What’s that sound Beaver Nation? 

It’s the sound of the OSU tail slap from 3,587 spectators at Goss Stadium, patiently waiting for the first Beaver Baseball home game on March 7 at 5:35 p.m. Before the Beavs play their first homestead, the team opens up the NCAA baseball season in Surprise, Arizona on Feb. 14, for the College Baseball Classic. 

Last season the Beavers finished with a 45-16 record, advancing to the program’s ninth NCAA Super Regional. OSU was ranked in the top 10 in every one of D1’s top-25 rankings last season, ending the year at No. 10. However, after a disappointing loss against the Kentucky Wildcats in the Super Regionals last season, the Oregon State roster took a hit.

The 2024 MLB draft signed seven players, including first-overall pick, Travis Bazzana, to the Cleveland Guardians. 

The draft snagged three of Oregon State’s best arms, closing pitcher Bridger Holmes and starting pitchers Aiden May and Jacob Kmatz. 

Kmatz and May tallied a combined total of 14 wins, 180 strikeouts and 161.2 innings pitched last season. Holmes broke the in-season save record for OSU with 13 saves.

Senior status claimed OSU veterans and starters Micah McDowell and Brady Kasper. Despite both players suffering injuries last season, their impact on the program does not go unnoticed. McDowell finished the season with a .382 through 39 games and received Corvallis Regional All-Tournament team honors. Kasper doubled in his first appearance back from injury and batted .271 with seven home runs and 33 RBI. 

With former Beavers heading down a new base path in life, the OSU baseball program has to look toward other players to step up for the 2025 season. 

But fear not, the incoming class of new players is loaded.

FRESH ARMS

On a roster of 41 players, 10 are incoming freshmen and the new generation of Beavers. 

Four out of the 10 newbies are pitchers looking to fill the spots of Kmatz, May and Holmes — one of them being none other than, Zach Kmatz, Jacob Kmatz’s younger brother.

Little Kmatz was rated the No. 1 player in New Mexico by Perfect Game. He finished his junior year with a 1.50 ERA totaling 61 strikeouts through 71 innings. 

Kmatz is not the only No. 1 prospect added to the roster. Dax Whitney out of Blackfoot, Idaho is a three-time all-state selection and Idaho’s 2024 Gatorade Player of the Year.

Through 53.2 innings his senior year, Whitney tallied 130 strikeouts and maintained a 0.27 ERA. All while posting a 10-0 record. Whitney is projected to be the top freshman pitcher this upcoming season. He declined a potential seven-figure contract to declare for the MLB draft, choosing to play with the Beavers this year. 

While Kmatz and Whitney seem to steal the spotlight from the young guns, freshman right-handed pitchers Zach Edwards and Adam Haight have impressive resumes too.

In the 2025 MLB First-Year Player Draft, Haight was selected in the 20th round as the 593 overall pick by the New York Mets. Haight was ranked as the No. 6 high school prospect in the Pacific Northwest and No. 3 in the state of Washington in 2024. He is valued as a utility player and may make his OSU debut in the outfield. Through 16 innings as a senior, Edwards struck out 24 batters and was selected first-team All-State and All-Region.

DIAMOND PUPS

While Beaver baseball finds themselves missing their middle infield stars from last season, Bazzana and seventh-round draft pick Elijah Hainline, Jabin Trosky and new transfer Aiva Arquette will likely find themselves in their starting spots. 

Jacob Krieg and Trent Caraway will protect the corners of the infield. 

This means the incoming young pups will likely find themselves taking notes from the vets and preparing for the next season. 

But here’s who to look out for coming off the bench: 

Canadian native, Leo Cote played for the Canadian Junior National team and his size and stature make him suitable as a first or third baseman.   

The California kids, Cade Falsken from Newbury Park and Paul Vazquez from Covina are the Beavs’ upcoming middle infielders. 

Vazquez was a four-time All-League selection, while Falsken earned All-League honors and received a Golden Glove award in his freshman year of high school.

THE CUATRO CANNONS

Since catcher Tanner Smith announced he was entering the transfer portal with one year of eligibility left, the Beavers have turned to Wilson Weber.

A common theme of last season’s starting lineup was the rotation between Smith and Weber behind the plate every game.

This season, the Beavers have four new catchers to choose from. 

Ryan VanderBrink was named the 2024 Oregonian Baseball Player of the Year. In his senior year, he led West Linn High School to its third consecutive 6A state title. OSU managed to snag two of Idaho’s top 3 high school prospects, one being Martin Serrano. As a senior, Serrano batted .466 driving in 23 runs. Freshman Kailand Halstead out of Puyallup, Washington, received All-State and All-League honors his senior year.

To round out the impressive group of new catchers is junior Northwest Florida State College transfer Bryce Hubbard.

JUCO JUGGERNAUTS

2013-2014 former Beaver and now coach of Linn Benton Community College, Andy Peterson, passed along one of his team’s best players, Ethan Kleinschmit.

Kleinschmit went 6-1 with a 1.03 ERA and struck out 120 batters through 78.1 innings.

Out of Everett Community College, Wyatt Queen earned himself a spot on the OSU roster. Queen held his opponents to a 0.91 WHIP and remained at 0.94 ERA, with a 9-1 record. 

The Beavs add another defensive player, AJ Singer from Iowa Western Community College. In his freshman year of college he won All-League Defensive Player of the Year.

THE HAWAIIAN HUSKY

On Aug. 7, 2024, top-ranked transfer portal prospect Aiva Arquette announced his commitment to Oregon State. 

As a University of Washington Husky, Arquette was named to the All PAC-12 and All PAC-12 defensive team in 2024. Arquette led his team in batting average, longest reached base streak and hit streak. The middle infielder is looking to step in and fill the gap in the lineup that Bazzana’s electric bat left. 

Ahead of the 2025 MLB draft, Arquette sits seventh among the top 10 prospects on ESPN. Baseball America named Arquette a preseason all-American, along with sophomore superstar Trent Caraway and left-handed pitcher Nelson Keljo.

Arquette underwent minor wrist surgery but is expected to be back in full health by the start of the first game.

BULKING THE BULLPEN

Arquette is not the only Husky to turn to the Beavers, sophomore pitcher Max Fraser announced his commitment to OSU on July 4.

Fraser appeared in 13 games for the Huskies last year. In high school, he was the No. 3 left-handed pitcher in Washington.

The Beavs acquired left-handed pitcher and former Portland Pilot, Tanner Douglas. Douglas pitched 23 games all in relief, and recorded 10 saves last season. 

THE FUTURE IS NEAR

On top of an already impressive roster, the Beavers added 17 new players to the squad.

As preseason rankings began to trickle in, OSU ranks seventh by D1Baseball.com and ninth by Baseball America. 

This season is the program’s first independent schedule, making them ineligible for any conference championship. 

With the season less than a week away, let’s take a look at the team’s future foes:

The season opens up in Surprise, Arizona, where the Beavs play their first of three tournaments in February.

The next weekend they make their way to Round Rock Texas for the Round Rock Classic, where they face the No. 2 ranked Virginia on Feb. 21. The strength from the new era of Beaver Baseball will be tested in their first ranked match of the season.

The Beavers stay in Texas the following weekend for the College Baseball Series benefiting Shriners Children’s in Arlington.

On March 7, UC San Diego travels to Goss Stadium for the first home series for the Beavers. This game starts a nine-game homestand, including a two-game series against “PAC-2” rivals Washington State. 

Last season, home-field advantage led the Beavers to 27 home game wins to two losses, which will likely follow suit in the 2025 season. 

On March 28, the Beavs find themselves facing the No. 24 Nebraska Huskers in Lincoln, Nebraska for a three-game series.

The Beavers will play a couple of familiar former PAC-12 faces, UCLA on April 15, and Arquette’s former team, UW on March 25. Both of these matchups will only consist of one game.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs come to Corvallis on April 21-22 ahead of the rival series against the University of Oregon.

The Beavers and the now No. 12 ranked Ducks will play three games in Eugene on April 25-27 and will conclude the series at Goss Stadium in Corvallis on April 29. 

The Beavers will also face the University of Iowa for the first time in the program’s history in Des Moines on May 9-11. 

The regular season will conclude for the Beavs at home against Long Beach State on May 15-17.

RETURNERS

As fans eagerly await the highly anticipated 2025 season, we cannot forget the returning talent who assisted the team to the Super Regionals last season.

Junior outfield duo Dallas Macias and Gavin Turley will likely take leadership roles this season. Turley found himself in the two-hole, behind Bazzana last season, leading the team in runs batted in with 74. He came in second in home runs with 19. Cleanup switch-hitter Macias recorded 67 hits paired with a .315 batting average.

You can’t forget about Caraway, who’s still waiting to showcase his full potential after a hand injury in mid-March last year. Despite his injury, Caraway recorded a .339 batting average through 18 games. 

Sophomore slingers Laif Palmer and Eric Segura will be crucial to the Beavers’ versatile pitching rotation. Segura was third in the rotation last season, but will likely take precedence as the team’s number one guy. Palmer suffered an injury before the season started and struggled on the mound after his return, but the 6’6 righty will add some depth to an already first-class rotation after playing with the Corvallis Knights this summer.

At the end of last season, Nelson Keljo became the Beavs’ go-to guy out of the bullpen. This season, his arm is looking to shut down batters at the start of the game. Through 43 innings, Keljo recorded 60 strikeouts and kept his opponents to a .259 batting average. 

While we wait for baseball season to start, here’s who to expect to see on your screen in the upcoming games.