After a season to remember, the Oregon State baseball team took to Omaha, Nebraska in mid-June for the Men’s College World Series and did their best to leave their mark.
“I’m incredibly proud, and as I told them, that’s just a very small fraction of what that word really means, how I feel about these guys, just an incredible group the entirety of the year,” head coach Mitch Canham said after the Beavers were eliminated.
The Beavs began their world series against Louisville. After taking what seemed like an insurmountable lead, going up 3-1 at the bottom of the eighth inning, Louisville answered profoundly in the following inning with two runs to tie the game.
However, Gavin Turley’s hit deep down the left side set up Aiva Arquette to run home and give the Beavs the walk-off win 4-3. With four runs, 11 hits, and three errors, plus a standout performance from pitcher Dax Whitney with nine strikeouts, OSU started with a bang.
“This is true character by the way our guys continue to fight, both pitchers outstanding out the gate,” Canham said. “This is what we thrive in.”
“I knew we had a real shot to do something dangerous,” said Turley on the walk-off play. “And as soon as Aiva (Arquette) got on, that opened a lot of possibilities up with a runner on first, so yeah, just getting in there, and trying to get a good pitch and hit it hard, and let the game play itself out.”
Next on was Coastal Carolina. This matchup was never close for the Beavs, as an early 6-1 hole had them with their backs against the wall. A last-second run in the bottom of the ninth would bring out the final score of 6-2, Coastal.
Two runs, seven hits, and two errors spelled a brutal watch for the residents of Corvallis. However, it did give young sophomore Ethan Kleinschmit time at the mound, who impressed fans with seven strikeouts. Nonetheless, OSU still had one last shot.
“A lot of uncharacteristic mistakes made early on,” said Canham of the loss. “Kleiny (Kleinschmit) wasn’t his sharpest coming out the gate, and even then, we had a hit batter that ended up resulting in a strikeout, and a clock violation, so some things went in our favor, but a handful of other things (did not).”
Coastal pitcher Jacob Morrison pitched for 7.2 innings with a 1.82 ERA.
“He (Morrison) hit his spots when he needed to, he did a good job mixing, and he (was) just effective when he should be, but we’ll get ‘em next time,” OSU outfielder Canon Reeder said after the game.
That last shot to stay alive came in a rematch against Louisville, in a win-or-go-home game.
It was a back-and-forth game: OSU ripped off three runs in the top of the ninth to tie it 6-6 after trailing. There was one last chance to force overtime, and the bases were loaded by Louisville after an error on the Beavs’ part.
In a risky decision, freshman Zach Edwards was placed into the game to pitch for the Beavs to try to force extra innings. After Edwards’ first series of pitches resulted in a strikeout, Louisville got one last run in to walk off with the win, 7-6, and send Oregon State home, eliminating them from the MCWS.
“I’m proud of how we came together,” said Turley on OSU’s year. “Knowing that it’s an independent schedule and having to fight a battle that no one’s ever fought before, everyone kinda just faced it head on and we all kinda came together that way and it created a really tight group.”
In Canham’s words: “Now it’s just the continual hunger that we have and understanding for all those guys that are gonna be back, what this place really means, that we have the capability of going out and doing amazing things.”
