Oregon State's Successful SoCal Trip Boosts National Rankings
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Head coach Mitch Canham and the Oregon State Beavers are now 18-5 to start the 2026 baseball season after an offensive explosion against the USC Trojans on Tuesday afternoon.
Just prior to that, the Beavers learned that they've risen again in the national rankings released March 23 and 24. This week, the Beavers achieved a high of No. 12 in Baseball America's Top 25.
D1Baseball.com: Current Rank - No. 16, Previous Rank - No. 17
Baseball America: Current Rank - No. 13, Previous Rank - No. 15
National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association: Current Rank - No. 14, Previous Rank - No. 16
RPI: Current Rank - No. 27, Previous Rank - No. 27
USA Today Coaches Poll: Current Rank - No. 14, Previous Rank - No. 16
More Reading Material From Oregon State Beavers On SI
While Oregon State turned in a somewhat surprising loss last Tuesday at Portland, the Beavers followed it up by sweeping a three-game weekend at UC Irvine. Oregon State scored at-least five runs in each of those wins. On Friday, Dax Whitney had another strong day on the mound with 11 strikeouts. Saturday saw a 5-3 win for OSU behind a three-hit day from Josh Proctor. Sunday was a 9-5 win for the Beavers after they came overcame 2-0 deficit with a late offensive surge.
The Beavers looked deserving of their ranking on Tuesday in the win at USC, the first by a visiting team in the Trojans' new Dedeaux Field ballpark. Oregon State finished a series ofeight consecutive road games with a 7-1 record.
This weekend, the Beavers return to action in Corvallis with a three-game home series against the Mercer Bears of the Southern Conference. Mercer have started their season with an overall record of 21-4.
First pitch is scheduled for Friday evening at 5:35 p.m. PT. Fans across the country can watch on Portland's CW via cwtv.com and listen on the radio via the Beaver Sports Network.
About State of the Beavs
Each week, veteran sports broadcaster and writer Matt Bagley examines the news and storylines at play for Oregon State University Athletics. Occasionally joined by contributors for On SI's coverage of the Beavers, as well as the occasional guest spot from Beavers past, present, and future. Get caught up with the playlist below. New episodes are typically released on Tuesday mornings.
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Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.
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