Baseball Pac-12 Conference

Pac-12 Baseball Weekly Rundown - Feb. 23, 2023

Schedule // Standings // Pac-12 Statistics // NCAA Statistics

LEADING OFF: Pac-12 baseball turned in a strong start to the season, going 28-10 over the opening five days of 2023 (not including Cal's non-conference win at Stanford on Feb. 21). Four teams - No. 15 UCLA, No. 25 Oregon, Arizona State and Washington State - went 4-0 while four more teams - No. 23 Oregon State, Arizona, Cal and USC - head into week two at 3-1.

Washington , who went 2-2 against Santa Clara in Jason Kelly's head coaching debut series, kicks off a packed weekend slate as the Huskies remain in the Bay Area for a four-game set at San Jose State starting this afternoon (Feb. 23) at 1 p.m. PT.

Three teams are traveling to SEC country, headlined by No. 15 UCLA 's visit to No. 9 Vanderbilt for three games Feb. 24-26. Arizona State will also play three at Mississippi State this weekend while the USC and Auburn series, originally scheduled to be played in LA, will now be played at Auburn with bad weather anticipated in Southern California.

Four squads are hosting three-game sets: West Virginia at Arizona (Feb. 24-26); Coppin State at No. 23 Oregon State (Feb. 24-26); and Rice at No. 3 Stanford (Feb. 24-26). No. 25 Oregon's trip to UC Santa Barbara also had to be moved due to storms in Southern California so the Ducks and Gauchos will play three games Feb. 24-25 in Eugene instead of four in California.

Tournaments are on the docket for California , Washington State and Utah . Cal will play two games apiece at home against Cal Poly and UConn as part of the Cal Baseball Classic Friday through Sunday at Stu Gordan Stadium in Berkeley. After a 4-0 weekend in Arizona, Washington State is staying south to compete at the Tony Gwynn Classic in San Diego where they will face UC Irvine, San Diego State, host UC San Diego and UNLV over four days, Feb. 24-27. Utah will be in Texas for the Kleberg Bank College Classic, also Friday to Monday, with games scheduled against Houston, Incarnate Ward and a pair against host Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

RANKINGS ROUNDUP:

  • USA Today (preseason): #3 Stanford, #15 UCLA, #23 Oregon State, #25 Oregon, RV Arizona
  • D1Baseball: #2 Stanford, #17 UCLA, #25 Oregon
  • Baseball America: #3 Stanford, #13 UCLA, #19 Oregon State, #20 Oregon
  • Collegiate Baseball: #3 Stanford, #10 UCLA, #19 Oregon, #26 Arizona, #28 Oregon State
  • NCBWA: #2 Stanford, #13 UCLA, #24 Oregon, #26 Oregon State, #27 Arizona
  • Perfect Game: #2 Stanford, #11 UCLA, #19 Oregon, #23 Oregon State

QUICK HITTERS:

  • Washington State started 4-0 for the first time since 2010. The Cougars scored 54 runs over the four games with DIII transfer Jonah Advincula taking home Pac-12 Player of the Week honors after going 8-for-16 with two doubles, one triple, two home runs, three stolen bases, 13 RBI and four runs scored.
  • No. 3 Stanford overcame an 11-6 deficit in the ninth inning to win 21-13 in 10 innings in the series rubber match at Cal State Fullerton on Sunday.
  • Cals Tuesday night non-conference win over No. 3 Stanford was the Bears first win over a top-five team since 2019, which was also a win over a top-five ranked Stanford team.
  • Arizonas TJ Nichols opened the season with a gem, allowing one run on three hits in 6.0 innings to get the victory in the Wildcats 3-1 upset over No. 2 Tennessee at the MLB Desert Invitational. Nichols picked up his first Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week award for the performance.
  • UCLA sophomore Alonzo Tredwell , a 2022 Freshman All-American as the Bruins closer last year, made his first career start and pitched 6.0 scoreless innings, scattering four hits with 10 strikeouts while retiring 10 consecutive batters between the second and fifth innings.
  • Oregons Josiah Cromwick was named one of Collegiate Baseballs National Players of the Week after blasting three home runs in three games, hitting .444 and driving in six.
  • After dropping the season-opener to New Mexico, Oregon State found itself down 4-1 heading into the fifth inning and exploded for 13 runs over the next three frames to avenge the Opening Day loss to the Lobos.
  • Arizona State pitching staff shined on opening weekend, allowing just eight runs in the sweep against San Diego State at home, its lowest amount allowed in a three-game series since giving up four at WSU in 2021.
  • USCs home sweep of Marist was powered by senior infielder Nick Lopez , who was one of four players in the conference to hit three home runs on opening weekend.
  • The debuts went well for the two new Pac-12 head coaches. Washingtons Jason Kelly and USCs Andy Stankiewicz both picked up their first career wins at their respective schools with Kellys being his first ever as a head coach. The Huskies finished opening weekend 2-2 while USC swept Marist at home before a late-inning loss to UC Irvine on Tuesday.

PHENOMENAL FRESHMEN:

  • A trio of freshman had outstanding debuts at the plate in week one of 2023. Oregon State freshman Gavin Turley and Stanford freshman Malcolm Moore each blasted a home run in their very first collegiate at-bats, providing bright spots in losses for both squads on Opening Day. Turley finished the weekend with six runs scored and three RBI, while Moore had another big day in the weekend finale at Fullerton, going 3-for-6 with two home runs, a walk and four RBI. Utahs freshman catcher Cameron Gurney went 3-for-3 and walked once in his collegiate debut as well.
  • Oregons top-five ranked freshman class also came up big on the mound, with eight freshmen pitchers making appearances against Xavier, combining for a 0.78 ERA and just five runs (two earned) allowed in 23.0 innings pitched. Freshman right Jackson Pace helped the Ducks secure the series sweep on Sunday as he gave up just one run on four hits in 6.0 innings pitched.
  • Oregon States AJ Hutcheson also completed a strong debut in relief, going 1-0 and pitching 4.2 hitless and scoreless frames.

CARDINAL PICKED TO REPEAT: For a second consecutive year the Pac-12 coaches took defending champion Stanford atop their preseason poll with the Cardinal receiving nine first-place votes for a total of 99 points.

UCLA collected the other two first-place votes to come in second with 90 points and Oregon State was in third with 77 points. Arizona (74 points) and Oregon (68 points) rounded out the top five in fourth and fifth, respectively.

INAUGURAL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM: For the first time in Pac-12 history, the conference announced a Preseason All-Pac-12 Team , voted on by the leagues coaches.

Stanford led the way with eight selections. Preseason All-Americans Braden Montgomery (UTL), Ryan Bruno (LHP), Carter Graham (INF), Quinn Mathews (LHP) and Tommy Troy (INF) earned the honor along with Cardinal infielder Drew Bowser , outfielder Eddie Park and pitcher Joey Dixon .

The 32-person team also includes preseason All-Americans Travis Bazzana (INF) and Ben Ferrer (RHP) from Oregon State, Chase Davis (OF) from Arizona and pitcher Alonzo Tredwell of UCLA.

Tredwell and UCLA teammate Cody Schrier (INF), both 2022 Freshman All-Americans, were two of six Bruins selected, which was second-most behind Stanford.

NATIONAL AWARDS PRESEASON WATCH LISTS

GOLDEN SPIKES

  • Chase Davis; OF; Arizona
  • Quinn Mathews; LHP; Stanford
  • Braden Montgomery; OF/RHP
  • Cody Schrier; INF; UCLA
  • Tommy Troy; INF/OF; Stanford

BOBBY BRAGAN COLLEGIATE SLUGGER AWARD

  • Drew Cowley, INF, Oregon
  • Chase Davis, OF, Arizona
  • Carter Graham, INF, Stanford
  • Jacob McKeon, OF, Washington State
  • Tanner Smith, OF, Oregon
  • Jacob Walsh, INF, Oregon

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS

D1 Baseball Baseball America Collegiate Baseball
1st Team: RP Ryan Bruno (Stanford), 2B Tommy Troy (Stanford) 2B Tommy Troy (Stanford) INF Carter Graham (Stanford), SP Quinn Matthews (Stanford)
2nd Team: INF Carter Graham (Stanford) RP Ryan Bruno (Stanford), OF/RP Braden Montgomery (Stanford) OF Chase Davis (Arizona), RP Alonzo Tredwell (UCLA)
3rd Team: OF Chase Davis (Arizona), , RP Ben Ferrer (Oregon State), SP Quinn Matthews (Stanford), OF/RP Braden Montgomery (Stanford) OF Chase Davis (Arizona)
NCBWA Perfect Game
1st team: INF Carter Graham (Stanford) 2B Tommy Troy (Stanford), SP Quinn Matthews (Stanford)
2nd team: RP Ryan Bruno (Stanford), SP Quinn Matthews (Stanford), OF/RP Braden Montgomery (Stanford) 2B Travis Bazzana (Oregon State), OF Chase Davis (Arizona), INF Carter Graham (Stanford), OF/RP Braden Montgomery (Stanford), RP Alonzo Tredwell (UCLA)
3rd team: 2B Tommy Troy (Stanford), OF Chase Davis (Arizona), RP Alonzo Tredwell (UCLA)

AMERICAN MADE: Two Pac-12 players were part of the 26-man roster for the 2022 Collegiate National Team that represented Team USA and finished in third place at Honkbalweek Haarlem last July at  Pim Mulier Stadium in Haarlem, Netherlands. The final squad was named after completing the 2022 Collegiate National Team Training Camp, a five-game intrasquad series played throughout North Carolina. The roster included RP Ryan Bruno (Stanford) and RP Ross Dunn (Arizona State).

2023 PAC-12 BASEBALL TOURNAMENT: After an exciting inaugural event last May, the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament returns to Scottsdale Stadium May 23-27, 2023 for year two at the Spring Training home of the San Francisco Giants. The tournament will look different in 2023 after the Pac-12 coaches approved format changes during the offseason.

Switching from a double-elimination format to pool play, the top nine teams in the Conference standings will earn berths to the tournament. The teams will be split into three pools based on their regular season finish with the top team from each pool advancing to the semifinals. The fourth semifinal spot will be determined by the top record of the non-advancing teams, with any tiebreakers going to the higher seed.

The champion will receive the Conferences automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Pac-12s current agreement with the City of Scottsdale runs through 2024.

ON DECK ( Full Schedule )

Thursday, Feb. 23
Washington at San Jose State 1 p.m. PT
Friday, Feb. 24
Washington State vs. UC Irvine (2) 10:00 a.m. PT
Utah vs. Houston (1) FloSports 12:00 p.m. PT
Arizona State at Mississippi State 2:00 p.m. PT
Washington State vs. San Diego State SDSU Live Stream 2:00 p.m. PT
Rice at No. 3 Stanford Pac-12 Network/Bay Area 2:00 p.m. PT
UC Santa Barbara at No. 25 Oregon ORE Live Stream 2:05 p.m. PT
No. 15 UCLA at No. 9 Vanderbilt SECN+ 2:30 p.m. PT
Cal Poly at California (3) 3:05 p.m. PT
Coppin State at No. 23 Coppin State OSU Live Stream 3:05 p.m. PT
USC at Auburn 4:00 p.m. PT
West Virginia at Arizona Pac-12 Insider 5:00 p.m. PT
Saturday, Feb. 25
No. 15 UCLA at No. 9 Vanderbilt SECN+ 11:00 a.m. PT
UC Santa Barbara at No. 25 Oregon (Doubleheader) ORE Live Stream 11:05 a.m. PT & 3:05 p.m. PT
USC at Auburn SECN+ 12:00 p.m. PT
Utah vs. Incarnate Ward (1) FloSports 12:00 p.m. PT
Washington at San Jose State 1:00 p.m. PT
Coppin State at No. 23 Oregon State OSU Live Stream 1:35 p.m. PT
West Virginia at Arizona Pac-12 Insider 2:00 p.m. PT
UCONN at California (3) 2:05 p.m. PT
Rice at No. 3 Stanford (Doubleheader) 12:00 p.m. PT
Cal Poly at California (3) 6:05 p.m. PT
Sunday, Feb. 26
No. 15 UCLA at No. 9 Vanderbilt SECN+ 10:00 a.m. PT
USC at Auburn SECN+ 10:00 a.m. PT
Arizona State at Mississippi State 11:00 a.m. PT
Washington at San Jose State MW Network 12:00 p.m. PT
West Virginia at Arizona Pac-12 Insider 12:00 p.m. PT
Utah at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi FloSports 1:00 p.m. PT
UCONN at California (3) 1:05 p.m. PT
Coppin State at No. 23 Oregon State OSU Live Stream 1:05 p.m. PT
Washington State at UC San Diego ESPN+ 2:00 p.m. PT
Monday, Feb. 27
Utah at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ESPN+ 8:30 a.m. PT
Washington State vs. UNLV (2) 12:00 p.m. PT
Pacific at No. 3 Stanford STAN Live Stream 2:05 p.m. PT
Tuesday, Feb. 28
Cal Baptist at Arizona Pac-12 Insider 5:00 p.m. PT
High Point at Arizona State ASU Live Stream 5:00 p.m. PT
Loyola Marymount at No. 15 UCLA UCLA Live Stream 5:00 p.m. PT
USC at Cal State Fullerton 6:00 p.m. PT
UC Davis at California 6:05 p.m. PT
Wednesday, March 1
Michigan at No. 15 UCLA Pac-12 Insider 5:00 p.m. PT
North Dakota State at Arizona State ASU Live Stream 5:00 p.m. PT
UC Irvine at USC USC Live Stream 6:30 p.m. PT
  • (1) - Kleberg Bank College Classic - Corpus Christi, Texas
  • (2) - Tony Gwynn Classic - San Diego, Calif.
  • (3) - Cal Baseball Classic - Berkeley, Calif.

CONFERENCE STANDINGS ( Expanded Standings )

Teams Pac-12 Record Overall Record
Arizona State 0-0 4-0
No. 25 Oregon 0-0 4-0
#15 UCLA 0-0 4-0
Washington State 0-0 4-0
Arizona 0-0 3-1
California 0-0 3-1
#23 Oregon State 0-0 3-1
USC 0-0 3-1
#3 Stanford 0-0 2-2
Washington 0-0 2-2
Utah 0-0 1-3

PAC-12 BASEBALL WEEKLY AWARDS

Player Pitcher
Feb. 20 Jonah Advincula, WSU TJ Nichols, Arizona