Week 7 of the 2026 softball season is imminent, and conference play in the MWC is heating up. While there are no marquee conference matchups this weekend, all matchups will be crucial, especially for those that struggled in the opening conference week. With all that being said, let’s take a look at where I think everybody sits heading into Week 7.
1. #17/22 GCU Lopes (30-1, 3-0 MW)
Last Week: #1
NCAA RPI: #33
This Week’s Games:
vs. San Jose State (10-16) – Mar. 20, 7:00 p.m. MST, Mountain West Network
vs. San Jose State (10-16) – Mar.
21, 7:00 p.m. MST, Mountain West Network
vs. San Jose State (10-16) – Mar. 22, 11:00 a.m. MST, Mountain West Network
at #13/11 Arizona (21-7) – Mar. 24, 6:00 p.m. MST, ESPN
After Tuesday’s loss to Oklahoma State, the Lopes are undefeated no more, but it would take far more than one loss for them to drop out of my No. 1 spot here, least of all in a game when they got completely hosed by the umpires. Grand Canyon is still far and away the best team in the MW, and that is unlikely to change any time soon.
GCU ranks third in the conference in batting average (.323), only trailing Nevada and SDSU, while also leading the conference in OPS (.852). Raegan Holtorf and Jada Cooper had weekends to remember in Albuquerque, being honored as the MW Freshman and Player of the Week, respectively. Both hit .444 on the series, the former recording six RBIs and the latter recording five. Cooper also sits atop the conference RBI leaderboard with 31 so far. GCU pitchers, meanwhile, combined to give up just three runs all series, allowing 15 hits and walking six batters. The Lopes’ pitching staff as a whole has recorded an ERA of 1.61, ranking first in the conference and fourth in the country.
The final box scores make two of the three Lobo games look closer than they were. GCU never trailed, and were only tied with New Mexico once: following the third inning of Game 1. The Sunday win over UNM gave the Lopes their 13th shutout win of the season, now tied with No. 1 Tennessee for the most shutout wins in the country.
As for the loss to the Cowgirls, Oklahoma State scored three runs off previously untouchable Oakley Vickers in the top of the sixth after a pitch right over the plate that would have ended the inning was suspiciously called a ball. Vickers was pulled for Maggie Place in the seventh after the extra pitches, where Place gave up an additional three runs. If not for that atrocious bit of officiating, Vickers likely gives up no runs in the sixth, giving her a boost of confidence to go through the seventh as well. In this scenario, GCU’s two runs in the bottom of the seventh would have resulted in them walking the game off instead of losing by five.
This week, the Lopes host San Jose State for their first conference series in the Mountain West, then will go on the road to Tucson for a Tuesday night clash with the top 15-ranked Arizona Wildcats. The Lopes will surely be angry, given how their dream season just came crashing down.
2. Nevada Wolf Pack (19-10, 2-1 MW)
Last Week: #2
NCAA RPI: #54
This Week’s Games:
at Utah State (12-15) – Mar. 20, 3:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
at Utah State (12-15) – Mar. 21, 11:00 a.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
at Utah State (12-15) – Mar. 22, 11:00 a.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
at Utah Valley (17-8) – Mar. 23, 4:00 p.m. PDT, WAC International
Nevada went 3-1 last week, losing their first ever home night game to Boise State, before rattling off three straight wins, two against the Broncos, then by clinching a victory in the season series against Pacific. The Wolf Pack look strong all around, and have proven that they can win games in a variety of different ways.
Nevada was led in the series against Boise State by Tess Bumiller, who has fully entrenched herself as Nevada’s number one option on the mound. Bumiller recorded a 0.00 ERA in two wins against the Broncos, earning herself MW Pitcher of the Week honors. Bumiller currently holds an ERA of 1.87 through 52.1 innings of work, ranking third in the conference in ERA among pitchers with at least 35 innings. The Pack are third in the conference in ERA (3.20), as well as second in strikeouts (145).
Nevada is tied for first in the conference in batting average (.328), ranking second in OPS (.827). Katie Wetteland, despite an overall down week, still sits comfortably in the lead in the conference in batting average (.473), with teammate Madison Clark ranking second (.456). Fellow hitter Hannah Di Genova still leads the conference in home runs (nine), while sitting second in RBIs (30).
Nevada heads to Utah this week for four games. The first three are against Utah State, and the fourth is a Monday game against a sneaky good Utah Valley squad, one that would likely serve as a Quad 2 game for the Pack. Utah State is off to a shocking 2-1 start in conference play after a massive upset at Fresno State last week, so the Aggies will be riding high off of that success. In addition, this series will be Bumiller and Hailey McLean’s return to their old stomping grounds in Logan, after both struggled mightily against USU in Reno last year. Rest assured, emotions will be hightened during this series.
3. San Diego State Aztecs (17-11, 2-1 MW)
Last Week: #3
NCAA RPI: #57
This Week’s Games:
at UNLV (14-15) – Mar. 20, 6:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
at UNLV (14-15) – Mar. 21, 3:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
at UNLV (14-15) – Mar. 22, 12:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
Turns out my prediction was accurate. San Diego State did end up winning their opening conference series against the Rams, but it was much closer than most would have predicted, with the winning team in all three games scoring exactly two runs. SDSU hitters struggled against CSU pitching, but a largely immaculate performance from Aztec pitchers in Games 2 and 3 allowed the Aztecs to avoid a massive upset at home. All of this followed an impressive run-rule victory over Cal Baptist at home, making this a 3-1 week for SDSU.
SDSU pitchers recorded an ERA of 0.81 this week, allowing just 18 hits across the four games. The Aztecs now rank fifth in the conference in ERA, with a team mark of 3.69 this season. Key-annah Pu’a and Faith Jordan are a lethal one-two punch in the circle, combining for a 2.57 ERA and 61 strikeouts so far this season.
The Aztecs went 34-for-99 (.343) at the plate this week, though that stat is propped up significantly by tallying 16 hits in the win over CBU. Such excellence at the plate allowed the Aztecs to advance into a tie with Nevada for the best batting average in the conference (.328). The deadly trio of Jade Ignacio, Angie Yellen, and Jazmin Williams each are hitting above .400 and have an OPS above 1.000. The Aztecs are the only team in the conference with three players above both of these thresholds.
SDSU travels to Vegas this week for their second conference series of the season against a UNLV team that just lost their opening series to San Jose State. UNLV is the embodiment of inconsistency due to their lethal hitting and non-existent pitching, so this series could honestly go either way.
4. Boise State Broncos (15-17, 1-2 MW)
Last Week: #6
NCAA RPI: #83
This Week’s Games:
vs. Fresno State (12-11) – Mar. 20, 6:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
vs. Fresno State (12-11) – Mar. 21, 2:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
vs. Fresno State (12-11) – Mar. 22, 12:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
The midpack of this conference is so hard to predict from week to week that I could see an argument for each of the following seven teams to be ranked anywhere from 4th-10th. We start this mess with Boise State, who had a unique 3-2 week, stealing one from Nevada in Reno, getting blown out in the next two games, then taking both legs of a doubleheader at Sac State. It was a good week overall for the Broncos, one that allowed them to soft of get back on track.
Uniquely, Julianne Rose was credited with either the win or loss in every game against the Wolf Pack. However, the real star this week for the Broncos in the circle was Loula-Rae McNamara, whose 11.1 innings of work gave up just two earned runs, an ERA of 1.24, moving her into first place on the Broncos with a season ERA of 3.10. The Broncos have largely struggled in the circle this season, currently ranking eighth in the conference with a team ERA of 4.40.
At the plate, Quinn Southerland was easily the best on the Broncos, going 8-for-15, though with only one RBI, a category that was led by Marissa Gonzalez and Skylar Stroh with four each. Boise State currently ranks ninth in the conference in batting average (.271), though they have the fifth-best OPS (.873) and fourth-most RBIs (132). The Broncos are very inconsistent at the plate, but they are equally explosive at any given time.
Boise State hosts Fresno State this week for their opening conference home series. The Bulldogs are coming off of a humiliating home series loss to Utah State, so Fresno State will surely be playing with some extra motivation. I don’t see a world where Boise State does not win two of three here, but the Broncos have not followed any sort of convention so far this season, so I won’t bother with predictions for this one.
5. Colorado State Rams (13-14, 1-2 MW)
Last Week: #8
NCAA RPI: #183
This Week’s Games:
vs. Saint Mary’s (17-10) – Mar. 19, 1:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
vs. New Mexico (12-16) – Mar. 20, 1:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
vs. New Mexico (12-16) – Mar. 21, 1:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
vs. New Mexico (12-16) – Mar. 22, 12:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
Colorado State may have gone 1-2 this week, but there was no team that put themselves in a better position to be a persistent thorn in the side of the contenders as did the Rams. Their RPI may not show it, but this team reminds me a lot of how Fresno State operated last year, specifically with regards to pitching. I would talk about Ram hitting, led by Lauren Stucky and Madi Eslinger, but let’s not kid ourselves here. This team’s success begins and ends with one player: Reagan Wick.
Through a conference-high 83.1 innings of work this season, Wick has turned in an incredible ERA of 1.76, 43rd in the country through the 30th-most innings of any pitcher. Wick has been credited with nine wins this season, tied with Oakley Vickers for most in the conference, and tied for 36th in the country. Wherever Reagan Wick goes this season, so too go the Rams, evidenced by Wick shutting out the Aztecs in San Diego to record a major upset win, one that could go a long way towards making the conference tournament this year.
After a Thursday bout against mid-major power Saint Mary’s, CSU will host the Lobos for their opening home conference series. The Lobos are the only winless team in the conference, though that can be easily explained by the fact that their opening series in conference play was against the Lopes. New Mexico will be eager to get back on track, but if Wick is on her game in front of the home crowd, there will hardly be anything that the Lobos can do to stop her, especially so since New Mexico is the worst-hitting team in the conference by far.
6. Fresno State Bulldogs (12-11, 1-2 MW)
Last Week: #4
NCAA RPI: #88
This Week’s Games:
at Boise State (15-17) – Mar. 20, 5:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
at Boise State (15-17) – Mar. 21, 1:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
at Boise State (15-17) – Mar. 22, 11:00 a.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
It was ultimate humiliation for Fresno State this week, as they lost a home series to Utah State, doing so for the first time since 1981, to a team on an eight-game losing streak, no less. I thought about putting the Bulldogs lower, but I don’t want to overreact to one bad week, even if it was much worse than simply “bad.”
Team average leader Jamie Hicks had the best week at the plate, going 5-for-9 with 3 RBIs. Fresno State is currently the sixth-best team in the conference in average (.273), but are second-to-last in the conference in OPS (.726). As for the circle, Fresno State ranks fourth in the conference in average (3.57), still led by Lauryn Carranco’s 2.55 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 77.0 innings.
Fresno State heads to Boise this weekend for a matchup with the Broncos. Boise State, as mentioned before, is probably the most chaotic and inconsistent team in the conference, so this series could go literally any way and I would hardly be surprised. If Carranco, as well as super reliever Alyssa Ramirez, are on their game this weekend, though, I would find it hard to believe the ‘Dogs won’t take at least one.
7. New Mexico Lobos (15-17, 0-3 MW)
Last Week: #5
NCAA RPI: #123
This Week’s Games:
at Colorado State (13-14) – Mar. 20, 1:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
at Colorado State (13-14) – Mar. 21, 1:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
at Colorado State (13-14) – Mar. 22, 12:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
New Mexico couldn’t have had a much worse week, going 0-3 with a home game against hated rival New Mexico State being postponed to a later date due to travel complications. Despite these facts, they did play Grand Canyon, so it was hardly fair to judge them too harshly due to that fact.
New Mexico’s statlines look quite ugly on all sides during all three games. The best player overall was easily DeNae Vasquez-Dickson, who was the lone Lobo to record a hit in all three games, going a great 6-for-8 at the plate. DVD now sits third on the Lobos with an average of .303, only behind top hitters Gabrielle Briones and Miracle McKenzie, who combined for a rough 5-for-16, 2 RBI line against the Lopes. UNM still sits last in the MW in batting average (.253). As for the pitching staff, there really isn’t much to mention here, as every pitcher struggled in at least one appearance this series.
New Mexico heads to Fort Collins for a matchup with the Rams this weekend. CSU is coming off of a strong performance against the Aztecs, and have the second-best ERA in the country, neither of which bode well for the cold-hitting Lobos. I could see the Lobos getting swept once again here, which would be a disaster for their hopes this season.
8. Utah State Aggies (13-15, 2-1 MW)
Last Week: #10
NCAA RPI: #125
This Week’s Games:
vs. Nevada (19-10) – Mar. 20, 4:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
vs. Nevada (19-10) – Mar. 21, 12:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
vs. Nevada (19-10) – Mar. 22, 12:00 p.m. MDT, Mountain West Network
Utah State went from looking like one of the worst teams in the country to making history, winning their series against the Bulldogs in Fresno for the first time since 1981, a time before NCAA began sponsoring softball. Despite this, I still have zero faith in the sustainability of this team, particularly in their pitching core, which is why I didn’t move them up too much in the rankings.
Aggie hitters had a field day in this series, combining for 32 hits across the three games. Alex Bunton and Jazmin Ramirez were the only Aggie hitters to get a hit in all three games, but several others, including Kaylee Erickson’s 3-for-5, 4 RBI line in game 1, far surpassed those two in impact with single-game performances. Bunton’s five hits was second on the team to Kya Pratt, who combined to go 6-for-10 with five RBIs across the last two games of the series, but was hitless in Game 1. In the circle, Rylie Pindel recorded 10.2 innings while giving up just four runs, earning the victory in both Aggie wins. Despite Pindel’s efforts, the Aggies are still far and away the worst pitching team in the conference, recording an ERA of 6.24 to this point in the season.
An interesting wrinkle in the season took place prior to Utah State’s rematch with an Idaho State team that embarrassed the Aggies at home one week earlier. Third-year head coach Todd Judge resigned as coach of the program, being replaced by former UC San Diego pitcher Shelby Thompson, a second-year assistant for the Aggies. Thompson immediately led the Aggies to a 2-1 revenge win in Pocatello, tied for the Aggies’ lowest scoring win of the season. Yes, it’s just one game, but if this is the pitching prowess we can expect to see with Thompson at the helm, Utah State might be a real pain going forward.
Utah State has a big opportunity this weekend when they host the top-flight Wolf Pack. Nevada is the hottest-hitting team in the conference, but the Pack have not been immune to going extremely cold for an entire game without explanation this season. I would be surprised to see USU emerge victorious in this series, but I could easily see them snagging one off of their western foe.
9. UNLV Lady Rebels (14-15, 1-2 MW)
Last Week: #7
NCAA RPI: #158
This Week’s Games:
vs. San Diego State (17-11) – Mar. 20, 6:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
vs. San Diego State (17-11) – Mar. 21, 3:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
vs. San Diego State (17-11) – Mar. 22, 12:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
UNLV went 2-2 last week, losing a road series against the last-place SJSU Spartans, then crushing the pitiful Utah Tech Trailblazers in typical blowout fashion. I would best describe UNLV as Boise State with even more chaos, as they are better at the plate, but worse in the circle.
UNLV went a pitiful 4-for-29 (.138) with runners in scoring position against the Spartans, losing both games by three or fewer runs, all while at least two runners were on base both times. Diamond Sefe was the only productive hitter during this series, going 5-for-8 at the plate, but Sefe only recorded a single RBI, with Mantha Hatzenbeller and Keyannah Chavez being the only hitters to record a team-leading two RBIs. Rebel pitching performed decently well, overall, with the long-struggling Yanina Sherwood recording 3.1 scoreless innings in Game 3 to bring her team back into the game. Perhaps we could see a resurgence down the stretch for the preseason All-MW pitcher.
UNLV hosts SDSU this week for their conference home opener. The Aztecs are coming off of a series where they struggled quite a bit against the strong pitching of the Rams, but still came out on top of the series. UNLV is 11-10 at home this season, and the Aztecs are 2-0 on the road. I would expect an Aztec win in this series, with one game being a UNLV blowout win, as is tradition.
10. San Jose State Spartans (10-16, 2-1 MW)
Last Week: #9
NCAA RPI: #171
This Week’s Games:
at #17/22 Grand Canyon (30-1) – Mar. 20, 7:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
at #17/22 Grand Canyon (30-1) – Mar. 21, 7:00 p.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
at #17/22 Grand Canyon (30-1) – Mar. 22, 11:00 a.m. PDT, Mountain West Network
San Jose State has quietly been on a mini-tear lately, winning five of their last seven games, including two of three against fellow conference basement-dweller UNLV in their opening series last weekend. SJSU looks much better as of late, but that is all likely to change, as I have a theory that the MW schedulers hate the Spartans for some reason, given what they have to do over the next two weeks.
The Spartans are fifth in the MW in batting average (.275) and seventh in ERA (4.28), despite their terrible record. The Spartans’ biggest problem has been scoring runs, as they have only tallied 85 RBIs so far, fewest among all teams in the conference, save for the ‘Dogs, who have played three fewer games. Ahmiya Noriega (.380 avg.) and Reina Zermeno (1.032 OPS, 3 HR) are still this team’s leaders in most categories, though Shay McDowell has joined them in stat-leader status, leading the team with 16 RBIs. As for the circle, Delaney Faus and Norah Coulsell are now both below the 4.00 mark, spearheading a sneaky decent pitching core. The problem this staff is having is that they cannot strike people out, with just 62 total strikeouts on the season so far, ranking eighth-worst in the country with just 2.55 strikeouts per game.
Unfortunately, San Jose State will have much more severe problems to worry about in the coming weeks, as their next two series are on the road. Even worse, these series are against Grand Canyon and Nevada, the top two teams in the conference. This weekend’s series is against GCU, who just lost their first game of the season against Oklahoma State on Tuesday. That is the only positive I can find for the poor Spartans, as it is all but certain that they will get swept in this series, likely by run-rule in at least two of the three games. There isn’t much hope I can offer Spartans fans here, other than a sincere “good luck.”
