Beaver baseball ’26: Same great pitching, different style offense

Sophomore right-hander Dax Whitney, a Freshman All-American last season, leads a strong array of pitching talent for Oregon State next season (courtesy Karl Maasdam/OSU sports communications)

CORVALLIS — There is going to be a very different look to Beaver baseball in the 2026 season — in terms of position players, at least.

The nucleus of a very good pitching staff returns, bolstered by five transfers and five incoming freshmen. Pitching has been a strength at Oregon State for many years, and that could be the case more than ever next season.

“This is one of the best staffs we have put together, for sure,” says Rich Dorman, beginning his seventh season as OSU’s pitching coach.

But losses among position players from last season’s College World Series nine could hardly have been heavier. Only three starters — seniors second baseman A.J. Singer, first baseman Jacob Krieg and right-fielder Easton Tait — are back from the club that navigated a difficult independent schedule to go 48-16-1 and give Mitch Canham his first trip to Omaha as Oregon State’s coach.

AJ Singer, A Rawlings Gold Glove winner at second base in 2025, will be one of the Beaver leaders in 2026 (courtesy Karl Maasdam/OSU sports communications)

Shortstop Aiva Arquette, outfielders Gavin Turley, Canon Reeder and Dallas Macias and catcher Wilson Weber signed pro contracts. Among the position players who left through the transfer portal were third baseman Trent Caraway (LSU), outfielders Tyce Peterson (San Diego State) and Carson McEntire (Arizona) and infielder Jabin Trosky (San Diego State).

“Every year good players are going to move on, and you have to find ways to replace them,” says Canham, who began fall ball workouts on Sept. 11. “I am excited about the potential of this year’s club. We have brought in some good talent. Our returnees are sharing their wisdom with the new guys. It is going to be a fun group to work with.”

It is going to be a different kind of offense than Oregon State has fielded in recent seasons. Gone are players accounting for 82 of the 107 home runs the Beavers belted a year ago.

“I don’t know that we are going to have that kind of power this year,” veteran assistant coach Ryan Gipson says, “but we have all the tools to score a lot of runs.”

“I don’t think we will be running the same kind of power numbers we ran last year, but this group has a lot more speed and contact potential,” Canham says. “We will have a slightly different offensive look, with roster management and how we are going to operate on the bases. But even last year when we played USC, we ran four bunts in an inning. We are always looking to build a well-rounded offense that can do everything at a consistently high level.”

The pitching side remains largely intact. The Beavers lost Nelson Keljo and Kellan Oakes to the pros, seventh-year senior Joey Mundt to the AARP, er, graduation, and James DeCremer (Arkansas), Matthew Morrell (USC), Laif Palmer (Cal Poly), Drew Talavs (San Diego State) and Bryce Johnson (Washington) to the portal.

But Dorman retains his starting weekend rotation — Dax Whitney, Ethan Kleinschmit and Eric Segura — along with Wyatt Queen, Zach Kmatz, AJ Hutcheson and Zach Edwards, all key arms from a year ago. Combined with a host of promising newcomers, pitching could be more than ever the strength of the Beavers in ’26.

“I love the (pitching) group,” Dorman says. “We have a good blend of old and new and excellent experience on both counts. When guys out of the portal choose to come here, they want to go to Omaha and want to win a national championship. This is a determined group. When you have a determined group that has talent, it’s scary.”

Canham, like all Division I coaches, is dealing with a major change implemented by the NCAA for next season. The roster limit has been reduced from 40 to 34, reducing opportunities for walk-ons. Canham, who started last fall with 44 players and has 37 this fall, doesn’t seem to mind.

“We started last fall with 44,” Canham says. “With a smaller roster, guys are getting more attention from coaches, they are getting more reps, and the time they are spending with one another has expedited significantly how their relationships are growing.”

With the recent House Settlement, the NCAA has increased the baseball scholarship limit from 11.7 full rides to 34. The Beavers have always divided their scholarship money into partial packages spread through the roster.

“We are still operating under the 11.7 guideline,” Canham says.

Will that put Oregon State behind its competition for spots in the NCAA Tournament and College World Series?

“I don’t know of any school that is going with 34, but I don’t worry about what everybody else is doing,” he says. “Some schools have upped their scholarship numbers, but others have (compensated players through) revenue share. Some schools are doing both.”

Oregon State is one of those programs that is using in-house NIL funds to help take care of players financially.

“We are not going up from 11.7, but we can use revenue share to turn that into more through an aid agreement package,” says Canham, adding that not everybody on the roster is getting NIL money.

Oregon State has brought in 12 transfers, 10 of whom are juniors or seniors. Is that by design, with the increasing numbers of players entering the portal each year?

“Just trying to find the right guys,” Canham says. “I wouldn’t say we are going after any specific age or school year. We are looking for experience, but we like having a good blend of young and older guys.”

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The three returning position starters will likely be team leaders along with senior reliever AJ Hutcheson, among others.

Singer, a Rawlings national Gold Glove winner at second base in 2025, might make the switch to shortstop this season. That is where the 5-10, 170-pound Glendale, Ariz., native played in a three-inning scrimmage I watched last Friday at Goss Stadium. Singer hit .312 with a .409 on-base percentage and struck out only 36 times in 275 plate appearances a year ago.

Krieg, with Edwards the two Beavers to play in the Cape Cod League this past summer, swatted 14 homers, came through with some clutch hits in the NCAA Tournament and improved his defensive play at first base last season. But the 6-5, 240-pound native of Antioch, Calif., batted only .245 with a team-high 79 strikeouts in 238 plate appearances. OSU’s coaches are counting on those numbers to be better next season.

“He simplified his swing and surged at the end,” Canham says. “Going through a swing change in the middle of a season is tough. He did a great job sticking with it. The snapshot of who he is and how he has grown is so special. Some of my happiest moments are watching Jacob find those clicking moments.”

Through an uneven 2025 season, Talt finished batting .261 with 12 doubles, eight homers, 57 runs and a .433 OBP plus team highs in walks (62) and stolen bases (10) despite an 0-for-34 slide in late April and May.

“We need Easton to play at a consistently high level,” Canham says. “He and AJ took the summer off (from playing baseball) and worked to come back in the best shape possible.”

The biggest battle for playing time will be at catcher, with four candidates — seniors Bryce Hubbard and Jacob Galloway, sophomore Martin Serrano and redshirt freshman Ryan VandenBrink.

Hubbard saw minimal duty as Weber’s backup a year ago, but hit .344 with a .508 OBP in 25 games for the Marion Berries of the West Coast League this summer.

“Hubbard is an excellent receiver,” Canham says. “At the plate, he is settling into being himself as opposed to worrying about power. He is just being a ballplayer, and doing a good job at that.”

Galloway is one of Oregon State’s most intriguing transfers. The 5-9, 165-pound Camarillo, Calif., native played sparingly last season at Texas A&M, but in 2024 was All-Pac-12 for Southern Cal,

hitting .286 with 17 doubles, six homers and 40 RBIs in 58 games. This past summer, Galloway played for Conejo of the California Collegiate League, hitting .298 with a .431 OBP in 31 games. He swings from the left side and got two nice hits in last Friday’s scrimmage.

“Jacob probably has the best bat-to-ball skills on the team,” Gipson says. “He is going to be an absolute pest to strike out. Because his swing decisions are so good, he is going to be potentially in the lineup every day (at either catcher or designated hitter).”

Serrano, also a southpaw stick, saw action in only three games as a true freshman. The 6-3, 210-pound Pocatello, Idaho, native hit .303 in 17 games for Cowlitz of the West Coast League this past summer.

“Serrano has a big arm, and he can turn into a Trevor Larnach type of hitter,” Canham says.

VandenBrink sat out last season after a storied career at West Linn, where he was the state’s Player of the Year in leading the Lions to their third straight 6A state championship in 2024.

“Vandy is going to be a player for us,” Canham says. “He has made some moves with his receiver and at the plate. For him, it will be about trying not to bull rush (with changes), because that sometimes leads to more issues. He is settling in and doing a good job being vocal with his teammates.”

The other two returning players are sophomores Paul Vazquez and Adam Haight, who both saw little time last season. The 6-3, 205-pound Vasquez, out of Covina, Calif., hit .346 with 12 doubles, seven homers and 37 RBIs and a .430 OBP in 29 games with the Marion Berries this past summer. He is a candidate to start at third base.

“The guys call Paul ‘Machado’ (after Manny Machado),” Canham says. “He is a really good third baseman, with a strong arm and confident glove. For him, it is going to be showing consistency, not having bad days after great ones.”

Haight played 20 games for Wenatchee of the WCL this past summer — 17 in the outfield and three as a pitcher. The 6-2, 190-pound native of Snohomish, Wash., will be joined by freshman Mason Pike as the Beavers’ two-way players next season.

“Haight and Pike now have a partner in crime,” Canham says. “They can do our offseason program together. I have liked Adam’s bullpen sessions so far, and he is playing the outfield well and hitting the crud out of the ball.”

Oregon State adds seven position players through the portal — Galloway, infielders Bryson Glassco, Tyler Inge and Cooper Vance and outfielders Nyan Hayes, Jace Miller and Eli Gries-Smith.

Glassco batted .438 and was second-team JC All-American as a shortstop last season for Clackamas. The 6-2, 185-pound native of Spanish Springs, Nev., played 50 games for the WCL Portland Pickles this past summer, hitting .317 with 10 doubles, seven homers, 44 runs and 50 RBIs with a .463 OBP.

“Bryson is a gamer, a guy who tends to be in the spot in the right time, puts the ball in play and is tough to strike out,” Gipson says. “He is going to make good decisions more often than not.”

Inge hit .217 in 28 games in reserve duty as a freshman at Michigan in 2025. The 6-foot, 175-pound sophomore out of Brighton, Mich., played with Greeneville (Tenn.) in the Appalachian League this past summer, hitting .247 with 15 stolen bases and a .384 OBP in 45 games. His father, Brandon Inge, played 13 big-league seasons as a catcher and third baseman.

“Tyler can play shortstop at a high level,” Gipson says. “He has tremendous upside with the bat, too.”

Vance, a 6-foot, 195-pound senior, was a starter last season as a shortstop at Eastern Michigan, hitting .291 with 13 doubles, six homers and 31 RBIs in 51 games.

“A seasoned college shortstop who can hit and catches it well,” Gipson says.

The Beavers may have found their center fielder in Grambling State transfer Nyan Hayes, who hit .277 with 10 doubles, 10 homers, 45 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 53 games while batting leadoff for the Tigers a year ago. Oregon State is the fourth school in four years for the 5-9, 165-pound senior.

Miller will miss fall ball due to surgery for a torn meniscus but should be ready to go when the Beavers begin winter drills in January. The 6-foot, 190-pound South Medford High grad and University of Portland transfer had a tremendous summer season with Bend, leading WCL hitters with a .383 average and a .490 OBP along with 14 doubles, four homers, 41 runs, 40 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 43 games.

“The kid has great makeup,” Gipson says. “We will give him a chance to be a big offensive threat for us.”

Gries-Smith can hit, too. The 6-2, 190-pound senior hit .353 with 16 doubles, 45 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in 54 games for Arkansas-Pine Bluff last season.

“Eli needs to make some defensive adjustments,” Gipson says, “but he is a very athletic kid who has proved himself at the college level.”

The 5-11, 210-pound Pike, a 19th-round pick by the Nationals in the July MLB draft, is probably the premier freshman in the class. As a senior at Puyallup (Wash.) High, as a switch-hitter and right-handed pitcher, Pike hit .482 and was 5-1 with an 0.84 ERA with 112 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings. He was ranked as the No. 2 prospect out of Washington and No. 5 in the Northwest by Baseball America.

“A true two-way guy, an excellent hitter with a big-time arm who is going to contribute a ton on the mound right away,” Gipson says. “We have big expectations for Mason.”

“In our first live session, he was electric,” Dorman says. “His fastball was up to 96 (mph). Lots of heat. He just has to settle in a little bit.”

The other three freshman position players are outfielder Josh Proctor, first baseman Kameron Beck and third baseman-outfielder Ethan Porter.

The 6-5, 215-pound Proctor, out of Altadena, Calif., hit .368 as a senior. He blasted two homers with eight RBIs in a WCL game for the Corvallis Knights this past summer.

“He is athletic and has a chance to hit for power and average,” Gipson says. “We expect a lot from him as a freshman.”

The 6-2, 215-pound Beck was Utah 6A Player of the Year as a senior at South Jordan High,

hitting .412 with 12 doubles, nine homers, 29 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 30 games.

“Kameron is going to have to dive in and make some adjustments to be comfortable,” Gipson says, “but he is big and strong with upside to hit for power.”

The 6-1, 210-pound Porter hit .385 as a senior at Huntington Beach (Calif.) High.

“Ethan is a baseball player; he is a hitter,” Gipson says. “He gets great at-bats and has the potential to play several positions. He is one of the guys we expect to contribute a lot as a freshman.”

Dorman has had solid pitching staffs every season, probably none better than in 2021, when the starters were Kevin Abel, Cooper Hjerpe, Jake Pfennigs and Will Frisch, with relievers Bryant Salgado, Brock Townsend, Mitchell Verburg, Jake Mulholland and Jack Washburn all carrying ERAs of 3.12 or better. Last year’s staff, led by Whitney and Kleinschmit, was a strength, too.

“I love that (2025) group, but this year we are a little more mature,” Dorman says. “We are set up pretty good.”

Whitney and Kleinschmit both started games for the U.S. national collegiate team that played a five-game series in Japan this past summer, and Segura was a member of Team USA the summer before.

Kleinschmit threw four innings of three-hit scoreless ball and Whitney one inning of one-hit scoreless ball in Team USA exhibition games in Cary, N.C. in late June. Whitney threw 4 1/3 innings of five-hit, two-run ball in a 2-0 loss to Japan on July 11. Kleinschmit gave up four hits and four runs in 2 2/3 innings of a 6-5 loss on July 13.

Segura sat out this past summer after having a “procedure” done on his elbow — “nothing major, nothing structural,” Dorman says. “He will take fall ball off but will be ready next spring.”

Whitney will again be the Friday night starter after going 6-3 with a 3.40 ERA and a .216 opponents batting average last season. The 6-5, 205-pound right-hander from Blackfoot, Idaho, was a Freshman All-American and third-team All-American in 2025.

The 6-3, 200-pound Kleinschmit will again work Saturdays. The former Linn-Benton CC southpaw by way of Mount Angel was 8-5 with a 3.56 ERA with a .194 opponents batting average as a sophomore last season, earning third-team All-America honors.

Segura started the 2025 season out of the bullpen but regained his starting spot late in the season. The junior right-hander from Soledad, Calif., was 8-2 with a 4.63 ERA in 19 appearances in ’25.

Gorman will need to identify at least two pitchers capable of mid-week starting duty. Among the candidates are Pike, fellow freshman Trey Morris, returnees Wyatt Queen and Max Fraser and junior transfers Noah Scott and Connor Mendez.

Queen started five games and was a solid reliever as a freshman last season with a 3-1 record and a 3.21 ERA in 21 appearances. The 6-2, 200-pound right-hander was ticketed for duty in Cape Cod but tweaked an oblique muscle in an outing against Louisville in Omaha and took the summer off.

Fraser, a 6-1, 185-pound junior from Camas, Wash., pitched for Ridgefield of the WCL this past summer, fashioning a 1.57 ERA in five starts and 28 2/3 innings.

Edwards was 1-0 with a 5.79 ERA in 16 relief appearances, struggling some with control as a freshman last season. The fireballing 6-2, 215-pound Riverton, Utah, native went 2-1 with a 1.65 ERA in eight games and 16 innings for Hyannis in Cape Cod this past summer.

“Zach pounds it and sinks it, and we have to continue to develop the slider,” Dorman says. “He could be a long reliever. We know he can go multiple innings. We trust him to throw big innings late.”

Candidates for the closer role — one that could be divided next season — include Hutcheson, Edwards, Zach Kmatz and transfers Isaac Yeager and Albert Robles.

Dorman has brought in five transfers, including Noah Scott, Connor Mendez and Jack Giordano.

San Diego transfer Jack Giordano, who converted from catcher to pitcher for the Toreros last season, has OSU coaches excited about his potential as a flame-thrower (courtesy Thomas Christensen/USD sports communications)

Yeager is a 6-6, 255-pound senior right-hander who was 5-1 with seven saves and a 3.78 ERA in 24 appearances for Washington last season.

“Yeager is not a true sweeper, but he has a tight little gyro slider, and he can sink 93, 94 (mph) so far,” Dorman says. “He knows how to pitch.”

Robles is a 5-11, 220 senior right-hander who was 4-3 with four saves, a 2.78 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings for Long Beach State in ’25.

“When I saw him pitch (for the Dirtbags), I thought he was really good,” Dorman says. “Then when I saw his name in the portal, I’m like, ‘I’m going after him.’ He has a high release with a lot of ride. It’s a funky slot. A really good changeup and curveball, a four-pitch mix with a slider. I respect the way he competes and the way he goes about his business.”

The 6-foot, 205-pound Mendez, a junior right-hander, was 4-1 with an 0.69 ERA in 12 games and 78 innings for the Beavers’ farm team — Linn-Benton — last spring. He was the NWAC Tournament MVP and a third-team JC All-American.

“Mendez reminds me of Robles,” Dorman says. “He has a bulldog mentality. He is a good one.”

Scott is a 6-4, 230-pound junior right-hander who was 22-4 with a 3.90 ERA over two seasons at Iowa Western JC.

“He has a sinker, a good changeup and slider, and we are working on some ‘vert’ to his fastball,” Dorman says.

Giordano could be a great story in ’26. The 6-2, 200-pound sophomore was a catcher and never pitched in high school in San Diego. He converted to pitcher last season at the University of San Diego. He was 1-2 with a 10.47 ERA in 18 appearances, but Dorman says to pay those numbers no mind.

“Early last season, Jack was warming guys up in the bullpen and his coach said, ‘Take the shinguards off; you are going to pitch,’ ” Dorman says. “After a season learning how to pitch, he is trending the right way. His fastball hits 97, and he has a really good mix. He has added a cutter already. I am really excited about his future.”

Adds Canham: “The kid’s fastball is like a lightning bolt. He is fun to watch.”

The five freshman pitchers are Pike, Morris, Tyler Bellarose, Trevor Kaiser and Calvin Gregory. Pike and Morris — a 6-2, 260-pound left-hander who was 9-3 with an 0.29 ERA and 149 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings as league MVP in high school in Easton, Calif. — may have the best chance for an immediate impact.

“Morris throws strikes; he suffocates the zone,” Dorman says. “He pitches with a maturity beyond the normal freshman. He will trim up once he is full-time baseball year-round and working with Coach (Mike) Henriques (Beaver baseball’s assistant sports performance coordinator).

“Those five freshmen are super competitive, and they throw strikes. That’s what you want.”

The Beavers will play three fall exhibition games — Saturday against the Okotoks Dawgs at Goss, on Oct. 12 vs. Gonzaga in Bend and on Oct. 19 against Nevada at Goss. Canham says individual performances will set the tone for playing time next season.

“It will be about who is going to work hard and get better,” the OSU skipper says. “There are guys who make big jumps. Across the board, even with ‘Whit’ and ‘Klein,’ everybody knows that all (starting) jobs are open right now. We are going to make sure that we are developing. They have to keep the needle moving forward.”

The 2026 Beavers open with their annual four-game showcase in Surprise, Ariz., from Feb. 12-16. Over the next 4 1/2 months, players will compete for starting jobs and bench roles. The coaches are expecting big things, as always.

“We are going to be extremely talented,” Gipson says. “We have high-skilled older guys and some returnees who can take charge of the team. Can’t wait to get started.”

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