Dax Whitney’s Electric Oregon State Debut Could Be Just The Beginning
Image credit: Dax Whitney (Photo courtesy of Jerry Espinoza/Oregon State)
As Dax Whitney recorded the last out of his collegiate debut and walked off the field, Oregon State fans who colored Surprise Stadium orange during Saturday’s Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic greeted him with a standing ovation.
In many ways, it was a moment Whitney had envisioned for years.
“It’s an unreal feeling,” Whitney said. “This is the best fan base in the entire country, and I just couldn’t ask for anything else.”
The righthander dazzled, delivering five shutout innings, striking out eight and allowing just four hits with one walk in Oregon State’s 16-0 win over UNLV.
For Whitney, it was more than just putting his team in a position to win. It was more than wanting to start his career off on the right foot. It was more than living up to being a Saturday starter as a freshman.
It was about fulfilling a childhood dream.
The Blackfoot, Idaho native grew up in a state without a strong track record of producing major league talent. But the 19-year-old had the tools to change that narrative.
Whitney, who also played basketball, was heralded as one of the best athletes in the state, winning Idaho’s Gatorade Player of the Year award in 2024. In his senior season, he had a 10-0 record and a 0.27 ERA. He allowed just two earned runs and struck out 130 in 52.2 innings.
He found success through his four-pitch mix with his fastball that reaches up to 96 mph. His curveball, slider and changeup showed plenty of movement. It also helps that Whitney stood at 6-foot-5, 195 pounds as a high schooler.
Scouts raved about Whitney’s talent, projecting him as a potential top-two-round draft pick. He would have been just the fifth high school player drafted and signed from Idaho in the top 10 rounds this century. But his strong commitment to Oregon State swayed teams away.
So why did he choose to play for the Beavers instead of taking the guaranteed money and beginning his professional career?
“There’s just a winning culture here,” Whitney said. “Everything about this place is perfect. We get here and we win. That’s the exact reason I came here–to win a national championship.”
The 2018 Oregon State team that won the College World Series inspired Whitney to become a Beaver. After taking a visit to Corvallis during his junior year, everything Whitney heard about the program lived up to the hype.
Now, the Beavers immediately felt the benefits of having Whitney in the program. It’s not just the potential he has on the mound.
“Everyone knows how special he is as a ballplayer,” Oregon State head coach Mitch Canham said. “I think more and more people are going to see the incredible human being that he is, and it’d be silly not to root for that kid.
“He has a ton of respect from everyone in the clubhouse.”
Canham has seen plenty of talented players. Both as a coach and during his four years when he played with Oregon State and won back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007. But after just seeing a small sample of Whitney, he already praises him as one the most developed players to step onto campus. Whitney ranked as the second-best draft prospect to reach campus this year and sixth in Baseball America’s preseason freshmen rankings.
“Dax has an incredible step ahead of most because of where his body is at, and his brain is at,” Canham said. “You don’t see many freshmen coming out like that and control the environment, as opposed to letting it speed him up.”
Whitney got to work right away. He has added close to 30 pounds and worked with pitching coach Rich Dorman on finding a good routine, which played a huge role in his successful debut.
Whitney knows there’s room to grow, particularly in fastball command and pitch sequencing against advanced hitters.
Oregon State’s talented roster has motivated Whitney to improve. Whitney has honed a strong relationship with Nelson Keljo, the team’s Friday starter, and credits him for helping the transition to college ball be a smooth one. He shares a clubhouse with draft prospects such as Aiva Arquette, Gavin Turley and Trent Caraway.
He’ll need to keep up with his talented teammates if Oregon State wants to reach its goal of bringing back a national championship.
“In every direction you look, you see an absolute dog next to you,” Whitney said. “It’s huge just knowing that every dude in the dugout is going out there to compete his butt out for you, and you got to go do the same.”
