CougCenter, a Washington State Cougars community

Nick Tanielu slugs five extra base hits in 16 at bats on the weekend as WSU takes care of business at Bailey-Brayton Field.

It once seemed like Donnie Marbut was building a perennial contender at WSU. After missing the NCAAs in back-to-back seasons, the Cougars are aiming to get back on track.

The big question is where the pop will come from in the lineup. Hitters such as Jason Monda and Collin Slaybaugh have flashed the potential to hit for excellent average, but the two sophomores had just 15 extra base hits between them -- with just one home run -- in more than 300 at bats. Adam Nelubowich is the leading returning home run hitter with four; the rest of the returning team has just three combined.

The WSU Cougars' first player from the 2012 team came off the board in the Major League Baseball draft today when the Seattle Mariners selected WSU first baseman Taylor Ard -- who led WSU in home runs and was selected to the Pac-12 all-conference team -- in the seventh round.

Derek Jones, WSU's career leader in home runs, will officially embark on his professional career with the Colorado Rockies, who made the outfielder their eighth round pick on Tuesday.

J.D. Leckenby showed what looked like ace material last year in relief. He hasn't shown it this year - and we think we might know why.

While hardly a soft landing, it was a bit of a missed opportunity for the Cougs as they look to get back in the NCAA tournament -- the Bulldogs already are a fringe top 25 team in the ultra-competitive SEC.

Which WSU baseball players might break out this year? We've got some ideas, via Cougar Sports Weekly.

In a bit of "news" that's completely unsurprising to anyone who follows WSU baseball closely, coach Donnie Marbut announced today that a 15-man freshman class -- which includes unsigned major league draft picks Ben Roberts, Tanner Chleborad and Joe Pistorese -- has officially joined the team.

Is there hope for recovery in 2012? The answer is yes. (Isn't it always?) We look at who the players are who could step up to get WSU baseball back in the postseason.