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Heading into Week 9 of the 2026 NCAA season, we are reaching the halfway point of Mountain West Conference play. One team stands alone atop the conference, but they will have to defend their perch from another contender for the first time this season. Across the rest of the conference, most series have a lot of intrigue to them, and none look like obvious runaways. This should be a fun week of softball, so let’s take a look at where everyone sits heading into this crucial slate.
1. #17/22 GCU Lopes (36-2, 9-0 MW)
Last Week: #1
NCAA RPI: #28
This Week’s Games:
vs. Nevada (24-12) – Apr. 2, 7:00 p.m. MST, Mountain West Network
vs. Nevada (24-12) – Apr. 3, 7:00 p.m. MST, Mountain West Network
vs. Nevada (24-12) – Apr. 4, 1:00 p.m. MST, Mountain West Network
Surprise surprise, GCU looks no less dominant than they have throughout the entire season to this point. They have now won their first three Mountain West Conference series in uncompetitive sweeps, a remarkable feat, even for a program of their caliber.
Grand Canyon has the second-best batting average in the conference (.334), only ranking behing the Wolf Pack. They do rank first in OPS (.993), however, so even if their efficiency isn’t the absolute best, that does not mean that their offense is not in tip-top shape. GCU has 10 players with at least 16 RBIs on the season, meaning their production can come from absolutely anywhere. The overall leader of the Lopes at the plate is easily Jada Cooper, who leads in average (.379), OPS (1.261), home runs (10) and RBIs (37).
The Lopes have done slightly worse in terms of circle efficiency in recent weeks, but are still the class of the conference, being one of just six teams in the country with a team ERA below 2.00. The team’s best ERA currently belongs to former Lobo Natalie Fritz, who holds an ERA of 1.54 in 36.1 innings of work. In terms of full-time starters, the best mark goes to Oakley Vickers, who has a conference-best mark of 1.69 in 66.1 innings. GCU’s staff has been better than anyone else at preventing the opposition from getting on base for free, with their 51 total walks allowed this season representing one in just 4.9% of opposing at-bats, the best mark in the country.
GCU hosts Nevada this weekend for what will be their first massive test of conference play. Given the Lopes’ recent track record, as well as the fact that this is likely to be an even worse matchup for the Wolf Pack than it would seem, I actually think that this will end up being a statement sweep by the Lopes. The absolute worst outcome that should be possible is a Lope series win, but anything else would be catastrophic.
2. Nevada Wolf Pack (24-12, 6-3 MW)
Last Week: #2
NCAA RPI: #62
This Week’s Games:
at #17/23 Grand Canyon (36-2) – Apr. 2, 7:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
at #17/23 Grand Canyon (36-2) – Apr. 3, 7:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
at #17/23 Grand Canyon (36-2) – Apr. 4, 1:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
The gap widened between the Lopes and the Wolf Pack this week, as Nevada was inexcusably upset at home by San Jose State on Saturday. Yes, the Pack did still end up winning the series, but a lack of run-rule wins and a series that was far too tight overall doesn’t give me confidence heading into a crucial matchup of the top two teams in the Mountain West.
The Wolf Pack have a lethal offense this season, having the highest team batting average in the MW (.339), the most extra-base hits (124), as well as being second-best in OPS (.985) and RBIs (217). Reigning MW Player of the Week Madison Clark somehow improved her conference-leading batting average further, now ranking eighth in the country with an average of an insane .515 across 130 at-bats. Hannah Di Genova and Katie Wetteland are still second and third in the conference in batting average (.450 and .448). Di Genova cooled off a bit after her nationally recognized Week 7 performance, but still leads the conference in OPS (1.501), RBIs (49), and home runs (15), the latter of which is now just three away from breaking the Nevada single-season record.
Nevada are a bit more inconsistent in the circle this season, ranking third in the conference in ERA (3.54), being second in strikeouts (183), and allowing the third-most walks of any team in the MW (130). Tess Bumiller leads the team with an ERA of 2.52, while embodying the inconsistency of this unit this week, having a terrible start on Friday (3.0 IP, 4 ER), yet being amazing in relief on Sunday (4.1 IP, 1 ER). The same was true of Hailey McLean, who was lights-out in relief on Friday (4.0 IP, 0 ER, 7 Ks), but terrible starting on Sunday (2.2 IP, 2 ER). If Nevada could figure out some kind of consistency in the circle, they would be unstoppable.
The Wolf Pack travel to Phoenix this weekend for a heavyweight matchup with the Lopes, who have swept each of their first three conference series thus far. GCU cannot stay perfect in the conference forever, so it seems obvious that the Wolf Pack will hand them their first conference loss. However, given Nevada’s recent track record in the circle, I don’t believe that any wins in this series are even likely in combination with the Lopes’ pitching excellence. This is an even worse matchup for the Wolf Pack than it looks, so keep your expectations low here, I would expect a GCU sweep.
3. Colorado State Rams (17-17, 5-4 MW)
Last Week: #5
NCAA RPI: #165
This Week’s Games:
at UNLV (18-17) – Apr. 2, 7:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
at UNLV (18-17) – Apr. 3, 4:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
at UNLV (18-17) – Apr. 4, 1:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
Colorado State had a bit of an odd weekend. They started it off by getting run-ruled by Boise State, but then immediately turned it around with two straight close wins to take the series. The Rams are now in the drivers’ seat for a top four seed in the conference tournament heading into a crucial road series with another surprise conference contender.
The Rams have distanced themselves a bit from the rest of the midpack offensively, comfortably ranking fifth in the conference with a batting average of .283, as well as a fifth-best OPS of .778. Madi Eslinger leads the team in average (.400) and OPS (.964), while Kyra Smith leads the Rams in home runs (five) and RBIs (29).
The Rams, meanwhile, struggled a bit in the circle this week, still ranking second in the conference in ERA, but with their current mark of 3.48 now being just 0.06 ERA better than the third-place Wolf Pack. Reagan Wick in particular had a terrible go of things against the Broncos, giving up 10 earned runs in just 6.1 innings of work this weekend. Wick’s ERA of 2.54 in 99.1 innings of work is fourth-best in the conference among pitchers with at least 45.0 innings, only behind Oakley Vickers, Taryn Batterton, and Tess Bumiller. Shoutout to Giselle Bentley here, as she has began to catch Wick in this race, boasting a current ERA of 3.10.
CSU travels to Vegas this weekend for a matchup against the fellow 5-4 in conference Rebels. UNLV is coming off of a series win at struggling Fresno State, having won five of their last seven. The Rebels have a lethal offense, but have been less than optimal in the circle for most of the season. If the offense that the Rams had against the Broncos shows up for this series, the Rams should be able to get the series win here. If not, UNLV has been sneaky good in conference play, so the Rams will likely not be able to hold their offense at bay enough to win.
4. UNLV Lady Rebels (18-17, 5-4 MW)
Last Week: #6
NCAA RPI: #144
This Week’s Games:
vs. Colorado State (17-17) – Apr. 2, 6:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
vs. Colorado State (17-17) – Apr. 3, 3:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
vs. Colorado State (17-17) – Apr. 4, 12:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
UNLV upset Fresno State on the road this weekend, continuing the Bulldogs’ nightmare start to conference play. The Rebels have continued to prove the doubters wrong as of late, now sitting comfortably inside the conference tournament. I suppose the lack of social comments has done them well this season.
UNLV currently ranks fourth in the conference in average (.302), sitting in the middle of an island between the top three and the rest of the pack. Keyannah Chavez ranks at the top in batting average (.400), Bri Williams is the team leader in OPS (1.124), and Charelle Aki leads the team in home runs (eight) and RBIs (35). The Rebels actually rank third in the conference in RBIs (169), with eight players recording double-digit RBIs this season.
UNLV has been nowhere near as good in the circle this season, though they did improve as a team this week, bumping their total ERA from 4.67 to 4.56, still ranking eighth in the conference in ERA. Lauren Fettic (3.90) has been the stalwart leader of the team this season, while Emma Wardlaw (4.63) and Yanina Sherwood (5.28) have been far more inconsistent as a whole.
The Rebels host Colorado State this weekend for an unexpectedly important midseason series. The Rams currently hold the #4 seed, a half game back of the Rebels for that title. UNLV should struggle against this Rams team’s strong pitching, but if the Rebels’ offense is on their game, they can easily steal this series away from CSU. This should be a hotly contested series, and I highly recommend tuning it to see how this turns out.
5. Boise State Broncos (18-20, 4-5 MW)
Last Week: #3
NCAA RPI: #88
This Week’s Games:
vs. New Mexico (15-19) – Apr. 2, 6:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
vs. New Mexico (15-19) – Apr. 3, 6:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
vs. New Mexico (15-19) – Apr. 4, 12:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
Boise State started off the week with a blowout run-rule win against Colorado State on the road, seemingly a sign of the Broncos continued ris to the upper echelon of the conference. Unfortunately, that fact immediately changed over the next two games, where the Broncos managed to lose back-to-back tight contests to a team they had just beaten by 11 runs earlier in the weekend. I still have confidence in the Broncos’ ability to perform the rest of the way this season, but boy, would it be nice to have this series back.
Boise State currently ranks seventh in the conference in batting average (.273) and sixth in OPS (.774). Marissa Gonzalez leads the team in batting average (.340), Skylar Stroh holds the lead in RBIs (34), and Mya Flindt holds the lead in home runs (eight) and OPS (.980). Flindt has been particularly unlcuky this season, as despite her six homers so far, she actually only has 16 RBIs on the year, so while her slams have been helpful, they haven’t mattered as much as one might expect. Boise State’s biggest problem right now is the fact that the Broncos have struck out 191 times this season, tied for seventh-most in the country.
I will continue to defend Boise State’s pitching staff until I’m blue in the face, but the simple fact remains that their staff has not been able to perform as consistently as they should. The Broncos are fourth in the conference in strikeouts (163), but are just seventh in ERA (4.35). Loula-Rae McNamara is the team’s best pitcher, easily leading with a mark of 3.03 and 54 strikeouts. As for their other pitchers, Charley Duran, Olivia Bauer and Julianne Rose have all had their moments (Rose leads the team with 57 Ks), but all three have ERAs above 4.00, and have not really been up to the standard McNamara has set this season.
Boise State hosts New Mexico this weekend, a week after the Lobos upset SDSU two games to one. New Mexico has a lethal pitching staff, paired with next to no consistent offensive production. I would expect a Bronco series win here, but I think UNM’s pitching will allow them to snatch a game off the Broncos.
6. San Diego State Aztecs (19-15, 4-5 MW)
Last Week: #4
NCAA RPI: #81
This Week’s Games:
vs. Utah State (14-20) – Apr. 2, 6:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
vs. Utah State (14-20) – Apr. 3, 6:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
vs. Utah State (14-20) – Apr. 4, 12:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
What even is there to say about the Aztecs at this point? SDSU lost to New Mexico on the road this weekend, the first time the Lobos have even taken a game off of the Aztecs since 2022, and the first time they had won a series against them since 2018. San Diego State is now below .500 in conference play, and have done nothing but play badly over the last month, having lost 10 of their last 18 games. I do not know what is going on with the Aztecs, but this is a low level of play that has not been seen before in the Stacey Nuveman-Deniz era.
The Aztecs still rank near the top in batting average, currently ranking third in the MW (.325). They only drop down to fourth in OPS (.864) and RBIs (155), so it isn’t as if the Aztecs’ offense is really much of a problem right now. Jade Ignacio still leads the team in batting average (.417) and RBIs (30), but is coming off of a bad week where she went just 3-for-12. Jazmin Williams holds the team lead in OPS (1.091), while being tied with Olivia Gigante for the lead in home runs (eight).
San Diego State’s pitching is what has brought them down over the last few weeks, still ranking fifth in ERA, but now only just ahead of the lower half of the MW (4.07). Team leader Faith Jordan saw her ERA drop from 2.65 to 3.25 this week, now ranking just ahead of breakout Pitcher of the Week Ava Schaffel, who won the award by being the reason the Aztecs avoided getting swept by the Lobos on Sunday. This pitching staff is not playing well right now, and they have shown no signs of recent improvement, either.
SDSU hosts Utah State this weekend for their second home conference series of the year. The Aggies just got swept horribly by GCU at home, so one might think that this should be easy pickings for the Aztecs. However, the Aggies did upset the Bulldogs on the road to open conference play, and are led by a high-scoring offense that put up 19 runs on the inconsistent-pitching Wolf Pack two weeks ago. Don’t be surprised if the Aztecs get upset in this series, especially if they cannot figure out their pitching staff.
7. New Mexico Lobos (15-19, 3-6 MW)
Last Week: #9
NCAA RPI: #130
This Week’s Games:
at Boise State (18-20) – Apr. 2, 6:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
at Boise State (18-20) – Apr. 3, 6:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
at Boise State (18-20) – Apr. 4, 12:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
As mentioned above, New Mexico had a great week, upsetting San Diego State for their first series win against SDSU since 2018. Despite being blown out in the series’ final game, this was a huge win for the Lobos to potentially get their season back on track. I still don’t think the Lobos are a great team, but at the very worst, they have a crucial dose of hope in their system now.
The Lobos still rank last in the conference in batting average (.259), but have jumped up to seventh in OPS (.760), showcasing both their inconsistency and power at the plate. Gabrielle Briones leads the team in batting average (.349), followed closely by DeNae Vasquez-Dickson (.345) and Miracle McKenzie (.341). McKenzie holds team leads in OPS (.1.322), home runs (13) and RBIs (30), ranking second in the conference in OPS, only behind Nevada’s Hannah Di Genova.
Caitlin Benningfield and McKenna Guest have led New Mexico to a stout starting lineup in the circle over the last few weeks. UNM ranks sixth in the conference in ERA (4.14), though both Benningfield (3.24) and Guest (3.84) are above that mark. Benningfield is actually tied with GCU’s Oakley Vickers for the lead in the MW in strikeouts (77), a fantastic feat for a freshman.
New Mexico will travel to Boise this weekend for a matchup against the Broncos. If the Lobo offense can get things going against Boise State’s inconsistent pitching staff, they should be able to win it, but I think the Broncos’ offense will be a bit too strong for the Lobos to handle. If the Lobos can manage to snag a game during this series, I would call that a win.
8. Fresno State Bulldogs (14-15, 3-6 MW)
Last Week: #8
NCAA RPI: #114
This Week’s Games:
at San Jose State (11-21) – Apr. 2, 6:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
at San Jose State (11-21) – Apr. 3, 6:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
at San Jose State (11-21) – Apr. 4, 12:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
Fresno State had another excellent week last week (sarcasm not detected), losing their third consecutive conference series, second of the year at home, to a UNLV team on the rise. The Bulldogs are now on the outside looking in for the conference tournement, with no signs of recent improvement to give their fans some hope.
Jamie Hicks (.376 average) leads a ‘Dog offense averaging .274 at the plate, sixth best in the conference. The Bulldogs are actually just ninth in OPS, though (.732), so naturally, they have had a hard time scoring runs this season, being the only team in the conference that has not hit 100 RBIs yet. Hicks leads the ‘Dogs in OPS (1.018), home runs (four), and RBIs (21) as well.
Lauryn Carranco and Alyssa Ramirez have allowed the ‘Dogs to stay in most games, leading the fourth-best pitching unit in the conference (3.57 ERA). Carranco has a 2.69 ERA in 104.0 innings of work, while Ramirez’ 30.2 innings have turned in an ERA of 1.14. Unfortunately, second starter Alyssa Loza has been among the worst starters in the conference, with her 57.2 innings leading to a horrible 6.07 ERA.I’m interested to see if the Bulldogs decide to start changing which Alyssa gets to start games going forward.
Fresno State will leave the San Joaquin Valley and head over to Silicon Valley for their last in-conference series against longtime rival San Jose State this weekend. The Spartans just snatched a game off of the top-flight Wolf Pack in Reno, and have been playing much better this season than their record would indicate, so this very well may be a tough series for the Bulldogs.
9. Utah State Aggies (14-20, 3-6 MW)
Last Week: #7
NCAA RPI: #118
This Week’s Games:
at San Diego State (19-15) – Apr. 2, 7:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
at San Diego State (19-15) – Apr. 3, 7:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
at San Diego State (19-15) – Apr. 4, 1:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
I had initially contemplated putting Utah State in last this week, given how bad they looked compared to SJSU. Ultimately, the Aggies did play the Lopes this week, which gave them enough benefit of the doubt to still rank them in ninth. I do still believe the Aggies are the worst team in the conference, but for now, they remain just a bit above the deepest corner of the basement.
The Aggies currently rank ninth in the conference in batting average (.266) and eighth in OPS (.757). Alex Bunton has fallen out of the team lead in batting average, ceding the top spot to Kya Pratt (.340). Bunton does still lead in OPS (.935) and RBIs (21). Kaylee Erickson leads in OPS among non-qualified players (1.428), mostly due to her seven home runs in just 50 at-bats.
Meanwhile, Utah State’s pitching continues to find new lows that I didn’t even think were possible. The Aggies’ team ERA of 6.82 is over 1.50 ERA less than any other team in the conference, ranking 267th in the nation. The Aggies have given up 61 runs over their last six games. Yes, said games were against the conference’s top two teams, but allowing over 10 runs per game—at home, no less—is horrible, there is no way around that fact.
The Aggies will head to San Diego this weekend for a matchup against the slumping Aztecs. I would expect Utah State to lose this series, but at this point, I have less confidence in SDSU than any other team in the conference, so I’ll just go ahead and predict an Aggie upset in this series.
10. San Jose State Spartans (11-21, 3-6 MW)
Last Week: #10
NCAA RPI: #138
This Week’s Games:
vs. Fresno State (14-15) – Apr. 2, 6:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
vs. Fresno State (14-15) – Apr. 2, 6:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
vs. Fresno State (14-15) – Apr. 2, 6:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
San Jose State shocked Nevada on Saturday in Reno, giving fans a great deal of hope in the future of this struggling team. Sure, the Spartans lost the series, but even one win on the road against Nevada is a monumental achievement. SJSU may be the worst team in the league in terms of record, but these Spartans are far from a bad team, and I expect them to begin proving it now that their brutal conference opening stretch is over.
The Spartans rank eighth in the conference in batting average (.268) and ninth in ERA (5.26). Reina Zermeno leads the team in every offensive stat (.347 avg, 1.066 OPS, six home runs, 20 RBIs), but now-leadoff hitter Leatta Sherlin has risen above Ahmiya Noriega as the team’s second-best hitter (6-for-12 against the Wolf Pack). Delaney Faus (4.44 ERA) and Norah Coulsell (4.81 ERA) have continued to be a two-girl show in the circle, taking over 80 percent of the workload this season. These two freshmen, if developed properly, can easily rebuild the Spartans’ once-elite rotation.
SJSU hosts rival Fresno State this weekend for their final in-conference Battle for the Valley. The Bulldogs are a mediocre team playing badly on the field as of late, and will likely get surprised by the Spartans’ recent level of play, so long as they can keep it up. I think the Spartans will win this series, and if they do, they will finally take themselves out of the #10 spot that they have occupied for so long, it may as well come with an imprint of their logo.
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