Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman (Aaron Fitt)

Rutschman, Heimlich Lift Beavers

EUGENE, Ore. — Forty-two games into his collegiate career, Adley Rutschman was back where he started: in the cleanup spot.

It’s a testament to how highly Oregon State regarded Rutschman that the coaching staff inserted him into the No. 4 hole during the very first weekend of his collegiate career. The freshman catcher arrived on campus as one of the most high-profile incoming recruits in the West, and the Beavers expected him to hit the ground running.

But Rutschman’s freshman year has been trying, and as his batting average hovered around the Mendoza line midway through the[…]