CORVALLIS — The Oregon State Beavers earned a No. 8 national seed in the NCAA baseball tournament and will host the Corvallis Regional, welcoming No. 2 seed TCU, No. 3 seed USC and No. 4 seed Saint Mary’s to Goss Stadium in Corvallis.
It’s the 13th time in school history the Beavers have hosted a regional, including the third time in the last four years under coach Mitch Canham. They won the event in 2022 and 2024, advancing to the super regionals.
But OSU will have its hands full in 2025.
Of the 16 NCAA baseball tournament regionals, only three feature four teams with 35 or more wins. And one of them is the Corvallis Regional.
TCU (18) and USC (45) boast RPIs inside the top 45 nationally, and Saint Mary’s enters the postseason as one of college baseball’s hottest teams, having won 20 of its last 25 games.
Here’s a look at Oregon State’s opponents for this year’s double-elimination event, which begins Friday at Goss:
NO. 2 SEED TCU HORNED FROGS
Record: 39-18
Coach: Kirk Saarloos, fourth season
Top hitters: Sawyer Strosnider (.354, 10 home runs, 12 doubles, 10 triples, 50 RBIs), Karson Bowen (.333, 11 doubles, 28 RBIs), Nolan Traeger (.329, eight doubles, 29 runs scored), Cole Cramer (.326, eight doubles, 43 RBIs), Noah Franco (.325, 11 homers, 16 doubles, 49 RBIs), Chase Brunson (.323, 12 homers, 12 doubles, 46 RBIs)
Top pitchers: Tommy LaPour (8-2, 2.89 ERA, 83 strikeouts), Mason Brassfield (5-1, 3.56, 67 strikeouts), Louis Rodriguez (5-1, 2.76), Kade Eudy (1-1, six saves, 3.80), Braedon Sloan (3-4, three saves, 4.02 ERA, 67 strikeouts), Nate Stern (3-1, 1.35), Cohen Feser (1-2, one save, 5.11)
What to know: The Horned Frogs finished the regular season ranked No. 22 in the nation and third in the competitive Big 12 Conference, which produced eight teams in the NCAA baseball tournament field. Many pundits thought TCU would land a top 16 national seed and host a regional. Instead, it had to settle for a visit to Corvallis, where it will play in the postseason for the 18th time in the last 21 postseasons. LaPour is one of the most talented and hardest-throwing starters in the nation, featuring a fastball that has touched 100 mph, but the Beavers are in line to avoid the sophomore right-hander — he’s expected to start against USC in Friday’s opener. Behind him is a bullpen that is the deepest and perhaps most versatile of the regional, which helped the Horned Frogs produce college baseball’s 19th-best ERA (4.24) this season. On offense, six TCU regulars are hitting .323 or better, including No. 2 hitter Strosnider, who won Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors, and cleanup hitter Franco, who was named a First-Team All-Conference selection. TCU won its final two regular-season series and reached the Big 12 tournament championship game, where it lost 2-1 to Arizona in 10 innings, so it’s playing well entering the postseason. And after narrowly missing an at-large regional bid last season — and being passed over as a national seed this season — the Horned Frogs no doubt bring plenty of motivation into Corvallis.
NO. 3 SEED USC TROJANS
Record: 35-21
Coach: Andy Stankiewicz, third season
Top hitters: Ethan Hedges (.343, 12 homers, 10 doubles, 55 RBIs), Adrian Lopez (.337, eight homers, 21 doubles, 49 RBIs), Brayden Dowd (.322, 10 homers, 15 doubles, 50 runs scored), Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek (.304, eight homers, seven doubles, 40 RBIs), Abbie Covarrubias (.296, 11 doubles, 34 runs scored), Andrew Lamb (.324, eight homers, seven doubles, 40 RBIs)
Top pitchers: Caden Aoki (5-4, 4.21 ERA, 81 strikeouts), Caden Hunter (6-5, 5.18, 74 strikeouts), Brodie Purcell (3-2, 2.11), Sax Maston (2-1, 4.91), Andrew Johnson (3-1, 4.41), Jude Favela (2-0, 1.42), Ethan Hedges (2-1, 2.40, nine saves)
What to know: The Trojans earned an at-large regional bid even though they lost their final two series of the regular season and split a pair of games at the Big Ten tournament. They were one of the “final four” teams awarded a berth by the selection committee, scoring their first regional appearance since 2015 and second in the last 20 years. It’s the latest step forward in a multi-year program rebuild by Stankiewicz, who has guided the Trojans to 30 or more wins in three consecutive seasons for the first time since 2002, when they were coached by Hall of Famer Mike Gillespie. And, despite its rough stretch run, USC has shown it can beat anybody, earning early-season wins over No. 1 national seed Vanderbilt and UC Irvine and a late-season series win over No. 15 seed UCLA. Oregon State fans no doubt remember how dominant Aoki can be — he beat the Beavers last season, striking out eight and allowing just four hits over six innings — but the senior right-hander is expected to start Friday’s opener against TCU. USC’s offense has been inconsistent, but leadoff hitter Dowd and Big Ten First-Team All-Conference selection Hedges are prodigious performers. Hedges is a dynamic two-way threat, who starts at third base and closes games, and he is one of the more intriguing players competing in Corvallis this weekend.
NO. 4 SAINT MARY’S GAELS
Record: 35-24
Coach: Eric Valenzuela, eighth season
Top hitters: Eddie Madrigal (.372, 21 homers, 13 doubles, 77 RBIs), Aiden Taurek (.336, 10 homers, 20 doubles, 45 RBIs), Diego Castellanos (.317, seven homers, 11 doubles, 51 runs scored), Cody Kashimoto (.272, 46 runs scored, 38 walks), Ryan Pierce (.299, 14 homers, 53 RBIs), Ian Armstrong (.366, five homers, 40 RBIs)
Top pitchers: Dylan Delvecchio (6-3, 4.85, 71 strikeouts), Garret Plata (3-1, 5.30), Talin Gardini (3-1, 5.65), Noah Waldeck (1-1, two saves, 5.81), Daniel Guevara Castro (1-1, two saves, 4.94), Donovan Chriss (3-2, 6.20)
What to know: Few teams enter the postseason hotter than the Gaels, who not only have won 20 of the last 25 games, but also are riding the momentum of a wild WCC conference championship run. After finishing third in the conference during the regular season, Saint Mary’s won four WCC tournament games to capture the automatic bid, overcoming a six-run deficit to beat LMU in the semifinals and escaping No. 1 seed San Diego 9-8 in the title game. Pitching figures to prevent the Gaels from becoming a real threat in the regional — their 6.20 staff ERA ranks 160th nationally — but their offense is a force. Saint Mary’s leads the four-team field in scoring, averaging 7.8 runs per game, and one could argue it has the best hitter in Corvallis. Eddie Madrigal, the cousin of former OSU great Nick Madrigal, ranks ninth nationally in RBIs, 12th in homers and 67th in batting average. The Gaels are playing in the regionals for just the second time in school history.
CORVALLIS REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, May 30
Game 1: (2) TCU vs (3) USC – noon (ESPNU)
Game 2: (1) Oregon State vs (4) Saint Mary’s – 5 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, May 31
Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 – noon (TV TBD)
Game 4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 – 6 p.m. (TV TBD)
Sunday, June 1
Game 5: Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 – 3 p.m. (TV TBD)
Game 6: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5 – 7 p.m. (TV TBD)
Monday, June 2
Game 7: Rematch of Game 6 – TBD *if necessary (TV TBD)
— Joe Freeman | [email protected] | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.