After going to Omaha on a fairy-tale trip last year, the Beavers head back to the CWS this year all business. They know what to expect, and how to get it done.
"This is what these guys have been working toward ever since the end of last season," OSU head coach Pat Casey told reporters. "And the closer we've gotten to going to Omaha the past few weeks, the more you could tell those guys who had been there last year really wanted to get back there again. For a baseball player, it's absolutely the greatest show in the world and they want that experience again. This time, they want to make the trip a lot longer."
Oregon State will be the only team returning to Omaha from last year's World Series. All seven other teams to make it there last year didn't qualify for the Super Regionals. Last year, the Beavers lost to Tulane and then Baylor in extra innings to end their championship run early. Their only other birth to the College World Series came in 1952. They also lost two straight games, to Duke and Texas.
But this year, the bar has been set higher. They were ranked #10 nationally in the pre-season. After living the dream of the College World Series last year, it has been the ultimate goal for the Beavers this year.
"The goal since we came in this September (for fall practice) was to get back to Omaha," OSU outfielder Cole Gillespie said after the Beavers completed a sweep of Stanford in the NCAA Corvallis Super Regional. "We are going back there, but we aren't satisfied - we want to win the whole darn thing."
The Beavers take on Miami Saturday in their first game of the tournament. They will play either Rice or Georgia, depending on the outcome of both games.
Click here for the Bracket.
Go Beavers!