Mike Lissman - 2004 Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks

For Beavers, it’s Lissman’s time again “He’s a better defender now. He’s a smarter player and he’s really cut down on his strikeouts. I think he wants to be a leader and wants to do things right. ”I’m certainly happy with the progress he’s made on and off the field.” It’s taken a lot of work. The way Lissman describes his summer in the Alaska Baseball League, he must have been a complete bore. “Some guys went up there to relax and enjoy the summer,” he said. “I went up there to play left field every day.”

2006: PannerBlog • Schedule • Statistics • Personnel • Roster - Ed Cheff, Elliott Strankman, Gus Knickrehm | Dixon Allen, Brian Bird, Jovanny Bramasco, Geoff Byrns, Tyler Cheney, Chu Yuan-Chin, Joey Dunn, Chris Kissock, Lan Shao-Bai, Mike Lissman, Mai Chia-Yi, Jordan Mayer, Jessie Mier, Beau Mills, Will Morgan, Joe Persichina, Matt Rasmussen, Brad Schwarzenbach, Matt Stevens, Mark Thompson, Wu Cheng-Hsien | 2006 Team Baseball Card Set | All-Time Roster • All-Time Lineups

Lissman: Oregon State baseball is here to stay "Barney gives credit to last year’s star juniors who went on to the pros — Dallas Buck, Jonah Nickerson, Kevin Gunderson and others — for starting the program’s rise. That group, along with coach Pat Casey, created a winning attitude. Then they delivered. Once those players were done, they passed the torch to Barney, Mitch Canham and Mike Lissman. “Hopefully, it will keep going,” Barney said. “That blend of guys made me come here. That’s what gives us our success. We build around pitching, defense and depth. Depth is the main thing the Northwest has over a lot of other clubs.” Those three leaders dragged this team to the top. When the bottom was falling out during the Pacific-10 Conference schedule, they carried the team and pushed on. Lissman described Canham as the grumpy one, Barney the happy one and himself the crazy one. The mix made the whole team go because teammates responded."

2004 PRESSBOX

5/13/4: Mike Lissman (04-05-06) Lissman focused on just one goal (2004) "When out on the grass, Lissman shares the outfield with junior Aaron Mathews (03) and sophomore Jacoby Ellsbury. The three have recently become familiar with the reputation of being the "middle of nowhere outfield" as they come from small towns in Oregon. Mathews hails from John Day, Ellsbury is from Madras and Lissman is from Ontario. With the total population of the three towns combined equaling 17,899, it solidifies the bond the three share and the camaraderie of the team. Not to mention that Mathews also played a role in Lissman's decision to go to Oregon State."

JULY 17, 2004 - "Lissman said that when he made the play to the plate he didn't think much of it at the time, but in retrospect it was a game-saver. "We've got a guy at second, and if it's (hit) at you you're just trying to throw the guy out at the dish," said Lissman. "It should be a routine play, but it came out to meaning much more. It saved a run and we won by one run."
JULY 12, 2004 - "Some days you just come out and feel good and see the ball well," said Lissman. "This is the best game I've had all year. I was just trying to hit the baseball again; see the ball, hit the ball. Some days you get a break. You hit the ball off the end of the bat and they catch it or it goes through. I was 0-4 yesterday; you never know."
JUNE 21, 2004 - "Timmons teammates made sure that their ace wasn't under the gun, right from the get-go, as left fielder Mike Lissman hit a towering two-run home run off of Oilers starter Brian Chambers, over the left field fence and just barely clear of the foul pole, in the bottom of the first inning, driving in the leadoff man Trevor Mortenson. "I was just trying to get a base hit," said Lissman. "I'm a guy who just does whatever it takes to help us win and I wasn't trying to hit a home run. I was just trying to get my hands around on the ball."

STAR OF THE GAME:
6/21 | 7/9 | 7/12 | 7/28

One of Oregon State’s 12 returning starters ... OSU head coach Pat Casey says: "Mike had a down year last year for him after a great freshman year. We look for Mike to get on track again and be an offensive threat this season."

PERSONAL: Has not decided on a major; may become a coach ... born in Ontario, Ore. ... parents are Dan Lissman and Margie Yasuda; family includes brothers Joey (27), Kenny (21) ... enjoys watching sports, being outdoors ... top athletic thrill was "going to Omaha" ... favorite movie is Billy Madison; favorite TV shows are Family Guy, Chappelle’s Show; favorite actor is Denzel Washington; favorite book is Juiced, by Jose Canseco; favorite musicians are Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Notorious BIG; favorite vehicle is Range Rover; favorite food is Japanese; favorite restaurant is Sansei Cafe ... chose OSU for its academic opportunities and "to play with and against the best players in the nation."

OREGON STATE: (2005) Team co-captain ... 12 multi-hit games; 7 multi-RBI games ... had a hit in 31 of 51 games; had a RBI in 18 of 51 games ... June 18 vs. Tulane off bench, pinch-hit single ... May 21 vs. Southern California, 2-out, 2-run single in 7-run fifth inning as OSU clinched tie for Pac-10 title ... Apr. 29-May 13, in 10 games, batted .366 (15-for-41) with 1 homer, 6 RBIs, 11 runs ... May 8 at UCLA, 3-for-4, 1 RBI, 3 runs ... Apr. 29-May 6, 5-game hitting streak; during streak, batted .429 (9-for-21) with 4 RBIs, 5 runs ... May 3 vs. Portland, 3-for-5, 1 RBI, 2 runs ... Apr. 29 vs. Arizona State, 2-for-4, 1 homer, 3 RBIs; 3-run homer sparked comeback win vs. nation’s 20th-ranked team ... Apr. 24 vs. Washington State first game, 2-for-4, 2 walks, 1 stolen base ... Mar. 18 vs. Sacramento State, 2-for-5, 2 RBIs, 1 stolen base ... Feb. 5-Feb. 26, 7-game hitting streak; during streak, batted .429 (12-for-28) with 9 doubles, 1 triple, 11 RBIs ... Feb. 5-Feb. 25, doubled in 6 straight games (9 total doubles) ... Feb. 15 vs. Portland, 2-for-4, 2 doubles, 4 RBIs ... Feb. 3-Feb. 6, named to all-tournament team at Bob Schaefer Memorial Tournament ... Feb. 6 at Arizona State, 2-for-4, 1 double, 1 triple, 2 RBIs ... Feb. 5 vs. New Mexico State, 3-for-5, school record-tying 3 doubles, 3 RBIs ... (2004) Among Pacific-10 leaders through end of regular season, tied for first in fielding percentage (1.000) ... 16 multi-hit games; 9 multi-RBI games ... had a hit in 32 of 45 games; had a run in 23 of 45 games; had a RBI in 20 of 45 games ... was among Pac-10 leaders in batting average, on-base percentage during season ... May 16-May 23, in 4 games, batted .412 (7-for-17) with 2 homers, 1 double, 3 RBIs, 3 runs, 1 stolen base ... May 30 vs. UCLA, 2-for-3, 1 homer, 1 double, 3 RBIs ... May 16 at Arizona State, 2-for-5, 1 homer ... Apr. 9-May 1, scored at least 1 run in 10 straight games ... Apr. 9-Apr. 30, in 8 games, batted .469 (15-for-32) with 2 homers, 2 doubles, 9 RBIs ... Apr. 30 vs. Washington, 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 2 runs ... Apr. 9-Apr. 18, 5-game hitting streak; during streak, batted .524 (11-for-21) with 1 double, 8 RBIs, 3 stolen bases, 9 runs ... Apr. 12-Apr. 18, stolen base in 3 straight games ... Apr. 18 at Sacramento State, 2-for-4, 1 stolen base, 3 runs ... Apr. 17 at Sacramento State, 4-for-5, 1 double, 2 RBIs, 1 stolen base, 2 runs ... missed 2 games after injuring ankle prior to game at Washington on Apr. 13 ... Apr. 9 vs. Stanford, 2-for-4, 2 homers, 4 RBIs ... Mar. 4-Mar. 14, 6-game hitting streak; during streak, batted .348 (8-for-23) with 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, 8 runs ... Mar. 13 vs. Gonzaga, 2-for-4, 2 RBIs, 3 runs ... Feb. 13-Feb. 29, 6-game hitting streak; during streak, batted .474 (9-for-19) with 2 homers, 7 RBIs, 6 runs ... Feb. 27-Feb. 28, homered in back-to-back games ... Feb. 27 vs. California-Riverside, 2-for-3, 1 homer, 3 RBIs, 3 runs ... Feb. 13 vs. Utah, 3-for-3, 1 RBI.

ONTARIO HIGH: Lettered 3 years for coach Chad Hartley ... as a senior, all-state first team, all-league first team; batted .529, 10 homers, 45 RBIs; team reached state title game ... as a junior, all-state first team, all-league first team ... prep teammate Greg Keim also plays for OSU ... also played football.

Lissman (04-05-06) focused on just one goal ; Aaron Mathews (03)

Oregon State freshman hopes to contribute and lead Beavers to postseason play
Melody Stockwell

The Daily Barometer
Issue date: 5/13/04
One of 12 freshmen on Oregon State’s baseball team this season, Mike Lissman is making his mark and showing the Pacific-10 what he can do.
But for the Beavers’ baseball staff, that was something they were prepared for.

“Mike will battle for a spot in the outfield as a freshman,” Oregon State coach Pat Casey said prior to the beginning of this season. “He’s a very tough kid; he’s a guy who will someday be an RBI producer and a run-scorer for us.”

Look at him now.

Currently, Lissman boasts the third best batting average at .365 with five home runs and 28 RBI.

He is ranked seventh in the Pac-10 for batting, 10th for on base percentage and first in fielding percentage.

But he doesn’t focus on his personal accomplishments.

“It’s kind of exciting, but as long as we’re winning, I don’t care,” Lissman said.

Although he’s listed as an outfielder,he’s become more accustomed to the role of being a designated hitter this season.

“I started a couple of games at outfield, but I got hurt toward the middle of the season and I started hitting and kept there,” Lissman said.

When out on the grass, Lissman shares the outfield with junior Aaron Mathews and sophomore Jacoby Ellsbury.

The three have recently become familiar with the reputation of being the “middle of nowhere outfield” as they come from small towns in Oregon.

Mathews hails from John Day, Ellsbury is from Madras and Lissman is from Ontario. With the total population of the three towns combined equaling 17,899, it solidifies the bond the three share and the camaraderie of the team.

Not to mention that Mathews also played a role in Lissman’s decision to go to Oregon State.

Lissman had looked into other schools such as Washington State, UNLV and the University of Washington, but Oregon State stuck out to him.

“I like the atmosphere here and I like the small town,” Lissman said. “The coaches are really nice and I like the program here. When I came here, I visited with Aaron a lot because I already knew him.”

At Ontario High School, Lissman made first team all-state, first team all-league and his team reached the state title game.

His junior year, his accomplishments were the same, except his team didn’t make it to the final game.

And during that time, he also played against Mathews.

“I played against Aaron my freshman and sophomore years and we didn’t get to play against Jacoby because they didn’t make it to the playoffs,” Lissman said. “Every year we played Aaron in football, baseball and basketball.”

The transition from high school baseball to collegiate baseball was not much of a jump for Lissman.

“The pitching is the only difference,” Lissman said. “That and you’re playing with a lot better players.”

And the comfort of home is still present when his family comes to games.

“My family supports me a lot,” Lissman said. “My mom comes to all of the home games even though she has to drive like seven hours. My grandparents try, but I mean they’re old, but they try to come.”

As his rookie season is slowly winding down, Lissman, along with his team, has one thing on his mind.

“As a team we want to go to regionals, that’s all that really matters,” Lissman said. “Personal goals don’t really matter to me. I guess my personal goals are whatever I can do to help the team.”

And that’s something that was already expected of him.

Melody Stockwell is a sports writer for The Daily Barometer. She can be reached at baro.sports@studentmedia.orst.edu.