Baseball Pac-12 Conference

Pac-12 baseball set for Opening Day of the 2023 season

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

SAN FRANCISCO - The 2023 college baseball season is here with all 11 Pac-12 teams set to compete over opening weekend. Highlighting the slate is Arizonas showdown with No. 2 Tennessee in a nationally televised game on MLB Network Friday night at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona as part of the MLB Desert Invitational.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: Four teams will open up the season ranked in the USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll with No. 3 Stanford leading the way coming off its first Pac-12 title since 2018 and back-to-back Mens College World Series appearances. UCLA checks in at No. 15, followed by 2022 Pac-12 runner-up Oregon State at No. 23 and Oregon at No. 25. Arizona also received votes. All five qualified for NCAA Regionals last spring.

The Cardinal, Bruins, Beavers and Ducks were all ranked in additional major polls including Perfect Game , NCBWA and Baseball America , while the D1Baseball and Collegiate Baseball preseason polls had Stanford, UCLA and Oregon ranked.

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.

THE WEEK AHEAD: All 11 teams are in action this weekend, with 10 scheduled to play on Opening Day on Friday, February 17.

  • Three schools will begin their season in the Greater Phoenix Area, where they are set to play at the Spring Training homes of several Major League teams.
    • Arizona will play four games as part of the MLB Desert Invitational, kicking its season off against the second-ranked Vols Friday night on MLB Network. Friday's game and Sunday's game against Michigan State are taking place at Salt River Fields (home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies) and the contests on Saturday (vs. Fresno State) and Monday (vs. San Diego) will be at Sloan Park (home of the Chicago Cubs) in Mesa.
    • Washington State is hosting Villanova and UC Riverside for two games apiece from Friday to Sunday at the Peoria Sports Complex, the spring training home of the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres.
    • No. 23 Oregon State is opening the year in Surprise for the eighth consecutive year, where they will face New Mexico (twice), Minnesota and UC Santa Barbara in the College Baseball Classic Feb. 17-20 at Surprise Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers.
  • Four teams will be at home to start the year: Arizona State hosts San Diego State for three games (Feb. 17-19); No. 25 Oregon will play four against Xavier (Feb. 17-19) in Eugene; USC will take on Marist for three (Feb. 17-19); and No. 15 UCLA hosts Omaha for a three-game series (Feb. 17-19).
  • Traveling for the first weekend are: Washington at Santa Clara for four (Feb. 18-20); California at Houston for three games (Feb. 17-19); No. 3 Stanford at Cal State Fullerton for three (Feb. 17-19); and Utah at San Francisco for a four-game set (Feb. 17-20).
  • Four teams will kick off their mid-week slates: ASU will host UNLV, USC will take on UC Irvine, UCLA will welcome Pepperdine and California will visit Stanford for a non-conference matchup. All four games are on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

FRESH (AND FAMILIAR) FACES: Two Pac-12 head coaches - Washingtons Jason Kelly and USCs Andy Stankiewicz - will both make their debuts this weekend, but neither are new to the West.

Kelly in particular is no stranger to the Pac-12, returning to Washington after previously spending seven years as the Huskies pitching coach from 2013-19 under Lindsay Meggs, who announced his retirement following the 2022 season. Kelly was a key part of UWs first-ever trip to the Mens College World Series in 2018 before stints as the pitching coach at Arizona State and last season as LSU. The 2018 D1Baseball National Assistant Coach of the Year is not only coaching his first Pac-12 game, but first game as a head coach and UW will hope Kelly can lead the Huskies back to Omaha.

Stankiewicz, a former Major League Baseball player, came to USC last summer after a highly successful 11-year run at Grand Canyon in which he won five regular season Western Athletic Conference titles and was named the WAC Coach of the Year four times. Over the last two seasons, Stankiewicz guided Grand Canyon to its first ever NCAA Division I postseason appearance in 2021 then led the program to its first ever at-large bid this past season. The former Pepperdine standout guided GCU through the transition to the Division I level so his experience building a program from the ground up should lend well in LA as he tries to restore the Trojans to national prominence.

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)

RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS & 2022 ALL-FRESHMAN HONOREES:

  • Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State: NCBWA All-Freshman First Team; Collegiate Baseball All-Freshman Team, Perfect Game All-Freshman First Team.
  • Ryan Brown, RP, Oregon State: NCBWA All-Freshman Second Team, Collegiate Baseball All-Freshman Team.
  • Ryan Campos, C, Arizona State: NCBWA All-Freshman First Team
  • Carter Graham, 1B, Stanford : College Baseball Third Team; Perfect Game Third Team
  • Ethan Gourson, 2B, UCLA: Collegiate Baseball All-Freshman Team
  • Ben Ferrer, RP, Oregon State: Baseball America Third-Team All-American, D1Baseball Third Team All-American.
  • Ethan Flanagan, RP, UCLA: Collegiate Baseball All-Freshman Team
  • Jacob Kmatz, SP, Oregon State: Collegiate Baseball All-Freshman Team, Perfect Game All-Freshman Second Team.
  • Caleb Lomavita, DH, Cal: Collegiate Baseball All-Freshman Team
  • Braden Montgomery, UT, Stanford: NCBWA All-Freshman Second Team, Collegiate Baseball All-Freshman Team, Perfect Game All-Freshman First Team.
  • Cody Schrier, SS, UCLA: NCBWA All-Freshman Second Team, Collegiate Baseball All-Freshman Team, Perfect Game All-Freshman First Team.
  • Jacob Tobias, DH, Arizona State: Collegiate Baseball All-Freshman Team
  • Alonzo Tredwell, RP, UCLA: NCBWA All-Freshman First Team; Collegiate Baseball All-Freshman Team, Perfect Game All-Freshman First Team.
  • Jacob Walsh, 1B, Oregon: Collegiate Baseball All-Freshman Team

NEXT GENERATION: The Class of 2022 recruits will get their first taste of Pac-12 play this season and it was a strong class across the board for the conference.

For a second straight year, the Pac-12 had four schools ranked in the top-25 in the country in Baseball America's recruiting class rankings .

Oregon had to top-rated class in the conference, coming in at No. 5, for its first top-five class since 2010. The class, particularly strong among position players, is highlighted by shortstop Carter Garate , SS (No. 193), infielder Drew Smith (No. 214) and INF Dominic Hellman (No. 304).

The three other schools that made BA's Top 25 were Oregon State (#16), Stanford (#21), and UCLA (#22).

KEY ADDITIONS: With the transfer portal here to stay and teams utilizing the junior college ranks, several squads were able to add key pieces to their rosters.

Arizona added Kiko Romero from Central Arizona College to bolster its offensive firepower, while Butler transfer Derek Drees should contribute immediately after leading the Big East with a 1.27 ERA last spring. Arizona State landed San Francisco transfer Luke Keaschall , ranked No. 36 in D1Baseball's 2023 draft class rankings, and former Florida State pitcher Ross Dunn , who was widely considered one of the top transfers in the portal. Oregon picked up Alabama transfer Owen Diodati , who hit 24 homers over the last three seasons, and JuCo transfer Rikuu Nishida , a Cape Cod League all-star last summer. UCLA's lone transfer, outfielder AJ Salgado , came from DII Cal State Los Angeles where he hit .362 last year. USC welcomed a pair of D1 transfers who could man the infield spots right away in shortstop Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek (formerly of UCLA) and second baseman Ryan Jackson (formerly of Nevada), while Utah added to its infield with JuCo shortstop Bruer Webster , a two-time ABCA Golden Glove award winner at Salt Lake Community College. Washington strengthened its pitching staff with the addition of Kiefer Lord (Carleton College), who had an impressive fall and was named to D1Baseball's "Rising Right-handed Pitchers To Watch" list. Washington State's JuCo transfer Andrew McKenna (Santa Barbara CC) led the Cougars in hitting this fall, while fellow junior college transfer Shane Spencer (Central Arizona College) should factor into the WSU rotation in 2023.

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).

2022 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS: Forty Pac-12 student-athletes were selected in the 2022 MLB Draft last July, with at least one chosen in 18 of 20 rounds. Nine of the Pac-12's 11 baseball programs produced at least one pick, while eight produced two or more.

Oregon State led all Pac-12 schools with eight draft picks, the most the program has ever produced in the first 20 rounds of the draft. Among them was left-hander Cooper Hjerpe , who was selected in the first round (22nd overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Arizona State, California and Stanford tied for the second-most picks in the Pac-12, producing six apiece.

Arizona catcher Daniel Susac was the Pac-12's other first-round pick, going 19th overall to the Oakland Athletics, was the highest a Wildcat has been selected since Kevin Newman was chosen 19th overall in the 2015 MLB Draft.

MORE FROM PAC-12.COM:

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 )

Friday, Feb. 17
New Mexico vs. No. 23 Oregon State (1) FloSports 11:00 a.m. PT
Villanova vs. Washington State (Peoria Sports Complex) WSU Live Stream 11:00 a.m. PT
Utah at San Francisco WCC Network 1:00 p.m. PT
Xavier at No. 25 Oregon Oregon Live Stream 3:05 p.m. PT
California at Houston ESPN+ 4:30 p.m. PT
Omaha at No. 15 UCLA UCLA Live Stream 5:00 p.m. PT
San Diego State at Arizona State ASU Live Stream 5:00 p.m. PT
Arizona vs. No. 2 Tennessee (2) (Salt River Fields) MLB Network 5:00 p.m. PT
#3 Stanford at Cal State Fullerton ESPN+ 6:00 p.m. PT
Marist at USC USC Live Stream 6:30 p.m. PT
Saturday, Feb. 18
Minnesota vs. No. 23 Oregon State (1) FloSports 11:00 a.m. PT
UC Riverside vs. Washington State (Peoria Sports Complex) WSU Live Stream 11:00 a.m. PT
Arizona vs. Fresno State (2) (Sloan Park) MLB.com 12:00 p.m. PT
San Diego State at Arizona State ASU Live Stream 12:00 p.m. PT
Xavier at No. 25 Oregon (Doubleheader) Oregon Live Stream 12:05 p.m. PT & 4:05 p.m. PT
Utah at San Francisco WCC Network 1:00 p.m. PT
Washington at Santa Clara 1:00 p.m. PT
Omaha at No. 15 UCLA UCLA Live Stream 2:00 p.m. PT
Villanova vs. Washington State (Peoria Sports Complex) WSU Live STream 4:00 p.m. PT
California at Houston ESPN+ 4:30 p.m. PT
No. 3 Stanford at Cal State Fullerton ESPN+ 5:00 p.m. PT
Marist at USC USC Live Stream 6:30 p.m. PT
Sunday, Feb. 19
California at Houston ESPN+ 10:00 a.m. PT
Washington at Santa Clara (Doubleheader) 10:00 a.m. PT & 1:00 p.m. PT
Marist at USC USC Live Stream 11:00 a.m. PT
New Mexico vs. No. 23 Oregon State (1) FloSports 11:00 a.m. PT
UC Riverside vs. Washington State (Peoria Sports Complex) WSU Live Stream 11:00 a.m. PT
San Diego State at Arizona State ASU Live Stream 11:30 a.m. PT
Xavier at No. 25 Oregon Oregon Live Stream 12:05 p.m. PT
Omaha at No. 15 UCLA UCLA Live Stream 1:00 p.m. PT
No. 3 Stanford at Cal State Fullerton ESPN+ 1:00 p.m. PT
Utah at San Francisco WCC Network 1:00 p.m. PT
Arizona vs. Michigan State (2) (Salt River Fields) MLB.com 3:05 p.m. PT
Monday, Feb. 20
Washington at Santa Clara 10:00 a.m. PT
Arizona vs. San Diego (2) (Sloan Park) MLB.com 12:00 p.m. PT
UCSB vs. No. 23 Oregon State (1) FloSports 12:00 p.m. PT
Utah at San Francisco WCC Network 1:00 p.m. PT
Tuesday, Feb. 21
Pepperdine at No. 15 UCLA Pac-12 Insider 5:00 p.m. PT
UNLV at Arizona State ASU Live Stream 5:00 p.m. PT
California at No. 3 Stanford* Pac-12 Network/Bay Area 6:00 p.m. PT
UC Irvine at USC USC Live Stream 6:30 p.m. PT
  • (1) - College Baseball Classic, Surprise, Ariz.
  • (2) - MLB Desert Invitational, Scottsdale, Ariz. & Mesa, Ariz.
  • * - Does not count toward conference records

CONFERENCE STANDINGS ( Expanded Standings )

Teams Pac-12 Record Overall Record
Arizona 0-0 0-0
Arizona State 0-0 0-0
California 0-0 0-0
#25 Oregon 0-0 0-0
#23 Oregon State 0-0 0-0
#3 Stanford 0-0 0-0
#15 UCLA 0-0 0-0
USC 0-0 0-0
Utah 0-0 0-0
Washington 0-0 0-0
Washington State 0-0 0-0

PAC-12 BASEBALL WEEKLY AWARDS

Player of the Week Pitcher of the Week
Feb. 20