Oregon State Pitcher Dax Whitney to Undergo UCL Surgery

Oregon State Baseball Ace Dax Whitney's season is over, as the program announced Friday morning that he would be undergoing ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) surgery, effectively ending his season. Whitney left April 23rd's game against Hawaii, reporting tightness in his elbow.

Whitney had been the centerpiece of the Beavers' pitching rotation during the 2026 season. Over the season he put together a 6-1 record in 11 starts, with an ERA of 2.00 and a WHIP of 0.952. He had 104 strikeouts on the season against 42 hits and 18 walks. That's one of the best pitching stat lines in the country.

That performance got him notice from the major leagues. Even as a high school prospect out of Blackfoot, Idaho Whitney was highly regarded, He was committed to Oregon State and so went undrafted, but had attracted the attention of multiple scouts. As the 2026 season progressed, Whitney emerged as the top prospect in the 2027 MLB Draft.

Now that's up in the air. UCL surgery can take over a year to fully recover from. While Whitney may be healthy by the time the 2027 draft rolls around, he may not have the chance to make many starts in the 2027 season. If a team is going to spend a top pick on Whitney, they may want assurance that he's fully recovered from his injury.

In the meantime, the Beavers will need to scramble to shore up their starting rotation to cover the absence of their ace. Whitney, Ethan Kleinschmidt and Eric Segura had been the Beavers three main starters over the 2026 season, and Kleinschmidt has been tapped to fill Whitney's shoes in tonight's game against Cal State Northridge.

Going forward, Oregon State will likely tab Trey Morris or Connor Mendez as their third starter. Morris and Mendez have been the Beavers' starters for midweek games this season, with both picking up starts against UT Rio Grande Valley this week. Mason Pike and Noah Scott have also picked up one start each this season.

Morris may be the most likely pitcher to step up. He's made four starts for the Beavers and appeared in 12 games, putting together a 3-0 record with a 2.02 ERA. He picked up his third win Tueday with a 4-2 win over UTRGV. He may still have to miss Sunday's game due to his Tuesday start, as the coaching staff may not want to risk straining another arm.

The Beavers still seem well placed to host a Regional in the NCAA Baseball Tournament, but their case for hosting a Super Regional may now be in doubt. Oregon State had been ranked sixth in the nation following their sweep over Hawaii last weekend, but a midweek loss against UTRGV combined with the loss of their best player may cost them enough votes to drop out of the top eight.

Oregon State's series against Cal State Northridge suddenly has a lot riding on it. Especially's Sunday's matchup, when we find out who gets the start.

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