The Oregon State Beavers celebrate their Corvallis Super Regional win over Florida State on Sunday, June 8. The Beavers will head to the College World Series for the first time since 2018 following the 14-10 win. Courtesy photo: Emma Calimag-Sisson, Oregon State Athletics

At the end of March and following a disappointing series loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon State baseball head coach Mitch Canham took his team on a brief detour.

The Beavers, then 20-6 on the season, took a quick drive through Omaha and by Charles Schwab Field, the College World Series’ host site, for an exercise in manifestation. The ballpark, some 10-times as large as the Beavers’ Goss Stadium, represented Canham’s — and every other person in the orange and black — season-long goal of getting to the College World Series.

Two months remained on the schedule when the Beavers drove by “The Schwab” and a toe-stubbing or two were surely ahead. A regular-season series-sweep by Oregon was one, sweating out Selection Monday to see if they’d earn a top-eight seed marked another, a game one loss in the regional to Saint Mary’s was a third, followed up by a game two loss to Florida State in the Corvallis Super Regional.

But on Sunday, June 8, a 14-10 win over No. 9 Florida State netted Oregon State’s first trip back to Omaha since its national championship-winning 2018 season, as well as Canham’s first trip to the College World Series since inheriting the program from three-time national champion head coach Pat Casey.

The drive-by of Omaha’s ballpark, the unprecedented independent scheduling and the pair of postseason losses all proved to be worth it when junior left-hander Nelson Keljo struck out Seminoles shortstop Alex Lodise for the third out of the top of the ninth inning and launched his glove from the infield into the dugout.

They were going to Omaha — the place they had driven past, hoping for a chance.

“It was a little bit of manifestation, for sure,” junior outfielder Canon Reeder said. “We took a slow drive past (Charles Schwab Field), looking out the window and soaking it in. It was pretty cool that we got to see it early on and get a little taste. We didn’t want to get too deep into it, we still had a job to finish, but it gave us a little taste of what was to come.”

Alongside Reeder at the podium was sophomore third baseman Trent Caraway, with the pair combining for a 3-for-7 day at the plate with two home runs and seven RBI. Bumped to the leadoff spot for game three, Caraway launched a grand slam in the bottom of the third and adding to a lead that Reeder, who bashed a three-run shot of his own in the first, helped establish.

The two tanks were apart of a 13-run barrage over the first three innings, chasing Florida State starting pitcher Wes Mendes (7-3) out of the game before recording the third out of the first inning. In total, the Beavers sent five balls over the fence, with Caraway and Reeder joined by outfielders Carson McEntire, Gavin Turley and designated hitter Tyce Peterson.

The onslaught of extra-base hits came in response to Florida State putting a quick two runs on the board in the top of the first and one more in the second off of Beavers starting pitcher James DeCremer.

“We go down two runs in the first and these guys respond in such an incredible way,” Canham said, sitting alongside Caraway and Reeder at the podium. “If you’re surprised, shame on you. It’s impressive, how they go about their business. There’s a lot of emotions.”

Canham’s nine-man lineup did much of the heavy lifting for Oregon State in the win, bailing out a pitching staff that looked like it had strung together eight games in 10 days. The Beavers employed five arms, with none of the five recording more than eight outs and all but Keljo credited with earned runs.

DeCremer made the start and let up FSU’s three early scores, while right-handers Eric Segura (2.1 IP), AJ Hutcheson (1.1 IP) and Zach Kmatz (2-0, 2.2 IP) worked the game for 25 outs. Keljo came on with one out in the bottom of the ninth to finish it off, grounding one out and striking out Lodise to end it.

The Beavers are the seventh team to qualify for the eight-team field at the 2025 College World Series, joining No. 3 Arkansas, No. 6 LSU, No. 15 UCLA, as well as unseeded squads Louisville and Arizona. Another pair of unseeded squads, Duke and Murray State, will determine the final team in the College World Series, with the winner of the Durham Super Regional joining the field.

Start times for Oregon State’s games in Omaha have yet to be announced, but the College World Series’ double-elimination bracket will run from Friday, June 13, to Monday, June 23 at the latest.