Corvallis, OR – JUNE 10: The Oregon State Beavers Head Coach Pat Casey celebrates a 9-2 Oregon State Beavers victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores in an NCAA Championship Super Regional Playoff game on June 10, 2017 at Goss Stadium on the campus of Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR (Photo by Ben Ludeman)
OMAHA (NCBWA) – After leading Oregon State to one of the most dominating seasons in college baseball history, including a trip to the 2017 College World Series, Oregon State’s Pat Casey has been named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association National Coach of the Year.
“Coach Pat Casey has taken OSU to the best record at this point in the season since Texas’ 1975 NCAA championship team finished 59-6,” said NCBWA executive director Bo Carter. “No team has dominated Division I like this in decades, and it speaks of the great coaching ability and leadership of Coach Casey. He definitely deserves this national honor.”
The Beavers advanced to the CWS under Casey with an Oregon State single-season record 54 wins (54-4 overall), and set a Pac-12 Conference record for wins, while finishing league play with a 27-3 mark. Casey’s Beavers own the two longest winning streaks in college baseball in 2017 with a 23-game streak and an active 21-game streak. On May 12, Casey became just the 16th active coach to reach 1,000 wins with a four-year program.
After opening the season ranked seventh in the NCBWA preseason poll, Casey led the Beavers to 28 wins in their first 29 games including the 23-game win streak. The Beavers moved into the top spot in every national poll in late March and remained the nation’s No. 1 ranked team through the Super Regionals. In the postseason, OSU swept through the Regionals with three dominating wins before sweeping Vanderbilt in the Super Regionals to advance to the CWS.
Under Casey, Oregon State claimed four of the Pac-12’s five major awards, while the Beavers placed six players on the all-conference first team. In addition to Casey being named the Pac-12 Conference Coach of the Year, OSU players claimed the conference’s player of the Year, defensive player of the year and pitcher of the year honors. In addition, five Beavers were selected in the MLB Draft. Pitcher Drew Rasmussen was the first round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays, first baseman KJ Harrison was selected in the third round by the Milwaukee Brewers and pitcher Jake Thompson went to the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round. Third baseman Michael Gretler (Pittsburgh Pirates) and pitcher Max Engelbrekt (Washington Nationals) were late round selections.
NCBWA membership includes writers, broadcasters and publicists. Designed to promote and publicize college baseball, it is the sport’s only college media-related organization, founded in 1962.
