Justin Joyner’s first season as Oregon State’s head coach gets another early test Friday night, when the Beavers host Cal Baptist at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Oregon. Oregon State is favored by 20.5 points on FanDuel, but the number only tells part of the story after the Beavers opened with a 102-point outburst against Weber State.
That first game is why the Baptist vs Oregon State matchup is drawing attention now. Oregon State looked balanced in the win, with seven different players scoring in double figures, Daniel Freitag leading the way with 23 points and Xavion Staton turning in his first career double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. For a team in its second contest of the 2026-2027 college basketball season, Friday offers a chance to show that one explosive performance was the start of something more under Joyner.
Cal Baptist brings a different kind of pressure into the game. The Lancers won 25 games last year, took the WAC Tournament title and reached the Division I NCAA Tournament for the first time, so they are not arriving in Corvallis as a simple afterthought behind the spread. Kyle Getter has taken over as head coach, while Dominic Lippi is now on Oregon State’s bench after spending the previous three seasons on Cal Baptist’s staff under Rick Croy.
That connection adds a little edge to a game that still tilts heavily toward Oregon State on paper. The Beavers have the home floor and the recent scoring surge, but Cal Baptist has already shown it can win in a postseason setting and carry that success into a new era. Friday night will show whether Oregon State can back up the betting line or whether Cal Baptist can make Joyner’s first season feel a little less smooth.
