For the second consecutive season, the Oregon State Beavers have endured yet another transfer portal hit, losing All-WCC forward Rataj to the Baylor Bears.
Beaver Transfer Michael Rataj Finds New Home With Baylor Bears After All-WCC Season
After putting together a career-best campaign as a junior during the 2024-25 season, Oregon State forward Rataj entered his name in the transfer portal following the WCC Tournament. He’s found a home for his senior season with the Baylor Bears in Waco, TX.
Rataj averaged team highs in points (16.9 ppg), rebounds (7.2 rpg), steals (1.6 spg), and blocks (0.6 bpg) for the Beavers as their clear go-to scorer and best overall player. He was named First Team All-WCC for his efforts.
This came after a sophomore season in which the German native averaged only 8.3 ppg in a much smaller role. His breakout coincided with Oregon State’s most wins in a season since the 2020-21 season, in which they made a storybook Elite Eight run.
The Beavers couldn’t quite do the same this season, as they were upset in the third round (the teams’ first game of the tournament) by the Pepperdine Waves, who only registered four wins in conference play during the regular season.
In that game — Rataj’s finale as a Beaver — he produced a dud of a performance, scoring a mere one point on 0 of four shooting from the field in 36 minutes of play. Oddly, he couldn’t impact any other part of the game, totaling only two assists and one steal while failing to grab a single rebound.
Despite that, 6’9″, 220-pound Rataj remained one of the most sought-after forwards in the portal.
Coach Scott Drew and his Baylor staff were able to land his commitment on Monday. It is a big addition to his team ahead of the 2025-26 season.
In 2024-25, the Bears tied for seventh in the Big 12 regular-season standings. They claimed a nine-seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs by three points in the first round before falling by 23 points to the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils.
Unfortunately for Drew, top scorer, forward Norchad Omier was a fifth-year senior and won’t be back. Second-leading scorer V.J. Edgecombe is expected to enter the 2025 NBA Draft and will be a top selection.
That leaves the Bears with a major void at the wing and forward positions, proving that Rataj will fill an immediate hole for next season.
This is another tough blow for Oregon State via the transfer portal for the second consecutive offseason.
Following the 2023-24 season, point guard Jordan Pope and forward Tyler Bilodeau left Corvallis and decided to join the Texas Longhorns and UCLA Bruins, respectively. Double-digit scorer Dexter Akanno also departed and joined the Utah State Aggies.
Pope was a key addition to the Longhorns, who made a surprise run in the SEC Tournament to secure an NCAA Tournament berth. During that run, Pope contributed 13.6 ppg. Bilodeau proved to be an even more significant loss, as he became one of the top big men in the Big Ten for the Bruins, averaging a team-high 13.5 ppg and grabbing 4.6 rpg.
Yet another star player in the German forward leaving is just another rough card dealt to the Oregon State program, which already endured the disassembly of the PAC-12 and the temporary membership with the WCC.
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Rataj now finds himself in a position to immediately impact the Bears in the Big 12 for his final season of college basketball.
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