Canham Praises Baseball Team Ahead of Selection Monday

No matter what happens in Monday's college baseball selection show, Oregon State baseball coach Mitch Canham is ready.

The leader of the Oregon State program broke it all down with reporters Wednesday, "We got a meeting here in a half hour with guys in the classroom, we're going to go over some talking points, what've we been doing well, where do we need to get better, how are we gonna implement that this next week plus of practice, and what this weekend's gonna look like".

Fatigue is an area of concern. Oregon State travered the country with a rigorous independent schedule, as the Beavers embarked for series' in Hawaii, Nebraska, Iowa, Texas, and elsewhere. Canham believes the early end to the regular season (they do not play a conference tournament this season) has helped them recover: "Yesterday was just a light touch, a little bit in the hitting facility, good hitting yesterday, good focus on our light defensive work, you get to stand a little bit taller when you had a couple days off".

One area without concern is the stellar play of Aiva Arquette. Canham believes his Golden Spikes nominee star shortstop gives the Beavers an edge in the postseason: "Everything he does it's amazing, a five tool player that can do anything on the field...our expectations every time he takes the field are nothing short of immaculate".

Earlier in the Spring, Oregon State junior outfielder Gavin Turley surpassed Travis Bazzana's school record for home runs in a single season. His accolades have drawn significant attention from major league scouts, which left the young man feeling bittersweet: if he gets drafted high in June, this weekend may mark his final games at Goss Stadium. Canham offered his support: "We all know how emotional he is about this place, how special it is to him, he could've gone anywhere in the country and he chose to come here. Now, in today's age, that can happen every year, you can always go somewhere else, but Gavin has put his heart and soul into this place."

On Monday, senior catcher Wilson Weber was named a Buster Posey Award semifinalist. Canham isn't surprised: "[He's] becoming comfortable and confident. He's always had the ability in him. He's not looking over his shoulder, he just kind of pushed all that other stuff aside, the guy on the mound, his teammates, taking care of his body ... he handles all the little things."

Currently, Oregon State is ranked 6th in RPI, and are expected (by many national outlets, including D1Baseball and Perfect Game) to host a regional the last weekend in May.