CARY, N.C. – Oregon State’s Dax Whitney put together one of the most dominant pitching performances in Beaver history last weekend to earn USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award x D1 Baseball Week 2 Player of the Week honors.
Whitney tied the program record for most strikeouts in a game with 17 in Oregon State’s 3-1 win over Baylor at the Round Rock Classic on February 20. It is just the third time an Oregon State pitcher has racked up 17 Ks in a game, as Mason Smith (1994) and Cooper Hjerpe (2022) have also accomplished the feat. Additionally, the 17 strikeouts were the most ever at Dell Diamond, home of the Round Rock Classic, for any level of baseball since it opened in 2000.
“I thought he was phenomenal. He has really transformed his body, and he is a high-end character who has an enthusiasm and energy with the way he goes out there and does things,” Oregon State head coach Mitch Canham said in a postgame interview with D1 Baseball’s Kendall Rogers.
Whitney touched 100 mph on TrackMan on the first pitch of the game, recording the fastest pitch thrown by an Oregon State pitcher in the TrackMan era, and of the 96 pitches he threw, 66 were for strikes.
His outing was highlighted by retiring nine straight batters by strikeout beginning in the fourth inning. Across the seven innings he scattered two hits and allowed one walk as he faced 25 batters total.
Whitney’s Stats at Round Rock Classic
- February 20 – 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 17K
USA Baseball, in conjunction with DI Baseball, will name a national player of the week throughout the 2026 season to highlight the best performances in college baseball. For the latest information about the Golden Spikes Award, visit GoldenSpikesAward.com or follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Twitter/X and Instagram.
