Diamond Dreams

The energy was electric at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field on June 8, as a boisterous home crowd cheered Oregon State to a 14-10 victory over Florida State in the decisive third game of the NCAA Corvallis Super Regional. With the win, the Beavers punched their ticket to the College World Series for the eighth time in school history. Afterward, Head Coach Mitch Canham, ’11 — who played on OSU’s legendary national championship teams of 2006 and 2007 — shared a heartfelt moment with his former coach Pat Casey, namesake of the endowed coaching position Canham now holds. The triumph was especially sweet as this was OSU’s first year with an independent schedule, which included only 19 home games out of 54 — among the fewest in the nation. When the team’s College World Series run ended in Omaha a little over a week later, Canham brushed off reporter questions about whether that had been tough: “Who cares about an independent schedule? … We don’t shy away from what everyone else perceives as difficult things — those great opportunities.” All he had for his players was pride: “Just an incredible group the entirety of the year. … Their heads should be held high.”  (See his remarks here.)