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Pac-12 baseball in the polls: April 21

Apr 22, 2014
Scobel Wiggins/Oregon State Athletics

It's all Pacific Northwest for the Pac-12 in this week's USA Today baseball coaches' poll:

Oregon State

4. Oregon State (27-8, 11-4 Pac-12)
When it comes to the Pac-12 standings, the Beavers are tied in the loss column with Washington for the lead. Nationally, though, Pat Casey's club still commands more respect. Oregon State finds itself in the top five for the second straight week, but may be facing its stiffest test of the regular season coming up. Red-hot archrival Oregon is making the quick bus ride north to Corvallis this weekend in a series that can help one of the two teams gain serious leverage in the race. The Beavers likely will lead off by throwing Ben Wetzler again. He suffered his first loss last Friday, but the lefty's numbers still dazzle atop the Pac-12: 6-1, 0.69 ERA (four earned runs in 52.1 innings).

Oregon

7. Oregon (31-10, 10-5 Pac-12)
The Ducks have ripped off nine consecutive victories heading into their trip up to Corvallis, and their success has come in a fashion similar to that of the Beavers. Pitching has fueled the way for both teams: Oregon State leads the conference with a 2.20 ERA, while Oregon is right behind at a 2.86 clip. The difference between this year's Quack Attack and their squads of the past? George Horton's club is swinging it this year. The Ducks have scored a Pac-12-leading 253 runs. They've done so on the power of doubles: 82 of them to be exact, 16 more than second-place Arizona State.

Washington

9. Washington (27-8-1, 14-4 Pac-12)
Offense has seemingly come alive throughout the Pacific Northwest. A year after scuffling through the season at the plate, the Huskies have continued their remarkable resurgence by tearing the cover off the ball at a conference-best .292 clip. Their 17 home runs and team .404 slugging percentage also leads the Pac-12. Washington's even distribution of power may be the most impressive aspect of this team: No player has hit more than four home runs individually. This balance has the Huskies sitting atop the Pac-12 standings at 14-4.