USC at Oregon State
The Trojans travel to Goss Stadium in Corvallis this weekend to take on Oregon State. USC comes into the weekend 16-23 and 8-10 in the Pac-12. They took two out of three last weekend against Utah, in a series in which the Trojans rebounded from a shutout on Friday night. Oregon State had a disappointing series last weekend, in which the Beavers lost two out of three against Washington. The Beavers return home ranked No. 6 in the latest NCWBA poll. They are 31-8 and 11-4 in the Pac-12. Oregon State defeated Seattle University 4-3 in 14 innings on Monday. Look for Oregon State to rebound this weekend, as the Beavers are 14-3 overall and 5-1 in conference at Goss Stadium this season. Even with their hiccup in Washington last weekend, the Beavers still lead the Pac-12 with a 2.07 ERA. USC, on the other hand, ranks last in conference with a 4.80 ERA.
Series Prediction: Oregon State takes two out of three.
Friday, April 26 – 4:00 p.m. PT
Oregon State- Matt Boyd LHP (7-2, 1.81 ERA)
USC- Bob Wheatley LHP (3-2, 1.51 ERA)
Saturday, April 27- 2:00 p.m. PT
Oregon State- Andrew Moore RHP (7-1, 1.73 ERA
USC- Wyatt Strahan, RHP (2-2, 2.41 ERA)
Sunday, April 28- 12:00 p.m. PT
Oregon State- Ben Wetzler LHP (3-1, 1.54 ERA)
USC- Kyle Twomey, LHP (2-4, 5.43 ERA)
Stanford at Oregon
The best matchup in the Pac-12 takes place in Eugene this weekend, as the Stanford Cardinal travel to take on Oregon. Stanford enters the weekend ranked No. 21 in the NCWBA poll. They are 23-12 overall and 9-6 in the Pac-12. Stanford won the series last weekend against Arizona, and then turned around and beat San Jose State, by a final of 17-2, on Tuesday. Stanford has won four consecutive conference series, after dropping the opening series against Utah. Oregon is ranked No.7 in the latest NCWBA poll. The Ducks are 30-10 overall and 13-5 in the Pac-12. They lost two out of three last weekend against UCLA, but rebounded to take the midweek matchup against Portland, by a final of 11-7. This should be an extremely even series, as both teams excel in the pitching department. Oregon ranks third in the conference with a 2.86 ERA, while Stanford sits fourth with a 3.11 ERA. Look for this series to be decided on Sunday, as Appel holds the advantage on Friday night. Oregon’s Cole Irvin, who goes Saturday, is 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA and is coming off a complete game, where he lost to UCLA 1-0 on an unearned run.
Series Prediction: Stanford wins two out of three
Friday, April 26 – 6:00 p.m. PT
Oregon- Tommy Thorpe LHP (5-4, 2.87 ERA)
Stanford- Mark Appel RHP (7-2, 1.54 ERA)
Saturday, April 27 – 2:00 p.m. PT
Oregon- Cole Irvin LHP (7-1, 3.00 ERA)
Stanford- Dean McArdle RHP (2-1, 5.40 ERA)
Sunday, April 28 – 12:30 p.m. PT
Oregon- Jake Reed RHP (5-3, 3.64 ERA)
Stanford- John Hochstatter RHP (2-1, 2.95 ERA)
UCLA at Washington State
The Bruins travel to Pullman this weekend to take on a Cougar team that is 13-7 at home this season. UCLA, ranked No. 8 in the latest NCWBA poll, is 25-12 overall and 9-6 in the Pac-12. They are coming off a huge series victory over Oregon last weekend, but then fell by a final of 11-1 at home against Long Beach State. Washington State enters the weekend one game over .500 at 19-18. They are 6-9 in the Pac-12. The Cougars are losers of four out five, after dropping the series against California last weekend. On paper, this has all the makings of a difficult series to call. UCLA has more talent than Washington State, but the Cougars are second in the conference with a .304 team batting average. UCLA ranks last with a .243 average. Most people’s response would be that UCLA’s pitching should be able to stifle the Cougar bats. The dilemma lies in the fact that Washington State ranks in the middle of the conference with a 4.09 ERA. Plus, Pullman is a difficult place to play. With all that said, it’s hard to pick against UCLA’s talent.
Series Prediction: UCLA takes two out of three
Friday, April 26 – 6:00 p.m. PT
UCLA- Adam Plutko RHP (5-2, 2.34 ERA)
Washington State- Joe Pistorese LHP (4-3, 2.23 ERA)
Saturday, April 27 – 2:00 p.m. PT
UCLA- Nick Vander Tuig LHP (6-3, 1.87 ERA)
Washington State- Tanner Chleborad RHP (3-6, 5.57 ERA)
Sunday, April 28 – 12:00 p.m. PT
UCLA- Grant Watson LHP (5-3, 3.21 ERA)
Washington State- Scott Simon RHP (3-1, 3.67 ERA)
California at Washington
The Golden Bears head north this weekend and travel to Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies. California is 18-22 overall and 7-11 in the Pac-12. They took the series last weekend against Washington State, but then was defeated, by a final of 7-1, by Cal Poly on Tuesday. Washington comes into the series with a 13-26 record. They are 5-10 in the Pac-12. In the biggest upset so far in the Pac-12, the Huskies took two out of three last weekend against Oregon State. They then defeated Gonzaga twice in a midweek two-game series. The Huskies appear to be getting better as the season progresses. They scored five runs against Matt Boyd, five runs against Andrew Moore, were shutout against Ben Wetzler, and put up a total of 17 runs in two games against a previously ranked Gonzaga team. Look for a lot of runs to be scored this weekend. I’ll take the home team, who is 6-6 in Seattle this season.
Series Prediction: Washington takes two out of three.
Friday, April 26- 5:00 p.m. PT
California- Ryan Mason, RHP, (5-2, 3.80 ERA)
Washington- Jared Fisher RHP (1-2, 3.55 ERA)
Saturday, April 27- 2:00 p.m. PT
California- Trevor Hilldenberger RHP (4-2, 5.03 ERA)
Washington- Austin Voth RHP (4-4, 2.96 ERA)
Sunday, April 28- 1:00 p.m. PT
California-TBD
Washington-TBD
Arizona State at Utah
The Sun Devils return to conference play, as they travel to Salt Lake City to take on Utah. Arizona State, ranked No.16 in the NCWBA poll, comes into the weekend 25-12-1 overall and 8-7 in the Pac-12. They had a break from conference play last weekend, as the Sun Devils took two out of three from Valparaiso. Arizona State also defeated UNLV, by a final of 5-2, on Wednesday. Utah, on the other hand, is heading in the opposite direction. Losers of three in a row, the Utes enter play this weekend with a 16-20 record. They are 5-13 in the Pac-12. Utah lost the series against USC last weekend. The Utes followed up that loss, by dropping a midweek game against BYU, by a final of 9-3. Look for Arizona State to control this series. If the Sun Devils can pull off the sweep, they could be sitting third in the conference depending on the outcome of the Oregon/Stanford series. It’s a big weekend for Arizona State, and a chance to take care of business.
Series Prediction: Arizona State takes two out of three.
Friday, April 26- 5:00 p.m. PT
Utah- Mitch Watrous RHP (3-2, 2.88 ERA)
Arizona State- Trevor Williams RHP (5-3, 3.17 ERA)
Saturday, April 27- 3:00 p.m. PT
Utah- Dalton Carroll RHP (3-4, 4.75 ERA)
Arizona State- Ryan Kellogg LHP (9-0, 2.34 ERA)
Sunday, April 28- 12:00 p.m. PT
Utah- Tanner Banks RHP (1-4, 4.93 ERA)
Arizona State- TBD
Alabama State at Arizona
Its Arizona’s turn to take a break from conference play, as Alabama State travels to Tucson to take on Arizona. Alabama State enters the weekend with a 27-19 overall record and a 15-6 conference record. They took two out of three last weekend against Jackson State. They then
split a midweek two-game series with UAB. Arizona sits at No. 27 in the latest NCWBA poll. They are 25-14 overall and are 9-9 in conference play. Arizona lost two out of three last weekend against Stanford. The Wildcats and Hornets have never met.
