It’s 1, 2, 3, 4, time to open the door for Beaver baseball in ’25

In his second year as a full-time assistant coach with the Beavers, Joey Wong carries a national championship pedigree (courtesy OSU sports communications)

Updated 2/11/2025 8:32 PM

(First of two parts. Read Part II here)

Joey Wong was a three-year starting infielder at Oregon State who spent 11 years in the minor leagues, rising as high as the Triple-A level. What he is most remembered for, however, is one play as a Beaver (preserved by YouTube).

Fourth inning, 2007 College World Series, Oregon State leading Cal State Fullerton 2-1. Titans batting with a runner on first base and one out. Batter hits a ground ball to shortstop Darwin Barney, who throws quickly to second baseman Wong, who nabs the low throw as he touches second, then goes horizontal with a sidearmed throw to nail the runner at first for the double-play.

“What a turn by Joey Wong!” Mike Patrick, ESPN’s play-by-play announcer says. “Holy cow — what a double-play! This was spectacular!”

Patrick continues after a commercial break: “Darwin Barney and Joey Wong just pulled off one of the most spectacular-looking double plays you are ever going to see. Look at Wong, knowing the runner was right on top of him, takes the throw, lunges toward third base, throws it sidearm as he is going down. This is one of the reasons Oregon State is No. 2 in the nation in fielding percentage, because they can pull off stuff like this.”

Adds analyst Orel Hershiser: “Joey Wong fielded 100 ground balls before he got an error this season. The best defender in their conference — and with plays like that, not only the routine but the exceptional.”

It has been almost 18 years, but it is still an indelible moment in the minds of many in Beaver Nation.

“That double play is usually what comes up when I am talking Beaver baseball with people,” Wong says. “Around College World Series time, it usually pops up in social media. Yeah — It gets brought up quite a bit.”

Not that Wong minds. Oregon State’s national championship during his freshman year was the highlight of his playing career. But he has fond memories of all three seasons playing for the Beavers.

“I loved just being with the guys, going on the road trips and having a blast playing ball,” he says. “When I played here, it was all about relationships, and that hasn’t changed.”

Wong’s frame of reference for today is his position as assistant coach under Mitch Canham. It is Joey’s second season on Canham’s OSU staff, and he, wife Aubrie and their two young children are enjoying being back in Corvallis.

“We are loving it,” Wong says. “It has always been the dream to come back, whenever I was done playing. I am very thankful to be back here coaching.”

As a sophomore, with the departure to the pro ranks by Barney, Wong moved to shortstop and played there for two seasons. The Beavers had strong teams but did not return to Omaha.

“Since this program got rolling in 2005, any time we are not in the College World Series, it is a disappointment,” Wong says. “There are high expectations, but that comes with the territory. That is a good thing, when you expect to make it to Omaha every year.”

Wong left after his junior year in 2009, taken in the 24th round of the MLB draft by Colorado. Through the years he advanced up the ranks and played Triple-A ball for all or parts of four seasons before retiring after the 2019 campaign.

“It was a good run,” says Wong, 36. “I had a great time playing professionally, thought it wasn’t as fun as college ball. It’s a totally different environment. But I played on some good teams and got to see a lot of amazing places. I’m very happy with how it went.

“Everyone’s goal is to make it to the big leagues, so I came up short on that. But overall, I am happy with the work I put in and the length of my career.”

Wong returned to Oregon State to serve as undergrad assistant for two seasons under former OSU teammate Canham, then spent two years as an assistant at Seattle U. before landing back in Corvallis last year to replace Barney when he left to go into private business. Wong’s main gig is working with the infielders. He also helps out with hitting, recruiting and overall aspects of the program.

Oregon State opens its 2025 regular season — and first as an independent after 25 years in the “Pac” — with four games in Surprise, Ariz., that begin Friday with the opener against Xavier.

All preseason polls have the Beavers ranked among the nation’s top 10.

“It doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things,” Wong says. “At the end of the year, your RPI and win-loss record speaks for itself. But it doesn’t hurt to start the season in the top 10. It is a good thing to be on the national radar.

“Within our program, we go in with very high expectations. We are shooting for Omaha and a national championship. I think we have the talent in all three phases to do that.”

Losses from last year’s team, which went 45-16 overall, 19-10 for second place in the Pac-12 and made it to the Lexington Super Regional before the bats betrayed them, are heavy. Gone are consensus All-America second baseman Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 pick in the MLB draft; shortstop Elijah Hainline, third baseman Mason Guerra, catcher Tanner Smith, outfielders Micah McDowell and Brady Kasper, starting pitchers Aiden May and Jacob Kmatz and All-America closer Bridger Holmes.

The cupboard, however, is anything but bare. After going through fall ball and the preseason this winter, Wong is convinced OSU has a good chance to be a better club in ’25.

MLB.com’s top 100 draft prospects list includes five Beavers: shortstop Aiva Arquette (7), third baseman Trent Caraway (21), outfielders Dallas Macias (60) and Gavin Turley (84) and pitcher Nelson Keljo (89).

Sophomore Trent Caraway, a preseason first-team All-American, is expected to be a fixture at third base for Oregon State (courtesy OSU sports communications)

Arquette, the ballyhooed transfer from Washington, and Turley are on the preseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the nation’s top player. DI baseball lists Arquette as the nation’s No. 4 shortstop and Caraway No. 4 at third base. Caraway (first team) and Arquette (second team) were named to Baseball America’s preseason All-America list.

The Beavers also return Wilson Weber, who split time at catcher with Smith, first baseman Jacob Krieg and slick-fielding infielder Jabin Trosky. AJ Singer, a second-team All-American and Gold Glove runner-up in the JC ranks, adds depth and hitting prowess to the infield.

Junior first baseman Jacob Krieg is poised for major improvement on both offense and defense this season, assistant coach Joey Wong predicts (courtesy OSU sports communications)

The weekend rotation will likely include Keljo, freshman sensation Dax Whitney and Eric Segura (more on the pitching outlook in Wednesday’s second part of the series.)

The Golden Spikes Award watch list includes Arquette as the third-best position player, Caraway as the No. 1 breakout candidate and Whitney as the No. 5 impact freshman.

Arquette, a 6-5, 220-pound shortstop — think Cal Ripken or Carlos Correa, but even bigger — hit .325 with 12 home runs, 14 doubles and 36 RBIs for the Huskies last season, earning All-Pac-12 and All-Defense honors.

“You have probably heard it all already about Aida,” Wong says. “The big frame, and he moves well for his size. He is a stick at the plate and a skilled shortstop.

“What I would add is he is an amazing human being, which might not get talked about because of his physical talent. He has got on well with the rest of the group. The guys love him. He is a great kid to work with. He is willing to listen. He wants to get better, which is not always the case with guys with that much talent.”

The 6-2, 205-pound Caraway — a sophomore, but eligible for the 2026 draft — reclaims the third base spot he gave up when he suffered a broken middle finger early last season. He hit .339 in 18 games, and by the time he returned late in the season, Guerra had won the position.

“I expect Trent to pick up right where he left off hitting the ball, and he has improved defensively,” Wong says. “I would expect him to be even better than he was last year. His mind is in a great place right now.”

Krieg, a 6-5, 240-pound junior, hit .278 with nine homers and 40 RBIs in 47 games last season. He struck out 66 times in 191 plate appearances and had moments of indecision at first base.

“I think Jacob is ready for a big year,” Wong says. “From the fall of 2023 to the end of last season, he made a huge jump defensively, and he has continued to get better. I think we will see a jump offensively with him in the lineup consistently.”

The second base position will be a competition between Trosky, a 5-11, 180-pound junior who hit .287 in 40 games last season, and Singer, a 5-10, 170-pound junior who hit .396 with 26 doubles, eight homers, 81 RBIs and 27 stolen bases in 61 games as a shortstop for Iowa Western CC a year ago.

“AJ is a throwback Oregon State infielder — not a huge guy, but he can do everything well,” Wong says. “Great hand-to-eye coordination. He is an outstanding defender. He will do the little things to help you win a game. He has come into a leadership role for us and fit right in the clubhouse, just like Aiva.”

Wong says 5-10, 195-pound junior Tyce Peterson “is also in the mix” for time at second and first base.

“I am very excited about our infield group,” Wong says. “There is some big-time talent. It is a veteran group and a versatile group.”

Juniors Turley and Macias will man two of the outfield positions — likely Turley in left and Macias in center.

The 6-1, 195-pound Turley hit 19 home runs — second in the Pac-12 behind Bazzana’s 28 — with a league-leading 74 RBIs, eight more than runner-up Bazzana. Turley would like to cut down on his 79 strikeouts in 286 plate appearances.

Macias, a 6-foot, 205-pound junior, was the biggest surprise last season, stepping in for an injured Kasper to hit .315 with eight homers and 41 RBIs.

“The third outfield spot is up for grabs,” Wong says. Juniors Easton Talt and Canon Reader will likely open the season splitting duty in right.

Weber, a 6-1, 220-pound senior who hit .276 with seven homers in 34 games last season, will be the starting catcher, with transfer Bryce Hubbard from Northwest Florida State JC by way of Mississippi State as his backup. Freshmen Ryan VandenBrink, Kailand Halstead and Martin Serrano “are duking it out for the third catcher spot,” Wong says.

“VandenBrink can play some first base,” Wong says. “He has some serious juice in the bat. We will get him some ABs this year and see what we’ve got.”

Another name to remember: Adam Haight, a 6-2, 190-pound freshman pitcher/outfielder from Snohomish, Wash., who hit .431 as a prep senior and was ranked the No. 3 prospect in Washington and No. 6 in the Northwest by Baseball Northwest.

“He will be a two-way guy for us,” Wong says. “Most likely, pitching out of the bullpen, and he has been getting reps in the outfield. He has a good swing, is explosive, very talented, very athletic.”

The Beavers averaged a whopping 8.5 runs per game last season. Assistant coach Ryan Gipson is on record predicting they will top that this campaign.

“That’s a lot of runs,” Wong says with a chuckle, “but I want to believe it with how deep the lineup is. Last year, injuries hurt us quite a bit with Kasper, McDowell and Caraway being out for significant portions. That’s a third of the lineup.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we proved Gip to be correct because of the depth of the lineup and improvement of some of our returnees. I think Krieg is going to have a really good year. I think Turley is going to keep getting better and could have a huge season.”

The Beavers blasted a school-record 118 home runs last season. This season?

“We will get close,” Wong predicts. “I don’t see why we wouldn’t when you look at the power potential with Krieg, Peterson, Arquette, Caraway, Hurley and Macias. We might not have anyone hit 28 like Bazz did last year, but the 1-through-9 potential is there.”

As for defense, “we will be much improved,” Wong says.

“I am happy with how the guys who are back from last year and the newcomers (Singer and Arquette) have approached defense,” Wong says. “They have really gotten after it and made it a point to get work in on their own. Our overall mindset defensively is better with this club. We felt like we underperformed quite a bit defensively last year. We had to take a look in the mirror and see what could be changed to get better.”

Wong says all 41 players on the roster are healthy and ready to go. He likes the prospect of playing an independent schedule, with 11 early games in Surprise, Round Rock, Texas, and Arlington Texas, then nine home games to start the season. The Beavers have three-game series at Nebraska, Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Oregon and Iowa and a four-game set at Hawaii. A single game with No. 2-ranked Virginia looms at Round Rock. There are only 20 games in Corvallis and two in Hillsboro, far fewer than a year ago, but the lack of a conference makes it harder to get teams to play there.

The independent status “is a great opportunity,” Wong says. “It gives us a chip on our shoulder. It gives people reason to have some doubt about us, which is great. That is always how it has been at Oregon State.

“Mitch says it all the time: You can see it as adversity, or you can see it as a great opportunity. We are pretty high up there in the rankings to start. If we take care of business, there is no reason why we shouldn’t give ourselves a good shot to be playing some home games in the postseason. That’s always the goal.”

Oregon State faces Xavier twice (Friday and next Monday), UNLV (Saturday) and Indiana (Sunday).

Xavier was 30-27 overall and 12-9 in the Big East last season. The Musketeers are preseason picks for second in the conference this season.

UNLV was 26-26 overall and 12-18 in Mountain West play a year ago. The Rebels are picked fourth in the conference in 2025.

Indiana was 33-26 overall and 15-9 in Big Ten and made an NCAA Regional last year. The Hoosiers are picked to finish fourth in the Big Ten. Junior outfielder Devin Taylor is the consensus preseason Big Ten Player of the Year.

It has been five months since the Beavers reported for duty in early September. They are no doubt ready to face some outside competition in Surprise.

“This group has great chemistry,” Wong says. “The guys are ready to see some different arms on the mound. For the first time they will all be on the same squad, in the same dugout, all as one. We will be together as Beavs — we are all looking forward to that.”

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