Everyone agrees. Once more.
Heading into the 2025 season, the Oregon State baseball team is a unanimous top 10 club in all five major polls after debuting at No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches Poll on Tuesday.
Nestled between No. 6 Florida State (537) and No. 8 North Carolina (530), the Beavers finished with 532 points and no first-place votes in the coaches’ poll.
First-seeded Texas A&M was followed by Tennessee, LSU, Virginia, and Arkansas, in that order.
The ACC and SEC together accounted for 18 of the top 25 slots, including 12 of the top 13, which reflects the poll as a whole. The Beavers are one of only three West Coast teams in the poll, alongside the rival Oregon Ducks (No. 14) and UC Santa Barbara (No. 22), and the only club outside of the two Power 4 leagues to receive a top 10 ranking.
According to the five major polls, the Ducks are ranked between No. 12 and No. 19, making them a unanimous top 25 team going into the season.
Of course, high preseason rankings are nothing new to Oregon State. Last season, the Beavers, who have participated in 23 regionals and won three College World Series titles, were selected unanimously in the top 10 preseason.
They advanced to the super regionals after winning 45 games, however they lost to the Kentucky Wildcats in the Lexington Super Regional. The team’s All-America second baseman Travis Bazzana, the first overall pick in the MLB draft, rotation anchors Aiden May and Jacob Kmatz, closer Bridger Holmes, shortstop Elijah Hainline, slugger Mason Guerra, and starting outfielders Micah McDowell and Brady Kasper were among the many important players that Oregon State lost.
However, voters who are impressed with coach Mitch Canham’s retooled roster were not put off by the significant exodus, according to preseason polls. Aiva Arquette, a junior shortstop ranked seventh on MLB.com’s top 100 draft prospects list, is one of five players in the skilled and deep bunch. Left-hander Nelson Keljo (No. 89), junior outfielder Dallas Macias (No. 60), junior outfielder Gavin Turley (No. 84), and sophomore third baseman Trent Caraway (No. 21).
Beyond the five main performers, there are other things to enjoy. The pitching staff has arguably the strongest group of arms in Canham’s six seasons as coach, and team insiders are projecting breakout seasons from players like senior catcher Wilson Weber and junior first baseman Jacob Krieg.
The Beavers’ rotation is anticipated to include transfer Ethan Kleinschmit, freshman sensation Dax Whitney, and sophomore Eric Segura in addition to Keljo, who is ready to return to the field after two years in the bullpen. Because of the talent on staff, including ten different players who reached 94.0 mph in the autumn, the daunting foursome isn’t finalized.
According to pitching coach Rich Dorman, his staff’s sophomore class is so strong that up to eight Beavers could be chosen in the 2026 MLB draft.
On February 14, the Beavers play Xavier in Surprise, Arizona, to start the season.
Read this preseason analysis of the Beavers’ offense to get a preview of the starting lineup.
Read this preseason analysis of the Beavers’ pitching to get a preview of the staff.
503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman|@freemanjoe.bsky.social| Joe Freeman|[email protected]| Get the newest news and the best stories by subscribing to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts.
