Oregon

Oregon State Baseball Schedule 2024: What To Know – FloBaseball

Published

2 years ago

January 30, 2024

Press Room

Though the Pac-12 Conference is crumbling all around it, Oregon State—one of just two schools, along with Washington State, slated to stay in the league after this school year—is holding firm.

It would be awfully fitting, then, if the Beavers could send those leaving the Pac-12 on their merry way with the league’s final pre-realignment baseball title in their grasp.

A major-league factory with an alumni list that includes Adley Rutschman, Michael Conforto and Jacoby Ellsbury, OSU has been a consistent figure at the top of the college baseball scene for decades. Even with its conference future murky, the Beavers’ tradition of success on the diamond likely won’t be bothered much.

Entering the spring with a deep lineup and Travis Bazzana, one of the top prospects in college baseball, the Beavers are building for yet another lengthy postseason run. Pulling it off this year, in particular, would make for one of OSU’s most memorable moments.

The Beavers will begin their 2024 journey at the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic and the Kubota College Baseball Series Weekend 2, both will be streamed on FloBaseball.

Here’s everything you need to know about Oregon State baseball ahead of the 2024 season:

How Did Oregon State Baseball Do In 2023?

A 40-win season with an NCAA Tournament appearance is nothing to be ashamed about.

The Beavers recovered well from a 1-5 start in league play to finish second in the Pac-12 Conference behind regular-season champion Stanford.

Though OSU was just shy of a second straight trip to the super-regional round—it was eliminated by eventual national champion LSU in the final of the Baton Rouge Regional—the Beavers once again were one of the best-performing teams of the year from a West Coast state. They also smacked a school-record 89 home runs with the same number of stolen bases, the latter number of which led the Pac-12.

Who Coaches Oregon State Baseball?

Mitch Canham is the coach of Oregon State. The former All-American catcher was one of the main stars on the Beavers’ back-to-back national title teams of 2006 and 2007. Canham played for eight years in the minor leagues as a first-round MLB Draft pick, before getting into the coaching game in 2016.

He then bounced around coaching collegiate summer league and minor-league teams until being hired as OSU’s coach in 2020, succeeding interim coach Pat Bailey, after Bailey himself succeeded Pat Casey, a 900-game winner and the most decorated coach in program history.

Canham’s debut season was cut short by COVID-19, but he went from 37 wins in 2021 to 48 in 2022, then 41 in 2023. His success included NCAA Tournament appearances all three times, and he has coached seven All-America selections along the way.

Has Oregon State Ever Won The College World Series?

Yes, Oregon State has won the Men’s College World Series three times in 10 appearances. The victories came in 2006, 2007 and 2018.

All three national championships came with Casey at the helm. He led the Beavers to the CWS six times in his decorated tenure.

Notable Returning Players

Travis Bazzana, INF

No Australian has ever been picked No. 1 overall in an MLB Draft.

Bazzana could become the first to accomplish the feat, especially if the native Aussie has another lights-out season for the Beavers in 2024.

MLB.com’s No. 3-ranked prospect for the 2024 draft, Bazzana hit .374 with a 1.122 OPS, while stealing an OSU-record 36 bases as a sophomore a season ag. His stock skyrocketed after winning the esteemed Cape Cod League’s batting title and its MVP award this past summer.

Projected to be a second baseman as a pro, the left-handed hitter’s speed and consistent ability to make contact makes him a candidate for another potential All-America nod and one of the favorites to take home the Pac-12 Player of the Year Award.

Gavin Turley, OF

The home run leader on the home-run-happiest team in OSU history, Turley—a MLB Draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks out of high school—arrived in Corvallis and immediately began smashing the baseball (he homered in his first collegiate at-bat), leading the Beavers with 14 long bombs on the season.

The Arizonan batted .309, had 13 multi-hit games on the year and was second on the OSU roster in OPS (1.102) behind Bazzana, all helping to make him a Perfect Game Second-Team Freshman All-America selection for his performances.

Bazzana, Turley, junior infielder Mason Guerra and senior outfielder Brady Kasper all return after double-digit homer seasons to give the Beavers plenty of power. If Turley improves on a few factors (such as plate discipline after striking out in 60 of 149 at-bats), we could see an even better sophomore campaign for him, and a rise up the draft boards.

Notable Newcomers

Elijah Hainline, INF

A do-it-all player over the past two seasons at Washington State, Hainline moved to a Pac-12 rival and power in the offseason and should be one of the candidates looking to fill the gap left behind by former OSU starting shortstop Kyle Dernedde, who transferred to Michigan.

After a so-so freshman year with the Cougars in 2022 (.228 average, seven doubled, 21 RBIs), Hainline had a breakout campaign during his sophomore year in which he became one of the Pac-12’s best infielders and the first WSU player to have double-digit doubles (12), home runs (12) and stolen bases (10) in a single season in 13 years.

Coming to Corvallis after batting .337 a year ago, Hainline could add a jolt of offense to the middle infield, with the added boost that he’s already proven to be a strong hitter against Pac-12 opposition.

Aiden May, RHP

Another offseason OSU transfer with ties to another Pac-12 program, May joined Arizona as a sophomore junior college transfer last season and became a member of the Wildcats’ rotation, helping them make the NCAA Tournament.

Though May’s one season in Tucson didn’t feature numbers that jump off the page—he finished 5-3 with a 6.33 ERA and 77 strikeouts— his fastball can touch the mid-to-upper 90s and may help him get into the weekend rotation as a power pitcher.

He’s likely to mesh right away with a rotation that includes the likes of the Beavers’ Saturday arm from last year, Jacob Kmatz, a friend he also happened to go to high school with in Albuquerque, New Mexico.