Dax Whitney and Ethan Kleinschmidt were both highlighted for honors by Perfect Game a month ahead of the start of the 2026 season.
The start of the 2026 College Baseball season is just over a month away, and expectations are one again high for Oregon State. Oregon State was just ranked seventh by Perfect Game in their preseason rankings, andOregon State Baseball Newcomer Talks Preparation For 2026 Kleinschmidt and Whitney were both full time starters for the Beavers last season, each appearing in and starting in 17 games.
Whitney, who made Perfect Game's preseason First Team, was one of the top freshmen in the nation last season, winning 's First Team Freshmen All-American honors from nearly every publication. He finished the year with a 6-3 record, a 3.40, and 120 strikeouts. Kleinschmidt, who is entering his junior season, made Perfect Game's Second Team Preseason All American list. Last year Kleinschmidt finished with an 8-3 record. He had a 3.56 ERA in 2025, along with a .194 batting average faced and 113 strikeouts.Whitney and Kleinschmidt are the headliners of what may end up being one of the best pitching groups in the country. Oregon State lost a lot of position talent in the off season, but they return most of their best pitchers. In addition to Whitney and Kleinschmidt, Wyatt Queen and Eric Segura, who each started five games last season, will be back, and relief pitchers AJ Hutcheson, Zach Kmatz and Zach Edwards will also return. This should be a very battle-tested group. The 2026 season gets started on Friday, February 13th, with the Beavers in Surprise, Arizona. Their first game will be in the College Baseball Series tournament, against the Michigan Wolverines.Having grown up in Pocatello, home of the Idaho State Bengals, John Severs is a lifelong fan of small schools that don't always deliver a lot of wins. Prior to writing for On SI, John covered the Beavers for SB Nation's Oregon State blog Building the Dam, with a focus on baseball and women's basketball. When he's not watching college sports he spends most of his time reading, playing video games and annoying cats.
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