Pat Casey, Oregon State (Shotgun Spratling)

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Oregon State’s Pat Casey Retires

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• 2018 College Coaching Carousel

• ROGERS COLUMN: Casey’s departure sparks intrigue

Oregon State head coach Pat Casey, fresh off his third national championship with the Beavers, will announce his retirement Thursday, sources told D1Baseball.

Rumors swirled earlier this summer that Casey, 59, was considering retirement, but he insisted at that time he was going nowhere. But the long-time Beavers skipper had a change of heart and is calling it a career with the Beavers.

Casey guided the Beavers to their third national title with a CWS Finals series win over Arkansas in thrilling fashion this past June. OSU finished the campaign with a 55-12-1 overall record despite not having first-round pick Nick Madrigal for much of the season.

The legendary head coach’s retirement certainly sends shockwaves throughout the Beaver State and around the college baseball community.

“It’s very difficult to put into words what Coach Casey has done for Oregon State University, the state of Oregon, college baseball overall and the tremendous impact he has made on the lives of so many young people during his coaching career,” Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes said. “While I’m saddened to lose Coach Casey in the dugout; I’m thrilled to have Coach Casey remain on staff to serve as an ambassador for our department, be a mentor for other coaches, and play a role in fundraising.”

Casey was one of the more iconic coaches in the modern era. He took over an Oregon State program in the mid 1990s that had experienced little overall success. And while the fix wasn’t an overnight ordeal, he eventually transformed OSU from an afterthought into one of our sport’s superpowers — all while being nestled in a region with a colder climate and a program with limited history.

Pat Casey finished off his coaching career with a national title. (Aaron Fitt)

He spent 24 seasons with the Beavers, guiding the program to an outstanding 900-458-6 (.662) overall record. In addition to his three national titles, he carried OSU to the College World Series on six occasions, while also capturing five Pac 12 championships. During his time, Casey also won league Coach of the Year awards five times, the most recent in 2017.

Overall, Casey finishes his coaching tenure with a 1,071-571-7 record, which includes seven seasons as the head coach at Division III George Fox (Ore.).

Casey’s departure leaves a void for the Beavers, who return several premier arms from last year’s national title club. In the last 30 years, Casey stands out alongside Rice’s Wayne Graham on a short list of coaches who built national powers in unlikely spots. And you could make a strong argument Casey did the most impressive job, as he’s not in the most talent-rich region of the country, unlike the Owls.

His contributions to our sport won’t be forgotten, and his legacy at OSU will live on forever.

The Pat Casey era at OSU has come to an end. As for the future of the OSU program, pitching coach Nate Yeskie was given a raise making close to $250K annually after Mississippi State courted him earlier this summer. However, Pat Bailey is the associate head coach, and is expected to be named the interim head coach.

For now, the big news of the day is the departure of a giant.

Casey will remain at Oregon State as a Senior Associate Athletics Director/Special Assistant to Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Barnes.

Pat Casey’s full statement:

“I would first like to thank all the players who have given me the opportunity and honor to coach them over the last 31 years,” Casey said. “Your dedicated commitment has truly made the journey what it is and made what we do more than special; I will be forever grateful. You have left me with memories I will never forget. You are true warriors.

“Thank you to our coaching staff at Oregon State – your work ethic and loyalty are second-to-none; each and every one is the absolute best. We’ve had so many great times on and off the field which will never be forgotten. And to all the coaches and support staff members I’ve gotten to work with over so many years, I thank you all. Additionally, thank you to the members of the administration at Oregon State for your support throughout the years.

“To my wife, Susan, and my family, thank you for being there every step of the way.

“I don’t have enough space or time to thank all the individuals who I’ve had the pleasure of working with throughout the years. You know who you are and I want to thank each and every one of you.

“I also want to thank Beaver Nation for being the best baseball fans in America. We all truly appreciate your support.

“I have always expected that I be at the same level at which we ask our players day in and day out, and right now, I’m not sure I can’t do that, but I’m also not certain I can. Therefore, I believe it is the right time to step down as head coach of the Oregon State baseball program.

“I would like to thank Ed Ray and Scott Barnes for giving me the opportunity to remain with Oregon State and the athletic department.”

“I’ve truly been blessed.”