Briefly: Oregon State takes aim at College World Series history

Oregon State, building a case that it ranks among the greatest college baseball teams of all time, renews its push for the NCAA championship Saturday at the College World Series in Omaha.

At 54-4, the Beavers have the fewest losses of any team entering the CWS since Texas came in 57-4 in 1982. They take a 21-game winning streak into their game against Cal State Fullerton (39-22) on Saturday afternoon. Florida State (45-21) plays LSU (48-17) at night.

Oregon State won the Pac-12 by six games, the largest margin since the conference ended divisional play in 1999, and outscored three regional opponents 27-3 as the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Beavers then cruised to a two-game sweep of Vanderbilt in a super regional.

The Beavers' pitching staff ranks No. 1 in the country with a 1.80 ERA. Jake Thompson is 14-0, and Pac-12 player of the year Nick Madrigal is batting a team-leading .383.

Oregon State catcher K.J. Harrison said he had heard about the '82 Texas team, and how it went 2-2 in Omaha. So talk can wait.

"We're not done yet," he said. "Our goal is to win that national championship."

Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr., the season's points leaders, qualified for the first two starting spots in the NASCAR Cup Series Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson agreed to a three-year contract extension that keeps the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion with Hendrick Motorsports through 2020.

NFL: New Orleans lost starting left tackle Terron Armstead for the start of the regular season. Armstead needs surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder, and his rehabilitation is expected to take four to six months. … Jacksonville cornerback Jalen Ramsey is recovering from surgery to "treat a core muscle injury." Jacksonville offered no timetable on Ramsey's return.

College basketball: The death of Oral Roberts women's player Ashley Beatty is being investigated as a suicide, a school official said. Beatty's body was discovered in a dormitory Thursday night.

NBA: The Milwaukee Bucks promoted director of basketball operations Jon Horst to general manager. Horst replaces John Hammond, who left to become Orlando's general manager.

Tennis: Feliciano Lopez upset Tomas Berdych 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4 in the Stuttgart Open quarterfinals in Germany. … Juan Martin del Potro, ranked 30th in the world, withdrew from the grass-court tournament at Queen's Club because of injury, putting his participation at Wimbledon in doubt.