Who is Oregon State baseball coach? Meet Mitch Canham, who has led Beavers back to CWS
Oregon State baseball has a rich history with the College World Series.
And when Oregon State takes the field for the first time at the 2025 College World Series, the eighth-seeded Beavers will be led onto Charles Schwab Field by someone who knows what it takes to be the last team standing.
Sixth-year coach Mitch Canham won back-to-back titles with Oregon State as a player.
The Beavers' appearance in Omaha – their first since winning it all in 2018 – is also quite the accomplishment for Canham and his staff. Oregon State earned a top 10 national seed in the NCAA baseball tournament after playing a complete college baseball schedule as an independent this season.
Oregon State is the first independent team to make the eight-team CWS field since Miami in 2004.
Canham is set to manage his first game in Omaha on June 13 at 7 p.m. ET when Oregon State opens up Bracket 1 play against Louisville at Charles Schwab Field.
Here's what to know about Canham ahead of the CWS:
Who is Oregon State baseball's coach?
Oregon State baseball's coach is Mitch Canham, a former Beaver standout who was part of Oregon State's back-to-back national championship teams in 2006 and 2007.
Who is Mitch Canham?
Mitch Canham is in his sixth season as the Oregon State baseball coach, and is one of four coaches at the 2025 College World Series who have led their alma mater to Omaha.
"From the beginning of the year, from taking this job, it was never about getting to Omaha. It's about winning it, on top of developing great young men," Canham told the media in Corvallis on June 11 while reflecting about leading Oregon State back to Omaha. " ... My soul was filled with gratitude and excitement for each of these guys."
He was hired at Oregon State in 2019 as the successor to his former college head coach, Pat Casey, after coaching in the Seattle Mariners' minor league organization.
"What an incredible day and a dream come true. Since stepping on the OSU campus in the summer of 2002, I felt a part of the Beaver family," Canham said in a 2019 news release.
"... I am eager to get back to Oregon State University and do OUR family of Beaver Nation proud. Coach Casey and everyone who has been involved over the years have created such a wonderful and life-changing program, and I look forward to not only continuing in this fine tradition, but helping the program grow even more."
During his play career in Corvallis, Canham finished with a career batting average of .314 with 31 doubles, eight triples, 25 home runs and 152 RBIs. He was named an All-America catcher in 2007 after posting a .326 batting average at the plate with 10 home runs and 59 RBIs.
A two-time CWS national champion, Canham helped guide the Beavers to the 2005 and 2006 then-Pac-10 titles and a 27-6 record in the postseason. He continued his playing career at the next level, as he was drafted in the first round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres. Canham would make it as high as Triple-A in the minor leagues as a player.
This season, Canham has led the Beavers to their first trip to Omaha since winning it all in 2018. Oregon State's appearance at the CWS has come as an independent, just the sixth independent to make it to Omaha in CWS history, per the NCAA.
Mitch Canham coaching history, record
- Mitch Canham record at Oregon State:
Before being named Oregon State's coach in 2019, Canham spent three-and-a-half seasons as a manager in the Seattle Mariners' minor league organization: Clinton LumberKings (2016, then-Mariners' High A affiliate), Modesto Nuts (2017-18, Mariners' Single-A affiliate) and Arkansas Travelers (2019, Mariners' Double-A affiliate).
Since taking over at Oregon State, Canham has led the Beavers to a 223-101-1 overall record. He has also led the Beavers to eight consecutive NCAA baseball tournament appearances, a streak that his predecessor started.
Here's a breakdown of how the Beavers have fared under Canham:
- 2020: 5-9 overall *
- 2021: 37-24 overall
- 2022: 48-18 overall
- 2023: 41-20 overall
- 2024: 45-16 overall
- 2025: 47-14-1 overall
* Denotes season was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic
What happened to Pat Casey at Oregon State?
Casey, a legendary college baseball coach, announced his retirement from Oregon State in September 2018, just a few months after leading the Beavers to their third CWS national title.
"I would first like to thank all the players who have given me the opportunity and honor to coach them over the last 31 years," Casey said in a 2018 news release. "Your dedicated commitment has truly made the journey what it is and made what we do more than special; I will be forever grateful. You have left me with memories I will never forget. You are true warriors."
In his legendary 24-year tenure in Corvallis, Casey won 900 career wins while leading the program to six visits to the CWS, three of which the Beavers have won: 2006, 2007 and 2018. Of his 900 career wins, 21 of them came in Omaha, which is among the most in CWS history per Oregon State.
Noted by Oregon State, Casey's Beavers are the only program to ever win six elimination games in Omaha, doing so first in 2006 and then again in 2018. Additionally, the Beavers are just one of six Division I baseball programs to win back-to-back national titles in CWS history and were the first Northern school to win a championship in more than 40 years.
He was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024.