Charles Fischer Administrator No. 1 Share Posted April 11 Oregon State has a very strong team this year, (ranked No. 5 this week) and has a rare historic tradition for a cold-weather team. Yet with the dissolution of the Pac-12..it is evident that moving to the Mountain West in football and the West Coast Conference in Basketball is a big step down from a Power-Five conference. But what about Baseball? Will moving to another conference diminish their reputation and impact recruiting? I was curious and went to look at potential Baseball conferences where they could end up. The first is the Mountain West, and below are the current standings. Nobody is ranked, and frankly--is a weak conference in Baseball. Next I checked the WAC, but that was even weaker... 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Author Administrator No. 2 Share Posted April 11 Then I checked the West Coast Conference, and it is not particularly strong, and has nobody ranked either. Then I checked the Big West, of which I figured would be the best matchup for the Beavers... They have one team ranked well, UC Irvine at No. 12 in the nation. Oregon lost a series 2-1 to UC Santa Barbara at the beginning of our season, and Fullerton has won 'Nattys before. I see this as the best landing place for Oregon State, but even then...it is not particularly prestigious. Not like the SEC, ACC, or Big-12, and does not have the brutal depth that the current Pac-12 does. In short, this will be a drop in conference on the Baseball side as well, and while they can combat it with their tradition and current success, I do think it will drop the level of their recruiting a bit. Certainly a dip in prestige. They could make a case that the Big West is stronger than the B1G in Baseball right now, but it does not change the massive Power-4 dimension Oregon will enjoy. This could help turn some in-state recruits in Oregon's direction more often...I'd like to think. Thoughts? (Hubba-Hubba! I did a thread on Oregon State that was not ruthless or snarky, although I am enjoying the contemplation of a decline in their best sport, which would benefit Our Beloved Ducks) 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 3 Share Posted April 11 I thought that baseball was going to try to play as an Independent. Did Oregon State baseball go in this direction? I think it would be hard to fill out a schedule. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUCati855 Moderator No. 4 Share Posted April 11 On 4/11/2024 at 12:45 PM, Charles Fischer said: (Hubba-Hubba! I did a thread on Oregon State that was not ruthless or snarky, although I am enjoying the contemplation of a decline in their best sport, which would benefit Our Beloved Ducks) That's a pretty NOBLE post if you ask me. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Author Administrator No. 5 Share Posted April 11 On 4/11/2024 at 1:57 PM, Jon Joseph said: I thought that baseball was going to try to play as an Independent. Did Oregon State baseball go in this direction? I think it would be hard to fill out a schedule. That could be, but I do not recall. I agree with you, that filling out a schedule as an Independent could be very difficult, not to mention qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JabbaNoBargain No. 6 Share Posted April 11 Watching their successful women’s hoops team fall apart this very second would be an indicator that the fallout applies beyond football. Poor Beavis. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Author Administrator No. 7 Share Posted April 11 On 4/11/2024 at 2:58 PM, JabbaNoBargain said: Poor Beavis 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JabbaNoBargain No. 8 Share Posted April 12 (edited) Edited April 12 by JabbaNoBargain 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 9 Share Posted April 12 Oregon State will be an Independent in baseball in 2025. Rob Mullens will probably schedule a home-and-home series with the Beavers. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckster No. 10 Share Posted April 13 (edited) Good ponder point Charles. I do have some familiarity with Big West Baseball via my son's baseball career. It's a very solid baseball conference, with a number of teams (Irvine, Poly, The UC's, LB State, Fullerton) all capable of fielding CWS playoff teams. Some even have National Championships to show for it. I think OSU would find it a competitive conference. I also think the Beav's will continue to try and build around baseball as their one (and possibly only) signature men's sports. Much like the Gonzaga's, St. Mary's and Creighton's of the world in Basketball. Personally, I don't see them taking a major step backwards ... Edited April 13 by Duckster Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
