Oregon State’s Cooper Hjerpe.

Nothing stands in the way of Oregon State making another run to the College World Series in 2022.

That is the message from coach Mitch Canham and his players as they prepare for the start of their season on Feb. 18 against New Mexico in Surprise, Arizona.

The Beavers lost several key contributors to last year’s team which went 37-24 and reached a regional final. Those losses include ace Kevin Abel, which was expected, and star catcher Troy Claunch, whose transfer to Texas A&M was not.

But Canham is confident that the development of the returning players and the arrival of a talented freshman class will once again put the Beavers in position to challenge for the Pac-12 title and a trip to Omaha.

Oregon State’s 2021 baseball season ended with a loss that no one associated with the program will ever forget. The Beavers held a 5-0 lead over Dallas Baptist after three innings, but squandered that lead in an 8-5 loss. The rally was made possible in large part by OSU pitchers issuing 10 walks and three hit batters.

Canham calls those mistakes free bases and this season he wants to see fewer of them.

“Obviously free bases is something we’ve talked a lot about and it just goes to confidence, intent, attacking the zone,” Canham said. “I’d like to eliminate as many three-ball counts as possible. You can’t walk anybody unless you get to three balls, right?”

Pitcher Cooper Hjerpe said the entire pitching staff is focused on being more efficient and trying to average fewer pitches per at-bat. This would both reduce walks and help keep arms fresher longer.

“Obviously last year was less than ideal with the way that ended. I know we reflected on what we did last year and what we could improve on. Basically the free bases and the two-out stuff. We’ve obviously been working on it, being more consistent in those situations,” Hjerpe said.

The Beavers weren’t afraid to talk about the season-ending loss because they didn’t forget about it during the offseason. Instead, they used that disappointment as motivation.

“It left a really sour taste in our mouth and I think it’s still there, I really do,” said junior Wade Meckler. “I don’t think anyone’s forgot about that meeting afterwards.”

Pitching and defense were the strengths of last year’s club. Canham credited assistant coach Darwin Barney for his defensive work with the team and its outstanding fielding percentage of .982. The pitching staff compiled 611 strikeouts and posted an earned run average of 3.48.

Canham said practices are focused on fundamentals and situational baseball. He said the players’ work ethic and drive to work on their hitting outside of practice makes that possible.

“We’ve done a ton of work on the fundamentals. All the guys, never have to worry about it, they’re always gonna go in their free time and go hit in the cage. That’s just part of the culture here. You can go up to the cages at 9 o’clock at night and there’s a handful of guys up there, got the machine rolling and they’re hitting. They’re always going to do it on their own time,” Canham said.

Because the roster is so deep there is competition for starting roles all over the field. Jacob Melton, who spent the offseason recovering from shoulder surgery, is fully healthy and is expected to spend most of his time in center field, with some time at first base.

Canham said Thomas Dukart has moved to shortstop from third base and is adapting well to the change.

Junior Gavin Logan is the most experienced option at catcher.

“Hasn’t seen a ton of playing time last several years but how he goes about his work builds a lot of respect from all those around him,” Canham said of Logan.

Freshman catcher Wilson Weber is already one of the strongest players on the team, Canham said, and has great arm strength for the position.

Returner Kyle Dernedde and Australian Travis Bazzana give Canham two great options at second base.

“Dernedde is a guy who worked his tail off all year last year waiting for that moment and when he took advantage of it he did very well. Played solid defense, and had some big at-bats driving in some runs,” Canham said.

Bazzana, however, is making a push for playing time on the strength of his bat and he is also an option at designated hitter.

“Bazzana’s got the kind of bat that you definitely want in the lineup all the time. I’ve seen him drag and push for hits, I’ve seen him steal bags, seen him hit the ball in the gap, seen him leave the yard. He can do a little bit of everything,” Canham said.

The freshman has already made an impression on his teammates.

“Kid works extremely hard and has got great feel for the game. He’s probably the first freshman I’ve been around with the maturity level on the field to really step in and I think be a really big performer for us,” Melton said.