It was the final stop on a whirlwind four-day trip from Southern Oregon to the Rose City. The Beaver State Tour concluded this morning with some optimistic words from a quintet of Beaver heavyweights!!
Athletic Director Scott Barnes talked a lot about the improvement of the facilities on campus that will keep Oregon State in the thick of the talent hunt for the top student-athletes in the country. The 3.5 million dollar renovation of the Performance Center where 500 athletes workout and get stronger is a big step in that direction. The new look inside the Valley Athletic Center that shows off the history and tradition of Oregon State Football is really nice . He also was asked about the changing of the guard when Ed Ray officially steps down and Scott Barnes says the search for a replacement will be tough because of Ray's success story in Corvallis but it will be thorough and the new President will take over July 1,2020.
Jonathan Smith talked about the importance of continuity and the steady improvement he has seen entering his second year as head football coach. You can watch the interview here regarding his squad and the newest player....Center Nathan Eldridge a Senior transfer from Arizona. Jonathan also excited about packing Reser for the two Friday Night games.....August 30th against Oklahoma State and November 8th against Washington.
Scott Rueck is entering his tenth year as the Beaver Women's basketball coach. He has a wealth of talent again including Mikayla Pivec who was selected as a member of Team USA's Pan-American games in July in Peru. I will post an interview with Scott later today here on the I heart site.
Tanya Chaplin and the Gymnastics team finished in the top eight in the nation and are one of the elite programs in the nation. Tanya and her talented Assistant Coach and hubby Michael Champlin are entering their 22nd year with Oregon State and are pumped about upcoming improvements in the Gymnastics practice facility.
And don't forget about the MC Mike Parker who found out this week he has a fuil-time job with Oregon State. Well deserved!!!
Mike will broadcast tonight's baseball game versus UCA on Rip City Radio beginning at 5:30 pm