- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,150,387
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images
Fans fill the stands as the Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans on May 14, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Washington State Baseball is back in the NCAA postseason for the first time since 2010 after their electric win in the Mountain West Tournament on Sunday evening. The regional will consist of the host Oregon Ducks, Pac-2 brethren Oregon State, and a bit of a surprise with the Yale Bulldogs coming across from the East Coast.
The Ducks, who fell just short in the Big Ten title game on Sunday but finished 40-16 and ranked 15th in the NCAA RPI, will start by taking on Yale at 5 p.m. on Friday night. Yale, similarly to WSU, made the playoffs due to their automatic qualifier by defeating Brown to win the Ivy League Tournament title. However, their presence in this regional is a welcome sight for Washington State. Yale is 144th in RPI and has not played a Quad 1 or Quad 2 game all season. The Bulldogs went 3-6-1 in Quadrant 3 contests and 27-7 in Quadrant 4. Their schedule does not come close to the three other teams seen in this regional.
The Cougars’ first opponent, the Beavs, is very upset they are not hosting a regional in Corvallis. Getting Oregon State as a #2 seed in a regional seems like brutal luck, but WSU was able to go 1-1 against OSU this season at Bailey Brayton. OSU is 18th in the RPI, only three spots behind the Ducks, with an independent record of 43-12.
Washington State lost their first game to Oregon State 18-0 in just seven innings, with Brock Blatter getting the start. In the second contest, WSU used six pitchers to piece together a solid pitching day and was able to hold on 7-6 after getting out to a big lead. WSU really struggled in midweek games due to their lack of pitching depth, so they will be relieved to be able to put Mountain West Pitcher of the Year Nick Lewis on the mound Friday in Eugene. It is going to be all hands on deck for the pitching staff, as we saw on Sunday, with Scott Rienguette firing 3 2/3 scoreless innings and six strikeouts to seal the deal.
It will be a challenge for WSU to push their way through this regional, but it is far from impossible. Facing a team you know you can beat with a bunch of guys riding off a wave of confidence seems the best possible way to start.
I was going to explain how the tournament works in detail for those of you who may be new to it, but frankly, it’s pretty complicated. Just know that it is double-elimination, so even if WSU loses their opener to the Beavs, they will have a chance to stay alive against the loser of Oregon and Yale. If you are looking to map out a potential trip to Omaha, here is the NCAA’s explanation of the 64-team tournament.
WSU will take on Oregon State at noon this Friday on ESPN+.
Continue reading...
