Oregon State head coach Mitch Canham knew he had something special the first time he met Travis Bazzana.
So, how about now that the Australian has played his final game for the Beavers, rewriting the record books in the process?
“I told him he’s like part of the .001 percent,” Canham said after Kentucky ended Oregon State’s season in the Lexington Super Regional.
“It’s hard for people to understand him because he’s just so unique. I feel like he’s — I’d do anything for him. I’d do anything for all those guys, but Travis has definitely influenced my family in many ways.”
It is no exaggeration either given what Bazzana achieved in his final season with the Beavers, becoming the program’s all-time leader in home runs, stolen bases, runs scored, doubles, hits and walks.
He also has the single-season record for homers, runs scored and total bases while Bazzana equalled the record for walks in the 3-2 loss to Kentucky on Monday.
Although with every individual accolade that came his way, Bazzana always spoke in the context of what it meant for the team — that if he was playing well and doing his job, it meant Oregon State was one step closer to Omaha.
Which would make his performance in the Super Regional, going 1-7 (.143) with three strikeouts and two walks, that much harder to take.
On a night when the Beavers’ bats went cold, Bazzana did single when Oregon State was two down in the ninth with Mason Guerra getting a runner on base after he drew a two-out walk.
The Bazzana single put the Beavers in a position to tie the game but Johnny Hummel struck out Micah McDowell to end the game and Oregon State’s season.
It wasn’t the fairytale finish Bazzana was after but, as coach Canham pointed out post-game, there is so much more to look forward to for the potential No.1 pick in the upcoming Major League Baseball draft.
“My heart says I’m going to see a lot of him,” Canham said.
“I know I’m not going to get to spend every day with him. I know he’s going to be back and around and want to be around the guys and help out.
“His heart for that place and those guys, it’s just tremendous. He’s going to be great. He’s going to go on, do amazing things.
“Whatever number he gets picked, that’s just the draft. He wants to go be a Hall of Famer. He wants to win championships and get better every day.
“So I’m excited to hear the stories about where he’s going, what he’s doing, seeing his family and how proud they are of him as well and how he’s changing the entirety of that country, just from how he goes about his business and works hard and is so patient with everything.
“He’s giving people belief that you can come here and do this.”
That is certainly true, with Bazzana telling foxsports.com.au in April before he broke Oregon State’s all-time home run record that he hoped it would “spark something in kids back home to continue to pursue greatness in all they do”.
Bazzana was earlier in the week named as one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, which is given to the top amateur baseball player in the country.
While Condon is regarded as the leading contender for the honour, it speaks to Bazzana’s self-belief that he is here in the first place, having told close friend and Stanford infielder Jimmy Nati, of all his goals he had before arriving in Corvallis.
“He went over, straight away hit the ground running,” Nati told foxsports.com.au last year.
“[He told me], ‘I’m going to be MVP of the West Coast League. I’m going to be the best player of my team as a freshman. I’m going to be an all-American. I’m going to win Golden Spikes and I’m going to be a first-rounder’.
“I’m like, ‘Holy s***. The dude is special’, because he’s literally done everything… it’s pretty incredible to see it.”
Even if Bazzana does not win the Golden Spikes Award, he is certainly going to tick off another goal by having his name called in the first round of next month’s draft.
In fact, Bazzana received 17 first-place votes in a survey of 26 higher-level members of the scouting industry by MBL Pipeline and is currently considered the draft’s No.1 prospect.
“You trust him with everything he does,” Canham added on Monday.
“He sets a great example for others. He’s still learning and growing and wanting to be the best.
“You see him he fouls off a ball or something he gets emotional because he wants it so stinkin’ bad. It’s what’s going to lead him to being successful the entirety of his life.”
Source Agencies
