WSU heads into its Mountain West finale, not only for this season, but for good, with a chance to finish atop the conference. While it will take some help to leapfrog first-place San Diego State, WSU controls its own destiny when it comes to finishing second. The importance of securing a top-two finish cannot be understated.
A series win would leave WSU and Air Force tied, with the tiebreaker going to the Cougs. Meanwhile, SDSU still has six conference games remaining against San Jose State and at UNLV.
If WSU wins two of three at Air Force, it would need SDSU to go 1-5 to earn a share of the Mountain West title. If the Cougs sweep, SDSU would need to finish 2-4. That’s because the Aztecs hold the tiebreaker over WSU.
Winning the conference still feels like a long shot, but earning a top-two seed in the Mountain West Tournament is hugely important. The top two teams receive a bye in the double-elimination tournament, meaning the Cougs would be just three wins away from the postseason.
WSU’s top three starters: Nick Lewis, Griffin Smith, and Luke Meyers, have been really stout, especially at home. They’ll need to take that show on the road this weekend, particularly in a hitter-friendly park. Washington State may need to survive one of these games with a big offensive night.
Regardless, this season has been a success for Nathan Choate. WSU is the highest-ranked team in the Mountain West in NCAA RPI (88th), and a few one-run games going differently could have completely changed its outlook. There’s still a lot left to play for, and at one point an at-large bid didn’t feel out of the question. Ultimately, though, the Cougs have lacked bullpen depth. Most of their midweek starts have been disasters, and when they’ve had to lean too heavily on relief pitching late in games, things have gotten shaky.
Washington State opens its season-defining series with Air Force today at 2 p.m. on the Mountain West Network.
