Oregon State Baseball Media Day: Mitch Canham Looks Ahead to the 2025 Season
![June 20, 2007; Omaha, NE, USA; Oregon State Beavers runner Mitch Canham (11) celebrates after his two-run homer with Mike Lissman (3) in the third inning against the UC Irvine Anteaters during the College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images June 20, 2007; Omaha, NE, USA; Oregon State Beavers runner Mitch Canham (11) celebrates after his two-run homer with Mike Lissman (3) in the third inning against the UC Irvine Anteaters during the College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, NE. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2000,h_1125,x_0,y_60/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/oregon-state-beavers-on-si/01jj9yrjtrtj70tt8jvq.jpg)
Yesterday, the Beavers prepared for their first practice of the 2025 season by facing off against one of their most tenacious opponents.
Local reporters.
All kidding aside, Oregon State skipper Mitch Canham offered plenty of insights towards the 3x national champion's 2025 baseball season, which begins Friday February 14th against Xavier in Surprise, Arizona.
Below, you can read some highlights of his interview at the Beavers' media day.
On his top priority in tomorrow's season-opening practice:
"Jumping right into [live practice]. Our guys have been building up, we've faced hitters already, just without a defense and the in-and-outs. We're still building guys up with their pitch counts so it's not like we're going to out there, we might not even finish an inning, it's more so 15-to-20 range [sic], and getting those guys to sit down, get back up, building up their arms, and just getting a hitter in the box, putting a defense behind them, guys getting out of the box and rounding the bags is going to be important too, just getting their legs underneath them ... "
On the Beavers' baseball facility renovations:
"It's been tremendous. Since we got in there starting in September, I feel like guys are going over there, getting cots, and living out there now! It's like they're putting in some serious hours in the cage. Instead of having two, now having four tunnels, it's allowing guys to get in there - especially with their class and community service, study halls, and nutrition plans - its allowing them to get in there, get their work in, and then be able to get home, get some rest..."
On the coaching staff's chemistry:
"With Joey [Wong] and everyone on staff, myself included, we sit down, and we don't just do it once a year, it's monthly, it's weekly, really just like how can we continue to improve? I've encouraged the coaches to really be hard on me where I need to make improvements, and we need to do better. In turn I'm also going to be very tough on them - it's not like tough conversations - we just want to be honest with one another because we all want the same thing: to help these young men develop."
On the chaos of recruiting in 2025:
"It's no different than the game of baseball. Everything can change real quick. You think you got everything figured out, and then it swaps, that pitch wasn't called, it was called earlier...you can sit there and mope about it or you can adjust and put a smile on your face and go to work..."
On weathering the storm of realignment:
"I could speak for hours about how incredible the coaching staff is here, our student manager's work their tails off, our analytics squad - very special people - they pour into this place just as many hours as anybody here! They're not getting compliments...the level of selflessness that comes with the people involved here is incredible."
On players who took the biggest strides in the fall:
"One caught my eye because of his size: Jacob Krieg. He's a very large human being. How he's opened up, his joy for the game, his joy for the day to day has transformed his at-bats, his defensive work, you name it! He's one guy I really anticipate showing out for a lot of people this year."
"We can say Dallas Macias is gonna surprise people, but to us it's just who he is. When it comes to draft day, he's gonna make tremendous jumps."
"A guy who comes in like [AJ] Singer, who is volunteering to teach in the classroom - his presentations and opening up - [players] would rather hear from players than coaches presenting on stuff, and we have a lot of guys that are jumping to the forefront and wanting to lead the charge..."
More Reading Material From Oregon State Beavers On SI
Oregon State Baseball Prepares for 2025's First Practice
Dallas Macias Looks To Be Key Piece For Oregon State Baseball In 2025
Why Oregon State's 97-89 Win Over Gonzaga Meant So Much To Beaver Nation