2025 was a year of epic highs and epic lows for the Oregon State athletics community.
There was a strong start to the year with the women’s basketball team making it to the first round of the March Madness tournament, their second appearance in as many years.
Baseball had an incredible showing in Omaha, placing fifth at the College World Series, their first appearance in the tournament since their championship in 2018.
Men’s soccer made its presence known as it finished its second and final season in the West Coast Conference.
The year seemed to start in a very positive direction. Hopes were high as the spring term made way for fall. But all the positivity was overshadowed as the Beavers put on a pathetic showing on the football field.
Women’s Basketball
After an incredible 2023-2024 season, the women’s basketball team looked to create even more magic on the court. As they embarked on their inaugural season in the WCC, the Beavers took the conference title, defeating the University of Portland 59-46 in the final.
After the collapse of the Pac-12 conference, the future for the basketball program was unclear at best. Only five players from the previous season remained after most had entered the transfer portal. Starting from scratch, the idea that the season would end in a win in the WCC and a ticket to March Madness was the last thing anyone predicted.
Despite a first-round exit, falling 49-70 to the University of North Carolina, Head Coach Scott Rueck had nothing but praise for his athletes who battled through the adversity.
“I’m just filled with gratitude for being a part of it, gratitude to each of (the players)… this has been one of the most special things I’ve been a part of,” Rueck said. “Of course, we all wanted it to continue, but if it’s gonna end, not a bad way to have it end.”
The Beavers will try to finish their trifecta of March Madness appearances after being named preseason WCC favorites for the 2025-2026 season.
Baseball
Baseball had a very successful season. Going 41-12-1 in the regular season and falling just short of a final four appearance in the postseason.
Head Coach Mitch Canham did not let the defeat define the season.
“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.”
Just under a month after their run at a national title, six beavers had the honor of being drafted to the Major Leagues: Aiva Arquette, Kellan Oaks, Gavin Turley, Nelson Keljo, Wilson Webber and Canon Reeder all heard their names called.
Men’s Soccer
Men’s soccer also saw success this season. After deferring his MLS debut to play his final collegiate season, Arnau Farnos led his team to a 10-5-2 season and a national ranking of 19, via ESPN’s “United Soccer Coaches Men’s Top 25 Poll.”
Head Coach Jarred Brookings made his season debut with a win over the University of California, Santa Barbara. The 3-0 win was just a taste of what was to come over the course of the season. After a midseason tie with the University of Portland, who were no. 4 at the time, there was no question that the new head coach was making a strong impression.
The season, however, ended in heartbreak after a double overtime loss to the University of Washington. The Huskies scored in the 104th minute to end the Beavers’ incredible season.
Farnos would go on to become the first Beaver in program history to become a two-time All-American. After the season, Lucas Fernandez Kim was drafted in the third round of the MLS draft by the Portland Timbers.
Football
Beaver Football put up a season to forget in 2025. After a 5-7 2024 season, the pressure was on for Trent Bray, who was entering his second season as head coach for the team.
After a 0-7 start to the season, Trent Bray’s tenure with Beaver football was cut short. The head coach departed with the worst start to the season since 1991. After Bray’s departure, Interim Special Teams Coordinator Robb Akey took on the daunting task of correcting the Beavers’ downward spiral.
Akey’s first game as interim head coach came with a small success: the Beavers put up their first win of the season against FCS Lafayette College. This glimmer of hope stayed with the team for only one more week, as after a 10-7 victory over Washington State, the Beavers lost their final three games.
The Beavers look to forget their tragic season and welcome new Head Coach JaMarcus Sheppard from the University of Alabama. “If we’re excellent in the engineering department, if we’re excellent in the business department, we need to be excellent on that football field.”
