Reigning Champions, Oregon State, get their season up and running away from the cold snap
when they travel down to Arizona and they’ll be hoping to thaw any concerns Beaver fans
might have following a close season of change. Three-time National Champ coach Pat Casey
retired on a high at the end of last season and Pat Bailey has stepped into the void.
Bailey has not only got to contend with filling the big shoes vacated by Casey but also that of
a squad re-build following a period where several talented members have moved on. Is
Bailey concerned? No, is the simple answer. During his season preview press conference in
late January, Bailey confidently dismissed any concerns going on to claim that ‘pitching and
defense wins championships’; an area where Oregon remain strong. High hopes are being
placed on two freshmen – Jacob Pfennings and Joey Mundt, whose brother recently featured in the Superbowl for the LA Rams – who have been ‘throwing really well’.
You could be forgiven for thinking that Bailey might be feeling the pressure given what he’s
stepping into considering that not only did Oregon win the National Championships in 2018
but did so in some style – they set a school record for doubles, home runs and runs scored and achieved an impressive team average of .321 but let’s not forget, this is a man of vast
experience.
He has a history of success as a Head Coach with 12 seasons in charge at George Fox, whom
he led to six conference championships and a NCAA Division III title in 2004, an
achievement that was recognized when he was awarded the National Coach of the Year.When you add to that the fact he’s been involved in the Beavers set up for over a decade, first
as an assistant and then as associate Head Coach, then you start to wonder what could be in
store.
It’s widely acknowledged that he’s played a key role in developing an abundance of
individual talent; he’s watched over the outfielders since joining Oregon and has seen three of them go on to be named All-Americans – most recently, Trevor Larnach in 2018, Jeff
Hendrix three years earlier and, most famously for the school, Michael Conforto, currently plying his trade with the New York Mets
in the Major Leagues, who was the first member of
Oregon State to wrap up the honour in three different seasons.
Bailey is a man who understands the importance of a balance between classroom and field
and it’s no surprise that he has managed to retain a strong spirit in the group through a
combination of regular team building and strong leadership from within. Three team
members dominated a Captains vote in a manner Bailey has never seen before so when the
going gets tough all eyes will fall to Zak Taylor, Bryce Fehmel and Adley Rutschman, who
has been challenged to add further leadership qualities to his already strong game following a spectacular season in which he managed over 100 hits and became only the sixth player in
Beavers history to achieve a batting average of over 400, finishing up at .408, his
performances from last year were capped off with him having recently earned the Richard
‘Dick’ Case award – an award he won ahead of the biggest names in baseball.
If Bailey can use his experience to divert any outside expectations away from his players and
get a tune out of what is still an extremely talented team then it wouldn’t be a surprise to see
the Beavers take their title defense to the wire or even to witness them reign supreme again.
