Despite heavy losses, Beavers appear well-armed in ’25
Sophomore Eric Segura has a chance to be the Friday night starter for Oregon State in 2025 (courtesy OSU sports communications)
(Second of two parts. You can find Part I here)
When a team loses three All-Pac-12 pitchers to the major league draft, including two starters and a closer — well, those are gigantic losses.
Oregon State seems equipped to pick up the pieces just fine, though.
Gone to professional baseball are Friday/Saturday starters Aiden May and Jacob Kmatz, selected in the second and fifth rounds of the draft, respectively, and closer Bridger Holmes, taken in the seventh round.
But Rich Dorman, beginning his sixth year as Oregon State’s pitching coach, has compiled an impressive arsenal of talent as the Beavers look ahead to their first season negotiating an independent schedule.
The goal remains the same — a spot in the College World Series. Dorman isn’t talking Omaha, but his 22-man staff of pitchers heading into Thursday’s opening day of fall practice leaves him optimistic.
“It’s so early, and I don’t really know how things are going to line up (next season),” Dorman says. “But I love our stable of arms. On paper, we have a lot of depth. We need last year’s freshmen to grow. They have a chance to make a big impact with this group.”
Much of the excitement about the ’25 pitching staff comes with the recruits, including prep All-American Dax Whitney, Zach Kmatz — younger brother of Jacob — and left-handed transfers Ethan Kleinschmidt of Linn-Benton CC and Tanner Douglas, the latter the closer for the University of Portland a year ago.
Last season, Oregon State’s staff had only two southpaws.
“That was a priority for us (in recruiting), to balance that,” Dorman says. “This year we will have five.”
Fall ball’s 45-day run ends on Oct. 26. It’s an audition for not only the 10 recruits but for many of the returnees who are trying to prove their mettle to Dorman and head coach Mitch Canham. Dorman has other goals to accomplish.
“We utilize the fall to (help pitchers) develop a third pitch, or command of a pitch,” he says. “We will be working on our guys’ ability to pitch with pressure. This fall, every outing our guys do, there will be runners on base. We will be forcing them to make big pitches. It’s beneficial for our position players, too. Our pitchers will work through a lot of traffic this fall.”
Several returnees will be prescribed minimal work, including Eric Segura and Nelson Keljo, who both pitched for Team USA during the summer.
Segura, Oregon State’s No. 3 starter last season, was 6-1 with a 4.93 ERA as a freshman. The 6-2, 195-pound right-hander then pitched for the national collegiate team during the Summer League Tour, with four games in the Southeast U.S. Segura pitched an inning in relief in an intrasquad game, with one walk, no hits and no runs allowed. He then threw two innings in relief in a 7-6 win over an Appalachian League Select team, yielding two hits, two earned runs with no walks and three strikeouts.
Keljo made 20 appearances for OSU as a sophomore last season, all but three in relief. The 6-4, 225-pound left-hander, who was 3-0 with a 3.98 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 43 innings, then pitched for Team USA in the International Friendship Series, with five games against Chinese Taipei in North Carolina. Keljo pitched in a perfect inning in relief with one strikeout in an intrasquad game, then 1 2/3 innings of relief in a 5-4 win in the opener, allowing one hit and one walk, no runs and two strikeouts.
Kellan Oakes pitched 18 games out of the bullpen last season, going 3-1 with a 4.43 ERA. The 6-3, 195-pound junior right-hander then pitched for the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod Summer League. In 11 2/3 innings across eight games, Oakes gave up nine earned runs with 11 hits, eight walks and 15 strikeouts.
After redshirting last season while recovering from hip and back issues, James DeCremer pitched for the Corvallis Knights of the West Coast League in the summer. The 6-2, 210-pound redshirt freshman right-hander made eight appearances and threw 23 innings, with 15 hits allowed, 15 walks, 24 strikeouts and a 3.85 ERA.
“Segura is just going to be throwing ‘pens,” Dorman says. “With all four, it will be mostly about keeping guys healthy and not getting them hurt.”
Off of what they accomplished in 2024, “We’ll give (Segura and Keljo) every opportunity to be weekend starters,” Dorman says. “There is some trust knowing they can do it. But we’ll wait and see how everything shapes up.”
Oakes worked on his changeup and slider in Cape Cod. DeCremer just needed to get in some work. Both are expected to contribute out of the bullpen in ’25.
“I love (DeCremer’s) stuff,” Dorman says. “Any time you can throw (the fastball) in the mid-90s with a good changeup and slider, you’ve got potential. He has a chance to be really good.”
Another returnee with the kind of potential Dorman likes is sophomore Laif Palmer, who saw little action as a freshman after getting a slow start to the season following thumb surgery. The 6-6, 205-pound right-hander had a 2.31 ERA in 11 2/3 innings for the Corvallis Knights this summer. Dorman liked Palmer’s performance at the end of the Beavers’ 10-0 loss to Kentucky at the Lexington Super Regional, allowing one hit, no runs with no walks and two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings.
“He was electric,” Dorman says. “He is going to be good for us.”
Two pitchers who played key set-up roles out of the bullpen last season return — junior AJ Hutcheson and senior Joey Mundt.
Hutcheson, a 5-11, 190-pound right-hander, had a 5.96 ERA in 22 appearances and 25 2/3 innings, yielding 16 hits with 12 walks and 25 strikeouts and a .174 opponents batting average.
“AJ had two bad outings, and it can blow up (the ERA),” Dorman says. “He stayed in Corvallis all summer, got a job, worked out hard and is focused for next spring. He’s a leadership type of guy who is going to have a role in the ‘pen.”
Mundt, a 6-5, 215-pound right-hander, was 2-0 with a 2.67 ERA and a .173 opponents batting average in 24 appearances and 30 1/3 innings. The seventh-year senior is 25.
“You talk about a kid who has gone through a lot, from injuries to growth as a human,” Dorman says. “I’m excited Joey is back, and not just because of what he’s going to do on the field. Our freshmen are going to be the better for his presence in our bullpen every day. Instead of chasing some independent ball, he chose to have one more year pitching for the Beavs. He has the ability to close for us.”
Five other right-handed returnees figure in the battle for bullpen work — sophomores Drew Talavs and Matthew Morrell, seniors Chase Reynolds and Noah Ferguson and redshirt freshman Bryce Johnson, who missed last season following Tommy John surgery.
The 6-3, 195-pound Talavs spent the summer working to get stronger.
“This is going to be an important fall for Drew,” Dorman says. “I’m excited to see his maturation. His stuff is loud; he shouldn’t be giving up barrels. We’re going to dive into the mechanics with Trackman to develop him.”
The 6-4, 200-pound Morrell had a 7.50 ERA in 12 innings last season.
“Matty has mid-90s stuff,” Dorman says. “He was our best ground-ball (inducing) pitcher last season. I’m excited to watch him compete this fall. He could be a big piece to the bullpen.”
The 6-1, 215-pound Reynolds pitched 4 1/3 innings in only three appearances in 2024.
“Chase was disappointed in himself last year,” Dorman says. “He’s a tremendous worker. We’ve revamped his approach a bit, something that should help him become more of a strike-thrower.”
Two ballyhooed freshmen will get an opportunity to claim a weekend starting role.
Whitney, a 6-5, 195-pound right-hander from Twin Falls, Idaho, was his state’s Gatorade Player of the Year after going 10-0 with 130 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings. Scouting services had Whitney going in the second round of the MLB draft; one had his estimated slot value at $1.6 million.
“Dax turned down absurd money to come to school,” Canham says.
Freshman right-hander Dax Whitney turned down a reported $1.6 million in bonus money to play for Oregon State
Dorman began recruiting Whitney as a freshman.
“This kid has wanted to be at Oregon State for the last three to four years,” Dorman says. “He’s a great athlete, played shortstop in high school, too. Big-time stuff. He’s coming here to pitch and learn and go win a championship.”
The 6-3, 205-pound Kmatz was the top-rated high school player in New Mexico.
“Zach is the stronger, more fiery version of Jacob, and Jacob had fire,” Dorman says. “We’re excited about Zach and his presence. He has a good slider and heater. Maybe he’s a starter.”
The arrival of Whitney and Kmatz lessens the pain of losing right-hander Zach Swanson of Toutle Lake, Wash., who was drafted in the ninth round by Detroit and was paid third-round money ($722,000) to sign with the Tigers.
The Beavers have also received talent from the college ranks, notably Kleinschmidt and and Douglas.
Kleinschmidt, a 6-3, 185-pound sophomore left-hander, had a 6-1 record with a 1.03 ERA in 13 games for Linn-Benton, allowing 39 hits with 16 walks and an eye-popping 120 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings.
“Ethan is a special talent, with a (fastball) in the low 90s,” Dorman says.
The 6-2, 195-pound Douglas was 4-0 with a 3.34 ERA and 10 saves as the Pilots’ closer last season. Douglas prepped at South Medford; Dorman is a North Medford graduate.
“He’s a Panther, but I won’t hold that against him,” Dorman says. “Tanner was a Swiss Army knife for (the Pilots). He’ll get a chance to compete for our closer role.”
Oregon State also landed two other transfers. Right-hander Wyatt Queen was 9-1 with an 0.94 ERA in 11 starts for Everett (Wash.) CC last season. Queen is a graduate of Lake Stevens High in Marysville, Wash. — Canham’s alma mater. The Beavers also added sophomore lefty Max Fraser, a 6-1, 205-pound transfer from Washington. Fraser was 1-1 with an 8.80 ERA in 13 games for the Huskies.
Among three other pitching recruits from the prep ranks is Zach Edwards, a 6-3, 220-pound right-hander from Riverton, Utah, who was a two-time all-state selection and a shortstop who hit 11 home runs as a senior.
“Zach is an under-the-radar player who (had his fastball) up to 95 this summer pitching for the Utah Marshalls,” Dorman says. “He committed to us as an eighth-grader. He’s a two-way guy; I’m not sure if he’ll (play a position) or focus on pitching.”
Canham says the same thing about highly regarded freshman right-hander Adam Haight of Snohomish, Wash., who will get a look at shortstop, too.
The Beavers picked up freshman Oscar Hyde, a 5-11, 170-pound lefty from Queensland, Australia, who came to them via recommendation from former Seattle Mariners pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith, a native Australian and former minor-league teammate of Dorman.
The other freshman pitching recruit is Noah Sorenson, a 6-2, 180-pound right-hander from Poulsbo, Wash., who also may get a look at as an infielder.
Pitching staff
Returnees
RH Eric Segura, 6-2, 195 sophomore
LH Nelson Keljo, 6-4, 225 junior
RH Kellan Oakes, 6-3, 195 junior
RH James DeCremer, 6-2, 210 redshirt freshman
RH Laif Palmer, 6-6, 205 sophomore
RH Joey Mundt, 6-5, 215 senior
RH AJ Hutcheson, 5-11, 190 junior
RH Drew Talavs, 6-3, 195 sophomore
RH Matthew Morrell, 6-4, 200 sophomore
RH Chase Reynolds, 6-1, 215 senior
RH Noah Ferguson, 5-9, 190 senior
RH Bryce Johnson, 6-1, 185 redshirt freshman
Recruits:
LH Ethan Kleinschmidt, 6-3, 185 sophomore, Linn-Benton
LH Max Fraser, 6-1, 205 sophomore, Washington
LH Tanner Douglas, 6-2, 195 junior, Portland
RH Wyatt Queen, 6-1, 185 sophomore, Everett (Wash.) CC
RH Dax Whitney 6-5, 195 freshman, Twin Falls, Idaho
RH Zach Kmatz 6-3, 190 freshman, Albuquerque
RH Zach Edwards 6-2 200 freshman, Riverton, Utah
RH Noah Sorenson 6-2 180 freshman, Poulsbo, Wash.
LH Oscar Hyde 5-11 170 freshman, Queensland, Australia
RH Adam Haight, 6-2, 190 freshman, Snohomish, Wash.
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