CORVALLIS — With its season on the line, Oregon State turned to Zach Edwards to get out of a nearly impossible jam in the Men’s College World Series.

The then-freshman inherited a bases-loaded, nobody out scenario and notched one strikeout before surrendering the walk-off sacrifice fly to Louisville to end OSU’s time in Omaha.

Edwards still thinks about Eddie King Jr.’s fly ball to center, not in a negative light or as a driving motivator entering this season but more as a testament to his mettle in responding to a string of tough outings earlier in the season.

“It was an opportunity for me to be there and there’s no reason to hang my head,” Edwards said. “Big situation it’s like, I’m just grateful that I had the opportunity and that I did something good enough for the coaches to trust in me to be there and be the guy to hopefully get us out of that.”

Edwards went 1-0 with a 5.79 ERA and 22 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings in 16 relief appearances last season.

His two MCWS appearances came more than a month after his last appearance during the regular season, which included nine scoreless outings. But Edwards also had a three-game string of allowing 11 runs, 10 earned, on 10 hits and three walks against Cal Poly, Nebraska and UC Irvine.

He was mad at himself for falling out of a closing role. Yet he rebounded, allowing just one run in five appearances over the rest of the regular season, then struck out three over 2.0 scoreless innings against Coastal Carolina in Omaha.

“It was really good to get back in there because I knew I had it in me the whole time,” Edwards said. “There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I was going to come back and do something good for this squad, whether it was the end of last year or coming into this year.”

The coaching staff felt if there was anyone who could give the Beavers a chance to get out of the bases-loaded jam in a tie game with the season on the line, it was Edwards because of his “punch-out stuff,” as Mitch Canham explained.

“A lot of times you can do all the prep and all the prep really does is gives you an opportunity to be successful more often than not,” Canham said. “That’s why I don’t get overly upset or mad if we fail in one given moment, because what got those guys in that moment was the evidence of working their butts off for so stinking long gave them that opportunity.

“There’s no guarantees in it, but the work allows you to have more opportunities than not.”

The 6-foot-2 right-hander spent the summer in the Cape Cod League to get more innings and develop further as a true pitcher and not purely a “thrower.” Edwards added a kick changeup to his existing repertoire of a four-seam fastball and slider and sees the off-speed pitch as particularly effective against lefties.

“I feel like that’s going to be a huge thing for me this year,” Edwards said. “Not only for confidence, but also stuff that I’m bringing is going to be a really big step for me this year.”

With OSU adding transfers Albert Roblez and Isaac Yeager from Long Beach State and Washington, respectively, Edwards has focused more on longer relief outings than the closer role thus far. But that’s where he sees himself in the long-run.

“An elite level closer is what I feel like I am, but also I can give perfect innings in the middle of a game too,” he said. “I’m very comfortable in any role. Me and (pitching coach Rich Dorman) have talked about a couple of things, but there’s not a set role right now. I’m very comfortable going where they put me. I can fit any role that I’m put into.”