Oregon State Baseball: Perfect Game Names Kevin Abel 2021 Preseason All-American

Kevin Abel, the Oregon State pitcher who threw arguably the greatest College World Series back in 2018, was selected by noted baseball publication Perfect Game this week as a preseason second-team All-American.

The inclusion to the list of players was a solid show of respect from Perfect Game’s National Scouting Coordinator Vincent Cervino, who at the same time left the Beavers as a team outside of his preseason Top 25, while including other Pac-12 schools in UCLA, Arizona and Arizona State.

Abel made a crucial announcement this summer that he would return to play for the Beavers in 2021 and not turn pro, leaving the door open for Oregon State to make a leap in the second go-round under new manager Mith Canham.

In Canham’s debut season, a disjointed Beavers team limped to a 5-9 mark before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly cancelled the campaign.

For his career at Oregon State, Abel boasts a 10-1 record, with a 3.04 ERA in 26 appearances. He was also selected as a third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball before the turn of the New Year.