CORVALLIS – The Oregon State baseball team finds itself ranked second by Perfect Game to open the 2018 season as the online publication released its preseason top 25 on Wednesday.

The No. 2 preseason ranking is the second for the Beavers following Collegiate Baseball, which released its top 40 teams in late December. Similar to that ranking, Oregon State trails only Florida.

Oregon State finished the 2017 season ranked third after advancing to the College World Series, where the Beavers were one of four teams remaining. OSU set a school record with 56 wins – 31 of which came at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field – and the pitching staff led the nation with a 1.93 earned run average. That also set a school record, bettering the 2014 staff’s 2.28 mark.

TCU (No. 3), Texas Tech and Florida State immediately follow Oregon State to finish out the top 25 per Perfect Game. Other 2018 opponents for the Beavers who will open the season ranked include No. 10 Stanford (at Goss Stadium May 11-13), No. 16 UCLA (May 24-26 at Goss Stadium) and No. 19 Cal State Fullerton (at Goss Stadium March 9-11).

Oregon State opens the 2018 season Feb. 16 against New Mexico in Surprise, Ariz.

– via Oregon State Athletics Communication