It has been an interesting week in the Mountain West baseball world, which has definitely been met with surprises both positive and negative. The top two teams faced one another in Don Wier Park, prompting an offensive showing in Reno similar to what happened in Colorado last week. Wazzu welcomed Grand Canyon to the Mountain West in a three game set that was not as competitive as previously thought it would be. And the other five programs took on non-conference opponents in hopes of either repairing
morale or building up momentum further.
With everything mentioned above, there was a lot to discuss regarding where teams should be in this list, and while the teams stand where they are below in our minds, one thing is for sure: This league is wide open. Here are our Mountain West Baseball power rankings through week six.
1. San Jose State (prev. 3)
San Jose State has been back-and-forth throughout the year, but have been really good as of late. After knocking off New Mexico two weeks ago, the Spartans hosted SDSU and UConn in a mixed four-game bout. They handled the Aztecs in both games, winning 3-2 in 11 innings and 9-8 in 10. Then, San Jose State split the games against the Huskies, winning 16-6 in eight innings while being skunked 0-8 in the final game of the weekend.
The Spartans have won six of their last eight games against Mountain West foes (though the games against SDSU did not count in their conference record) and competitive non-conference opponents. On top of that, they have also been able to keep things calm in the batters’ box, allowing an average of 4.25 runs a game while going into extra innings multiple times. We were harsh on them to start the year since they were just not there yet, but now, San Jose State has earned the right to be called the best team in the conference. The Spartans will be tested when they travel to play against Santa Clara and UNLV this week.
2. San Diego State (prev. 2)
While other California programs were shaken up this week, San Diego State remained the only program to stay where they were last week, and for good reason. The Aztecs opened this week with a trip to Los Angeles, losing to the then No. 13 ranked USC Trojans in a close 4-7 game. Then, as mentioned earlier, they went to San Jose to take on the Spartans and UConn Huskies. San Diego State lost both games to the hosts in close, extra innings games while splitting two games with the Huskies 6-4 and 5-7.
Realistically, the Aztecs could have slipped down further, especially with how the Falcons have been doing as of late. However, one can not overlook the fact that SDSU has played multiple ranked California programs and at minimum kept things real close (even beating the then best team in the nation at one point). When you add on the fact that their pitching rotation has been one of the best in a conference where most programs average more than six runs a game, you get the second spot on the power rankings. There will need to be improvement over the next week against UC Irvine at home and Grand Canyon University on the road if the Aztecs want to keep this spot though.
3. Air Force (prev. 5)
Air Force has been on a tear similar to that of the Spartans, but with one glaring weakness that has kept them out of the top two. This week, the Falcons hosted the University of St. Thomas, winning 20-12 in eight innings. Then, they flew over to Reno, taking on the Wolf Pack. The promising form of the lineup continued from previous weeks, as Air Force beat Nevada 2-1, losing the first game 7-10 while winning the final two 18-5 and 17-12, all while only scoring one homerun.
The bats for Air Force have been some of the best in the nation over the last two weeks, as the program has scored 111 runs since the beginning of conference play. Despite all of the run production, the Falcons have one weakness that can be exploited if the right team steps up, and it’s their pitching. Over the same span, they have allowed 71 runs, an average of just over 10 runs a game. One can not imagine that the white hot bats will continue to be for a whole two months, and the right team will be able to calm them down. The switch can be flipped this week though, as Air Force will travel to take on Oral Roberts on Wednesday and Tarleton State over the weekend.
4. Nevada (prev. 1)
Tied for the biggest fall in this week’s rankings, Nevada took a big hit over the weekend, highlighted by a potentially harmful injury to their season. After extending their winning streak against Fresno Pacific in a 15-5, eight inning win, the Pack hosted Air Force. Nevada won the first game 10-7, but then fell apart in the final two games, losing 5-18 and 12-17, falling to second place in the conference standings.
Nevada’s pitching has taken a nose dive after strong outings against Fresno State and Fresno Pacific, but that’s not the main worry as of now. During the final game of the series, Freshman of the Year infielder Sean Yamaguchi took a foul ball straight to his ankle. He was unable to walk off the field without taking a few falls in the process. Yamaguchi is one of the Wolf Pack’s core pieces, and having him out for an unforeseen amount of time would definitely make repeating as regular season champions a lot harder. For now, we will have to see whether or not the sophomore will play after today, which will be unveiled as Nevada hosts the University of San Francisco on Tuesday and travels to face Washington State from Friday to Sunday.
5. UNLV (prev. 8)
After a disastrous start to conference play, UNLV got the wind back in their sails over the last week…sort of. The Runnin’ Rebels got off to a good start with a close 4-3 win at home against Cal State Fullerton. Then, after Fresno State got swept on the road, the program hosted the Utah Tech Bisons for a quick, two game home stand. UNLV continued to build themselves up with an 11-1, seven inning mercy rule win on Saturday, but quickly fell down a bit on Sunday, losing 1-11 in eight innings.
All in all, this was not a bad week for the Rebels, hence why they sit mid-table this week. However, similar to Nevada, UNLV has a problem with their pitching, specifically with inconsistency. It shouldn’t be expected of a program to only have perfect outings, but going from only giving up one run in one game to then give up 11 in the next is not a formula for good. The Rebels will not have an easy time this week to hone in their staff, as they face Arizona State at Las Vegas Ballpark tonight then host San Jose State in a three game series this weekend.
6. New Mexico (prev. 7)
The Lobos earned a bit of grace back this week. Trying to shed off the disappointment that was their opening conference series against San Jose State, New Mexico beat the Arizona Wildcats on the road 6-3, getting a nice power four win. Afterwards, the Lobos headed back home to host Abilene Christian University. The program wound up losing the series 1-2 after losing the first game 5-12 and the second 7-11 after pushing it into extras. Despite the losses, New Mexico patched up their programs quickly, winning the Sunday matchup 11-5, flipping the script of the first two games.
Now, the Lobos still have a lot to prove, as they currently sit at 257 in strength of schedule, the lowest in the conference while still boasting the best team batting average (.314) and second best team ERA (6.05). The batting performance isn’t just for show either, as the Lobos have scored the second most runs in the Mountain West (209), right behind UNLV who currently sits at 219. Their offensive prowess will be tested this week, as the Lobos will take on Texas Tech on the road on Tuesday and then host Fresno State at home over the weekend.
7. Washington State (prev. 9)
Wazzu came into this week with a bit of momentum after taking a game from the best pitching staff in the conference, and it only grew from there. After going to Utah and losing to the Utes 5-8, the Cougars welcomed the GCU Antelopes to the Mountain West in a three game set, winning every single game. Washington State won the first game in a clean 7-3 performance, then claimed an extra innings win out of the jaws of defeat in the second 6-5. The program capped off the week with another clean victory, this time 6-2.
The Cougars have shown they can tango with some of the better programs in the conference while dealing with others on the lower end of the spectrum. But, given their performance in non-conference play, we have played it safe and kept them at seven with the potential to get into the mid-table. Wazzu will have their chance to do so this weekend, as they play Gonzaga in Spokane, Wash. on Tuesday then host Nevada for a three game weekend set.
8. GCU (prev. 4)
The Lopes got a very warm welcome to the conference this past weekend against Washington State. As stated above, Grand Canyon traveled to Pullman, Wash. to take on the Cougars, starting their time in conference play by getting swept in the series. GCU did have the victory in their hands in the second game of the series, going into the bottom of the eighth with a 5-4 lead. However, the Antelopes were unable to hold on, losing to a walk-off fielder’s choice play.
We previously kept the newest member of the Mountain West in good graces due to good performances against programs other conference foes had struggles with while sporting an above-average strength of schedule. However, losing to a program that has consistently been on the bottom three of our power rankings is never a good sign, as it usually points to a program needing a new home on the list, hence why they have dropped the most this week. The Lopes will have some time to get redemption, as they travel to Arizona to take on the Wildcats on Tuesday, then host SDSU during the weekend.
9. Fresno State (prev. 6)
In one of the most surprising turns to happen in this season outside of Air Force taking to the skies has been the recent downfall of Fresno State, which was highlighted over the last week. Looking to bounce back after getting swept by Nevada, the Bulldogs hosted CSUN, which resulted in a 9-11 loss. Then, in an early two game set, the Diamond Dogs found themselves losing to Utah Tech in both games, the first 13-17 and the second 7-8.
The problem has almost nothing to do with their bats, as the Bulldogs will hold the fifth best team batting average at .282 and slugging percentage at .420. The issues boil up once you talk about their pitching and fielding. Fresno State currently has the second worst team ERA at 7.07 while also being the worst fielding team, committing the most errors (32) and holding the worst fielding percentage (.958) in the conference. This will need to remedy itself very quickly, as the Diamond Dogs will host Long Beach State on Monday, then travel to Albuquerque to take on the Lobos, which is the best hitting team in the conference, over the weekend.
