out with the team. He even attempted to become a switch hitter before returning solely to the right side.

The following two years, he hit .344 as a freshman and .358 as a sophomore.

"Junior college was a very, very good thing for me," says Gipson.

When the chance to play close to home and in the Pac-10 presented itself, he jumped, turning down other opportunities, notably at NAIA power Lewis and Clark State.

"I saw it as another level, a steppingstone for myself to come up and play Division I baseball," he says.

The beginning wasn’t entirely smooth. The change to second base took some getting used to, and sharing time with Kunda initially didn’t sit well with him, something he expressed to Casey.

"I’ve always been a shortstop," says Gipson, "and the angles at second base are all different. I worked on it a lot in the fall, and so far it’s been easy for me. At first, I didn’t really want to make the move, but I knew I had to because if I’m going to play pro ball, it’ll be at second base."

As for not seeing eye-to-eye with Casey over playing time, Gipson says, "That’s all playing itself out now."

He’s started all but one game in the last month.

Last Saturday against Arizona, Gipson was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and he had a nice 6-for-10 week with three walks and three stolen bases in the middle of March.

"He’s got good overall speed," says Casey, "and that’s something that was impressive to us all along. He’s brought a toughness to that position."

It’s given Gipson a grip on it, and he’s not likely to let it go soon.

Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail ttrower@mailtribune.com