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San Diego State plays in a pivotal three-game set against Air Force for the top spot in the conference (Photo courtesy of @AztecBaseball X Page)
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Each week, we here at Mountain West Connection will briefly preview every series going on in the conference, detailing how each team is going into the series and a key item to note that we feel will dictate the winner. Afterwards, if there are any non-conference series going on, we will go through each series similarly.
Air Force (5-1) vs San Diego State (4-2)
The battle of the best (so far) is going to take place as Air Force travels to San Diego to take on the Aztecs. SDSU and Air Force are coming into this series red hot. The Falcons took care of Northern Colorado 18-6 in seven innings during a mid-week bout, while San Diego State got a bit more rest after beating GCU in their weekend series 2-1, taking the last two games by a combined score of 19-13.
Air Force versus San Diego State is the epitome of unstoppable force versus immoveable object. The Falcons have had an amazing time in the batters box and racking up runs, especially in conference play (.391 team batting average, 91 runs scored in six games), while the Aztecs have had the best pitching staff in the conference overall (5.82 team ERA, 274 strikeouts). Both have been great in one side of the game while mixed in the other, which should make for some great games this weekend.
Washington State (5-4) vs San Jose State (3-3)
Two teams that got off to bad starts to the season but have had some upside over the last couple of weeks. Wazzu took on the Nevada Wolf Pack last weekend, winning the first game but losing the final two en route to dropping the series, then proceeded to blank Seattle University 10-0 on Tuesday to revamp the energy. Meanwhile, San Jose State comes into this series on the opposite end, losing two of their three games to UNLV last weekend (winning the last one) then falling to Santa Clara 3-5.
Looking at the head to head, San Jose State does have the advantage, as the Spartans lost their series to Nevada 1-2 (same as Wazzu), but beat SDSU in both games they played in a non-conference, round-robin like series with UConn where Washington State lost two of three games to the Aztecs. However, Washington State has had a great rise over the last few weeks despite the losses to two teams aiming for a bye in the conference tournament, so this series can go either way depending on who can strike first.
New Mexico (3-2-1) vs UNLV (2-4)
New Mexico and UNLV are coming into this series on very similar paths. The visiting Lobos won their conference series against Fresno State, winning the first two games but ending the series with an 18-18 tie due to travel laws impacting the Bulldogs. New Mexico could’ve had a full series sweep, but blew a lead in the ninth that sent the game into extras. Then there was UNLV, who also won their series against San Jose State 2-1, winning the first two games by a combined 33-15, but then dropping the last one 18-8 in seven innings. Then the Runnin’ Rebels took on CSU Bakersfield at home, losing 18-15.
This series is the battle of opposites in conference play. UNLV has had one of the best team performances in the batters’ box (.380 team batting average, second in conference) but the worst on the mound (14.73). Meanwhile, New Mexico, which once upon a time had the best batting average in the conference, was the worst team batting average in conference play (.280, tied with GCU) but the best team ERA across the six games they’ve played (5.81). These teams were top of the conference at one point, but their flaws have pushed them down to the middle or bottom, and whoever winds up being the loser of the series will either miss the conference tournament or barely squeak in as the sixth seed.
GCU (1-5) vs Fresno State (0-5-1)
While Air Force and SDSU play for the top spot, GCU and Fresno State will compete to see who is the best, worst team in the conference. The Lopes won their first Mountain West Conference game last week against SDSU, but ultimately ran out of steam and lost the final two games of the series. Fresno State fared even worse, losing last weekend to New Mexico 0-2 while tying in the last game 18-18 before travel rules forced them to leave in the 10th, then losing to a visiting Cal Poly 4-10 on Tuesday.
Despite the less than stellar conference records, both GCU and Fresno State have competed in multiple games. The problem was either they dug themselves in holes they couldn’t dig out of or just couldn’t close out a game and wound up on the wrong side of a walk-off. The proof is in the stats, as GCU is currently second in the conference in team ERA (6.21) and runs scored (41) while Fresno State is fifth in team batting average (.320). However, just like New Mexico and UNLV, both teams’ flaws are hurting them more than their successes are elevating them, and whichever team can fix their flaws the most will win this series and have a shot at contending for that final conference tournament spot in Arizona.
Teams on a bye: Nevada (4-2, currently third in conference)
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