Baseball: Beavers Excited To Begin 2021 Campaign

Following a 2020 campaign that came screeching to a hault after just 14 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beavers are anxious and excited to have the opportunity to take the field and compete again.

"The build-up has been so long, you can see how bad the guys want to go out there and compete," head coach Mitch Canham said. "The guys are beyond excited and we've all got butterflies just waiting to get out there. Right now it's brushing up on the little things and getting ready to be physically, emotionally, and socially ready to compete."

Not only are the Beavers antsy to take to the field just to simply play again, but they're also eager to take to the field to get the taste of poor play out of their mouths. The Beavers backed into the cancelation with a five-game losing streak, including getting swept by UCSB at Goss in the only home series of the season.

Simply put, the level of play last season wasn't up to the standard that this program has come to expect yearly and that has driven this years' squad.

"It built the hunger," Canham added. "I believe that hardship is such a great thing for growth. Our guys felt great about turning the corner that weekend against Arizona, but because the season got cut short, we've had a very productive offseason. We wouldn't have had the summer and fall that we had if it hadn't been for that gut punch."

Another reason to be optimistic about the Beavers' prospects this season is the return of former College World Series hero Kevin Abel. The righty hasn't pitched in a game since 2019 but chose to return to Corvallis in June despite being eligible for the MLB Draft.

"I'm very excited," Abel said. "It's been too long and it'll feel like playing college baseball for the first time back in 2018. I feel better than I did in '18 and I'm ready..."

"Physically, he's in a great spot," Canham said of Abel. "He threw live the other day and went several innings. His breaking ball is sharp and his changeup is really good as well... I'm excited to see him back and healthy."

His presence alone on the mound is enough to make things interesting for the Beavers and when you combine his championship experience with that of veterans like Andy Armstrong and Jake Mullholland combined with the bubbling younger talent, the blueprint for success this season is already in place.

"The chemistry on this team is something different," Armstrong said. "Obviously the chemistry in 2018 was great, but you could compare this team as far as closeness goes. I love the guys in that locker room."

In terms of how this team could be on the same level chemistry-wise as the star-studded '18 squad, Mulholland feels that because the team spent so much time with each other in regards to only being around each other during the pandemic, it allowed them to become very close.

"I love how close we are... I love the team chemistry and you can't make that stuff up. This is my fifth year now and this team is right up there with the 2018 team," Mulholland said. "We were all put into a situation together that we didn't have control over and we decided we were going to stay tight as a team and not make stupid decisions and that made everyone a little closer and gave us all a purpose.

One of the other unique storylines to start the 2021 season is that the Beavers find themselves unranked to start the campaign. That's a bit surprising to those who follow the program even remotely close, but it doesn't bother the Beavers one bit as they're only concerned with who's on top in Omaha.

"I guess people can underestimate us, but I don't see how you could because it's Oregon State," Abel said. "It'll be fun for everyone to realize we have the best pitching staff, lineup, and team in the country. We'll see who's at No. 1 in June...

NOTES

- Per Canham, the Beavers had several players test positive for COVID-19 upon their return to campus following the conclusion of fall practices. He said there were several instances of guys needing to quarantine, but that everyone has tested negative since and that they're in a good place in regards to COVID-19 safety heading into the season. The Beavers will be tested weekly by way of PCR testing...

- The Beavers will be healthy to start the season. No one will be unavailable due to injury...