PAT CASEY Ambitious Schedule in School History and Took Series from Five Schools That Earned Either No
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2011 Or e g O n St a t e Ba S e B a l l He a d Co a ch Pa t Ca s e y postseason. But the Beavers played perhaps their most PAT CASEY ambitious schedule in school history and took series from five schools that earned either No. 1 or No. 2 seeds in NCAA Head Coach • 17th Year Regionals. Oregon State posted a 5-5 record against Col- lege World Series teams, taking 2-of-3 in separate series 537-337-4 (Oregon State) against Arizona State and Georgia. 708-450-5 (23 years overall) In 2008, Casey made marks on the program, literally. # He spearheaded a fundrasing campaign to expand Goss 5 Stadium, adding nearly 1,000 permanent seats, a stadium George Fox, ‘90 suite, new player’s lounge, academic room and Hall of Fame room. The additions transformed Goss Stadium from one of the best in the West into one of the nation’s finest Oregon State head coach Pat Casey reached the postseason in 2010 collegiate stadiums. for the fifth time in the last six years, and he guided a dangerous OSU club In 2007, Casey, his staff and the team’s players worked hard to build that hit the 30-win plateau for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. In team chemistry, coming together at the right time for a second-straight 2010, the Beavers finished 32-24 under Casey’s tutelage. national championship. Oregon State went an incredible 39-4 in non- Casey is the all-time winningest coach in school history, and has guided conference games, including an 11-1 mark in the postseason. After losing Oregon State to two national championships and two Pac-10 titles. He their second game at the Charlottesville Regional, the Beavers went on a has won an outstanding 30 games in the postseason, which accounts for dynamic run, winning their last 10 games -- including five in Omaha -- to better than 85 percent of the program’s all-time NCAA wins. claim the national title. Arguably one of the most That title thrusted Oregon successful active Division-I head State into NCAA baseball lore. coaches in the country, Casey has The Beavers became just the fifth established a level of winning unri- program to win back-to-back na- valed in the program’s history. tional titles, joining Texas (1949- Prior to the start of the 2010 50), USC (1970-74), Stanford season, he was named as the top (1987-88) and LSU (1996-97). collegiate coach of the last decade For his ability to mold the by Baseball America in a vote by Beavers into the nation’s finest, his peers. The Beavers, meanwhile, Casey was again recognized as were named as the No. 2 program a national coach of the year, this of the decade, trailing only Texas. time by Collegiate Baseball and The Beavers and Casey earned the the American Baseball Coaches special recognition after winning Association. The honors comes back-to-back national champion- a year after Casey was the con- ships in 2006 and 2007 and win- sensus national coach of the year ning Pacific-10 Conference titles in in leading Oregon State to its 2005 and 2006. first title. Perhaps an even more special That 2006 title was just as honor was bestowed upon Casey special, as the Beavers became just prior. He and his wife, Susan, the first program from the Pacific were recipients of the Nell and John Northwest to the NCAA Division Wooden Coaching Achievement I College World Series. Award. The honor goes to a head The 2006 Beavers had a coach and his spouse for their storybook season, capped by a dedication to success on the field run through the CWS that saw and in making an impact on the lives of their players. them win six elimination games in Omaha to win the national champion- Truly, Pat Casey has been the right person to led Oregon State baseball ship. After being beaten by Miami (Fla.) in its opening game, OSU won four over the last decade and a half. straight - including back-to-back shutouts of top-ranked Rice - to reach In the past six seasons alone, Casey has guided the Beavers to 277 the championship series. In the best-of-three finals against North Carolina, victories, which is second in the Pac-10. During that same stretch, Casey’s OSU lost the opening game and trailed by five runs in the second game clubs have won 80 conference games, which is second-most among divi- before rallying for wins of 11-7 and 3-2 for the title. sion clubs. Oregon State’s 50-16 season set a school record for wins for the sec- In that six-year stretch, six players have earned All-America honors while ond straight season, and the Beavers refuse-to-lose style of play captured 16 players have been recognized as All-Pac-10 performers. That includes the hearts of not only those watching in Omaha, but college baseball fans two league Most Valuable Player awards and two Defensive Player of the across the nation. Year selections. After the 2006 season, Oregon State signed Casey to a new 10-year Casey and the Beavers advanced to the championship game of the Fort contract to guarantee his future in Corvallis. Casey had become an attrac- Worth Regional in 2009. Oregon State finished the 2009 campaign with a tive candidate for coaching vacancies at a number of high-profile schools 37-19 record and 15-12 mark in Pac-10 play, tying the club for third. given the Beavers’ amazing success. On May 19, 2009, Casey became just the third head coach in school In retaining Casey, Oregon State instantly kept its most successful history to record 500 victories with the Beavers when OSU defeated coach in Corvallis. It also allowed the Beavers to have the knowledge they Oregon. His 537 wins at the start of 2011 sits in third place in school have one of the most recognized coaches in the nation. In 2006, after history. winning the team’s first title, was Casey was recognized as the National In 2008, Casey and the Beavers went 28-24 and missed out on the NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: 2006, 2007 | 17 2011 Or e g O n St a t e Ba S e B a l l He a d Co a ch Pa t Ca s e y Oregon State All-Americans Under Casey 1997 ................................................................................. Mark Newell, RHP 1998 .......................................................................Andrew Checketts, RHP 2001 ............................................................................Scott Nicholson, LHP 2005 .................................................................................. Dallas Buck, RHP Jacoby Ellsbury, OF Jonah Nickerson, RHP 2006 .................................................................................. Dallas Buck, RHP Cole Gillespie, OF Kevin Gunderson, LHP Jonah Nickerson, RHP 2007 ...................................................................................Mitch Canham, C Coach of the Year by Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). In 2005, he was named the Pac-10’s Coach of the Year after guiding the Beavers to their first of two straight conference titles. He earned the honor again in 2006 with the second title. In both years, he was recognized as the ABCA’s West Region Coach of the Year. With back-to-back titles comes increased exposure. For the second time under Casey’s tenure, Oregon State has expanded the Beavers’ home field, season, the Beavers have moved into a prominent position on the national and both times, Casey has been a driving force behind the renovations. scene. In 1999, Oregon State expanded what is now known at Goss Stadium OSU has had players earn spots on the USA Baseball Collegiate Na- at Coleman Field, adding increased seating, improved locker rooms and tional Team four times, earn All-America honors 11 times, and had players a full press box. taken in the top 10 rounds of the Major League Baseball draft 29 times And Casey and the Beavers have rewarded the fans with increased - including first-rounders Jacoby Ellsbury in 2005 and Kunz and Canham chances to watch the team play. In each of their three College World in 2007. Ellsbury became Oregon State’s first former player to win a Major Series years, the Beavers played a super regional at venerable Goss, and League World Series when he and the Boston Red Sox won their second it has paid off. Oregon State has gone 6-1 at super regionals in Corvallis, title in four seasons in 2007. defeating USC, Stanford and Michigan. In 2005, OSU had been picked to finish sixth in the Pacific-10 in the In 2005 and 2006, Casey earned both the Pacific-10 Conference and annual coaches poll; Casey guided the Beavers to the Pac-10 champion- NCAA West Region Coach of the Year honors for guiding the Beavers to ship and the College World Series. OSU’s 46-12 record was a school back-to-back Pac-10 championships and berths in the CWS. record for wins in a season, the Beavers’ No. 7 finish in the the final polls Since Casey became Oregon State’s head coach prior to the 1995 was Oregon State’s highest ever, and OSU’s No. 2 ranking during the Players Who Have Improved Draft Spots During Pat Year Player Pos. Prev. Prev. Sel. Final Andy Jenkins 1B ND - 11th Casey’s Tenure Nate Fogle RHP ND - 11th Year Player Pos. Prev. Prev. Sel. Final 2006 Dallas Buck RHP 19th 2003 3rd 1995 Kevin Hooker RHP/2B ND - 31st Cole Gillespie OF ND - 3rd 1996 David Schmidt C 37th 1995 8th Kevin Gunderson LHP ND - 5th Chris Wakeland OF ND - 15th Jonah Nickerson RHP ND - 7th Eric Lovinger RHP ND - 41st Chris Kunda 2B ND - 19th 1997 Joe Messman RHP ND - 7th Shea McFeely 3B ND - 28th Tyler Swinburnson RHP ND - 16th Jon Koller RHP ND - 48th 1998 Chris Pine RHP 7th 1995 5th 2007 Eddie Kunz RHP ND - 1st Brody Percell LHP ND - 7th Mitch Canham C 41st 2006 1st Andrew Checketts RHP ND - 21st Darwin Barney SS ND - 4th Matt Bailie 1B/RHP ND - 22nd Daniel Turpen RHP ND - 8th 1999 B.R.