Oregon State Softball: Looking Back at the 2025 Season
Oregon State's softball season came to a close Saturday afternoon with a 15-4 loss to the Santa Clara Broncos. The Beavers finished the season with a record of 7-8, tied with the LMU Lions for third in the West Coast Conference.
Headed into the weekend the Beavers were within spitting distance of tying for the top spot in the conference. The Beavers were 6-6 headed into the weekend, and were going to need some help to catch the top teams, but winning out would give them a shot.
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After taking down Santa Clara 2-1 in Thursday's game, the Beavers fell in the second game against the Broncos 4-1, which ended any hopes for the Beavers being in the conversation as WCC Champions. Saturday's game would be pointless, but would still rub salt in the wound.
Santa Clara put up three runs in the first and three runs in the second to take an early 6-0 lead. In the bottom of the third it looked like Oregon State might be able to work their back into the game, as Madison Weir belted a three run homer to get the Beavers on the board. The Broncos answered with a two run homer in the top of the fourth.
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While the Beavers got a run back in the bottom of the fourth, the Broncos poured on another seven runs in the top of the fifth. That put them up 15-4, and after the Beavers couldn't respond, the mercy rule came into effect.
Far from an ideal way to end a season, but this year's team did show flashes of promise. After some early season struggles on the road found their footing with a win over Oregon, and then picked up series wins over Montana, Portland State, San Diego.
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The Beavers struggled to compete with the top teams in the conference, Santa Clara, Saint Mary's an LMU, but there is a foundation to build on, and most of the big names on this year's team should be back. Some of the best hitters on the team should be back, including Jada Lewis, Morgan Howey and Tristian Thompson.
Lewis, a sophomore outfielder, led the Beavers in many hitting categories, including Batting Average, OPS and OBP. She also led the team in stolen bases, and was a great defensive hand in the field. Howey, a junior outfielder, is another great all around player, leading the team in hits while also contributing only one error in 115 fielding chances.
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Thompson is one of the most promising players on the roster. While she wasn't the most consistent hitter on the roster, with a batting average of .269, but when she hits, she hits hard. She led the team with 10 home runs, and her .538 slugging percentage was the Beavers' best. She's already one of the Beavers' most potent offensive threats, so if she can bring that BA up a bit she could be one of the most dangerous players in the conference.
Where the Beavers do need to make some moves is their pitching roster. Logan Hulon and Elle Garcia both performed well for Oregon State, with ERAs of 2.86 and 3.44 respectively, but Hulon is a Grad Student and Garcia is a senior, so the Beavers will need to find some new blood. Freshman Elizabeth Phillips saw a few appearances this year, but not enough to really get a feel for whether she's ready for a larger role next season.
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Like many other Oregon State teams, this year was one where softball had to figure out a huge amount of changes after the death of the Pac-12. While the team struggled at times, by the end of the season we had a solid sense of the team's identity. 2026 should start in a much more secure place.
Having grown up in Pocatello, home of the Idaho State Bengals, John Severs is a lifelong fan of small schools that don't always deliver a lot of wins. Prior to writing for On SI, John covered the Beavers for SB Nation's Oregon State blog Building the Dam, with a focus on baseball and women's basketball. When he's not watching college sports he spends most of his time reading, playing video games and annoying cats.