Oregon State baseball coach Mitch Canham: “Everyone that is here is excited about the future of the program, about our schedule and about the camaraderie around them.
The NCAA baseball transfer portal window closed at midnight, accompanied by a welcoming sound for Oregon State’s baseball team.
Silence.
As coaches predicted — and players promised — the Beavers experienced no crippling departures, much alone a mass exodus such to those that destroyed the women’s basketball and football programs during the 2023-24 season.
Seven players, including catchers Tanner Smith and Evan Gustafson, pitchers Aiden Jimenez, Tyler Mejia, and Tephen Montgomery, and infielders Brandon Forrester and Reeve Boyd, chose to leave. Only four of them (Smith, Mejia, Montgomery, and Forrester) appeared in a game last season.
According to OSU coach Mitch Canham, the players left for a number of reasons, none of which had anything to do with the Pac-12 Conference’s dissolution or the Beavers’ independent destiny.
“For anyone that leaves, I still love them,” Canham told The Oregonian/OregonLive last month. “They’re our children. They have been there with us. They participated in the program. Sometimes things simply don’t work out. On one end, it can be about playing time or being fit. But everyone here is thrilled about the program’s future, our schedule, and the camaraderie they share.”
Smith’s absence will be felt the most. He started each of the last two seasons behind the plate, splitting time with Wilson Weber, and developed into a defensive pillar and popular member of the club. He had some noteworthy hits along the way, including a game-winning grand slam against Cal, a go-ahead home run against Nevada, and a 13th-inning walk-off single versus USC. However, Smith hit just.230 in 107 career games, and once the Beavers’ championship drive ended in Lexington, Kentucky, he decided he needed a change of environment and a chance to be an everyday starter.
