The Oregon State Beavers are no longer a unanimous top 10 college baseball team.
But, even after their weekend malaise, they’re not that far off.
The Beavers on Monday tumbled outside the top 10 in two of the five major polls — all the way to No. 13 on one ballot — after a humbling weekend that saw them lose to Oklahoma and Minnesota by a combined score of 18-8.
Oregon State is ranked No. 8 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Poll, No. 9 in the D1Baseball Top 25, No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 11 in the Baseball America Top 25 and No. 13 in the Perfect Game Top 25.
The Oregonian/OregonLive.com uses the D1Baseball poll for its rankings.
After starting the season with five convincing victories — including a solid, 7-2 win over then-No. 2 Virginia — the Beavers (5-2) stumbled in the Round Rock Classic.
“I know we have a lot of talent,” OSU coach Mitch Canham said after Sunday’s 10-4 loss to Minnesota. “But we still have a ton to improve, there’s no doubt.”
At the top of the list, currently, is the consistency of the bullpen.
Oregon State relievers collectively had a weekend to forget in Round Rock, Texas, allowing 12 hits and seven walks — and a whopping 12 runs — in 9 2/3 innings.
The bullpen wasn’t all bad — Wyatt Queen, Zach Edwards, Zach Kmatz and Tanner Douglas had solid outings — but the bad moments were glaring.
Laif Palmer walked three of the five batters he faced and Drew Talavs coughed up three runs on two hits and two walks in 2/3 of an inning against Oklahoma on Saturday. A day later, Kellan Oakes gave up four hits and two walks, which led to five unearned runs, in 2/3 of an inning, and James DeCremer gave up three runs on four hits in 2/3 of an inning against Minnesota.
It didn’t help that third baseman Trent Caraway, who had played exceptional defense over the first five games of the season, booted a pair of hard-hit grounders on Sunday, which led to five unearned runs.
And it also didn’t help that the Beavers’ potent lineup petered out over the weekend. OSU produced just five hits and went 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position against the Sooners, then managed just four singles over the first six innings against the Golden Gophers, when the game was still close.
“All in all, I think there were a lot of opportunities in there that we just we passed on,” Canham said. “Walks. Errors. Just free bases in general. It’s something we’ve really got to clean up.”
The good news? The season is only seven games old and the Beavers’ roster is as talented as any in the nation, so there’s plenty of time for that cleaning. Early-season defeats — especially those in high-profile tournaments — are always magnified.
But things won’t get much easier for Oregon State this week. After a four-day break from games, the Beavers will return to Texas for a three-game series against Baylor, Auburn and Ohio State at the College Baseball Series in Arlington.
— Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | @freemanjoe.bsky.social | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
