Each week, we here at Mountain West Connection will briefly preview every series going on in the conference, detailing how each team is going into the series and a key item to note that we feel will dictate the winner. Afterwards, if there are any non-conference series going on, we will go through each series similarly.
Conference Series
Air Force (3-0) vs Nevada (3-0)
With how the non-conference slate went for both programs, it is a pleasant surprise that the Wolf Pack and Falcons are battling it out to see who will
sit atop of the Mountain West, especially since both teams enter undefeated in conference play.
Last week, Nevada handled Fresno State on the road, suppressing the Bulldogs by outscoring their hosts 33-20. In two of the three games, the Wolf Pack held Fresno State to just four runs, allowing their bats to take a commanding lead. Meanwhile, Air Force hosted the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, which started off with the program hoisting a 16-5, eight inning win. From there, the Falcons lit up the sky with UNLV, scoring a combined 60 runs across the two games. However, Air Force was able to take care of business, completing the sweep in the double-header.
As one can see, this weekend’s battle for first place will come down to which program can control the other’s performance in the batter’s box. The Falcons come into this series with the worst team ERA overall with a 7.43 (we won’t look at their conference averages just yet). However, Nevada’s pitching hasn’t been much better either, as they sit just above one earned run more on average. Air Force does sit above Nevada in strength of schedule (108 compared to 121), so all in all, this will be a litmus test for both programs, with whoever comes out on top being a contender for a bye week down the stretch.
Grand Canyon (0-0) vs Washington State (1-2)
After an overall good performance from Wazzu, the Cougars will now set their sights on the Antelopes this weekend, welcoming them into the Mountain West with their first conference series since joining the conference.
Washington State, even though it lost the series, had a good showing against San Diego State on the road. Despite being blanked in the first game 4-14 in eight innings, the program fought back with a 7-2 win, forcing a rubber game on Sunday. And while they did lose 10-15, the Cougars did fight throughout. All the while, Grand Canyon hosted Rice and Saint Mary’s in a mixed four-game weekend. The Lopes got smacked by Owls, being outscored 7-29, while beating Saint Mary’s (a program that multiple Mountain West schools had problems with) in both games.
This series against the newcomer and a school on its way out will come down to which program’s batters will wake up. Both GCU (seventh out of nine) and Washington State (eighth out of nine) sit in the bottom three in batting average while their pitching staff are within 0.15 in team ERA of each other. The difference comes in strength of schedule, as Wazzu sits atop the Mountain West at 53 in the nation while Grand Canyon is second at 93. Based on that, fortune favors the Cougars, but with how close both programs are, it should be a fun series overall.
Non-Conference Series
San Diego State (11-10) vs San Jose State (7-12) vs UConn (10-11)
Just like GCU competed in last week, San Diego State and San Jose State will compete in a mixed, four-game slate over the weekend, with the UConn Huskies and Aztecs heading to San Jose. According to the Mountain West Conference baseball schedule, this will not count as conference games for SDSU and SJSU, as they will play in May under that distinction.
Both the Aztecs and Spartans are coming into this series with conference series wins, with SDSU besting Washington State and the Spartans upsetting New Mexico, both winning 2-1 at home. San Diego State did also face off against the No. 13 ranked USC Trojans, losing in a close 7-4 Tuesday night showcase. UConn is ending their time on the west coast against the two programs after besting the Cal Golden Bears 9-3 on Tuesday and the Santa Clara Broncos 12-5 the following day.
SDSU and SJSU will need to rely on their pitching throughout the mixed weekend. Both programs currently sit in the top three in the conference in team ERA, with SDSU taking the silver at a 5.70 and SJSU the bronze with a 6.30, while their batting averages are both below in the bottom half of the conference in batting average (SDSU is sixth with a .274 and SJSU ninth with a .230). The pitching will especially be tested against the Huskies, as they boast a .284 team batting average at the time of writing.
Fresno State (7-13) and UNLV (14-8) vs Utah Tech (14-8)
Fresno State and UNLV will get a piece of the Utah Tech Trailblazers this weekend, with the Bulldogs taking them on in a quick road series Thursday and Friday and the Runnin’ Rebels hosting Saturday and Sunday. Since both programs are playing the same team, we opted to combine the mid-series and pre-series preview into one block.
The Bulldogs already played their first game against Utah Tech, losing 13-17, marking their ninth straight loss and third overall when scoring seven or more runs. Pitching has been a struggle for Fresno State, as in its current losing streak, the program has given up 107 runs, an average of 11.44 runs per game. While some of the games have been close, one can not simply ask the position players to put up upwards of 12 runs a game just to win by one, so the Diamond Dogs will need to clean that up against the Trailblazers and in the rest of the season if they want to play past the second weekend in May.
While Fresno State finishes up in Utah, the Runnin’ Rebels will have their shot the next two days. After losing the fireworks show series with Air Force, UNLV was able to get back in the win column against Cal State Fullerton, winning 4-3 at home. The Rebels will most likely have the hitting advantage, as they enter with an above-average .310 batting average while Utah Tech is at .280. However, they will need to hone in on their fielding and not committing errors, as they have the most in the conference with 30 and sport a below-average .962 percentage, which will be exploited if they are not careful.
New Mexico (14-7) vs Abilene Christian (10-11)
In the only three-game non-conference series of the weekend for the Mountain West, the Lobos will host the Abilene Christian Wildcats, both of which are trying to build different levels of momentum.
New Mexico got a slap in the face last weekend, as the program with the worst strength of schedule in the conference (currently at 274) lost its opening conference series against the San Jose State Spartans 2-1, being blanked in two of the three games. The Lobos were able to bounce back, however, as they beat the Arizona Wildcats 6-3 on the road on Tuesday. Abilene Christian, on the other hand, won their first conference series against Loyola Marymount 2-1 with two double-digit scoring games. And while their game against Incarnate Word did go into extras, the ASU Wildcats did fall in 11 innings 8-9.
The Lobos have the advantage statistically, as they have a better team batting average (.316) and team ERA (5.59) than the ASU Wildcats (.272 batting average, 6.15 ERA). However, as mentioned earlier, the overall statistical leaders of the Mountain West have not been facing comparable teams, which was exposed through the SJSU and Tarleton State series over the last two weeks. Abilene Christian is currently ranked at 207 in terms of strength of schedule, almost 70 spots higher than the Lobos, so this should be another good non-conference, mid-season litmus test to see if New Mexico’s record can actually hold weight.
