Washington State Returns to NCAA Tournament After 16 Years, Opens Against 43-12 Oregon State
Updated
Updated · CougCenter · May 25
Washington State Returns to NCAA Tournament After 16 Years, Opens Against 43-12 Oregon State
7 articles · Updated · CougCenter · May 25
Noon Friday in Eugene, Washington State will play Oregon State in its first NCAA postseason game since 2010 after winning the Mountain West Tournament on Sunday.
Oregon State enters as a dangerous No. 2 seed at 43-12 and 18th in RPI, while host Oregon is 40-16 and 15th; Yale rounds out the four-team regional at 144th in RPI.
Washington State split two games with Oregon State this season, losing 18-0 in seven innings before rebounding for a 7-6 win with six pitchers.
Nick Lewis — Mountain West Pitcher of the Year — is set to start for the Cougars, who will likely lean on their staff again after Scott Rienguette closed the conference title win with 3 2/3 scoreless innings.
The Eugene Regional is double-elimination, so even an opening loss would leave Washington State a path to stay alive against the loser of Oregon-Yale.
How will Oregon State’s controversial hosting snub fuel its performance in the Eugene Regional?
After a 16-year drought, can Washington State's pitching survive this notoriously difficult regional?
Does Oregon State's snub prove the NCAA selection process is biased against independent teams?