Ten Key Moments from Oregon State's Regular Season

Next Monday morning at 9 AM, Mitch Canham's Oregon State Beavers will learn their seed, regional, and postseason path towards the College World Series in Omaha.

To help kill time, we're looking back at ten key moments over the course of this baseball season.

10. At the start of February, Dax Whitney and Ethan Kleinschmit were named All-Americans

Ten days before the season opener, Oregon State's pitching staff earned major kudos: sophomore Dax Whitney and junior Ethan Kleinschmit were each named to Baseball America's preseason All-American team.

9. Oregon State earns their first win of the season

After dropping their season opener - a narrow loss to Michigan on Valentines Day - the Beavers responded with a comeback win over Arizona the following day. At the time, the Wildcats were ranked 24th in D1Baseball.com's Preseason Top 25.

8. The next day, Oregon State gets their first walk-off win of the year

That first weekend in Surprise featured several firsts: a first win, a first win streak, and the Beavers first walk-off of 2026. The latter milestone occurred against former Pac-12 rivals Stanford in a 3-2 pitchers' duel. In the bottom of the ninth inning, a Josh Procter single brought Cooper Vance home from third, driving the orange & black out of their dugout in a mad dash towards the plate.

7. Dax Whitney ties OSU's single game strikeout record

The following weekend, Oregon State ace pitcher Dax Whitney equaled an iconic record in Oregon State baseball lore. With seventeen strikeouts February 20th against the Baylor Bears, Whitney matched a mark met twice before: Cooper Hjerpe did it in 2022, and Mason Smith first set the record in 1994. When the dust settled, three different national outlets named Whitney their National Pitcher of the Week.

6. Adam Haight's lifechanging weekend

On the last day of February, Oregon State sophomore outfielder swung his first collegiate home run. In a Sunday matinee against Iowa the following morning, Haight rounded the bases again. Entering February 28th's career breakout, the sophomore from Snohomish had five strikeouts in eleven plate appearances. By season's end, he'd become a reliable contributor at the plate, and a regular starter in the outfield.

5. A thunderous rout in the season's first homestand

March 6-9 marked the Beavers' home opener at Goss Stadium. The third game of that series was arguably their most impressive display, as Oregon State bloodied the Xavier Wildcats 17-2. The rout inched a win streak to five games, and taught Beaver Nation what their team was capable of.

4. Two impressive win streaks

From there, the win streak climbed to nine games before a stunning loss to the University of Portland. As if it never happened, Oregon State recovered to win seven more in a row, and earn a spot in the top ten of major polls, before falling to Washington in a lopsided midweek contest.

3. Back-to-back shutouts, and almost history

Down in Texas, the Beavers shut out Lamar on back-to-back nights. It was the first time Oregon State kept their opponents scoreless for back-to-back games in a road series since 2013.

A day later, they almost accomplished another shutout. For five innings, Ethan Kleinschmit kept Lamar off the board. If that score had held, the Beavers would have had their first three-game road shutout ever in the history of the three-time national champion baseball program.

2. Dax Whitney's injury

In the last week of April, star pitcher Dax Whitney tapped out mid-game with shoulder tightness. Following examination, it was determined that Whitney suffered a UCL injury, and would miss the remainder of the season. Without him, Oregon State adjusted their pitching lineup: Saturday starter Ethan Kleinschmit moved up to Friday, while Sunday starter Eric Segura now threw on Saturday, and true freshman midweek maestro Trey Morris took over the Sunday slot. Their first series without Whitney began with an upset loss at the hands of CSUN, 8-6. A day later, they fought doggedly to even the series in a 10th inning walkoff-win.

1. Oregon State sweeps Long Beach State

The Long Beach State Dirtbags, historically one of the west coast's best mid-majors, suffered three straight defeats by the orange & black this month. While Oregon State's postseason future is in flux - the Beavers might lack a high enough seed to host a regional in Corvallis - Oregon State proved what they are capable of when they play their best.