Oregon State coming to Hawaii was exciting, and I had a long list of players I was excited to get. But at the top of that list was pitcher Dax Whitney. Whitney is having a fantastic freshman season, striking out 72 in only 49.1 innings and a .245 opponent batting average. I saw him pitch on Saturday, and he only allowed 4 hits in 4.2 innings, striking out 7. Doing all this, as a freshman, is very impressive.
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None of this should be a huge surprise, of course. He was ranked the #1 prep player in Idaho in 2024 and a top-tier draft prospect. Coming into the 2025 season, Perfect Game considered him the fifth-best freshman in the nation. He is a major part of Oregon State’s future. Also–and, I am awarding him major points for this–a Guardians fan. So, needless to say, I am not an even bigger fan.