For the eighth time in program history, the super regionals will be returning to Corvallis.
After two sound defeats of the University of Southern California Trojans, the Oregon State University Beavers baseball team extends their journey to Omaha.
The Beavers won 9-0 on Monday afternoon at Goss Stadium and recorded their first postseason shutout since defeating the University of Arkansas in the 2018 National Championship.
“Their lineup, one through nine, is very competitive,” USC head coach Andy Stankiewicz said about OSU’s dominating offense. “It’s a complete offense. You gotta be ready because one through nine is coming at you.”
Over their five-game stretch during regionals, the Beavs tallied 56 runs.
Despite their seemingly dominant performance, the Beavers faced adversity early on with a 4-6 loss against Saint Mary’s College of California on May 30.
In the following four games, the Beavs faced possible elimination.
“There were a lot of people upset after that first game,” head coach Mitch Canham said. “I knew what the character was like for these guys; they were going to wake up the next day and not let it get to them. I thought that played to our advantage at that point.”
The home-field advantage was in full effect, with another rowdy, sold-out crowd of orange and black that drowned out any hints of Trojan red in the stands.
On his second start of the season, red-shirt freshman pitcher James DeCremer got the call to take the mound and help extend the Beavers’ season.
The lights were not too bright for DeCremer; he had his best outing of the season.
DeCremer’s final line was five innings, six strikeouts, no runs allowed, two hits and two walks on 71 pitches.
Eric Segura came in relief to start the sixth inning, a familiar position that he was tasked with earlier in the season.
Segura’s performance was more than redeeming after a first-inning blunder as a starter in the first game against Saint Mary’s on May 30. Segura only recorded one out.
“Eric (Segura) bounced back from Friday and handled his business and got it done,” Canham said. “That shows a lot of heart.”
The right-handed slinging sophomore recorded five strikeouts through three innings of relief.
“Having our backs against the wall inspired me and made me realize that we’re playing for each other,” Segura said. “This brotherhood, we don’t want it to end.”
A fiery offense and a golden glove defense supported the pitching staff. The middle infield duo of shortstop Aiva Arquette and second baseman AJ Singer flawlessly turned five double plays.
“The middle-infield, Arquette and Singer together, is honestly unbelievable. The best in the country, I’d say,” Segura said. “They make it look so easy. As a pitcher, having that comfortability is like no other.”
Lead-off hitter Easton Talt set the tempo early on, knocking a double off the center-field wall on the second pitch he saw.
Gavin Turley quickly capitalized on the runner in scoring position with an opposite-field single that put the Beavs on the board in the first inning.
“We started off super hot, and it felt like we were never going to stop hitting,” DeCremer said. “We kind of had some adversity, but now it’s switched on, and it’s the most fun thing to be a part of.”
Echoes of “O-S-U” filled the stadium after No. 6 MLB draft prospect Arquette knocked a two-run home run over the left-center wall in the third inning, his 18th on the season and first at Goss.
Following Arquette’s first Goss Stadium home run, the man who is all too familiar with hitting home runs at his home ballpark, OSU home run leader Turley, launched one over the left field stands to extend their lead to 4-0.
In the fifth inning and fifth game of the tournament, Trent Caraway recorded his fifth home run of the postseason. This is the most home runs in a single postseason by any Oregon State Beaver, including regionals, super regionals and the College World Series.
“(Caraway) getting hot brings a lot of energy to the rest of the guys that really extends our lineup,” Canham said. “He’s an extremely special hitter. He’s scary.”
Caraway was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Corvallis Regional. He batted .529 with five home runs and 10 RBIs.
The nine-hitter, Jacob Kreig, wanted his share of the home run fun. He hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to further the Beavers’ lead to 9-0.
The long ball was a common theme for the Beavers in this tournament. In only five games, the team tallied 15 home runs.
The road to Omaha continues for the Beavers. They will host the No. 9 seed Florida State University Seminoles the weekend of June 6, starting Friday.
The NCAA will announce official dates and times on Tuesday.
