No. 9 Oregon State 2025 College Top 25 Preview
Image credit: Nelson Keljo (Photo Courtesy of Oregon State Athletics)
- Last season: 45-16 (19-10 Pac-12; now independent); eliminated in Lexington Super Regional
- Final 2024 ranking: No. 9
- Coach (record at school): Mitch Canham (176-87, 6th season)
You can find our complete 2025 preseason Top 25 ranking here.
The Good News
The Beavers have historically done an excellent job replenishing the talent they’ve lost via the draft. From 2021-23, Oregon State saw 16 players, including nine top 10 rounders, picked from its roster but followed up those offseasons with three straight 40-plus win campaigns, matching a program record. The Beavers appear well-equipped to break that record in 2025, their first year as an independent following the dissolution of the Pac-12. They return southpaw Nelson Keljo, who will transition from bullpen standout to rotation frontman, and brought in touted freshman Dax Whitney and junior-college standout Ethan Kleinschmit to round out their weekend rotation. Washington transfer shortstop Aiva Arquette, Baseball America’s top-ranked portal player this offseason, bolsters a Beaver lineup that also features first-round hopeful third baseman Trent Caraway, hulking first baseman Jacob Krieg and power-hitting outfielder Gavin Turley, among others.The Beavers should be able to pick up where they left off in 2024.
The Bad News
Oregon State lost a solid chunk of its production on both sides of the ball in the 2024 draft, including second baseman and 2024 No. 1 pick Travis Bazzana, top starters Aiden May and Jacob Kmatz, who were drafted in the second and fifth rounds, respectively, and closer Bridger Holmes, who was picked in the seventh round. The Beavers will need players like Arquette, second baseman Jabin Trosky, Keljo, Whitney and others to step into those voids and thrive early. How the Beavers fare in games will be under the microscope, too, as they try to navigate an independent schedule that features three talent-heavy tournaments to open the year followed by just four weekend opponents that finished 2024 ranked among the top 50 in RPI.
Player To Know
A fringe top 100 prospect coming out of Honolulu (Hi.) St. Louis High School in 2022, Aiva Arquette opted to honor his commitment to Washington, where he hit .311 with 17 home runs, 14 doubles, 47 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 63 games across two seasons. The 6-foot-4 infielder entered the transfer portal after former Washington head coach Jason Kelly took the pitching coach job at Texas A&M and landed at Oregon State, where he now enters the year ranked No. 19 among 2025 draft prospects. The Beavers will rely on Arquette to anchor the heart of the batting order, especially with Bazzana no longer in the mix.
Path To Omaha
While Oregon State has done more winning over the last three seasons than nearly any other three-year stretch in program history, none of those campaigns have led to Omaha. In fact, the Beavers haven’t reached the College World Series since three-time national champion coach Pat Casey stepped down from the helm after winning it all in 2018. Offensive consistency late in the year—the Beavers recorded just three hits in their 2024 super regional loss to Kentucky—could be the key in a return to the biggest stage in the sport.
Projected 2025 Lineup
| Pos | Player | Year | AVG | OBP | SLG | AB | HR | RBI | Note |
| C | Wilson Weber | Sr. | .276 | .380 | .569 | 116 | 7 | 22 | |
| 1B | Jacob Krieg | Jr. | .278 | .453 | .535 | 144 | 9 | 40 | |
| 2B | Jabin Trosky | R-Jr. | .287 | .362 | .357 | 115 | 1 | 20 | |
| 3B | Trent Caraway | So. | .339 | .431 | .516 | 62 | 2 | 10 | |
| SS | Aiva Arquette* | Jr. | .325 | .384 | .574 | 209 | 12 | 36 | Washington |
| OF | Gavin Turley | Jr. | .277 | .412 | .589 | 231 | 19 | 74 | |
| OF | Dallas Macias | Jr. | .315 | .389 | .512 | 213 | 8 | 41 | |
| OF | Easton Talt | Jr. | .318 | .423 | .409 | 44 | 1 | 8 | |
| DH | Carson McEntire | R-Fr. | Did not play—Injured | ||||||
| Pos | Player | Year | GS | IP | ERA | WHIP | SO | BB | Note |
| SP | Nelson Keljo | Jr. | 3 | 43 | 3.98 | 1.37 | 60 | 14 | |
| SP | Dax Whitney | Fr. | HS—Blackfoot, Idaho | ||||||
| SP | Ethan Kleinschmit* | So.* | 13 | 78.1 | 1.03 | 0.70 | 120 | 16 | Linn-Benton CC |
| RP | Tanner Douglas | Jr.* | 0 | 38 | 3.32 | 1.40 | 40 | 24 | Portland |
| RP | Joey Mundt | R-Sr. | 0 | 30.1 | 2.67 | 0.96 | 33 | 12 |
