With his long, flowing locks lit up by the bright Corvallis sun, Oregon State stopper Albert Roblez – the nation’s leader in saves – spoke with the media Tuesday afternoon.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Oregon State’s postseason path to the College World Series, Roblez stayed true to what really matters. Home or away, the Long Beach State transfer just wants an opportunity on the game’s brightest stage:
“It’s going to be emotional for sure. It’s going to be exciting. This is what I’ve been for my whole career, honestly. I wanted to play at this level all my college career, so I’m finally having that opportunity.”
No matter where the Beavers go, or who they play, the senior righty from California’s Inland Empire (Moreno Valley, CA) trusts the veteran core from last year’s College World Series team:
“These guys are very knowledgeable in that realm, as far as knowing what it takes to play at that level and get to that point in the season, and I’m going to be talking to all of them, and asking them some questions and picking their brains.”
Transfer catcher Jacob Galloway, a Buster Posey Award nominee, echoed his teammate’s trust in the Beavers’ dugout:
“We definitely talk about [seeding], especially in the spot that we’re at right now, you know we’d love to host, and I’ve been doing my research trying to figure out what our chances are, but regardless of if we host or not, we’re going to be in a good spot just with how our team is, and our pitching staff, and the way our offense is coming along lately. So we feel pretty good about whether we’re home or away, and just excited to play.”
When the season began, skipper Mitch Canham talked about a competition for the starting catcher job, and Galloway eagerly made the most of that opportunity. Now, the former USC Trojan and Texas A&M Aggie is ready to repeat the process, making the most of a chance to compete for a national championship:
“I have come from some big schools, so it was a little bit surprising not making it at those places. Kind of just unlucky those years, I guess, and [I am] super excited to finally be a part of it this year.”
Roblez, Galloway, and Oregon State will learn their fate in the NCAA’s Division I college baseball selection show Monday morning at 9 AM PST on ESPN2.
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