Last year, Oregon State baseball started the season ranked in several preseason polls, but stumbled out of the gate with a 7-2 loss to New Mexico on Opening Day at the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic.

This year, the Beavers are in all the polls, including No. 7 in the coaches' preseason NCAA rankings.

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• What To Know About Oregon State Baseball In 2024

And they won't wait long to see if their season has a similar start in 2024. They once again open the season against the Lobos at the same tournament. 

The Beavers are one of four teams heading to Surprise, Arizona, for a four-day slate of baseball at the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals spring training facility at Surprise Stadium. 

There's more than just Oregon State and New Mexico. 

Here are four things to watch at the 2024 Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic. 

New Mexico Vs. Oregon State Baseball: Will It Happen Again?

Last year, the Lobos had 14 hits in the first game of the season en route to a 7-2 win. But Oregon State won two days later over the Lobos 14-6. 

The Lobos are picked to finish fifth in the Mountain West this season and Reed Spenrath was named to the preseason all-conference team. New Mexico didn't take advantage of beating Oregon State, winning only 25 more games after it and finishing 26-25 and 13-17 overall. 

Oregon State went 41-20 and 18-12 in the Pac-12. They lost in the Baton Rouge Regional in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. 

It'll be a tough task to beat the Beavers again, who have five players on the preseason All-Pac-12 team, including pitchers Aiden May and Jacob Kmatz. OSU was voted the Pac-12 preseason favorite. 

Minnesota Baseball Coach John Anderson Starts His 43rd And Final Season

John Anderson became the Gophers coach in 1982, and 2024 will be his last season. 

The 68-year-old is the longest-tenured Minnesota coach ever, in any sport, and he announced in December he would be retiring after the season. He has 1,365 wins at Minnesota and has won 21 Big Ten titles. 

To make his 20th NCAA Baseball Tournament appearance in 2024, Anderson, an American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer, needs to guide his team to a rebound. The Golden Gophers, who went to the College World Series in 2018, went 18-34 in 2023 and just 10-14 in conference play. Minnesota lost all four games in the Sanderson Classic last season. 

CSU Bakersfield Replaces UC Santa Barbara Baseball This Season

Three of the four teams this year were in Surprise in 2023, but the new team is CSU Bakersfield. The Roadrunners replace UC Santa Barbara, who was ranked No. 14 last year. CSU Bakersfield, though, is coming off an 18-34 season and a 9-21 Big West record. 

CSU Bakersfield is coached by former Beaver Jeremy Beard, who helped OSU win the Pac-10 North Conference title in 1994. He graduated in 1997. 

Travis Bazzana Bonanza: Infielder On Golden Spikes Watch List

Travis Bazzana is on the watchlist for the game's best player: the Golden Spikes Award

Bazzana is expected to be a top-3 pick this July, according to most mock drafts and prospect lists. The infielder from Sydney, Australia, is a .340 career hitter and is already the program leader in stolen bases with 50. He was an All-American last season when he hit .374 with 20 doubles and 11 home runs and 36 steals.

His speed makes him an elite prospect, and while he played second base last season, scouts believe his speed could mean a move at the next level. 

More MLB Draft 2024 Coverage 

• MLB Draft 2024 Analysis: Here Are The Top 2024 MLB Draft Prospects At The College Baseball Showdown
• MLB Draft 2024 Analysis: Who Do The Cleveland Guardians Take At No. 1?
• MLB Draft 2024 Analysis: Who Do The Cincinnati Reds Take At No. 2?
• MLB Draft 2024 Analysis: Who Do The Colorado Rockies Take At No. 3?
• MLB Draft 2024 Analysis: Who Do The Oakland Athletics Take At No. 4?
• MLB Draft 2024 Analysis: Who Do The Chicago White Sox Take At No. 5?
• MLB Draft 2024 Analysis: Who Do The Kansas City Royals Take At No. 6?

When Is The Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic 

The Sanderson Ford College Classic features two games inside Surprise Stadium, the spring training home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals. The two MLB teams are also starting spring training this week as pitchers and catchers begin to report for spring training. 

How To Watch The Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic

Watch the 2024 Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic on FloBaseball and the FloSports app.

FloBaseball will be streaming several season-opening college baseball tournaments, including the Shriners Children's College Showdown, Snowbird Baseball and the Kubota College Baseball Series.

2024 Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic Schedule

All times Eastern

Friday, February 16 

• Game 1 - New Mexico vs Oregon State - 2pm ET 
• Game 2 - Minnesota vs CSU Bakersfield - 7pm ET

Saturday, February 17 

• Game 3 - Minnesota vs Oregon State - 2pm ET 
• Game 4 - CSU Bakersfield vs New Mexico - 7pm ET

Sunday, February 18 

• Game 5 - CSU Bakersfield vs Oregon State - 2pm ET 
• Game 6 - New Mexico vs Minnesota - 7pm ET

Monday, February 19 

• Game 7 - Minnesota vs Oregon State - 2pm ET 
• Game 8 - CSU Bakersfield vs New Mexico - 7pm ET

Oregon State Set To Play At College Baseball Showdown

The Beavers will move from the Rangers' spring training stadium to its actual stadium the following weekend for three games at Globe Life Field at the College Baseball Showdown Weekend 2.

Feb. 23: 

• Michigan vs. Oklahoma State, 4 p.m. 
• Arkansas vs. Oregon State, 8 p.m. 

Feb. 24: 

• Oregon State vs. Michigan, 4 p.m.  
• Arkansas vs. Oklahoma State, 8 p.m. 

Feb. 25: 

• Arkansas vs. Michigan, 2 p.m. 
• Oklahoma State vs. Oregon State 6 p.m. 

FloBaseball Archived Footage

Video footage from past seasons is archived and stored in a video library for FloBaseball subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

Watch College Baseball On FloBaseball

FloBaseball is home to thousands of college baseball games this spring, including the Shriners Children's College Showdown (formerly the College Baseball Showdown) from Feb. 16 to March 3 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Watch Independent Baseball On FloBaseball 

Follow the action from around the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, Frontier League and Pioneer Baseball League, whether you’re on FloBaseball.tv, the FloSports app or FloBaseball’s social media channels for select games.

Each week during the season, we'll feature at least one “Game Of The Week” from each league and stream it directly to social media. Tune in to catch the action LIVE on FloBaseball's Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.

And remember, you can revisit all of your favorite moments from the season, as video footage from each league is archived and stored in a video library for FloBaseball subscribers to watch during the duration of their subscriptions. 

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