It’s the middle of March, which means it is time for the Mountain West baseball teams to kick off conference play! The format of the ‘Weekend Walkup’ will change, as we will now briefly go over each conference match up, give a glimpse into how each team is doing and what to watch for as each weekend goes on. There are now nine teams in the conference, so there will be at least one team that will not play a conference series, but will still be highlighted at the end of the story.
With all that established,
let’s set the stage for this weekend’s conference slate.
Nevada (8-6) vs Fresno State (7-8)
The battle of the two favorites for the Mountain West Conference title. Both schools have had a less than expected start to the season, as both faced prominent power four opponents in the first two series. Now, Nevada has been on the rise, as they swept the Pacific Tigers in three straight games and kept things close against the Stanford Cardinal 8-13 on Wednesday, Fresno State has been on the other side of the equation, as they were swept by the Arizona Wildcats (getting blanked 6-0 in the first game) over last weekend and were then beaten 3-13 by the Cal Poly Mustangs on Tuesday.
Both teams are looking to get back in the right direction and start up conference play in the upper half of the standings. Nevada has thrived in fireworks shows this year, as 11 of the program’s 14 games have featured at least one team scoring seven or more runs (eight have been Nevada scoring that much, it has won all but one). Fresno State has also enjoyed its fair share of high scoring matchups as well, as 10 of their matchups follow the same trend with six of them featuring the Bulldogs (all were wins).
If the Wolf Pack’s pitching staff can keep Fresno State from hitting that many runs in any of their games this weekend, then they can ensure a higher chance of starting the conference season strong. However, if the Bulldogs can get things going at home, then they will start on the right foot.
New Mexico (12-5) vs San Jose State (5-11)
New Mexico was the hottest team in the Mountain West, winning their first 12 games in a row, with some being mercy rule wins and only one going into extras. However, since then, the Lobos have lost their last five games, one to in-state rival New Mexico State and four in a clean sweep against Tarleton State, who kept things close in a 1-3 loss to then No. 7 Arkansas for note. Meanwhile, the dark horse from last year’s conference tournament has been struggling, most recently being swept on the road by the Pitt Panthers, which included a 20-1 mercy rule loss in the first game. Despite the power four set back, the Spartans did bounce back with a 3-2 home win against the Cal Golden Bears.
While the Lobos were dominant to start the season, they do have one glaring weakness: their pitching. As a team, New Mexico currently has a 6.29 ERA, which is middle of the pack in the conference. The program’s opponents have put up a 10.75 ERA as well, which has inflated its hitting stats. SJSU hasn’t been doing that great on the mound, with a 7.28 ERA, but have faced a combined 3.65 ERA. This series will be a litmus test for the Spartans, who can shovel up some early season momentum if they can continue to right the ship. But if the Lobos’ roster shakes off the Texas rust, then they will be the ones sitting in the upper bowl of conference standings.
Washington State (6-9) vs San Diego State (9-8)
Both Washington State and San Diego State have had rough weeks entering conference play. The Cougars also went to Texas, taking on the Texas State Bobcats in a four game set where they only won once. Two of the three losses were within at most two runs, but the end verdict still left Wazzu looking for more. Then there was the Aztecs, who hosted Saint Mary’s and went on the road to play Cal State Fullerton. Of the four games played, SDSU only won the first matchup, losing the next three by a combined score of 17-23.
Just because both teams are on a down swing going into this weekend does not mean it will be a 50/50 series. Wazzu will have to rise up against the mountain that is the San Diego State pitching staff, which boasts one of the best team ERAs in the conference at 5.38. If the Cougars can get to the SDSU pitchers enough while dealing with their batters, which hold a .254 team average entering today’s game, then this will be a competitive three-game stretch.
UNLV (13-5) vs Air Force (3-11)
UNLV and Air Force enter this series on completely opposite sides of the momentum spectrum. The Runnin’ Rebels opened the Cambria Classic tournament with a seven inning, 0-10 loss to Minnesota, then bounced back with two wins against Southern Illinois (16-8 and Northwestern (10-5). That was followed up by an extremely close 11-10 home win against UC Riverside. Air Force, meanwhile, struggled against the Baylor Bears on the road, losing all three games by a combined score of 5-18. While there was a close 4-5 loss sprinkled within the nothing sandwich, the tides that carry the Air Force ship are very calm going into the weekend.
Even though Air Force has been on a steep decline over the last month, their team batting average is actually tied for fifth with San Diego State at .254 while playing three less games. UNLV’s pitching staff does have an overall 5.96 ERA, and they have played four more games with an arguably easier schedule. This could be a good start to conference play if the Falcons can get their bats going early and often, or a disastrous start that keeps them in the bottom of the standings if not.
(Non-Conference) Rice (9-8) and Saint Mary’s (10-6) vs Grand Canyon (6-11)
Our one non-conference series this weekend will see Grand Canyon take on the Rice Owls and the Saint Mary’s Gaels at home in an interlocked two-game series with both schools. The Lopes haven’t been living up to the hype they came into the Mountain West with, as they are coming off losing four straight games to the Utah Utes on the road by a combined score of 2-21, including three straight games without a single run. Meanwhile, Saint Mary’s handled business against SDSU, winning the series 2-1, then lost a game to UC Santa Barbara in seven innings 3-13; while Rice is looking to bounce back into the win column after losing back-to-back games against Abilene Christian and Houston.
GCU matches up better with Rice this weekend, as both programs enter with a sub .250 batting average (RIce .2.19, GCU .237) and a 5.00 ERA or higher (Rice 5.00, GCU 6.39), so that will be more competitive on paper and give the Lopes a chance to get some more results in the win column. Saint Mary’s on the other hand will be a steep hill to climb for the new Mountain West member, as while they also have a higher than wanted 5.07 team ERA, they also have hit extremely well with a .332 team batting average that has helped the Gales get series wins against two Mountain West schools so far. These games will be tough for GCU, but they can be winnable if the program can calm the bats of the Gaels.
