Mitch Canham reacts to legendary Oregon State head coach Pat Casey attending College World Series game

Oregon State kicked off its eighth ever Men’s College World Series appearance Friday night with a thrilling 4-3 win over Louisville. Beaver left fielder Gavin Turley delivered with a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth inning, propelling them to a win in coach Mitch Canham‘s first game in Omaha as a head coach.

Canham, who played at Oregon State from 2004-2007 under legendary head coach Pat Casey, won back-to-back National Championships as a player in 2006 and 2007. He was emotional following the win when discussing seeing his former coach in Omaha.

“It was awesome to see him,” Canham said. “Saw him when we got back to the hotel after doing some interviews, saw him and his wife rolling out of the hotel. Definitely got a big hug. Excited that he’s here. I didn’t expect to see him on the Jumbotron either. I know that’s not his cup of tea to be in that situation. But tremendous mentor. Always has been. Always will be.”

Canham relieved interim head coach Pat Bailey in 2020, who took over the Oregon State program when Casey retired in 2018. In 24 seasons as the head coach at Oregon State, Pat Casey led the Beavers to a 900–458–6 (.662) record with six College World Series appearances and three National Championships.

Casey is just one of 14 college baseball coaches with 20 or more wins in Omaha.

Canham reveals that seeing Casey calmed him down

“If anything, what I’ve learned from my wife, Coach Casey and every other mentor that I’ve had and special person in my life, those moments you start to feel a little sped up,” Canham said. “I actually felt a sense of calm come over me and just trying to stick with the process of what situations we have at hand, what could possibly come up and being prepared, trusting your gut, but also having strong faith in being around people that are like strong in their faith as well. Allows you to be calm because at no point are you alone. You always have them with you.”

“Not only that, do I have Jesus with me? I’ve got all the guys in the clubhouse with me and all of Beaver Nation. So how would I ever feel overwhelmed or nervous when I have that, all of that with me. And that’s a very powerful thing, and I’m grateful for that.”

With its win on Friday night, Oregon State advanced to the winner’s bracket. It will now face off against Coastal Carolina on Friday at 6:00 pm CT/7:00 pm ET, with the winner being in the driver’s seat to the Final. The Chanticleers have won 24 consecutive games.