Oregon State baseball heads to Bend for fall doubleheader against Gonzaga

Published 2:45 pm Thursday, October 9, 2025

While leaves change color, the weather gets cooler and the college football season hits its stride, college baseball begins to rear its head.

The Oregon State Beavers will pack their bags and head to Bend for their second of three fall scrimmages. They’ll face Gonzaga in a doubleheader at Bend’s Vince Genna Stadium, with first pitch slated for 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Oregon State’s trip to Bend is a favorite for Beavers head coach Mitch Canham, and not just because of the baseball.

“Getting the guys together in a great environment that always sells out is exciting,” Canham said. “It starts in the morning with the kids camp we’ve done in the past several years. It’s a full day of learning, sharing time with them and pouring into the kids. (Plus,) we get a chance to compete against someone other than ourselves, which is big.”

The kids camp is put on by the Elks, Bend’s West Coast League club, with players from both Oregon State and Gonzaga lending a hand. Kids from third to eighth grade are invited to participate. The kids camp runs for one hour, from 9 to 10 a.m., on Sunday and costs $50 per child. A link to signups can be found at bendelks.com.

Canham said that the plan is for the Beavers and Bulldogs to play two full nine-inning games. He added that the format is subject to change. For example, either team may begin an inning with runners on base, so that pitchers can practice from the stretch; or play out the bottom of the ninth inning regardless of score.

Canham emphasized that he’s more interested in getting his full roster innings than he is winning the games. After all, the hunt to return to the College World Series and Omaha won’t begin until February.

Neither Oregon State nor Gonzaga’s rosters feature a player from Central Oregon, but several Elks alumni will suit up for the Beavers.

Senior outfielder Easton Talt spent the summer of 2024 in an Elks uniform. He hit .218 and stole a team-high 24 bags on 28 attempts. Talt was a right-field regular for Oregon State’s CWS team, hitting .261 and drawing a team-high 62 walks.

Outfielder Jace Miller, who transferred from the University of Portland to Oregon State this offseason, returns to his summer stomping grounds, also. Miller was a force for the 2025 Elks. He led the club in at-bats (149), hits (57), batting average (.383), doubles (14), RBI (40) and walks (27). Redshirt-freshman catcher Ryan VandenBrink didn’t have as loud of a summer as Miller did, slashing .221/.384/.309, but is a player the Beavers are excited about heading into the 2026 season.

“(VandenBrink is) doing a really good job behind the dish,” Canham said. “He’s just big and strong… (at the plate,) his 80% is more consistent and very powerful, rather than trying to go to 100% and have more misses. If the fence is 330 feet, you’ve only got to hit it 331, it doesn’t have to go 500 (feet).”

Similarly, Sunday’s attendees can catch their first glimpse of Oregon State’s pair of talented two-way players.

Adam Haight, a sophomore, and true freshman Mason Pike are doing it at the plate and on the mound for the Beavers. Haight, a right-handed pitcher and outfielder, was a 20th-round selection by the Mets in the 2024 MLB Draft but chose college instead. Pike also passed on the draft, opting to pitch and play middle infield at Oregon State.

“Great attitudes, both of them,” Canham said of the pair. “They show up, they work and they smile. They do a good job when they need to laugh at themselves and move on… Their job is going to be difficult, but they’re the right kind of guys to take on that challenge.”

Oregon State and Gonzaga will take a 45-minute intermission between the two games on Sunday.

The Beavers return to Corvallis for their third and final scrimmage of the fall next weekend. They’ll face the Nevada Wolfpack at noon on Sunday, Oct. 19 at Goss Stadium.

For tickets to Sunday’s doubleheader in Bend, visit bendelks.com. Prices range from $16 to $25.