When Oregon State and Washington State agreed to a West Coast Conference affiliate membership for two years for most of their athletic programs, one sport left in question was baseball.

Baseball is the crown jewel of OSU athletics, with three national titles since 2006. It is a perennial NCAA playoff participant that routinely makes a run at the College World Series.

While the WCC is an option for the Beavers in 2024, Oregon State’s preference is to play an independent schedule.

Technically, OSU athletic director Scott Barnes said the school would play baseball under “the Pac-12 umbrella with a national schedule.”

But practically, the Beavers would play in 2024, and possibly 2025, as an independent, producing a 56-game schedule without the help of a particular conference.

“Final decisions have not been made. But we’re leaning into that,” Barnes said. “Why? For baseball, the level we played at, we’re able to play a national schedule. None of our other sports can pull it off. The RPI that it will create, and the opportunities are really strong.”

Barnes said he is working with baseball coach Mitch Canham and others to produce next year’s schedule. It will include series and single games against schools from the SEC, Big 10, Big 12, current Pac-12 and other western United States-based conferences. He said schools from the Power conferences “are very interested, because of what our baseball program has done over the years.”

Barnes said an independent schedule would include a home schedule “that our fans are used to seeing, including Surprise (Arizona).”

A decision on OSU’s baseball fate for 2024 will be made in “the next few weeks, and before the end of January,” Barnes said.

The other baseball option is joining another conference as an affiliate, which could include the WCC, Western Athletic, Big West and Mountain West. But the feedback on producing an independent 56-game schedule would have to turn significantly negative for OSU to consider an affiliate conference membership in baseball.

“Baseball, because of the level we’ve played, our program is best served as playing under the Pac-12 banner with an independent schedule. To build a schedule that is representative of what we’re used to, to keep that program at the highest level,” Barnes said.

What about playing baseball as a Big 12 affliate? Barnes said “those conversations absolutely have been had,” but for all sports, not just baseball. And with every Power conference in the country, not just the Big 12.

“As we continue to move forward in our path, we will continue to have those conversations. But for 2024, and 2025, leaning into a Pac-12 banner and schedule is likely our best option,” Barnes said.

Barnes said it has yet to be determined whether Washington State will join Oregon State in its Pac-12 baseball venture.