Oregon State Coach Mitch Canham Looks Ahead to Baseball Season

Canham discusses his team's preparation, veteran leadership, and scheduling challenges for the upcoming campaign.

Jan. 28, 2026 at 8:39pm

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Oregon State baseball head coach Mitch Canham held a preseason press conference, discussing his team's progress in workouts, upcoming scrimmages, practice routines, coaching philosophy, and the challenges of putting together this year's schedule. Canham highlighted the veteran leadership of players like Jacob Krieg, AJ Hutcheson, Easton Talt, and AJ Singer, and how they are mentoring the younger players. He also touched on the benefits of the team's independent schedule last year and how it prepared them for the upcoming season.

Why it matters

Canham's comments provide insight into how the defending College World Series champion Beavers are shaping up for the new season. The veteran leadership and team chemistry he described suggest Oregon State could be poised for another deep postseason run, while the scheduling challenges highlight the work coaches put in to build competitive non-conference slates.

The details

Canham discussed the team's recent scrimmages and preparation for the season opener, noting they are working on situational baseball and creating game-like intensity in practice. He said the team is getting new players up to speed and leaning on veteran leaders to share their experiences from last year's CWS run. Canham also touched on the benefits of the team's independent schedule in 2025, which required more travel but allowed them to face high-level competition.

  • The team scrimmaged last weekend and will scrimmage again this weekend.
  • Oregon State held its annual Diamond Dinner kickoff event last week.

The players

Mitch Canham

The head coach of the Oregon State baseball team.

Jacob Krieg

A senior infielder for Oregon State who received a standing ovation at the team's Diamond Dinner for returning to the program.

AJ Hutcheson

A senior pitcher for Oregon State who received a standing ovation at the team's Diamond Dinner for returning to the program.

Easton Talt

A senior outfielder for Oregon State who received a standing ovation at the team's Diamond Dinner for returning to the program.

AJ Singer

A senior infielder for Oregon State who received a standing ovation at the team's Diamond Dinner for returning to the program.

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What they’re saying

“Well, I did some triceps this morning, to uh, get activated, and hit the sauna.”

— Mitch Canham, Head Coach

“I remember at the Diamond Dinner my senior year when I got that like warm round of applause. It really made me feel different about this place and appreciative of everything that I've been through here.”

— Brady Kasper, Undergraduate Assistant Coach

What’s next

The team will continue its preseason preparations, including more scrimmages and bullpen sessions, before opening the season in a few weeks.

The takeaway

Oregon State appears to have a veteran-laden squad with strong team chemistry, which should serve them well as they look to build on last year's College World Series championship. The challenges Canham described in putting together the schedule highlight the work coaches put in to ensure their teams face high-level competition throughout the season.