This season was a lot of fun, and the last week of the conference schedule was a prime example of that. Even though the Aztecs were not playing with much on the line at all, it is still impressive to see UNLV win the series and finalize their spot in Arizona with it. And even though they were not able to clinch that final spot due to the Rebels’ efforts, San Jose State sweeping Fresno State and GCU winning their series against Nevada were still outstanding final pushes, which makes next year’s matchups
so much more exciting to wait for.
Amongst all of that, Air Force went on to contend against No. 7 Oregon State, which was a much needed opportunity to get some wind in their sails heading into the Mountain West Conference tournament.
With that said, we have one week left of this run, and it has been a joy to take this journey with you all. Here’s our regular season finale power rankings.
1.San Diego State (prev. 1)
- Lost series at UNLV 1-2
Despite ending the season on a series loss, San Diego State did just enough to take the regular-season title. Things were looking good last weekend as the Aztecs began with a 15-1 mercy win over UNLV. The Rebels would go on to rally and win the final two games of the series and the regular season, winning by a tight 3-1 score in game two and a 9-7 walk-off win in extra innings.
Still, San Diego State will enter the MW Tournament as the No. 1 seed in Mesa. The Aztecs finished the season with a 16-8 conference record and 33-22 overall. The biggest key for SDSU was its pitching, which finished best in the conference in ERA at 4.87 and second in strikeouts with 483. The Aztecs will play the winner of Air Force and UNLV this week.
2.Washington State (prev. 2)
- Lost game vs Seattle 11-12
The Cougars only played one game last week, which was against a non-conference opponent in Seattle. Washington State scored eight runs in the sixth inning and by the ninth inning, got the tying run to third base down by one, but some nifty defensive work by Seattle shut the door with a 12-11 win.
The game didn’t mean anything for Wazzu in terms of conference tournament placement, and they are in a comfortable spot as the No. 2 seed. Washington State finished just behind SDSU with a 15-9 conference record and a 27-25 overall record. Pitcher Nick Lewis led the conference in ERA with a 3.39 through 82 innings pitched. The Cougars will face the winner of Nevada and New Mexico this week.
3.Air Force (prev. 3)
- Lost series vs No. 7 Oregon State 1-2
Air Force was one of many teams that didn’t face a conference opponent last week, but it was the only team in the conference that faced a ranked opponent to end the season. Going up against No. 7 Oregon State, the Falcons held their own despite losing the series. Game one ended in a 7-4 loss for Air Force, despite two of those runs coming in the ninth, but the rally fell short. Game two was a get-back for Air Force, upsetting Oregon State 9-6 for its first win over a ranked opponent since 2024. Falcons batters collected 13 hits while their pitching picked up 11 strikeouts. The rubber match the next day wasn’t as close, as Air Force fell 8-1 to end its regular season.
It was a very successful season for the Falcons, who improved both their conference and overall record from last year. Air Force finished with a 25-26 overall record and a 15-9 conference record, tying with Washington State for second. The Falcons will play the first game of the conference tournament on Thursday against UNLV.
4.New Mexico (prev. 5)
- Won vs New Mexico State 12-6
New Mexico finally got its revenge over in-state rival New Mexico State after losing the previous three matchups this season. The Lobos picked up a 12-6 win over their rivals to end the regular season on a high note. While it was a bit of a funky season for the Lobos, they finished as a top-five team in the Mountain West with a 12-11-1 record and a 28-22-1 overall record. Going into the conference tournament as the No. 5 seed, the Lobos will play in the first round against No. 4 seed Nevada, a team New Mexico beat in a three-game series 2-1 earlier this season. It’s the third straight MW Tournament appearance for the Lobos.
5.Nevada (prev. 4)
- Lost series vs GCU 1-2
It’s safe to say it was an underwhelming season for Nevada. After taking the regular season title just a year ago, the Wolf Pack shot themselves in their own foot at times and finished as the No. 4 seed heading into the tournament. Facing a conference opponent in GCU to end the season, Nevada took game one 13-9 with a chance to move up in the standings a bit. That quickly diminished as Nevada fell in the final two games, 12-7 and 9-3, to end its regular season. Nevada finished under .500 overall, sporting a 24-26 record and 13-11 in conference play.
The Wolf Pack did have something go their way this year, and that was the long ball. Nevada finished second in the conference for most team home runs with 72, just behind UNLV with 78. Still, it was not the season Nevada had hoped for, but momentum and confidence will have to build back up in the tournament as the Pack will take on the Lobos this week.
6.UNLV (prev. 7)
- Won series vs San Diego State 2-1
Well, it took some good baseball and a bit of luck, but UNLV managed to just squeak into the conference tournament. After a brutal 15-1 loss to San Diego State in the first game of the series, the Rebels rallied back to win the next two and capture the series. Those two wins to cap the regular season ended up being just what UNLV needed to make the postseason, finishing with an 11-13 conference record. Tied with San Jose State and GCU, UNLV held the tiebreaker over both teams, snagging the final playoff spot and having a date with Air Force on Thursday. As mentioned above, the Rebels did damage with the long ball, leading the conference with 78 homers. UNLV also led the conference in strikeouts in the pitching department with 517, despite also sporting the worst ERA in the conference at 7.76. Overall, UNLV finished 30-24.
7.GCU (prev. 6)
- Won series at Nevada 2-1
The Lopes had a great end to the season that was sadly marred by the fact that they were just short of making the conference tournament. Looking to get more wins than UNLV, GCU got off to a bad start, losing 9-13 after giving up eight runs to Nevada in the seventh inning. However, the program has able to shake off the loss with back-to-back wins, both of which were by five or more runs. But, due to UNLV winning two of their three games, the Lopes were left just inches away from the finish line, just barely missing the conference tournament in their first season in the Mountain West.
All things considered, this wasn’t the worst way GCU’s season could have gone. Losing players like first baseman Zach Yorke, who posted 32 home runs and 157 RBIs in three years at GCU, is never ideal when you are moving to a new conference. But, this season was a mixed bag, as series wins against programs like Nevada and New Mexico were clashing with series losses against San Jose State and UNLV, regardless of who you lost to the portal. GCU should be competitive in the new Mountain West next year depending on who the program can build with after the transfer portal period.
8.San Jose State (prev. 8)
- Swept series vs Fresno State
Despite being a game back from GCU and UNLV, San Jose State made it interesting this weekend. They needed to sweep Fresno State to have a chance for the final spot in the conference tournament, and they did just that. After taking the first game in convincing fashion 12-5, the Spartans fought back in the ninth in both of the final games, walking off the Friday game 9-8 and the Saturday matchup 8-7. However, it was still not enough, as UNLV won two of their games against SDSU, popping the bubble and dropping San Jose State out of contention.
This was a…let’s say rough season for the Spartans. After a miracle run in last year’s conference tournament as the sixth seed and starting conference play this year on the right note, San Jose State had to settle with an 11-13 conference record. This is the second straight season where the Spartans have had a losing conference record, which is marred by the fact that the program had seven straight seasons with at least a .500 record against conference foes. They will need to rebuild before next season, as new schools like UC Davis and Hawaii (new to baseball) will attempt to make their claim next season in their new home.
9.Fresno State (prev. 9)
- Lost game vs Cal Poly 10-15
- Swept in series at San Jose State
Fresno State’s season was up in flames a couple of weeks ago, but they have at least shown signs of life since then. However, this week was a step back, losing all four of their games to end their time in the Mountain West. With the 10-15 result in Tuesday’s contest against Cal Poly, the Bulldogs were taken down by San Jose State in all three games. That wasn’t without a fight, however, as the Diamond Dogs were close to beating their hosts in both of the final games. But, what wasn’t cool about those final two games were the fact that both games were walk-offs, continuing the trend of trying their best but just coming up short once more.
Ultimately, the Diamond Dogs will have a lot to work on this season. They are jumping into a rebuilt conference that will have objectively better competition. Any conference where Oregon State is will be a contender for multiple regional spots, and when you add teams like current San Diego State and Washington State, it will be an uphill battle to get to the top at the very least. Fresno State has been on the top before, and they can get there again, but starting this low is rough at minimum. Good luck to the Diamond Dogs in their new conference.
