Bio Blast: Oregon State Beavers

Oregon State (45-14, 19-10), winners of the Corvallis Regional, will head to Lexington this weekend for the Lexington Super Regional against Kentucky. The winner in the best of three series will head to the College World Series in Omaha.

The Beavers are one of two remaining Pac-12 teams (Oregon) in the NCAA Tournament, as the “Conference of Champions” looks to close its prestigious history with one last title before it folds.

“After watching [Oregon State], there are a lot of similar characteristics,” Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione said on Wednesday. “They have the ability to steal bases, hit for home runs, and hit for average. It is a team filled with guys up and down their lineup that know how to work and manage their way through at-bats, very similarly to us.”

Game one of the Super Regional is scheduled for Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. EST (ESPNU), and game two is scheduled at 9:00 p.m. EST (ESPNU) on Sunday night. Game three (if necessary) would be played on Monday.

Here’s everything you’ll need to know about the Beavers.

Season Stats:

OFFENSE:

• .304 BA (33rd in NCAA, 2nd in Pac-12)
• .565 SLG% (T-6th in NCAA, 1st in Pac-12)
• .426 OBP (8th in NCAA, 1st in Pac-12)
• 608 Hits (T-35th in NCAA, 2nd in Pac-12)
• 128 Doubles (T-25th in NCAA, 2nd in Pac-12)
• 118 Home Runs (T-8th in NCAA, 1st in Pac-12)
• 57 Stolen Bases (T-155th in NCAA, 4th in Pac-12)

PITCHING:

• 3.98 ERA (7th in NCAA, 1st in Pac-12)
• 1.31 WHIP (T-14th in NCAA, 1st in Pac-12)
• 9.4 K/9 (T-51st in NCAA, 3rd in Pac-12)
• 3.8 BB/9 (T-33rd in NCAA, 3rd in Pac-12)
• 2.46 K/BB (26th in NCAA, 2nd in Pac-12)
• 6 Shutouts (T-5th in NCAA, 1st in Pac-12)

Players to Know:

• 2B Travis Bazzana: Bazzana, the No. 3 projected pick in ESPN’s latest 2024 MLB Mock Draft, is one of the top players in all of college baseball. The Aussie and 2024 Pac-12 Player of the Year is near the top of every statistical category in the country. He hit for a .415 batting average (5th in NCAA) with 28 home runs (T-6th in NCAA), 86 hits (T-50th in NCAA), 74 walks (2nd in NCAA), a .937 SLG% (2nd in NCAA), and a .575 OB% (2nd in NCAA). Bazzana, who is likely the most talented player in the Regional, will certainly make his mark at Kentucky Proud Park this weekend.
• RHP Aiden May: The Arizona transfer made an immediate impact in his first season in Corvallis, pitching to an unblemished 7-0 record with a 2.88 ERA (T-28th in NCAA) in 68 2/3 innings. May struggled with an injury over the first two months of the season, but has started every weekend since the start of April. He’ll enter the Super Regional having allowed just six runs in his previous 37 innings pitched (1.46 ERA). The No. 75 overall MLB Draft Prospect was named to the All-Pac 12 Team.
• OF Gavin Turley: Another big power threat for the Beavers, Turley hit 19 home runs in 2024. He’s hit 33 in his first two seasons of college baseball. The sophomore has belted five grand slams this season, including one in Oregon State’s Regional opener against Tulane. He was just one of five Beavers named All-Pac 12 selections in the league’s final season.
• RHP Bridger Holmes: The sidewinder-pitching right-hander transferred to Oregon State from Feather River Junior College and has taken college baseball by storm. He’s one of the best relievers in the country, boasting a 1.97 ERA in 32 innings pitched this season (25 appearances). Holmes is the No. 325 overall MLB Draft Prospect. Also named an All-Pac 12 selection.
• RHP Jacob Kmatz: Kmatz (Kuh-Mats) will likely join May as Oregon State’s go-to starters this weekend in Lexington. In 77 1/3 innings pitched this season, Kmatz boasts a 8-2 record with a 4.19 ERA. He’s spent three seasons at Oregon State, but has pitched in just one NCAA Tournament game. He allowed four earned runs in 3 1/3 innings to Vanderbilt on June 5, 2022 in the Corvallis Regional.

Head Coach: Mitch Canham

Mitch Canham is currently in the midst of his fifth season as the head coach at Oregon State, where he boasts a 176-75 (70.12 W%) record.

Canham was the starting catcher for Oregon State’s National Championship teams in 2006 and 2007. He batted .314 during his career, tallying 31 doubles, eight triples, 25 home runs and 152 runs batted in.

Following the 2007 season, Canham was drafted with the 57th pick in the 2007 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres. Although he never reached the major leagues, he made his way through professional baseball’s ranks as a coach.

He coached the Clinton LumberKings (Prospect League) in 2016 before making the jump to Single-A in 2017 as the coach of the Modesto Nuts, an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. Canham then jumped to Double-A in 2019, where he coached the Arkansas Travelers (also an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners) before resigning mid-season to take the Oregon State job.

He was hired as Oregon State’s 21st coach in program history on June 13, 2019 and received a contract extension in July 2022. He replaced interim coach Pat Bailey, who coached just one season following the retirement of legendary head coach three-time National Champion Pat Casey in 2018.

The Beavers have made the NCAA Tournament every season under Canham and won their Regional in 2022 and 2024. Canham is looking for his first College World Series appearance as a coach and first since 2007, when he was a player.

Wins over Top-100 RPI teams

Oregon State (45-14) finished at No. 18 in RPI Rankings.

Q1 Record: 5-3
Q2 Record: 7-7
Q3 Record: 17-3
Q4 Record: 16-1

11. Oklahoma State (40-17)
27. UC-Irvine (43-12) x2
31. Arizona (36-21) x2
52. Oregon (37-18) x2
56. Portland (37-19) x3
58. Texas Tech (33-26)
82. Utah (33-22) x2
84. Michigan (32-28)
86. Tulane (35-24)
87. Arizona State (32-26) x4
92. Cal State Northridge (30-24) x4

Wins over NCAA Tournament teams

Oklahoma State (No. 1 seed in Stillwater Regional, eliminated by Florida)
Arizona (No. 1 seed in Tucson Regional, eliminated by Dallas Baptist) x2
UC-Irvine (No. 2 seed in Corvallis Regional, eliminated by Oregon State) x2
Oregon (No. 3 seed in Santa Barbara Regional, advanced to Bryan-College Station Regional) x2
Tulane (No. 4 seed in Corvallis Regional, eliminated by UC-Irvine)

History

The 2024 NCAA Tournament marks the 23rd in Oregon State program history. The Beavers have made seven appearances in the College World Series, coming away with National Championships in 2006, 2007, and 2018.

Oregon State has produced many MLB All-Stars, including 2019 Golden Spikes Award Winner catcher Adley Rutschman, 2018 National Champion outfielder Steven Kwan, 2014 Golden Spikes Award runner-up outfielder Michael Conforto, 2005 Pac-10 co-Player of the Year outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, and back-to-back National Champion second baseman Darwin Barney.

Kentucky and Oregon State have never played each other.